Video Game Updates Produce Barriers
Table of Contents
Video game updates are nothing new. The 1990s helped normalize them with games like Diablo and StarCraft. Fast forward a few decades and video game updates have become the norm. Updates are great but when do updates start to produce barriers to realizing the developer’s intended vision of their game? When is it a good time to play their game? This is when video game updates produce barriers.
MAY I HAVE A WORD
This article is strictly an opinion piece based on my experiences and is not meant to be clickbait. I do not know how to make a video game but I play lots of them. I have a lot of respect for video game developers and appreciate the hard work the majority of them put into providing awesome experiences.
The point here is not to knock on the industry or complain. I’m just curious if others are experiencing the same thing which could validate this barrier that I may or may not have created myself. You don’t know unless you ask. That is all.
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
There are many stages of development in video games. We are most familiar with alphas, betas, demos, early access, released, cancelations, and abandoned games. My concern with video game updates lies with released video games. These games were initially a beta, demo, or early access. The developer announced the video game’s release, confirming it is now the only version available.
I will play betas, demos, and some early access games but I generally wait for video games to release as a finished game. Experiencing a video game through the developer’s intended vision is important to me. I can deal with some bugs and patches to fix them, but I want the full experience.
LAYING IT ALL OUT
Bugs and glitches have become quite common with freshly released video games. Developers are generally good at releasing video game updates to address issues that cause major problems for players. Responding and providing updates are fantastic. From what I read and hear, developing video games can be complicated.
ROADMAP
The barrier I am experiencing happens only with some video games and I’ll give examples soon. The roadmap is where this all starts for me. A roadmap lays out plans for video game updates that add content to a released game. Sometimes these roadmaps will include tweaks or fixes, all of which affect the developer’s intended vision of the game. Here is an example of a roadmap for Last Epoch.
If you are lucky, a developer will provide a roadmap. If they don’t, then that leads me to a fear of future updates. Take a look at No Man Sky’s release log as an example.
If a video game has a roadmap, the game is not finished. The developer must continue to push out video game updates to reach their intended vision. I don’t want to experience a video game that has not reached a developer’s intended vision. A barrier has been constructed.
LIVE SERVICE & MULTIPLAYER SOLO GAMES
Not all, but many of these games are live service or have a multiplayer element. The games that don’t are the ones that have the hardest barrier for me to cross but that is because I play solo games most often. The problem here is many solo games are live service so new content is needed to maintain sales to support the live services. It’s a brutal cycle.
Toss your feelings about specific games aside for a moment. Some live service or multiplayer games I have played solo include Diablo 4, Last Epoch, No Man’s Sky, and many more. These video game types have become common and tend to include seasons.
SEASONS
I despise seasons, especially season passes. I understand the logic behind it all as purchasing season passes helps support the development of new content. The problem is seasons and season passes have alienated me from games I would love to play but don’t want to invest all my time and money into one game. There are too many games that I want to play.
There is a market for seasons or else they wouldn’t exist but they are not for me. I love stories and there are so many video games with stories I want to experience. To each their own as they say.
LIFE SPAN
Eventually, these games will go dark. The servers that allow us to play these games cost money. Servers shut down when players move on. What business wants to spend money on something that isn’t generating revenue?
I don’t know the best time to play these games. I’ve invested in and played through them. I knew some of them had roadmaps or seasons before I bought them. I still felt cheated at the end but that is probably because I have the solo player mentality. Another barrier has been constructed.
EXAMPLES
It’s hard to pick a few games to use as examples. There are quite a few on my list but these games immediately come to mind when I think about the barrier from video game updates.
NO MAN’S SKY
No Man’s Sky has been installed on my PC for years. I played it a few years ago before all the content updates started to roll out. My experience was great and I made it far. The content updates make me want to play again but the updates keep coming. When will No Man’s Sky be complete so I get the full experience? I don’t want to play the game again until I know there will be no more video game updates.
LAST EPOCH
Last Epoch may have been released too early. I played for a while in early access and after release. There is a lot of potential for this game. I feel like the developers have misplaced their resources. Instead of focusing on fixing issues, they want to sell merchandise and push seasons. It’s been a while since I’ve played and I want to but I haven’t seen a lot of good feedback with their video game updates so I continue to wait.
THE BARRIER
I’ve done my best to gather a foundation to explain the barrier I face with video game updates. We have finally reached the pinnacle. Let’s review:
- Predominantly Solo Gamer
- Video game updates are great for bug and glitch fixes
- Roadmaps suggest incomplete released games
- Seasons support games but shut down when revenue doesn’t justify the cost
Video game updates have become a real barrier for me. I’m eager to play these games but want to experience them as the developers intended. This often means waiting for the updates to stop, which can be frustrating.
Sometimes developers make the game worse with their video game updates. Phasmophobia (granted, still in early access) is a great example. I played that game so much a few years ago and loved it. Then an update came out that destroyed the user interface. I haven’t played since. For all I know, the issue has been fixed but I was so annoyed that I’ve moved on.
Is it good for developers to support their video game after release? Fixing bugs and glitches is great but this feels like a loaded question. Opinions will vary based on experience and preference. I don’t think there is any right answer but more can be done to help those in the same boat as me (if they exist).
PROPOSED SOLUTION
I feel like there needs to be a new stage of development for video games. This stage of development needs to sit between early access and release. We could name it Roadmap Edition or something similar. At least then I would know that the video game isn’t finished and I can expect more content. I would find this useful because then I can wait until the game is finished and get the developer’s intended vision of the video game.
The good news is that there are plenty of games to play that don’t produce any barrier. It’s not like I’m left scrambling for games to play. I want to play some of these games but the barrier is too thick so I feel like I’m missing out but saving myself a headache. I don’t know.
What are your thoughts about video game updates? Come chat about it on Discord, Reddit, or Facebook.