Game Wars
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Game Wars* are a common, but strange marketing practice that happens incredibly often, and is VERY painful on the wallets of genre-watchers.
What inevitabely happens is that a duet (or more) of popular, similar games, each one on it's own schedule with it's own delays, and each vigoruously awaited, come out within mere months or even WEEKS of eachother.
Case in point, let's take the last quarter of 1999 as an example. First, Real Time Strategy.
Age of Empires II* and Homeworld* both came out in the fall. Now, these are very different games, but they are members of the same genre so you cannot hope but beleive that maybe the sales of one cuts into the sales of the other. And a real time strategy fan cannot play both simultaniously, right? It doesn't make any sense. Then again, very seldom do things make sense, so i suppose it makes sense in that way. I hope that made sense.
Now, let's take another majorly contested genre. First person shooters. In a move of shere lunacy to rival Head Games' revelation of "I know, let's make 2 stupid, buggy games a week and hope they sell! And lets get some major corporate sponsorship!"*- Unreal Tournament* came out a mere week prior to Quake III Arena*. Let's take a look at the rundown of features in these two games.
Quake III Arena1. Unlike previous efforts, is deathmatch-centric.
2. Has new weapons, as well as old.
3. Breathtaking graphics.
4. Advanced computer-controlled bots.
5. Many modes of play including team, CTF, and Tournament.
Unreal Tournament
1. Unlike previous efforts, is deathmatch-centric.
2. Has new weapons, as well as old.
3. Breathtaking graphics.
4. Advanced computer controlled bots.*
5. Many modes of play including team, CTF, and Last Man Standing.
The similarities are apparant. If they aren't, then you should go get your reading glasses and/or medication and read it a second time.
If this isn't crazy enough, the expansion pack to another popular first person shooter, was ALSO released in close proximity. I'm talking of Half-Life: Opposing Force*.
What does this acomplish? What is the effect of such a stupifying event?
What does a Game War do?
1. It empties the pockets of whoever wants to buy whatever genre the fight is in.
2. It causes an otherwise good game to fall into the shadows, because it is beaten out by the second*.
3. It causes every website there is* to make a "Game XXX vs Game YYY" article, explaining the ups and downs, which seldom add up in the end to their final choice, or they simply say "both are good." completely ruining the point of the article.
4. Splits the market so each game only gets half (or less) of the profit.
5. Causes pointless rivalrys on newsgroups where a countless quantity of letters are replaced with numbers, many words are shortened*, and half a million repetitive insults (per person) are thrown.
So what is the final statement? Both are good. Wait, wait, It's a joke!*. Perhaps these companies should space their releases. It would be better, but that's not the way it is. Isn't it hard to beleive that randomly, two very similar games would end up getting finished at exactly the same time? They obviously have some choice, at least give the gaming public a month or two. It would make more money, more sense, and more fun for the gamers.
However, like it or not, this phenomenon is here to stay and for people who have the cash, it's a godsend. And if you don't, well, just buy the second game later. There will surely be just as many (if not more) Quake III players in a few months as there are right now.
