A new games distribution model

March 24th, 2009 •
Tags: 1Up, digital distribution, distribution, games, Software

I just posted on the 1Up forums my ideas for a new model for games distribution that might help the industry escape the wrath of economic recession. I thought I should repost it here to direct readers’ attention toward it and get some feedback.

I’ve been listening to lots of discussion about the problems the industry faces moving deeper into recession with the current software distribution model. I have some ideas and want to get everyone’s feedback so here it goes.

I’m admittedly on the outside of the industry, but some of the major problems as I perceive them are

1. Lack of retail shelf space for software and difficulties negotiating with retailers
2. Inability to abandon retail distribution due to lack of broadband in many areas and for fear of alienating retailers
3. Publisher perception that used game sales undercut publisher and developer profits

Here is a single solution that, while incomplete, attempts to address these problems: A fully digital distribution model that allows for purchase of software from home via the Internet or at the retail store by way of software kiosks. The DSi and, if the rumors are correct, the next PSP may already be prepared to support such a model. Gamers will still be able to purchase games at the kiosk which will allow publishers to reach gamers that do not have access to the Internet connection necessary to download a large game. This will also allow retailers to share in software revenue compelling them to continue stocking the hardware. Shelf space is no longer an issue. Every store can carry every available title. Gamers with broadband will benefit by not having to travel in order to purchase games; every game will be available online. Used games will be a thing of the past as there will be no physical product which can be resold based on current digital purchase licensing arrangements. (Honestly, as a consumer, I find this part troubling, but I also see it as an inevitable reality.)

Any thoughts?

Gaming podcasts: What to do in the aftermath of the 1Up Show

January 23rd, 2009 •
Tags: 1Up, 1Up Show, Area 5, Bytejacker, EGM, games, Gameular, Jeff Gerstmann, podcast, Rebel FM, reviews, Totally Rad Show, video podcast

It’s still hard to believe the 1Up Show is gone. Its audio got me through many commutes; its video tantalized me into buying countless games I could not afford. But no more. What the hell am I doing getting sappy about a video podcast? Instead we’ll solve this little problem by finding some excellent substitutes to fill the gaping hole in my soul.

The first show I want to mention doesn’t really replace the content provided by the 1Up Show which only covered indie titles occasionally, but chances are if you enjoyed the 1Up Show, you may also enjoy a little show called Bytejacker. Episodes are short and present a few cool indie titles in rapid succession during the show’s cornerstone segment, the aptly named Free Indie Rapid-Fire. The show offers up two episodes weekly. The first presents three indie titles and asks users to return to the site after playing all of them to vote for their favorites; the second reveals the results. The host Anthony Carboni is great and the entire show is wonderfully produced with a quality not unlike the 1Up video podcast.

The immensely popular and often hilarious Totally Rad Show doesn’t cover the number of games covered by the 1Up Show. It’s probably because they also review movies, TV shows, and comic books. It makes up for the lack of breadth with wonderful style and offers a great time. Like 1Up, the totally rad hosts (Alex Albrecht, Jeff Cannata, and Dan Trachtenberg) cover major releases along with the occasional downloadable title or iPhone game. The hosts each seem to have differing opinions about what they like in a game. So, there’s a good chance you will find one of them whose taste will align more with your own.

If you were paying attention when the Jeff Gerstmann/GameSpot controversy broke and felt the outrage many of us felt, you may be interested in some truly independent gaming journalism. Most everyone from 1Up/EGM is now part of some smaller project which makes me more confident that they will not be pressured to compromise their journalistic integrity to grease the wheels of the ad revenue machine. However, nothing gets more independent than Gameular—a YouTube-like site for game reviews. Watch reviews by other members and post your own. The reviews you see here are less likely to have been bought, but they are also likely produced by someone who is not a professional. In fact, they are most likely far from it.

Last but definitely not least, the best way to approximate the experience of enjoying an hour-long episode of the 1Up Show is by following the makers to their next projects. So far we already have two excellent projects—one audio and one video—from the same tireless individuals that brought you an hour or more of gaming goodness weekly. Rebel FM is an audio podcast devoted to video games, as you might have guessed. The guys seem to have no problem talking about games that aren’t necessarily new releases which makes this feel more authentic in a way. You and I know that the games we play aren’t always those that have hit store shelves within the past two or three weeks. The shows have run about an hour each so far and will be very satisfying to fans of 1Up’s various podcasts. The video podcast, Area 5 will be wonderfully familiar to 1Up Show fans. It is really difficult to tell it from its predecessor. Much of the old gang is here, it is funny, informative, and entertaining. The first episode is currently available at the web site. The guys are also working on some way to make the gig sustainable so there may be money involved at some point, but, to be quite honest, I would much prefer a reviewer take money from me directly rather than from the entities that create the works which they are reviewing.

I hope these options will get you through all the sleepless nights, the boring drives to work or school, the seemingly endless flights with much the same joy as the gaming show we all loved. I think I can speak for most of the gaming community in saying we are glad to have our old show back so soon in some form—in many forms actually—although even the alternatives in this space are no slouches.