Fans debate the best games that made the games industry worse
Sometimes a great game can leave an impact on the industry that leaves it worse off than it was before.
27th Jan 2024 20:28
Images via Valve | Supercell | Epic Games | EA
Fans debate the best games that made the games industry worse
Sometimes a great game can leave an impact on the industry that leaves it worse off than it was before.
27th Jan 2024 20:28
Images via Valve | Supercell | Epic Games | EA
Sometimes a great game can leave an impact on the industry that leaves it worse off than it was before.
The unfortunate consequence of games being well loved and acclaimed means that other developers will often adopt elements of them to improve their own titles.
This hasn’t always worked out in the favour of players however, who have become irritated with the abundance of microtransactions, loot boxes, gaudy skins and quick time events that have sprung up after these features success in other titles.
Gamers discuss which games had an unintended negative impact on the industry
A recent Reddit thread asked the gaming subreddit which games they felt had an unintended negative impact on the industry as a whole.
Several people came forward with their views on the question, with countless titles being mentioned and one user going so far as to share a full list of over 15 titles they felt had such an impact.
The Sims
The Sims franchise has been immensely popular and it is no question that the game will go down in history as one of the best life simulators out there.
That doesn’t mean that it didn’t bring a few faults to the games industry that, while they may be acceptable within The Sims, to an extent, are really hard to swallow where other games are concerned.
Of course, it’s the massive amounts of DLC… expensive DLC.
As it stands, all of the Sims 4 DLC comes to a combined cost of about $1100, which is a lot of money to put into a single game.
“It's a major thing that annoys me with each new Sims game. Sure, I want the new game, but often, the next in the series isn't a big enough upgrade to abandon the 5+ expansions I have, and effectively rebuy them,” one Redditor said.
Another added: “The expansions don't add enough to cost as much as a full game.”
Fortnite
It is probably fair to say that Fortnite is one of the biggest shooters around right now and the game’s popularity has garnered a lot of attention from other developers seeking to replicate its success.
While there were several quibbles with Fortnite raised in the thread, including the increasing popularity of the battle pass.
One complaint that stuck out above the rest, however, was the increasing number of collaboration skins.
“Collab skins are great in Fortnite because of the cartoonish art style , but I have no idea who thought putting collab skins in cod makes sense,” wrote one Redditor.
Another said: “Fortnite skins being successful turned every multiplayer game into a Halloween costume party.”
Counter Strike : Global Offensive
One of CS:GO’s most unique factors is its immense weapons market, with some players having inventories worth over $1 million.
However, the success of the loot boxes, weapons skins and prominent gambling has crept its way into other games against players wishes.
“When other developers saw the amount of revenue going through the Steam marketplace, every other fps shooter introduced weapon skins. That's without even mentioning skin gambling accessible to kids,” wrote one commenter.
Another said: “CSGO has single-handedly influenced so much egregious monetisation and shady practices in the industry.”
Clash of Clans
While it isn’t on quite the same level as some of the other games on the list, Clash of Clans was a prominent mobile game when it rose to fame in 2012, and it has maintained a dedicated player base ever since.
Though it is free-to-play in theory, microtransactions and in-app purchases feel necessary to progress in the game.
This has spread to almost every mobile game in recent years, with most having additional currency, packs, skins or items which must be purchased with real-world money.
One Redditor said: “Clash of Clans ruined mobile games.”
“Really the moment f2p games with pay to progress/ win started Popping out is the moment mobile gaming got doomed,” added another.
About The Author
Megan Cooke
Megan is GGRecon's Evening & Weekend News Writer. She has an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and is working towards finishing her masters in Journalism. When she isn’t writing about games she can be found reading romance novels or playing cosy games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, APICO, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.
