Episodic Content
I feel like "Episodic Content" became somewhat of a buzz-word in the game industry several years ago. Services like Valve's Steam promised to deliver games in an entirely new way that would reduce development times and cost. Combined with digital distribution, it seemed like a revolution was coming. This was the next big thing, but we've yet to see it have any real impact. Well, the revolution's almost here.
First of all, digital distribution is now a reality. Steam has been going strong for a while now, and Xbox Live Marketplace has become an absolute success. So the infrastructure for delivering small chunks of gaming goodness is largely in place.
We are finally beginning to see the first signs of episodic content. Half-Life 3 is supposedly going to be episodic. This is great news for fans that want to play it right away (although, they'll have less to play when it first arrives). If there was ever a game that could ignite a phenomenon like episodic games, Half-Life 3 is probably it.
But what really inspired this post is the new Alone in the Dark. It may not be episodic per se, in that the retail version will essentially be the entire "season", but it presents some interesting new ideas. Basically, the structure of Alone in the Dark is based off of shows like Lost and 24. It is broken down into 30-40 minute sequences, complete with story recaps, cliffhanger endings, and upcoming scenes.
This kind of storytelling is a definite departure from the standard game. In many respects, videogames attempt to emulate movies and the two media are often compared (for better or worse). So in its own right, I think it's interesting to see a game emulating TV series. While I'm not a huge fan of TV, I do think this departure is brilliant for two reasons.
The first reason is that Alone in the Dark will be perfectly suited for playing in short bursts. I love playing games for hours at a time, but I don't always have the time. It would be refreshing to have the story recapped for me and then play an "episode". I imagine it would probably be as satisfying as watching a good TV show.
The other reason is that Alone in the Dark will be a complete "season". I don't know about you, but on more than one occasion, I have watched too many hours of TV on DVD, including one all-nighter devoted to watching 11 episodes of The Shield. Those season-long box sets can be really addictive, especially when it's a show with cliffhanger endings like Lost or 24. If the scenarios are well designed and the writing is good, Alone in the Dark could be harder to put down than a rabbit that's superglued to your hands.
Needless to say, it remains to be seen whether or not Alone in the Dark will be a good game or not, but I'm sure that its novel structure will grant it some appeal. The important thing is that we are about to see a change in the industry. No, I don't think everything will be episodic, but it is a drastic change, nonetheless. Imagine that instead of waiting for the next sequel in a beloved franchise (like you might do for a movie), that you were waiting for the next "season".
Like I said, videogames have run parallel to movies for a long time. Now it's time for them to approach TV. Videogaming is an extremely versatile medium that really is only limited by designers' imaginations. Games allow us to "play" movies, and soon, to "play" TV. Some of my favorite games, however, emulate neither and are completely original creations that could only be done as videogames. But I'm excited for all of these types of games. Each new frontier that the industry explores adds to its rich evolution. And that means cooler games. :)
-Joule
UPDATE: Check out this trailer for Alone in the Dark on Gamespot. As always, I am reserving judgement for when the game is actually released, but it looks totally sweet.
UPDATE 2: Okay, so I obviously didn't do much research into episodic stuff. I just went to EBGames.com and the first episode of SiN is coming May 9th. The revolution is at hand!
First of all, digital distribution is now a reality. Steam has been going strong for a while now, and Xbox Live Marketplace has become an absolute success. So the infrastructure for delivering small chunks of gaming goodness is largely in place.
We are finally beginning to see the first signs of episodic content. Half-Life 3 is supposedly going to be episodic. This is great news for fans that want to play it right away (although, they'll have less to play when it first arrives). If there was ever a game that could ignite a phenomenon like episodic games, Half-Life 3 is probably it.
But what really inspired this post is the new Alone in the Dark. It may not be episodic per se, in that the retail version will essentially be the entire "season", but it presents some interesting new ideas. Basically, the structure of Alone in the Dark is based off of shows like Lost and 24. It is broken down into 30-40 minute sequences, complete with story recaps, cliffhanger endings, and upcoming scenes.
This kind of storytelling is a definite departure from the standard game. In many respects, videogames attempt to emulate movies and the two media are often compared (for better or worse). So in its own right, I think it's interesting to see a game emulating TV series. While I'm not a huge fan of TV, I do think this departure is brilliant for two reasons.
The first reason is that Alone in the Dark will be perfectly suited for playing in short bursts. I love playing games for hours at a time, but I don't always have the time. It would be refreshing to have the story recapped for me and then play an "episode". I imagine it would probably be as satisfying as watching a good TV show.
The other reason is that Alone in the Dark will be a complete "season". I don't know about you, but on more than one occasion, I have watched too many hours of TV on DVD, including one all-nighter devoted to watching 11 episodes of The Shield. Those season-long box sets can be really addictive, especially when it's a show with cliffhanger endings like Lost or 24. If the scenarios are well designed and the writing is good, Alone in the Dark could be harder to put down than a rabbit that's superglued to your hands.
Needless to say, it remains to be seen whether or not Alone in the Dark will be a good game or not, but I'm sure that its novel structure will grant it some appeal. The important thing is that we are about to see a change in the industry. No, I don't think everything will be episodic, but it is a drastic change, nonetheless. Imagine that instead of waiting for the next sequel in a beloved franchise (like you might do for a movie), that you were waiting for the next "season".
Like I said, videogames have run parallel to movies for a long time. Now it's time for them to approach TV. Videogaming is an extremely versatile medium that really is only limited by designers' imaginations. Games allow us to "play" movies, and soon, to "play" TV. Some of my favorite games, however, emulate neither and are completely original creations that could only be done as videogames. But I'm excited for all of these types of games. Each new frontier that the industry explores adds to its rich evolution. And that means cooler games. :)
-Joule
UPDATE: Check out this trailer for Alone in the Dark on Gamespot. As always, I am reserving judgement for when the game is actually released, but it looks totally sweet.
UPDATE 2: Okay, so I obviously didn't do much research into episodic stuff. I just went to EBGames.com and the first episode of SiN is coming May 9th. The revolution is at hand!
posted by Voomp at
11:56 AM
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