June 20, 2004
Where did the fall begin?
When trying to find a beginning to the downfall of the game industry, you could go as far back as the NES. The NES brought the industry back to its feet after a couple of bad, bad years. The NES has sold over 50 million, and at one time it was said there were more NESs sold than VCRs in America. So the introduction to mainstream noteriety no doubt is the responsibility of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The NES truly made video games extremely common and widely known, but they were still only really popular among kids 12 and under.
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy was a huge success and few other franchises in gaming have been able to match its success. It's safe to say that, since Final Fantasy was an RPG, meaning it required more thought than most games at the time, it's safe to say that it probably helped bring in some of the teen crowd during the Super NES days, particularly with Final Fantasy III (Or VI, for the Japanese fanboys).
The Sony Playstation
The Playstation, despite being one of the greatest consoles of all time, was truly the beginning of the end. It introduced (or made popular) some of the biggest names of today, including:
Madden: While, at the time, EA wasn't the massive juggernaut of evil, greed, and stifling uncreativity that it is today, it certainly contributed by popularizing the genre that embodies this downfall - sports games. Sports games are considered "socially acceptable" gaming, because even though you are engaging in an activity that is commonly associated with nerds, at least you're simulating something that is commonly associated with jocks and other image-conscious people. The most popular of which was (and is) the Madden Football series. It started out modestly enough: as a PC football simulation. Now it's a million-dollar franchise and each new Madden game incorporates some of the shittiest mainstream music (evidence of its complete commercialization): everything from Xzibit to Good Charlotte.
(NOTE: I'm not really as obsessed with lumping people into cliques as I sound like I am. I'm just calling it as I see it)
Tomb Raider: Tomb Raider is the game that first soiled the virgin game industry to the "sex sells" tactic, (unless you count Sofia from Battle Arena Toshinden, who wasn't really popular, per se) so common in every other form of entertainment. Now you'd be hard-pressed to find a game that doesn't feature at least a few large-breasted women in it. Many games try to even cover up the lack of effort that went in to actually making the game fun by throwing in some tits here and there.
Metal Gear Solid: As much as I hate to admit it, Metal Gear Solid has made a contribution to the mainstream-ification of and therefore to the downfall of the game industry. However, unlike some other games such as Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat, and DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Metal Gear Solid was popular because it was a masterpiece of digital art, and a genuinely entertaining game.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater took everyone by surprise by simultaneously contributing to the commercialization of skateboarding, video games, and Tony Hawk. Also, it was one of the best sports games of all time, another surprise. But still, it helped make video games popular with the "cool" crowd in a big, big way. Perhaps bigger than any game before it. But, as you'll see later, another game took this title...
Grand Theft Auto 3: If one were to pinpoint the exact moment that the video game industry became a creative vacuum, it would be the months when Grand Theft Auto 3 was released and made a big impact. It had everything the casual gamer was looking for: impressive visuals, violence, profanity, depictions of criminal acts, and even an added bonus: gameplay! While a fun game, GTA3 was more harm to the industry than good.
Which leaves us where we are today: in a hardcore gamer's hellhole, where ideas like Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball are not shot down instantly as fucking retarded attempts to cash in on the testosterone-fueled gaming world. The good news is, things are starting to look up. Steel Batallion gives me hope that other developers will find their sack someday. Of course the fact that it hasn't sold for shit probably won't help that. any.