I guess the frustrating part is that many game employees recognize the trend and the risks to their own employment but are unable to communicate this to their execs under the current management structures. An “I told you so” just doesn’t cut it when your job is at risk. Although the writing is on the wall, the publishers are reticent to reinvent themselves until the messed up financials of a typical next-gen game really start to affect the bottom line. Although we’ve had some major hints of that already, the full effect won’t hit for another year or two. Some publishers are still under the illusion that the PS3 will all of a sudden make the balance sheets look right.

So we can look forward to “Don’t have Orc breath - Use Crest toothpaste!” ads in our next massively multi-consumer online roleplaying game.

In fact, I hereby coin “MMCORPG” to mean “MMORPGs which include large amounts of in-game advertising”.

I think the “other people” refers to the people who aren’t sitting there in front of him. But that’s a rather large assumption.

Great quote, however I found the term “other people” a little troubling. I’ve always considered Runescape, Habbo Hotel and even Neopets members of the games industry. When Andrew Gower was writing the original Runescape in his basement or wherever, I don’t know that he thought of himself as being “outside” the games industry. After five years as a TAD in console games, I quit to concentrate on MaidMarian.com full time….but I never though of myself as being “outside” the industry because I do web games.

That gang of ten or so major publishers may be in trouble but I think the industry will adapt. Runescape and others like it may be what the future looks like (I hope so for my own sake) but Runescape is and always was part of the games industry…so everything is going to be just fine…..just no boxes.

There are so many precedents of visual and narrative forms not even touched on by mainstream publishers. Indeed, it’s going to be a much wider world unfolding.

I’m sorry Raph, the statement about artists in games being less necessary due to user created content just isn’t backed up by historical precedent through analogy in other markets.

I didn’t make that statement. (The bracket is an editorial insertion by the article writer). What I stated in the talk is that the pressures inherent in digital distribution and lower budgets for more disposable games will force less focus on assets and use of alternate techniques. 2d art, procedural art, stylized art — just LESS art and less INTENSIVE art than now. This means less artist jobs.

It’s why Comic-Con gets bigger every year, it’s why people don’t throw away comicbooks any more. Artistic effort isn’t disposable ever; it only gains in value over time. It’s what history has shown. From the lasco cave paintings no longer available for public consumption to guernica. Artists drive this business more than anyone wants to let on. Art above all else, gets me to try a game, gameplay makes me stay. But you can’t get me to stay if I won’t even knock on your door. Art brings the knocks. You don’t get the knocks, you don’t get the business. You die. Dinosaur or not.