The older guys in this site probably don't know it, but the gaming industry is gigantic, and makes way more money than Hollywood by now.
It's also an industry where China holds great sway in the mainstream, via companies like Blizzard, Riot Games, Activision. Check if you will. You'll see that the chinese company Tencent holds a sway in all of them.
If you're into video games as a pass time, or have children/nephews who do, I reccomend decoupling from the main scene and head into indie games territory, as the SJWs control most of the big titles out there.
As such, I personally suggest you guys should decouple and buy some indie games. They're always cheap, have plenty of creativity and passion built into them, and never have those gambling tactics designed to addict you and strip you from your money.
1st step : Stop buying annual sports titles (FIFA, Madden, NBA), and franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield. They gloat constantly about addicting children and teenagers into gambling and ruined many lives with loot box mechanics
Step 2 : Buy indie games: I personally reccomend GoG, Humble bundle and Steam for buying if you play on PC. Dirt cheap prices, constant sales and most importantly, they don't serve Wall Street. Avoid Epic Games and Activision/Blizzard like the plague, they're all controlled by China via Tencent.
Step 3 : Research: You gotta be careful about the things your children play, so be watchful and look for age-appropriate titles. I personally reccomend the Best indie Games and the Tensor Gaming Youtube channels (links on comment), as they have almost daily trailers of brand new and awesome titles with all kinds of themes, from the little kid- friendly to the more mature. Buying independant games also helps small studios to thrive and flourish, sending more quality titles into the market.
That was my suggestion. You guys tell me what you think about it
I'm a bit of a gamer. (I used to game alot more, but some of it has taken a backseat, so I try to stay in the know when I can).
Totally agree. Known for a while that gaming was and is going to be bigger than Hollywood. The nice thing about it,.. is that it's so easy to become a developer with very little investment. (which is both good and back).
I remember the days of GamerGate (yes I'm one of those, don't kill me). I remember the likes of Sarkeesian, Wu, and Quinn, and how the gaming news industry ran circles around these 3 Harpies, the money they got from certain donors, and the people they accused of wrong doing, either to remove critics from the industry (like Tim Soret for "The Last Night", or Alec Holowka's suicide).
But the good part about it is that, because it's easy to get into as an indie dev, people like me can learn and create our own games, whether to actually just sell to grow our own wealth, or create and grow a company to support others, or even to just put out a message.
I've been moving away from big AAA titles for a while, the last 2 major studio games I had purchased would have been Cyberpunk 2077,... and Kingdom Hearts III I believe. Everything else has been indie stuff, through Humble Bundle, or GoG (not shilling, just pointing out) Though I do still play World of Warcraft from time to time.
What I've noticed is that a lot of these small indie titles get their traction either because it's really that good, or because a mainstream gaming youtuber gets ahold of it (Markiplier,Jacksepticeye, PewdiePie) and people purchase the game to support the showcased game.
There is a pitfall here, as because some of these individuals, not necessarily the ones listed above, have a vested interest in playing according to the rules of the platform or have PR people who handle appearances and content. Good to provide them a working key for free if they want to try it, but even they would be wary of associate to a dev who has been associated as deplorable (until we can start moving and changing the direction of the industry away from China and the Woke crowd).
So my next solution for exposure would be among our own communities, either on this board or similar to others, and if there are any gamers or lets players willing to play and partake, showcasing it in order to spread it.
My own concern, much like with GamerGate, is the creation of inner circles and clicks of people who decide which games to promote, because then, just like what's happening with sharing information with Trump, the supposed "Plan", and Comms, you already have people pointing fingers and attempting to discredit or ostracize whether warranted or not, thus causing more division. How to fix this? I'm not sure.
Anyways, that's my long ranting contribution, would like to know what you guys think too.
Yes, especially with the availability of tools like blender (3d modeling and rendering), box2d/3d (physics engine), etc. That are freely available, it has never been easier for small studios and individuals to enter the fray.
The challenge is that there is a group of large studios who make millions off every title, and millions of indie devs that are paying attention to every sale.
I think a return to the shareware style is going to be very helpful to indie studios, forces them to only publish when complete and bug free.