Whither
(or Wither) War Games
The purpose of this roundtable
was to discuss the direction of computer war games in the changing world
of computer games. Are they dying or evolving?
One of the first issues of discussion in every roundtable was the nature
and influence of real-time games as opposed to turn-based games. It
was noted that the market seems obsessed with the idea that real-time
is inherently better than turn-based, and therefore will not support
turn-based games. An example of this seemed to be Star Wars' Rebellion,
which seems to have been forced into being a real-time game due to marketing
pressures, to the detriment of game play.
The problem with this market pressure is many wargames are much better
suited to provide entertainment value as a turn-based game. The real-time
pressure is thus either preventing good turn-based wargames from being
created, or having them made into so-so real time games. The quality
of the product and the entertainment value to the consumer is thus reduced,
and we find a drop in wargames.
Yet the turn-based game still seems to be a major force. Examples like
XCOM, Warlords, Heroes of Might and Magic, Axis
and Allies, Panzer General II and the all time hit wargame
Civilization where presented. Sid Meier's Gettysburg was
shown though as an example of a rich wargame that can be done in real-time.
It was pointed out that wargames have always been a niche market. As
such, with the higher cost of creating games, the current market size
cannot support wargames. The cost is just too high for the market. However,
success stories like Talonsoft seem to refute this argument to some
extent. At least, given the proper management, the wargame market can
still be viable financially.
A preview from Computer Gaming World on the upcoming game Axis and
Allies was examined. The initial statement in the article was "Potentially,
it's the biggest wargame breakthrough since Panzer General."
This was examined, noting that it is interesting that such praise is
being placed on a turn-based wargame, considering the current real-time
marketing pressures. But what was noted is that this game shared a simplicity
of play that is common in the real time games, and that this may be
the real source of the current wargame popularity, i.e. simplicity and
ease of play.
Simplicity and ease of play seem to be highly important if one desires
reasonable sales in wargames. These features seem to be even more important
than in the normal game market due to the inherent complexity of most
wargames. Successfully achieving these characteristics have proven to
be a financial necessity.
In conclusion, I observed that current customer expectations have resulted
in high development cost. This has in turn made it necessary to design
games suitable for a large market segment to pay for the cost. The wargame
has a small market base, and as such is not that financially viable
currently. However, the ratio of cost to market size constantly shifts.
It will again, and the wargame will again become a very marketable product.
