(article) What does the future hold for video games? A conversation with GDC 2019 speaker Neil Gallagher

• Understanding how much gaming has evolved over the years
• GDC panel speaker Neil Gallagher discusses the future of this medium
• Dissecting games based on the medium and its industry

The first generation of game consoles witnessed the emergence of a new challenger from the East during the dawn of the 1980s. The Nintendo Entertainment System, or ‘NES’ for short, ushered with it a major transitional period for the medium of video games by improving on the hardware capabilities that the Atari 2600 and Magnavox Odyssey had offered to consumers of the first generation.

In a constant fashion, hardware innovation continues to be the narrative that determines the coming of a new console generation today. During its golden age, the NES when pushed to its absolute graphical capabilities can replicate shadows in-game through clever manipulation of its limited colour palette– but things are not as simple anymore.

Developers today are able to replicate photo-realistic worlds equipped with their own biological life which can then be individually programmed to carry out specific routines to simulate reality, theory of hyperreality anybody? The latest example of which was showcased in Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2), where hunting wildlife was an integral part to character sustenance. Just like real life, some animals are seasonal and will hibernate when winter rolls around in-game, requiring players to plan and hunt accordingly as they traverse the unpredictable Wild West.

But while fans celebrate the medium for redefining ‘immersion’ with titles like RDR2 and Resident Evil 7 VR (video) , the people developing this medium are oftentimes working under pressure in an unstable environment. From a 100-hour crunch period to a week-long lay-off of 800 employees, gaming corporations have been the subject of ethical questioning in recent years with Brendan Sinclair, Chief Editor at gamesindustry.biz, going as far as to say that 2018 was “a new golden age for abusive and neglectful employers”.

We sat with Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 speaker Neil Gallagher for some insight regarding the mistreatment of developers and its potential to affect the future of this medium, in which he stated: “I don’t think they did themselves any favours with their actions but I think the lessons were learned ultimately”. “The great thing about the industry these days is that it’s a global industry and people can just move between companies,” Neil added. Surveying these corporations have also become an instant and accessible task with websites such as Glassdoor, a platform where employees can review a firm based on their working experience.

As for the future, Neil speculated that it would take more than just shady corporate practices to taint the medium because “the games industry is always changing and other industries don’t see us culturally with the uncertainty they once had”, later elaborating to say that the industries of the world are more reliant on 3D-technologies and virtual simulations now than ever before; a prediction that the games industry will ultimately be incorporated to other sectors of the global economy in the future.

This prediction was further supported by an instance in February 2019, when a group of Microsoft employees issued an open letter to their CEO, urging for the cancellation of a military contract which would see the army utilising the Microsoft HoloLens to “help soldiers identify threats and increase lethality on the battlefield”. Neil briefly interjected upon hearing the subject: “like I said before, new approaches to using game technologies are always going to happen”.

Neil was reluctant to address the ethical concerns of the project when questioned but proceeded to say: “many good things come out of military inventions like the internet and mobile phones for example”. The disinterest to talk about ethical implications quickly flipped when we asked if he had any current concerns regarding the industry, to which he confidently stated: “I am much more a traditional purchase-a-game-and-get-what-you-pay-for type person,” in snark reference to the current market trend of microtransactions where players are able to obtain randomized in-game content, among other benefits, through spending real-world money.  

Concern was mainly targeted at the growing number of industry goliaths adopting this practice to their games, sometimes even pressuring players to succumb to their demands like how Star Wars: Battlefront II required an impossible 4,528 hours of active gameplay or £1583 in micro-transaction purchases to unlock all of the game’s content. “Why bother developing (content) if it’s just going to be hidden away?!” Neil flustered.

In spite of what was said, Neil agrees with the gamer-majority that microtransactions are still a viable market trend and should not be seen as “an inherently evil practice,” pointing to the likes of Clash Royale, Fortnite, and Apex Legends as examples of a justified microtransactions-based business model due to the free-to-play nature of these titles. “At the end of the day, games need to make profit, correct. But I think it’s disgusting to see market leaders charge £50-60 per title and yet continue to hide certain features behind a paywall”.

After forty-eight years since its creation, the video game continues to be a leader in digital entertainment and will continue to emulate from the many wonders of life, for the joy of the player. The volatile nature of this medium makes predicting it’s future a difficult task; but it shows us that the influence the medium has across the global market will only expand as we progress forward along with technological development. One thing for is certain though, video games are absolutely here to stay for the generations to come.