The 8th Generation: No Rules

It's here. The 8th generation has arrived and will be in full force before 2013 comes to a close. This time though, it's a much bigger battlefield. Instead of a handful of platforms, we're wading around an ocean of disruptive tech. This tech, along with new business models, have shaken things up forever. So much so, even industry heavyweights like Cliffy B. and David Jaffe have even begun to weigh in on the "massive state of turmoil". 


Oo Shiny! Which one plays games?

The biggest culprits are the money printing mobile juggernauts known as Google and Apple. While new to games, the mobile space quickly became a medium to channel the unprecedented explosion of social media, taping into massive install bases all over the world. After that, it just a matter of content. With their widely adopted "ecosystems", they introduced new, lucrative business models like F2P and microtransactions, which now extend into other platforms as well. 

As if that wasn't enough, new living room contenders like Shield, Piston, Ouya, and Gamestick are jumping into the fray, targeting the entire spectrum of price points and hardware, and burrowing from existing open ecosystems.

All of these forces have begun to dramatically change the industry and it's only the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other phenomena, like digital distribution, input devices, and crowd funding, to name a few. New markets and hardware are cropping up everywhere, but of course they alone won't innovate or evolve anything. Content is king, and it's all about the games.

Luckily, open platforms and digital distribution also gave birth to a flood of independently developed games, some of which becoming showcases for their own brand of innovative design. They're also proof that technical prowess doesn't need to be a priority, with a handful of modest indie games easily outpacing state-of-the-art big budget titles in the context of game design innovation, with a fraction of the budget no less. To me, this speaks volumes. Now, there is no excuse. 

Wait, no lens flares? Pfftt, who's going to buy this with no lens flares?

In spite of the ongoing market share warfare, the 8th generation seems poised to solidify what the current generation has only just begun to cultivate: A massive shift in the paradigm, a shift away from designing around technical limitations via established video game tropes, a shift towards pure art direction and game design innovation across many different platforms.

Pie!

So anyone and everyone can grab a piece of the pie because games are now entering a space where, like all entertainment, there exist entire subcultures devoted to niches. Everything ranging from F2P and casual - to AAA competitive online shooters - to innovative, independently developed games.

It all points to a bigger market, to more players, and to more competition. For some, it will be a time to discover new ways of monetizing new consumers with new business models and broader appeal, but for others, it may be a time to rethink what's possible and to really stop playing it safe. Either way, it's a new beginning, and there are no rules.