Ramblings on Games

A few days ago, I saw news that John Carmack had joined the Oculus Rift team as CTO, so I searched for information about this relatively unknown company. After searching, I found that the company has been dedicated to applying virtual reality technology to games. The night before last, I listened to John Carmack’s keynote speech at QuakeCon 2013 and had some thoughts, which led to this article.

Steam and Cloud

The concept of “cloud” has been hyped to the point of being no longer fresh, but the gap between concept and implementation is still significant. Fortunately, through my recent experiences, I have found that “cloud gaming” is getting closer and closer to us. When it comes to “cloud”, I must specially mention the Steam platform. In 2003, Steam was just a platform that helped games update patches in real-time. At that time, I didn’t think much of the platform - in 2003, pirated games were everywhere, and almost no one would install Steam just to play CS. If we wanted to play online games, we would choose the Hao Fang e-sports platform, which supported many games, including pirated online games. Steam had no advantages at that time, except for automatically patching games.

Ten years have passed, and the Steam platform has evolved into a comprehensive gaming platform that integrates game purchasing management, independent game publishing, game installation and updating, achievement display, save management, and player communication. The number of games on the platform has long exceeded one thousand, and various new and classic games can be purchased on Steam. I have always believed that the best way to prevent piracy is not through DRM, but through a platform that provides perfect after-sales service for genuine games. On Steam, after purchasing a game, it is bound to the user’s account, and with one click, the game can be automatically downloaded, installed, and updated to the latest version. Many games support cloud storage, and saves can be stored in the cloud, allowing players to continue playing on different computers. These technologies ensure that players can play their purchased games anytime and anywhere. After reinstalling the system or buying a new computer, players only need to install Steam, click a few buttons, and wait for a while, and all their purchased games will be restored. In addition, the achievement system and player-created MODs on Steam have greatly increased the playability and explorability of games. The Steam platform has grasped the psychology of players, giving them an opportunity to show off, and all of this is free, which is something that pirated games cannot provide.

For game developers, the massive number of active players on the platform, the convenient and concise purchasing process, and the guarantee of game sales are all significant advantages. For independent developers, the Greenlight platform on Steam, which helps them publish games through voting, has also opened up a path to wealth.

As network speeds get faster and faster, optical disc media will eventually be replaced by network downloads. Players’ games and game data will be permanently stored in the “cloud”. Cloud gaming will be the future trend of game development.

However, the “cloud gaming” I mentioned above is a narrow definition. When it comes to cloud gaming, it is impossible not to mention OnLive, a company that launched cloud gaming services in 2009 and has since gone bankrupt. Their cloud gaming concept is still advanced, but unfortunately, the concept is not practical. In my opinion, their cloud gaming concept - running games that require high-end hardware on the cloud and sending the computed image data back to users - is completely wrong at this stage.

Here, I’d like to digress and talk about what is correct and “down-to-earth”. First, a brand-new technology is not necessarily a good business idea. A good business idea in the IT industry must be supported by powerful technology, but it is not dominated by technology. OnLive’s technology is very strong, and cloud-based game execution looks very cool, but players are not buying it. The Steam platform, as mentioned above, seems to have no powerful technology, but in fact, the entire client is designed and developed by Bram Cohen, the inventor of BitTorrent, and Valve is constantly improving the platform’s download technology, making game downloads and updates faster and faster. The primary responsibility of the Steam game platform is to “let players who have purchased genuine games play as soon as possible”. Whether it’s one-click installation or cloud storage, it’s all about ensuring that players can play games quickly. The surrounding achievement system is built on the premise that players can play games smoothly. In my opinion, OnLive’s advanced compression transmission algorithm is suitable for publishing papers, but not for running a company.

OnLive died due to network speeds. However, if we change our thinking slightly, we can set up game cloud servers as players’ computer hosts, and the client can be the user’s tablet device. Players can purchase games on Steam, install them on their computers, and then run client software to continue playing on their tablets or other computers. Similar software has already appeared, such as CrazyRemote, which allows players to play games like Civilization 5 on their iPads. At this stage, the “cloud” should be a normal extension of games, providing users with new gaming possibilities.

In summary, cloud gaming is the future of games, but with current network speeds, it’s better to take a step-by-step approach to entering the cloud.

Virtual Reality and Wearable Devices

John Carmack criticized Kinect in his QuakeCon keynote speech and then joined Oculus Rift, a company that develops VR technology. Is VR the future direction of game development? Absolutely! First, the concept of VR game headsets has been around since 2000, when The Sims 1 introduced the idea of a VR game headset as a top-level gaming device. Now, with the development of hardware technology, we finally have the opportunity to turn VR game headsets into reality. As John Carmack said, the game industry has not seen any significant innovations in many years. Indeed, after the huge transition from 2D to 3D, the game industry is still focused on providing more realistic 3D graphics. 3D engines are getting better and better, but games are not getting more fun. I think it’s because screens are limiting the further development of games. No matter how realistic the graphics are, players can easily return to reality by simply turning their heads - because the screen is only so big. Imagine if VR headsets could truly “immerse” players in the game world, and when facing a terrifying monster, players could not escape the game world no matter how they turn their heads. This experience would be really cool (of course, entering the game world is every player’s dream, and this is not a new idea). Kinect tried to bring players’ avatars into the game world, but players themselves were still in the real world, so Kinect is like a controller, and players use it to control their avatars in the virtual world. This is essentially no different from using a mouse and keyboard to control the game.

Of course, if we could design a fully immersive entertainment machine like the one in the sixth Conan movie, that would be amazing, but unfortunately, it’s unlikely to happen in my lifetime (unless human lifespan is extended by 100 years).

However, it’s still unknown how far Oculus Rift can go. The most similar product currently available is Sony’s HMZ personal 3D display, which is said to provide a cinematic experience similar to watching a 19-meter screen from 20 meters away. However, in my opinion, a large screen is not innovative; only a 360-degree screen would mark the beginning of a new era in gaming.

Finally, I wish them good luck.

Single-Player Games, Online Games, and Mobile Games

Finally, let’s talk about games themselves. Games are a commodity, and for developers, making money is the top priority. The notion that single-player games are dead has finally become less popular in recent years. Currently, online games are no longer as glorious as they once were, while mobile games have become the new gold mine. Games like Clash of Clans and Puzzle & Dragons, which were extremely popular recently, are the best examples. The advantage of mobile games is that they can be played anywhere and anytime, making them perfect for killing time. Web games have a similar effect. However, in my opinion, these successful games will eventually be short-lived (although, with the massive number of mobile users in China, this period will be longer, and it can be said that the flower has not yet bloomed). After the novelty wears off, players will eventually abandon these games, just like they did with games like “Stealing Vegetables” and “Robbing Parking Spaces”. Therefore, investors who are not rich second-generation heirs should be cautious when investing in these games (such as Million Arthur).

I have always been a staunch supporter of single-player games. Although online games like WOW and EVE are indeed high-end and upscale, they are too time-consuming and easy to get addicted to. Mobile games, despite being popular, are destined not to become mainstream, as history has told us. Recently, the single-player game market has shown some signs of recovery, with games like Civilization 5: Brave New World, 仙剑奇侠传5：前传, and Fallout released this year, which are all of high quality (of course, compared to other domestic games). The independent game market is also booming, with numerous nostalgic pixel-style games emerging.

When it comes to games, it’s impossible not to mention Dota 2 and LOL. These competitive games are currently in their golden age, especially Dota 2, which has made a significant contribution to the popularization of the Steam platform. However, the characteristic of competitive games is that they are too exhausting, taking up too much time, and a few rounds can take up an entire day. In comparison, I prefer traditional strategy, RPG, and simulation games, which can be saved at any time, paused at any time, and even modified to “bully” the computer :)

In general, the game industry has become increasingly formalized, much like the film industry, as the post-80s generation who grew up playing games gradually mature, and the post-60s and 70s generations slowly retire. The era of demonizing the game industry is finally gone.

Finally, I wish everyone happy gaming ~ and diligent learning (working), with all your might :)