Are anytime updates allowing game studios to put out a lazy product?

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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

 

I am currently a video game design student and quite the avid gamer in my opinion, and while I have never put out a major title, which I’m sure is frustrating, I feel that anytime game updates are pulling me from my gaming experience.

I have read a few good articles recently here on Bitmob, however they address more of the multiplayer issues. Well I’m here as a voice for the little guy, those of us who also enjoy rolling solo through the story modes or arcade games. I myself have quite a busy schedule between fulltime work and school so a lot of my gaming comes in small power sessions. I fire up my system with a solid plan of action and a limited time frame and first thing I’m slapped with before I can cast a protection spell is the all too often “required update” attack. Some are fast and others rather slow, but they both share the power to kill my immersion factor quite quickly.

I think we all know the infamous push back of an exciting game release date, especially games we’ve had the honor of doing a public beta for and yes we get enraged but in our gamer hearts we know it’s for a good cause. This explains why we all go out and buy the game regardless of what day it comes out. I actually believe that studios guess the amount of time they would actually need to finish their game;  instead they are too worried about releasing right before each other or just in time for Santa to clear the shelves. Personally I’d rather be patient for a few extra months right out of the gate, then pick up a game and have to wait every other time I decide to play it for some update that probably wouldn’t have affected my game anyways. We wait through enough things in life, such as red lights, long lines, and a week with too many days wondering what the hell is going to happen next on the Walking Dead.

The bottom line I am trying to get to is that when I fire up a game it is supposed to be an escape from dulls of everyday life, and it should have a delivery of a quick escape. Instead we get pumped up and all of the sudden a required update not only kills the excitement but also takes from my already short gaming time. Game studios everywhere please stop trying to make a quick dime off of us, you know us gamers are here to support you and we would rather give you a worthy and righteous dime. Even if it does require waiting longer for the next installment, we will forgive you. 

 
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Comments (3)
Bmob
February 29, 2012

Why don't you just go offline?

Lolface
February 29, 2012

Some games, like Skyrim, have day one patches, which in my opinion, is a huge red flag that the game is not finished. Instead of sticking to catchy release dates, maybe Bethesda could have put in some more QA time. I think PS3 owners would have greatly appreciated that.

On the other hand, Tim Schafer mentioned in an interview recently that it costs something like $30,000 to release a patch on consoles, so I don't think that publishers and developers are trying to make an incomplete game per se, but that $30,000 isn't stopping them either.

Default_picture
March 01, 2012

 

First day patches don't necessarily bother me, it can take 3 to 4 months for a 'final product' to be put through final bug testing, onto to boxing and shipping the game before it actually put on the shelf. So in most cases if the team stays diligently focused they can finish an add-on or two that is nice to have for your first play through. I completely agree that it throws up a red flag, but I have come to understand the meaning behind an update like that.

On the other hand back to Sandy, I definitely have the option of going offline; however I enjoy most of the features that come with online. I hop on my Xbox quite frequently to check out ESPN highlights that I missed while working and there’s always Netflix of course. So while enjoying all facets of my online experience I should be able to hop on any number of my games just as fast without worrying about losing ten minutes of gaming right off the bat. It would be one thing if I could do the update in the background while doing something else but alas I cannot.

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