LFTE: A New Year, A New Challenge (Jan 11)

Games are reaching more people than ever, be it through social websites, consoles, PCs, handhelds, mobile phones, or whatever platform is your avenue of choice. With each passing day more people are playing games than ever before, and the trend shows no signs of stopping.

With so many platforms available, not everyone is playing games the same way anymore. Somewhere, someone who wouldn't even consider him or herself a gamer is playing Farmville on Facebook for endless hours. In another corner of the world, college students are gathering around a giant monitor to play Halo: Reach late into the night. The weird guy down the street is sitting on the porch playing Bejeweled on his phone.

Gaming is everywhere. As a result, game developers have some interesting challenges and choices ahead of them. They must first establish which type of gamer they are making their game for, and, if they want to preserve their standing in the long term, not fall prey to the allure of the quick dollar.

Typically, developers of social and mobile games know their audience, as the games feature simple game mechanics and aren't slaves to the graphics race (yet). The console and PC markets, however, are facing this challenge head on. As game budgets balloon, publishers and developers have started to feel the need to ensure that their games can reach as many people as possible regardless of whom the game is supposed to please.

This is evident in the recent slew of games that don't require the gamer to do anything to find success. Players can complete a Call of Duty: Black Ops level without firing a shot, race though Joy Ride without steering, and run an offense in Madden without having to call a play. The games are literally playing themselves. Victory is given to the player, not earned.

Creating games that lack true challenge isn't the only way this problem is expressing itself. Publishers who bleed their franchises of their value by publishing new installments year after year are doing so because of pressure to cash in while you can, not to ensure that gamers are getting the best product.

The biggest franchises in gaming history haven't left behind the gamers who made gaming what it is today to reach new markets, or bled franchises for every dollar until the husk is dry. The greats attract players with entertaining gameplay.

It is not a movie, nor is it a tech demo. It's about challenge. It's about chasing the old Wide World of Sports tagline, "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." Since I'm already dispensing fortune cookie wisdom, I'll throw in another apropos adage, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Remember that just because you can sell a yearly installment to a franchise, doesn't mean you should.

Enjoy the issue.