Game Exclusives: video game industry and its hypocrisy
If we ask ourselves what is the most common argument that gamers cite to justify the choice of a platform over another (and leave aside, for the sake of God, the pathetic invasive fanboysm), the dominant answer is almost always the same: exclusive games.
The same publishers: Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, make of first party games and its iconic characters, their most regular warhorses. A fight without quarter to grab to the tune of millions of dollars, as many exclusives possible to push platforms sales, in fact all similar in terms of offered services and hardware features.
These marketing strategies, not only will fail in the long run (it is no coincidence that the market is moving more and more strongly to PC), but are also deeply immoral.
Exclusive Games are immoral
Exclusive derives from Latin ex-claudere and it means “to shut out” the majority of people. From what? From something that is, in fact, right of a small circle of people. Since when, exactly, the meaning of these words has taken a positive acceptation?
All the numerous newspapers and magazines that feed this war between poorly intelligent dudes, from where all have just to lose something, except obviously who sell gaming platforms and above-mentioned magazines that are earning clicks through fruitless discussions between hardcore fan and overgrown children, have certainly their share of the blame.
The whole question about exclusivity of video game titles, is totally wrong, starting from an etymology that goes against every democratic principle. Words as exclusive and restricted, would cringe if they were applied to any other context. From these small things you can clearly see how the corruption of moral and democratic principles, which should be an integral part of our society, have suffered from what might be called a kind of chaos of modernity.
Our fathers fought, sometimes sacrificing their lives, to make accessible to the everyday, what one was only utopia: principles like brotherhood and equality, are no longer to be searched in major questions (which certainly have their importance) as human rights or racial, sexual and gender equality, but in seemingly innocuous everyday matters, where are revealed in all of their power, behaviors deeply rooted in our cultural subconscious.
The so-called console war and the whole story related to games exclusivity, are certainly some of those matters from where bad feelings still present in the unconsciousness of the modern human society, clearly transpire; feelings constantly fed by capitalism, placing the principle of exclusivity at the center of its existence.
Capitalism and video games
Capitalism can thrive only if it can ensure an “average lack” of privileges, or if it can guarantee that just a small number of people can enjoy high standards of living, much higher than average. If we could all get rich, the same meanings of “wealth” and “privilege”, would fail by definition and the capitalist, who aspires to achieve that exclusive social status, wouldn’t have reasons to make investments.
The most expensive things are not always objectively more beautiful, those are just more exclusive, for the same natural principle that makes rare minerals and metals, also the most valuable. Exclusivity makes all more delicious and appetizing to buyer’s eyes.
The whole marketing strategy around gaming console almost always run on this exclusionary will, that’s nothing more than a philosophical container of the human greed.
The gaming community, continuing to behave intolerant, coalescing in religious groups of nazi-fascist babies always ready to trigger shit-storm on everyone who’s not part of their sect, does nothing more than feed the greed of the video game industry. While their heroes continue to make profit on their passion to draw off every penny out of their wallet, true fans are forced to give up some awesome games, or, for those who can afford it, buy console on console, all almost identical, to avail an handful of exclusive games, which always more often are old glories remastered from a sadly lost era.
Art must be accessible
Exclusives phenomenon becomes even more unacceptable when we’re talking to make exclusive a work of art; because video games are art, no doubts about that, and art should be accessible to all as widely as possible.
Who can see its moral historical responsibility, i mean who have inherited a more fair and egalitarian world than our ancestors, doesn’t find anything exciting excluding others from some kind of artistic activity or experience. There’s nothing noble in the happiness of fanboys, gratified by the satisfaction of being able to play a big title in spite of someone on the other side of an hypocritical imaginary barrier, especially if it’s a title with great aesthetic and artistic value, the only values that should count in the gaming community.
There’s no future in the separation, in the cowardly act of excluding. It’s the inclusion, the union, the integration of all world phenomena where the future is. If this will not, simply, there will be no future, and if it will become, will not be something we might be proud of.