It always seems like the fall and winter are my heavy gaming month's. I always find myself the first part of the year wishing I could play more video games like when I was younger. But life and family take priority but then comes fall. With this years release of Madden, Bio-shock, Halo 3 and more I find myself staying up until the wee hours again getting my video game fill. Each year however though the market seems to get more crowded with compelling games that vie for my time and attention.
I did the piece on the local NBC 11 channel for the news last week on Halo 3 and what it means for the industry. Some of the questions got me thinking that we may be entering a phase where more then 3 or 4 games a year dominate the market sales. Game developers are starting to really push the game play experience and come up with some super compelling experiences. Of course there will always be the franchise's that do well but Bio-Shock and Gears of War are examples of new titles that can become instant franchises.
Now for the industry that is great but for consumers what happens when there are so many games you want to play but can only get one or two. How do you decide? I am anxious to see how the industry handles market saturation of quality games. I am wondering if some business models will need to change where games may cost less or be free but have integrated marketing into it. For example Madden this year is littered with advertising that I really don't mind from Sprint, Under Armor etc. I am wondering if the future of this industry isn't more subsidized games through advertising. Just a thought.
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