10 Golden Rules All Video Games Should Follow

By Stuart W. Bedford /

3. Innovation is Key

Gamers are a fickle people. We€™re demanding, hyper-critical and more often than not, we€™re spoiled. We€™re spoiled by the awesome games of our generation, by the incredible amount of choice that there is today. I imagine unveiling a new game to us is similar to a frightened wife revealing tonight€™s dinner to an abusive husband. The problem with us as a group is that we€™re unbelievably picky. There€™s been so much innovation in the gaming industry over the last five to ten years that if a game seems to be reverting back to old trends, features outmoded limitations or elements that have otherwise been bettered elsewhere, we€™ll jump online to tear it a new one before its even managed to make its way onto the shelves. Games really have to be innovative these days, they have to offer something we can€™t really get anywhere else, otherwise what€™s the point? True it€™s hard to be innovative all the time, but if Valve can conjure Portal out of thin air, surely Call of Duty can include a new feature (other than different guns) every once in a while. For a game to be considered €˜awesome€™ and not just €˜decent€™ or €˜sh*t€™, in my eyes, it has to innovate, even if it€™s only to a small degree. Too often new games don€™t even bother trying, and to those games, I say no thank you. Offenders: Mafia II, Call of Duty Series, Any Movie Tie-In