Is Call Of Duty Good For The Industry?

No, as shown on animal planet, if any animal disrupts the peace of the food chain... It can get ugly quick.

7 up, 1 down

I've met quite a few people who only play CoD and that's it nothing else. That's what's bad about it not so much CoD but the people who play it. They only play CoD and only buy one game a year CoD. I try and tell them about other awesome games but it won't hold their attention longer than 5 minutes. It's sad really. I don't think they are hooked on fps because I couldn't even get them to play bf3.

11 up, 0 down

Those people rub me the wrong way too, it's like that's a fun game but it's one of the lesser reasons to actually own a console.

14 up, 0 down

Well it's a populist game and genre... can't really be blamed considering it is part of our POP culture of the 21st century... Ultimately if it wasn't for COD, it would be something else...

Wasn't PacMan or Space Invaders something similar in their days...

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

0 up, 0 down

Those games were all that was good back then, different case now.

1 up, 0 down

Of those people who ''only play COD'' who's to say they would even be playing any games if it wasn't for COD. COD brings in money, to both Activision/Treyarch and to Microsoft and Sony. I bet alot of people who purchased a console only for COD ended up buying more games now that they have their system of choice.

Call of Duty will be around for a long time.

2 up, 0 down

I think it's stifling for the industry from a creative perspective. It's lead to some "copy-cat" developers changing their entire development/genre style, in a poor attempt to rake in the COD type sales numbers and profits.
It's also lead to increased aggression and neanderthalic behaviour online, something which only fuels anti-gaming campaigners.

On the positive side it's probably increased the total number of gamers. Some COD players will hopefully mature into experiencing and appreciating other gaming genres, and this could prove positive for the industry on the whole, but in the long term.

---

Last edited by Dukemz_UK on 5/1/2012 5:16:40 PM

0 up, 0 down

Of course it's good for the industry but not all of it, it's good for it because it brings alot of more casual gamers into the mix,more news,more coverage,thus growing the industry,but then comes the bad side of it, the consumers suffer,the game is the same every year without much money bieng spent to create it but alot bieng made off of it,other developers see this and try to emulate it but fail because the people that love cod play cod,not resident evil trying to be cod, and the fans trying to enjoy their beloved series are in disguist thus the developer and publisher fail and lose big money,but as with everything, theres a good side and theres a bad side.

3 up, 1 down

It's good for the money part, but bad for those of us who enjoy clearly defined genres of games that aren't all trying to cash in the the CoD trend. It corrupts the gene pool of the games.

5 up, 0 down

I get the feeling that some of the hardcore crowd gets jealous of the fact that the franchise is so popular, and immediately fall into a defensive stance where they shun the game and try to find as many faults as possible with it. It almost borders on fanboyism and is embarrassing to our culture as gamers.

The negative connotations of the game primarily stem from the following COD has. But there are also a lot of regular gamers who play them also. And why complain for a lack of innovation? Each entry has subsequently added new features while keeping the fundamental feel and style the series is well known for.

I personally skip every other year, and I consider the modern warfare series among the most elite of shooters. I'm not super hardcore, but it's still a hell of a good online and couch co op game.

I'm sorry if I seem to have a different opinion, I just don't like the hate that COD receives, as well as other franchises. It just borders on gaming elitism in my eyes. Our industry is constantly evolving, and these trends come and go, changing with the times. We can only look forward to what comes next.

7 up, 2 down

Well for me...COD is all i play in MP but i still love my Uncharted's, Killzone's, GTA's, Resistance's even Raccoon City So its NOT all i play, But i do spend more time in COD than any other game because of the fluid movement that NO OTHER FPS GAME HAS....Gotham City Imposters was the close's to me. And i've been playing SHOOTERS since Operation Wolf and Contra so i know a thing or two about them.

2 up, 4 down

Takes a break from Dust 514 Beta.

Call of what?? once Dust 514 is out.

Goes back to playing Dust 514.

3 up, 6 down

how is it? I'm really intrigued by how it fits into the EVE universe

0 up, 0 down

@Jimmy

So far, it's ok. I love these betas b/c I can actually send useful feedback. I was literally getting ready to go to the forum and see if anybody else was in it..give a brief shake down there

0 up, 0 down

How can COD not be good for the industry? If millions love to play it and continue to buy it then not only is it good for the industry, it is outstanding for the industry.

I get sick and tired of so called 'gaming experts' saying it stops the creative thinking and new gaming experiences. IT DOES NOT!

You say they just make the same game over and over again? I say look at Battlefield, Metal of Honor, Killzone, and Starhawk for new innovative FPS! And they keep getting better every year!

The same people that cry about COD are the same people who also hate the beat up smasher, Dynasty Warriors, yet MILLIONS of these games are sold because they are, get this, FUN TO PLAY FOR MILLIONS!!

Yet so called 'gaming experts' dump on these gamers who loves these games, calling them mean names and insulting their intelligents.

I love all these games. I love the Dynasty Warrior games and all the offbrands of it. I love the COD and BF series and all its offbrands. I love all the RPG and SRPG mains series, say like FF and FF Tactics, and every other RPG, including and especially action RPG games like KIngdoms of Amalur.

I dont make fun of people and whine about people who play HELLO KITTY.

Some people need to get over their self righteous attitude of the COD series. Get over it. It is the best selling game series ever made because of one single reason.

They are all damn good games.

3 up, 5 down

"insulting their intelligents" lol.

4 up, 2 down

lol nice find.

2 up, 2 down

Its just like Madden now. The only solution is to stop buying it xD.

3 up, 0 down

but if i enjoy the game so much - why would i stop buying it? to appease those who hate the game?

I don't think so

2 up, 8 down

I know you love CoD, but I'd love to hear you actually address the question.

4 up, 1 down

yah man, ur avatar says it all.

3 up, 0 down

Popularity of something always brings out haters. I am a huge Chicago Bulls fan and back in the 90's when all they did was win Championships, there were alot of people that couldn't stand hearing anything about Jordan or the Bulls.
Same with COD. Because it is popular and sells alot of games, there will be people who hate the game and diss it any chance they get. It just so happens that most of those people reside on this site. Hating COD is the hip thing to do these days.

4 up, 5 down

stagnates the innovation in the genre because developers see hey antivision is releasing the same crap year in and year out and there breaking sales records, so we can do the same!
then developers try to copy it because its selling so well so if we do the same product then we should see the same sales!
yeah thats great for the industry!

4 up, 2 down

Good way to put it... I completly agree

1 up, 1 down

I believe the affect COD has had on the industry is more negative than positive. Look at the annualization of the Assassins Creed series. That was a COD copycat move, with out a doubt. The number of shooters on the market after COD's inception has definitely increased as well. To the people that say "COD is good cause it brings more casual gamers to the market". What good are they if they only buy one game a year? I take no issue with people that play multiple genres along with COD, I do however take issue with COD only casual games. Casual gaming is for sure taking a lot of money away from full AAA IP development.

1 up, 2 down

Actually even annually asassins creed games sell successfully well, not like cod but good enough.

0 up, 0 down

I have legitimate reasons for thinking it is terrible for the industry, some personal opinion some based on facts about the game. This is coming off of playing it again over the weekend on steam as a free trial, I will list the issues I encountered. Also this is coming from someone who has played PC shooters at a competitive level since the Original Counter-strike, so there is a hardcore angle to the way I look at things.

1-

My biggest problem actually comes from how much aim assist and hand holding there is in the games multiplayer. There is less aim assist on the PC than the consoles but, if your into PC shooters like Counter-strike, Day of Defeat or Tribes you can feel it. So whats the problem with this? Well its a personal opinion but I think it has slowly been setting a standard in games to make them easier and more casual. I get it people want to play games because they are fun, but do people really not want to feel some sense of accomplishment because they learned a system and mastered it? Instead of letting the game help them aim?

I have noticed games in general becoming more easy and having more hand holding in them. It causes people who haven't played any other game to think they are amazing at Shooters then when they try out a shooter that doesn't have Aim assist of any sort they say it sucks, this can have a very negative impact on that games sales. I can't believe the amount of times my CoD playing friends said MAG sucked because the aiming was "weird". Weird because it had pretty much NO Aim assist only a tiny amount on the SMGs.

To sum this up, I think it is in general making gamers on average worse. When a game makes you problem solve, whether its how to approach an area in Dark souls without dying, or solving a puzzle in limbo, these types of things actually stimulate your brain and expand its capacity to problem solve. This transcends games and can help you in the real world. I also think its bad for the industry because it seems to seems to keep CoD players from branching out to other games, unless they feel just like CoD in which case...they just go back to CoD :P

2-

Quality of the product. I'm sure they put a good amount of money into CoD every 2 years, as the voice talent and single player production costs are probably pretty high. However the multiplayer, the part thats most popular in CoD has had netcode issues, spawn in issues, Hit registration issues, Hit Box issues and poor weapon balance since CoD MW2. I'm just baffled that they haven't fixed some of these problems, considering they have been using the same engine since CoD 2. Especially when some hard core CoD fans on the PC are complaining about these things.

3-

This is something that CoD fans hate to hear but regardless its the way I see it and I'll try to explain why I feel this way. The MW series has not changed significantly between MW1-MW3 to warrant three separate games. You have mostly the same guns from what I saw in the free weekend, there were only a couple new guns. The maps are different sure, but after playing I realized some similarities in certain map layouts with map layouts in MW1, I'm not saying all the maps were just re skins of classic maps but some definitely felt that way.

So what does this all add up too? Well, 3 full priced games that should be 1 game with 2 expansion packs or updates. It just honestly doesn't feel like we're getting a different enough game to warrant a sequel.

But I also realize that this is a free market and clearly people are buying essentially the same game every year. So why would activision stop doing this when they break sales every year? Well they wouldn't :P

Above all else I realize people are playing games just to have fun now, and don't share the same love I have with overcoming a challenge and the satisfaction I feel for doing so. It seems true with the new generation in general. Wanting everything to come easy and not wanting to earn anything. But thats just my observation.

Super long post I'm sorry.

6 up, 1 down

Good post. Agree with everything in it, really.

2 up, 1 down

Thanks for reading! Glad we agree :)

1 up, 0 down

I definitely agree with the post. And since my comments in the last CoD article were completely misunderstood, I will just say that what you have posted is very similar to how I feel, and leave it at that.

1 up, 0 down

Good God how tired I am of the Call Of Duty "discussions" now. It's nothing more to me at this point than the mainstream Justin Bieber rants, or the Britney Spears rants before that.
Just as adult, just as intelligent, just as interesting.

---

Last edited by Beamboom on 5/1/2012 9:03:21 AM

2 up, 5 down

I think it's too bad you don't see the quality and potential in a discussion about dominance and dynasties in any industry. It's really a shame you're merely writing this off as a CoD discussion. I think there's far more value up for discussion for most adults. At least the ones who enjoy good discussion.

Why can't you comment on how you feel dominance in any industry (sports or games or whatever) affects the industry in which is resides? Since this isn't an editorial making a comment, you can't make any conclusions from the article itself. It merely inspires discussion. Like Ben said, when Tiger dominated golf, it was a boost to the PGA. So it's -really- not as if CoD is king, therefore games are sucky... there must be pros and cons. And which side outweighs the other? Even that conclusion is subjective depending on what you think is best for the industry... whether fun, art, competition, challenge, or whatever!

Personally, I find it juvenile that you might write this off as something adults are too good for. Very disappointing.

---

Last edited by Underdog15 on 5/1/2012 9:31:49 AM

2 up, 0 down

I didn't have the article in mind, but the discussions that follows whenever COD is the topic.
We hear the same over and over, nothing new, just either a hater or a defender, one side calling both the game and it's players idiots and spoiling the genre or gaming and playing nothing else and whatnot, and the other side calling the haters ignorant or jealous.

And then there's the people in between who post similar arguments that we've already read numerous times.

Sorry if I can't add anything of value to the discussion, I am just so tired of the topic and feel this more or less is going on repeat.

It's like asking, "was Michael Jackson good for the industry?", "Was Elvis Presley good for the industry?". If they didn't happen, someone else would instead. It's the same with COD. If there was no cod, there would be someone else. Does that make them important for the industry? Or unimportant? Does the question even matter?

*Everything* matters to the industry. And the games that *doesn't* sell matter just as much as those who sell. Cause if they don't sell, well then fewer of them are probably made, with lesser budgets, causing lower quality.

So there you go. That's my elaborated contribution to this discussion. Hope it better qualifies to your quality criterias. ;)

---

Last edited by Beamboom on 5/1/2012 10:49:47 AM

2 up, 0 down

It does. Thank you. ;) you can have a cookie now. :p

I thought you were thinking about the article when you wrote that. In regards to the inevitable "COD IS KILLING US ALL" conversations... well, yeah. I agree with you on that. There are definitely pros and cons... and no all cons like many people suggest.

2 up, 0 down

I understand where Beamboom is coming from up to point. A COD topic will bring out the haters whose comments can be very boring and predictable. I'm not so sure how much intelligent "discussion" occurs in your average COD thread outside of PSXE. Probably not a whole lot.

Questioning how dominance affects the industry as a whole is a legitimate topic for intelligent discussion. When one single series towers over the others in terms of sales it certainly does have an affect. Interesting that Square has mentioned COD's success(much to ire of FF fans) so often. No doubt Japanese developers have been affected by the COD series because they covet the NA market so badly.

I guess one could argue that this has caused Japanese developers to stray away from their roots chasing after COD like sales. Capcom has made numerous attempts at westernizing their games without much success. Operation Racoon City comes to mind. No doubt that game was an attempt to grab some of the shooter market. I tend to think COD's popularity and the popularity of other shooters like Halo have had a negative impact on the Japanese gaming industry.

Like this article points out COD has brought a lot of attention to the gaming industry so it's not all bad. It's also brought in a huge amount of revenue and helped push the gaming industry to new sales heights in the middle of a major global recession. Obviously there are a ton of gamers who love the COD series as well. They keep buying the games afterall.

For the record I'm not a COD hater. I know several gamers that started out playing the COD games who have branched out into other genres.

2 up, 0 down

IMO, the phenomenom of CoD is overall very good for the industry. It makes a ton of money and catapults the industry into the mainstream (through marketing and advertising)which can really be nothing other than good. Yes there are people that ONLY play CoD, but you have to think that in buying a 360 or PS3, they will eventually spend their money on other types of games. And I'd have to think if it wasn't CoD that was so popular, it'd be something else. And everyone would hate that as a result.

For every ModernWarfare there is a Journey. For every BlackOps there is an ICO Collection. Great games that aren't trying to copy their formula are still being made. Instead of whining about CoD, go out and support the developers that make the games you like.

And to be honest, I find it ridiculous that some people get mad at Activision, when a company like Square-Enix constantly mentions their success. Get mad at Square for not knowing what their doing to their fanbase and to their products. Activision is great at really milking franchises all while giving their customers what they want. Square isn't because they try to use a formula that doesn't work.

2 up, 2 down

Not always true... I kno plenty of ppl that play CallofDuty only... And they only buy one game a year... And it's the next installment of CallofDuty

1 up, 0 down

Oh, don't you worry, Jimmy. I place 100% of the blame for Square's failures Squarely on Square. :p

But I do think the discussion of CoD's influence is worth discussing. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing is kind of irrelevant to me... the point is, it does have an effect of some kind.

0 up, 0 down

It def has an effect on the industry. I just think that the casual types that ONLY buy CoD games are 1) few and far between and 2) would only be buying the next "pop culture" game anyway. I don't think that this small segment of gamers can sway the industry too much one way or another. They're only going to be buying what everyone else is. Activision realizes this, the sooner other companies (Square being one of them) does, the better it is for everyone else.

The point I was making is that there are still plenty of developers out there that know what kind of game they want to develop, and don't let CoD's popularity affect that.

1 up, 1 down

I don't really care, personally, which game is the best seller. The only thing I don't like about the effect it has on the industry, is that people see CoD adds and think that's what gaming is.

My in-laws, for example, know I game, and CoD is what they think I play all the time. My mother in law literally asked me once, "Were you playing 'on' your Call of Duty at all today?"

The only reason it drove me nuts was because I was actually playing Journey that day.

My point is, I think there are lots of games that, if they had public exposure, would improve how the general populace views gaming with more legitimacy. I think people truly think of gaming as either kids games or Call of Duty.

That's really the only effect I hate personally. Other than that, I think you're right. If it wasn't CoD, it'd be something else. I know lots of people that owned XBOX's just to play Halo or Halo 2. But they don't make up the majority of gamers. And if CoD didn't exist, it'd just be something else, anyways.

2 up, 0 down

You would think the gamers would celebrate any game's success. If you dont like the game then DONT PLAY IT! I just dont see how you can call a game lame that makes sells in the BILLIONS.

People like this just make no sense to me. COD has done nothing but open up another part of the industry for success. Some other game will make this kind of impact too, one day. Until then stop harrasing a gaming company for making the best selling game of all time. Wow. Just wow.

2 up, 2 down

I hereby retract my own post further up and point at this post here. It's all there is to say, really.

1 up, 0 down

I agree, but no one is harassing anything in this thread.

2 up, 0 down

So because I like movies I should celebrate the major success of movies I don't particularly like? Alright let me give it a shot...

Hooray for Twilight! How can you call that movie lame even though it sells and is adored by millions? Because it sells millions, everyone should obviously appreciate it! Come on and jump on the train!

Seriously though, I'm not really one for harassing a company, but going as far as celebrating the success is a bit much. I personally don't think CoD deserves its success, but I'm not going to whine about it either. Just don't expect everyone to smile and nod at a game that isn't their cup of tea.

---

Last edited by ZenChichiri on 5/1/2012 7:20:44 PM

2 up, 1 down

I wonder what the gaming industry would be like without the COD franchise this gen?

0 up, 0 down

Sony has made more money off cod than there franchises. Regardless the games success is great for sony and microsoft. While its easy to look at MW3 and say its the same as MW2 or it has a 4 hour SP why pay $60? I disagree. Any games even multilpayer wise i put over 100hrs justifies $60 in my book. Games with SP only 10 hr isnt worth $60 to me.

I Garuntee when black ops 2 comes out it will topple mw3 sales and the haters will be out in full force lol. I dont think cod massive success is bad for the industry, i just think its bad when other companies try to copy cod and release a abysmal game then turn around then cry call of duty is ruining innovation in the gaming industry.

2 up, 0 down

I'll be honest I got these reasons why COD is bad for the industry but I decided that its not worth wasting time on it any more.

0 up, 0 down

CoD is a bad joke that everyone just keeps repeating over and over. Like the "that's what she said". It's done, let sleeping dogs lie.

0 up, 2 down

When it comes to CoD. They cause so many problems for everyone else, Their not the only Dev out there, and because of their high sales people at other companies want to copy them. But thats whats ruining the other games out there everyone loves.

Especially Annualization, Longer games take to create, usually means their better, bigger, and last longer. Many games in older times took people forever to beat. Not this new way of short fast sale game = 6 hours tops to beat single player, then boredom of online in a few hours

0 up, 0 down