"Forget trodden down, I think our future sees a beautiful revolution."
Hello and welcome to one of our final pieces for Optimism Week here on Eurogamer. This time, we've turned to the industry itself for some answers, and as such I'm going to do my best to get out of the way as quickly as possible.
For this piece, we contacted a range of developers and general people-of-video-games to ask them one question: despite everything, what still gives you reason for optimism?
As you'd expect, the responses have been wonderful. Here's why we should still be hopefully for the future of video games, straight from the people who make the medium possible:
"It's a rough time for the games industry but a golden age for the game dev community.
"I've seen a tremendous outpouring of support for people after layoffs and for new writers trying to break in. It's moving to see the way people rally around their colleagues to raise money, find jobs, offer feedback on resumes and portfolios.
We game devs have always looked out for each other – passing the hat in hard times and mentoring new writers. But now, there's a renewed sense of responsibility and empathy for our colleagues. That feeling, that shared care and desire to help each other out, that's how we win. And it gives me hope for our future."
"The industry is a bloody mess right now, there's no doubt about it. But there's plenty to be optimistic about, as well. For a start, the sheer volume of bangers releasing – amid all the adversity – is amazing and points to the sheer resilience of game makers. It's across every price point and genre, too. That's cumulative to the decades of masterpieces already available. So whether you've got a latest-gen console, a powerhouse PC, an older machine, or a potato, there's no shortage of fun stuff to play.
"On the industry side, a recurring theme I saw this year in meetings at GDC and Develop: Brighton was how many Gen Z indie teams and solo devs are building cool shit. They cut their teeth on Roblox and are now luckily leaving that rapacious, dark-pattern-infested platform behind (sorry, Optimism Week…) for less predatory pastures. The games and ideas they're bringing to Steam especially, for example, are spins on genres in ways we haven't really seen before. A lot of it is low-fidelity co-op, which brings me to another recent bright spot, the phenomenal rise of so-called "friendslop" games. They're quick for devs to prototype and make, cheap for consumers to buy, social by design, and built around fun ideas. They're pulling in players across generations, too. Good shit, frankly.
"Lastly, it's lush to see more real cultural exchange through games, with China embracing more Western AAA and the West embracing more games out of China. It's true across the entire ecosystem, really – and that's something that's going to continue. In a world that seems more divided by the day, games are cross-cultural. Lovely stuff."
"There's a lot to not like about videogames and the industry that makes them these days. Seems like everywhere you turn the platform holders aren't quite sure what to do or where they're going, which is leading to a lot of confusion or discourse online – not to mention countless layoffs. (Great way to bump the stock price, lay off the folks that shipped your hit game!) Players vote with their dollars and they want to be confident that they're getting a good, well supported product with their hard-earned cash.
"I honestly took a few years off from playing, well, anything after my studio Boss Key cratered. I was jaded and bitter. Sure, I made my share of mistakes there, but the saying truly applied at that point: "Teach a man to make video games and he'll never want to play one for the rest of his life." All I saw was the budget onscreen and/or bugs or things that could have been changed or improved. That part of me dies hard.
"Only in the last while have I rediscovered the joy of playing. There's still room out there for quality AAA experiences; burning through Pragmata and Expedition 33, for example, helped give me hope. However, increasingly, that feels like an exception for me. I find myself gravitating towards the indie scene, AA games, or "friendslop" titles. I'm also a sucker for the idea that a handful of passionate developers can make a hit. Titles like Meccha Chameleon (virus issues aside) and Far Far West (which apparently sold 1m copies) are a couple of small examples of this. Late to the party but I just burned through PowerWash Simulator which was so simple but addictive and next up is Neva, Level Devil, and Shift at Midnight.
"At the end of the day, there're so many gamers out there who will always gravitate towards "gun or ball" games. Many folks have busy lives and don't have the time to find the latest indie or AA hit (or have a friend that can advise them). That's fine. There's still plenty of players and space for new, weird, and unique titles to rise to the top and become hits as long as there's an audience hungry for them. Having Mike Wilson, founder of Devolver, on our F13 podcast (shameless plug) reminded me that they were ahead of their time. The A24 of video games who were willing to take a risk on misfit fun titles. I'm not a betting man, but if I was I'd double down on those sorts of titles over games with seasons and battle passes.
"Games never cease to amaze me, good and bad.
