Do you think there's a lack of creativity in video games?

You can't really stereotype that ALL video games lack creativity, because some are very original ideas.

sure

It's difficult to answer this question. My favourite era of gaming was during the N64/PS1 days, but I was a kid back then. Perhaps everything seemed new to me as I grew and experienced more. These days I can pass over 100 games before I find even one remotely interesting to me and then I have to make a whole host of decisions as to whether or not I'll buy a game based on its price and how similar or unique it is to games I've played in the past.

Let's take something like Halo, MW2 or GTAIV. Both are good games, in their own rights, but I've played those games before. I played GTAIV when I played GTA1, I played MW2 and Halo when I played Doom or Wolfenstien 3D. It's not so much about making a "new" game, but about making an old game look new again, i.e. building upon an old formula and giving it a face lift so that it appears new and fresh. I feel there's too much in the way of franchises trying to push out title after title (Halo, CoD, any EA series) and the games, the genres, just feel stale sooner than they should.

In my opinion, it's only when we get some dramatic change, next generation graphics or physics, perhaps some admiring story telling that we really get a "new" game and that feeling of creativity. This same line of thinking can be applied to movies and music. I would add books, but I don't read enough to be able to comment on that sufficiently.

I mean, almost every new release is just a remake of an older game. Plus every cartoon that comes out seems to need a video game. What do you think about it?Jbird120

That's quite a blanket statement you're making.

Let's take something like Halo, MW2 or GTAIV. Both are good games, in their own rights, but I've played those games before. I played GTAIV when I played GTA1, I played MW2 and Halo when I played Doom or Wolfenstien 3D. It's not so much about making a "new" game, but about making an old game look new again, i.e. building upon an old formula and giving it a face lift so that it appears new and fresh.

DigitalExile

I really don't think you can compare Halo to MW2 or either to DOOM or Wolfenstien. Thats basicly like comparing the whole of FPS games to eachother. Yes there are similarities between all, you shoot people, but they don't all have the same play style, or feel.

To the original question, companies are pandering to the casual gamers mainly, and trying to make every game look good so that it will be picked up fast. With all of the kids out there playing games, the cartoon games are very popular, good or not. You'll have remakes, you'll have cheap knock-offs, but you'll also have great original titles that will be released. There are plenty of companys out there, and plenty more small groups of kids using free sofware to create their own titles. You just have to wait, watch, and hope for a great new title that interests you and that you'll enjoy as much as the games you played before.

The most origanal games i've seen was Valkiria Chronicles Followed by Red Faction Guerilla. though WiC, COH: OF and DoW2 are worth mentioning.

Yeah. The graphics keep improving, but very little breaks the mould.

No not really. However I worry for it sometimes. If law and production restrictions would loosen up a bit i'm sure we will see more creativity but overall, it's not going too bad as we see the odd breakthrough game occur every three or four months. If you want to see a brand new game that has absoultley nothing in common with any other game ever made and expect one to be released each week then your going to be very dissapointed with the games industry and probably life in general.

Whenever I see these topics it always boils down to people saying stuff like "The SNES was the time of games, now everything else iscrap" and that "Chrono Trigger is the best game in the world and every other RPG ever made has no imagination and has taken giant leaps backwards!".

I suggest you don't talk to those people, they are ugly and they smell of cabbage, they are just jealous that your better looking them them and they want to put your life to the standard theres is in.

Sports games I'd say fit the description, but other than that I don't think so.

I think that there are just way too many FPS games out there. At least they're not milking WW2 anymore but still...

I think that in some ways, yes , there is less creativity, but I also think that part of that is due to the fact that "everything has been done before".

also I think graphics are a part if that perception, the graphical jump isnt quite as big from last gen to this, as it was from say 2D to 3D or even from the PS1/N64/Saturn to the last gen , (at least last gen, characters didnt look blocky and actually had faces that didnt look drawn on the characters)

so yeah there is creativity but I wouldnt say its just laziness, there are other factors

Sometimes I think there's a lack creativity from the consummer side, which effects development. While this is a small case study, follow the Dante's Inferno discussion board. You'll find numerous posts saying "If the game followed the book, it'll be a really boring game", which which really means "Dante's Inferno had to be a hack-and-slash game." With a little creativity, I'm sure a video game rendition of the poem could've taken any route other than hack-and-slash.

I just think that there's a lot of people who have certain expectations on what a game should be, and developers pay attention to that because they want a game to sell well. And in turn, it limits what they can do creatively.

Sometimes I think there's a lack creativity from the consummer side, which effects development. While this is a small case study, follow the Dante's Inferno discussion board. You'll find numerous posts saying "If the game followed the book, it'll be a really boring game", which which really means "Dante's Inferno had to be a hack-and-slash game." With a little creativity, I'm sure a video game rendition of the poem could've taken any route other than hack-and-slash.

I just think that there's a lot of people who have certain expectations on what a game should be, and developers pay attention to that because they want a game to sell well. And in turn, it limits what they can do creatively.

Definatly it seems very few can write a decent plot...most have lol plots...

definitely lost creativity... the last game that impressed me with creativity was far cry 2...

games back in the day.. especially on n64 always blew me away

Examples of creativity in recent games:

1. Assasins Creed II - Da Vinci's flying machine

2. Bayonetta - ...just watch the videos of her super moves and be delighted by the awesomeness

3. Dragon Age Origins - A very unique story in and of itself

4. Modern Warfare 2 - optional airport scene

5. Borderlands - randomize weapons with elemental effects

I mean I could go on but why? Creativity will always exist, now granted there are certainly uninspired games out there but saying that all games lack creativity is very far from the truth and is certainly an uneducated question to ask in general. I mean no offense by this but without creativity and excitement gaming would have died a long long time ago. The same goes for any form of media.

definitely lost creativity... the last game that impressed me with creativity was far cry 2...

games back in the day.. especially on n64 always blew me away

rassklot

i think devs are playing it safe, especially with publishers forkin over lots of money and breathing down their necks with due dates. blizzard does good with this, and ubisoft to an extent...but most games are just rehashes of others....mega man 10 anyone?

It's hard to be creative when pretty much everything has already been done before.

The lack of creativity is a direct result of complacent consumption on the user end. Until people start using their wallets to demand innovation, we can all expect pretty much the same small trough to feed from year in and year out.

Large corporations that are ultimately ruled by the proverbial bottom line, have no incentive to anything except whatever generates the largest revenue for the least amount of effort.

Edit : This is of course excluding the few and sadly... far between titles that reach in directions others dont.

It's hard to be creative when pretty much everything has already been done before.

PabloEscobar20

Lack creativity? Sure a majority does and sadly, the biggest lackluster titles belong to the FPS genre but, I dare you to play Bayonetta, Valkyria Chronicles, or Brutal Legend and tell me that video games lack creativity.Rhen_Var

you have a point there....bayonetta kinda felt like dmc but with a diff protagonist and i diff flair

valkyria chronicles was probably the best you mentioned

brutal legend was one of the most original games with horrible waterdown gameplay mechanics which i sold within 48 hours of buying........

brutal legend is exactly why people dont do creative things....it was a great idea, but it failed in the gameplay, graphics, sound, multiplayer arenas....they made their money off of it, but when i go to gamestop and see more used copies on the wall than new, and the game isnt that old, i wonder to myself is it really worth it to be so creative, and to suck that bad........

definitely lost creativity... the last game that impressed me with creativity was far cry 2...

games back in the day.. especially on n64 always blew me away

I Think video games are the only place you can find creativity.It doesnt exist in movies or music anymore.

hell yeaah I & I tinks dat there be no luv inda world ah gaming

for love is creation - love is de creativity & I & I see dere be no love in da buildings bare be makademchaka

jah blesss me sunshiness

[QUOTE="ASK_Story"][QUOTE="rassklot"]

definitely lost creativity... the last game that impressed me with creativity was far cry 2...

games back in the day.. especially on n64 always blew me away

Darkman2007

i know what you guys mean, but i can still go back and play ocarina of time and be just as impressed...i personally dont really care about graphics.. dragon age was pretty ugly but i still enjoyed it.. alot of games (ie gta4) strive off its graphics... there was absolutely nothing creative about the game.. technologically though it was AMAZING..

cant wait for another hitman game though.. that franchise flourishes in creativity

hell yeaah I & I tinks dat there be no luv inda world ah gaming

for love is creation - love is de creativity & I & I see dere be no love in da buildings bare be makademchaka

jah blesss me sunshiness

soren008

exactly