Developers have forgotten their roots. They don't even play the games they work on anymore - everyone knows they outsource all their play-testing to child sweatshops in China. And they don't even bother reading the feedback, they just hire a bunch of web goons to troll their forums and delete any posts from anyone criticizing their game.
They design the same game over and over again, repackaging it with only the most modest of graphics improvements and a new main character that was a supporting character in the last version of the game. They consider the game "improved" when they've fixed a bug that was present in the previous version - even if this "fix" creates three entirely new bugs.
Developers plan their games in the most ridiculous fashion. They'll create a gun with laser scopes, hair trigger, explosive-tipped-armor-piercing bullets and full-auto switch - and then, when you go into the game and use it to mow down everything in your path, they'll blame you for turning their game into a violence-fest, when all they intended was for the rifle to be used to open stuck doors. You're not playing the game how they designed it.
We try to make it easier for them. We post exactly what is wrong with their game and how they can improve it on every forum we can find. Instead of listening to their customers, though, Developers instead choose to ignore us and continue blithely on their way, designing games no one is going to want to play.
A Solution?
There's only one thing we can do here: Games have to be outlawed. We have to dismantle the machine, yank out every cog. The only good games - games that spawned this whole industry - were games that were created when there was no industry and no Gamers out there to play them. Once being a Game Developer became a legitimate occupation and being a Gamer became socially acceptable, the entire thing was ruined.
It's too big, now. We have to turn back the developmental clock, lower our expectations and go back to simpler times. Clearly, the blame rests on both parties, and there's nothing that can be done about it. Let's be honest here: Gamers buying games that don't suck? Developers listening to their player base? That's just not going to happen, and a bit unrealistic to expect it to do so. It's easier for everyone if we just start over.
Just think of all the really interesting books you can read if you give up gaming and start reading! Of course, there's a bit of a debate raging about readers and writers - each side saying the other is making publishers release garbage.
But I think I have a solution for that ...
Shawn "Kwip" Williams is the founder of N3 (NeenerNeener.Net), where he toils away documenting his adventures as the worst MMOG and pen-and-paper RPG player in recorded history.
