- Veteran RPG designer claims that developers now care more about pleasing streamers and influencers.
- Therefore, the priority is to design games in a way that makes them look good on video clips.
- First impressions come from influencers rather than journalists these days, which has changed priorities.
Gaming has become more restrictive due to expectations and established genres in the industry over time. Before, gamers would get the first taste of a title via journalists with somewhat objective explanations, but that changed entirely with the emergence of influencers.
The Fallout designer and RPG veteran now explains that developers care more about pleasing influencers for the sake of ideal first impressions. Gamers are no longer the priority, as they are easily influenced by whatever their favorite streamers tell them, anyway.
Why it matters: The Fallout lead explains that the internet has had a direct impact on game design, with developers now thinking more about pleasing influencers rather than crafting the experience gamers actually want.
In a new YouTube video discussing the impact of the internet on game development, Tim Cain explains that studios now build games for influencer appeal first, prioritizing what looks better in clips over player experience.
we frequently thought, well, how is a certain event in the game going to look like when someone’s playing it live or live or recording themselves playing it to put up as a stream? […] And because of that, we wanted it to look really good in video.
-Veteran RPG Designer, Tim Cain.
He says that many gamers don’t even rely on influencers for actual reviews; they look to them to be told what to think instead. Therefore, game elements are designed to ensure they look great for influencers to show first.
Now it’s like, what part of our game would make good clips for influencers to show?
Tim also argues that many gamers nowadays have strong opinions about titles they won’t play because they abdicate their opinions to what their favorite influencers think, which makes him nervous about how the 2030s will turn out.
Do you think it is a good idea for the developers to focus more on influencers and streamers rather than gamers just for the sake of first impressions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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