I don't think it's fair to compare the relatively young computer games industry to the more established industries you mentioned (publishing, movie, and board game). I believe that we have barely scratched the surface of what can be delivered in a computer game. We have much to learn about providing interesting and fun games software on existing hardware, and as our hardware gets better, the possibilities for what we can do in our software increases as well. This is true not only in games, but any kind of software development. This includes not only game content, but interface, mood, visuals, transitions, storylines, everything.

This is not to say that they will not be able to find better ways to entertain us with movies, board games, and books. It's just that they are more mature industries, where a lot of the niggling issues have been worked out already. Changes WILL come to these industries, albeit slower. A good example is the rampant use of CGI in movies today. Here is a technology that is available to film-makers that makes movies that were once thought impossible to make possible.

Cya,
Dave

I think that this problem can be broken down into two factors (there are more, but these are two that come to my mind).

1) Our industry is so technology-oriented, and ever-changing. If someone picks Game X, which is horrible but new, and they pick up Game Y which is great but 5 years old, they're going to go with X because it looks so much better.

2) The gaming industry is such a small one that already so many games are fighting for a very limited amount of shelf-space. Once a game loses its appeal of the "hot new thing" then, boom, it's off the shelf at your local CompUSA.

I'm not sure if any publishers already do this but, instead of re-packaging games with new add-ons and new editions, why don't they just release the same game about a year later, but at a much cheaper price (50%). Sort of a paperback edition.

These are just my rambling thoughts. Comment on whatever you like.

Justin Martenstein

Specifically these are expansion packs and ports to consoles (for PC only first games).

If a game is successful, it can have add-on packs which require no more programming, and usually very limited new model creation beyond levels. The units are basically the same, but there are more levels and probably a new story-slice.

Then a successful PC game can (sometimes) be ported to a console (or a number of consoles) and get more of a boost there.

For staying on the shelves as-is, you are pretty much out of luck. With the 4000+ commercial PC titles being developed every year, you are lucky to get on the shelves in the first place (well, you have to pay for it), but staying there beyond the time when your copies are flying off the shelves is impossible.

Retailers want to put games that WILL fly off the shelves up after yours.

One way of retaining a longer stay I think is to make a game with a theme that is unique (ie. not FPS). For instance, a Rodeo game may stay in stores a lot longer cause there is only 1 rodeo game. No one is coming along to replace it, which all the other games have to compete with.

-Geoff

-Geoff