@Gamer_4_Fun Tell me how it's a bad analogy. Do hardcore readers expect all books to be novels directed at a mature audience without any "kiddie, casual crap"? Do movie-goers flip out any time a movie is released that appeals to the masses? (Well, other than the elitist critics.) Nobody on here seems to have the faintest idea how markets work at all. If the core gamers are what keep the industry afloat, it would cater to them because THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY IS. If it's NOT catering to them, perhaps the core gamers should look in the mirror and consider whether they've done much to support the industry. Lately, the answer to that question is much more in the realm of "not much" than "too much," especially since everyone is buying their games used from Gamestop, ensuring it continues to rob developers of buttloads of cash, forcing them to lay off tons of employees while it declares record profits and gives ZILCH back to the community. (TBC)

@WolfGrey Anytime we try to say something is "real" in the context you just used, we are effectively claiming that anybody who plays those games is not a real gamer, nor are the people who produce them real game companies. This is the kind of crap that led so many people to try and claim the original DS had "useless" functions because the ones that made use of it weren't actually games, but apparently something else. (See Nintendogs) I don't think you mean to sound rude or elitist--as I've exchanged comments with you before and found you very respectful--but to me, that's like saying "We whites are the REAL humans." No, we're ALL humans; just different kinds. Personally, I'm not sure I agree with your points either. I think the controller looks fine and Miyamoto already officially said he was working on a new IP. But I respect where you're coming from.

(cont.) Wake up gamers. You're not being ignored. If you expect an entire industry to focus exclusively on you--like it did last generation with approximately 1,000 releases, most sequels, directed at the core gamer--then I'd suggest never getting married, cause believe it or not, a marriage doesn't mean you focus endlessly upon each other all the damn time. Ironically, when the industry WAS focused exclusively on you guys, you complained endlessly about too many games directed at you. If you're really a core gamer, you'll stick with the industry through this "drought" of titles, and if you're dissatisfied, either find something else to do or go play one of those 1,000 titles from LAST generation that you never finished, since the core gamer only completes about 20-30% of the games s/he buys. Oh, and the "mainstream audiences" are about as fickle as dogs, which will eat almost anything. It's the CORE GAMER that is so damn fickle, which is probably WHY the industry has turned away from them a little. REPEAT: a LITTLE. How on earth are we still spouting cliched crap like this? We have PLENTY to play, and if it isn't enough, I think you're a glutton. No offense.

Yes, the hardcore gamer is sure starved for stuff. Just look at the abysmally small number of games they've had to play in the last few years: Lost Planet 2, Dead Rising 2, Portal 2, Bioshock 2, the upcoming Bioshock Infinite, Dead Space 2, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Infamous 2, Uncharted 3, Resistance 3, Gears of War 3, Halo: Reach, Halo 3: ODST, Crackdown 2, Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire, the upcoming Grand Theft Auto V, Kirby: Return to Dreamland, Kirby Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Metroid: Other M, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mass Effect 2, Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, the upcoming Last Guardian, 2 Call of Duty titles, Darksiders and it's upcoming sequel, God of War III, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Enslaved, Odyssey to the West, Alan Wake, Borderlands and it's upcoming sequel, Street Fighter IV and it's two upgrades, Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and IT'S upgrade, the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, King of Fighters XIII, three Blazblue titles, Blur, Split/Second, around 5 Need for Speed titles, two Forza titles, THREE Assassin's Creed titles, a new Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell Conviction...good lord do I even need to continue?! (TBC)

@xevilmickx2 If he didn't mean it the way I thought he did, then I apologize. It's just that there's a whole lot of crap talk in entertainment about how developers are cynical or lazy even though there is no clear, indisputable evidence that this is the case. I recently read an article that praised Pixar for like the millionth time in the last 5 years. He claims that the reason Pixar continues to succeed is because it doesn't cave in to Hollywood cynicism about subject matter and content. He claims that it's because Pixar has respect for the audience, unlike the head honchos and other film developers. No consideration that this "cynical" content is just what the creators wanted to include; we didn't enjoy it, so they must be pessimistic jerks. God forbid they should actually ask the developers themselves, lest it cut into their fantasy about evil Hollywood executives. THAT'S the type of thinking that makes me angry, and it's hardly just present in Hollywood criticism; it's all over the gaming industry too. I'm honestly having a hard time reconciling what you say he means with the wording. If GTA is the "rare adult franchise that treats its audience like adults," then what's Call of Duty? What's Devil May Cry? Gears of War and Halo? Everything you said about GTA3 is accurate IMO, though. It DID pave the way for a lot of great things. It birthed the sandbox genre so we could have games like Crackdown, Spider Man 2, Assassin's Creed...the list is almost endless actually.

I remember playing GTA3 for the first time as a kid with more politically correct, snobbish attitudes towards the franchise, and walking away realizing for about the thousandth time that I needed to keep an open mind with my entertainment. Honestly, I never viewed the game in the same revolutionary fashion that so many others did, as it seemed to me much of the basic idea--complete missions, get money, find collectibles--was taken straight out of the platform genre, but 1) that didn't bother me because platform games continue to be one of my favorite genres today and 2) I could still see how dynamic the world of the game was and how it would react to my actions. However, Mr. Davison, I must object to your suggestion that this is a rare adult game that treats us like adults. That implies the majority of other franchises are filled with development teams that insult gamers and are condescending, elitist, or cynical towards them. Basing our opinions of the intentions of developers strictly upon how we view their content instead of actually asking them, "What was your intention with this stuff?" is presumptuous and unfair. (IMO)

@zidan4000 As for EA's older business practices, you're absolutely right. That was unacceptable and I'm glad they did something about it. However, we are not in any real position to be able to say what that money gets used for or not. It MIGHT be going into the CEO's pocket, but it might also be getting to the actual developers. We need hard evidence to prove this is happening. And we also have to consider that often a lot of the profits that we ascribe to CEO bonuses are really just revenue, not profit. In addition, though there's usually enough money for a CEO to buy a new boat, a lot of that money actually doesn't stay with them, but gets poured back into the business to fund new projects. If you think about it, given that only about 20% of games turn a profit, it's actually kind of generous that so many games still get funded. But again, the last few sentences are just speculation on my part.

@zidan4000 I understand the concern. We all want to be sure the money is used efficiently and those that deserve to get their share do. But let's be honest with ourselves. When we refuse to buy games at $60, it's more than likely because we think the price is too high for OUR wallets, not because we think the companies are going to use the money incorrectly. And we don't buy games like LA Noire at $60 because we want developers to get the money they deserve; we buy them because we want the games more than we want the $60. So really, it's not about the developers when most of us complain; it's about US. Not to say there aren't people who are genuinely concerned about this. Just look at the comments on here. Many people don't like workers getting treated this way. But I don't think most are going to remember stories like this one when they go to a store and buy Brink for $60 and are disgusted with how "bad" it is. (Whether Brink is actually bad is another debate entirely.) (TBC)

I don't mean to be rude on here, especially since the comments I've read are much more tolerant and understanding than those I've seen on the pages of other articles on this site, but I'd honestly like to turn the title of this article around: "Game Developers' Quality of Life: Why Should Gamers Care?" Well, why SHOULDN'T we care? Are we all cold-hearted, selfish jerks who are more concerned about having 12 hours of fun than ensuring "slave labor work-conditions" (Exaggeration) don't occur? I'd personally hope the people on here cared REGARDLESS of whether we stand to gain from it. If I were to re-title this article, I'd call it "Why Gamers Should Not Be Cold-Hearted Jerks." (No offense to anyone that is genuinely compassionate on these forums.)

@vicke32 That's not true. Yes, there are people out there with enough motivation to do things without any real incentive, but there are far more that will give up and quit doing things if they can see no forseeable benefit to themselves. Seeing the demand for something and recognizing there are untapped profits in that demand is what drives many people to create things. @Murder422 Yes, because it's completely possible to meet the lofty and absurd demands of us gamers without having to resort to insane work conditions. After all, it's not like we keep demanding MORE MORE MORE! Nope. We're always willing to accept LESS LESS LESS. Try looking at how the working conditions HAVE to be to meet our demands, and ask developers if they DO care about our quality of life. Until then, I doubt you'll be promoted past a Kindergarten teacher.