There was a time when we spoke of the death of both the adventure and sim genres. Early online sims like Fighter Ace (and Kesmai's Air Warrior and iEntertainment's Warbirds) may not have had trolls and wizards but they nevertheless paved the way for the huge MMO market that exists today. Has game development and promotion become so bloated that small successes are a thing of the past? If so, we run the risk of becoming an industry that's so weighted towards profit that it can only conceive of doing "more of the same." And with that thinking, we'll lose not only the vitality of niche markets like flight sims, but also the opportunity for greater innovation throughout the industry as a whole. Hey+Gamers!+This+is+fun! Now the last thing I want to seem like is an old man sitting around reminiscing about "the good old days" and complaining about kids setting bags of flaming poop on my porch, but I really don't get why today's gaming market can't find a way to embrace creativity and choice in a way that also serves the balance sheet. If flying is no longer considered an adventure, have we lost the crucial sense of wish fulfillment that's needed to draw new players to the genre? One might argue about the efficacy of such progress, but ultimately that is the hand we are dealt, and there are many benefits to be had from this evolution." Vange also attributes some of the lack of interest in flight sims to a de-romanticizing of flight itself in the real world. The computer has become a gateway to Social Media, and the console is enjoyed from the couch, in a very different mode of interaction.
"Where 15 years ago, the PC was the primary device for delivering game entertainment to adults," he reasons, "today it is the console or handheld device that is king. Though Vange sees the lack of joysticks among gamers as a significant obstacle, the real issue is the overall role of the PC in the home. "It requires a major investment in infrastructure and development to make current, and there is no possible way that such an investment could be made back." Though the average subscriber to Fighter Ace sticks around for an incredible five-and-a-half years, few new gamers are joining to replace those who are leaving. "The bottom line is that the game is losing money and shedding players," he says. The game's creator, Mark Vange, sent out a letter to fans explaining why the game, which has been around longer than Google, DVDs and Grand Theft Auto, was finally shutting down. I've been a fan of Fighter Ace for a good part of its thirteen-year run, so the news that it was shutting down disappointed me, both as a PC gamer and a flight sim fan. It was the announcement that the online flight sim Fighter Ace would be closing on August 1.
Something happened this weekend that really aggravated me.