10 Images That Encapsulate Gaming's Biggest Problems

5. Ridiculous Budgets Force 'Reliable' Formulas

The gaming industry is the biggest of all the entertainment mediums in the world right now, with the latest example of how much a triple-A title takes to develop being Bungie's Destiny, their Halo-breakaway title that's currently cost $500,000,000 to develop. The twist is that we've not even seen the game released yet, and predictions are such that it's expected that number will be the same for the advertising side of things. The first billion dollar game production? Dr. Evil would be very proud, as you'd better believe the ones and zeroes that fly around Microsoft towers are ready to be pumped into something they're sure can recapture the world-dominating reputation of Halo. Since last year we've seen a big increase in indie games getting the spotlight shone on them - something many are getting a bit sick of thanks to Sony's inclusion of twee platformers and 'mobile titles' as part of their monthly free game offering - yet we've not seen an indie game take off on the level of Minecraft since, well, Minecraft. Instead it's first-person shooters and car games galore. If an executive is going to fund your project, they're far more likely to look at the stats of what's done well in that field beforehand, rather than take a chance on something new and original. The only studios who can afford to take risks are those who have proven themselves in the past (like Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, or Rockstar with Bully) but even they have to rely on established gaming formulas to ensure a return on their investment (LoU combat resembles Uncharted, every major non-GTA Rockstar game has had the mini-map and open world). Indie titles definitely have their place, but in a climate with such a steep divide between both them and the 'triple A' titles, it's impossible for all of what's on offer to be presented in an equal way to consumers.