US video game sales have record quarter as consumers stay at home

https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/15/us-video-game-sales-have-record-quarter-as-consumers-stay-at-home/

by lxm • 6 years ago

377 252 6 years ago

LUmBULtERA• 6 years ago

Can confirm, have played a lot of video games and had purchased the Covid-19 related humble bundle.

ArtWomb• 6 years ago

I'd argue it's not just lockdown. This has been an epic release year: Animal Crossing, Half Life Alyx, Doom Eternal, Gears Tactics, Valorent, Sea of Thieves. And on and on. Paper Mario: Origami King trailer looks like so much fun there is no reason to leave the house this summer ;)

duxup3• 6 years ago

Half Life Alyx

Big name, but random googling says Half Life Alyx sold 50k vs.... Animal Crossing at 11 million+ by March 31.

I'm not sure Half Life Alyx has any relevance as far as volume of play goes ;)

xwdv• 6 years ago

As a percentage of users on its platform it’s huge.

filoleg2• 6 years ago

I think it might have to do with the fact that it is a VR game requiring a VR rig, which isn’t that common yet.

Not that you are wrong, but i feel like it would be more interesting to see those numbers in the context of the entire install base. Like, number of sales compared to the number of those devices in people’s hands.

Grimm12• 6 years ago

Off by a factor of 10, looks like it was 500k but still, I think that is a function of VR headset ownership which is only at like 2% of the market or something. Adjusted for the market it was likely pretty big. I grant that within the wider videogame market it is not nearly as relevant though.

mikepurvis• 6 years ago

Girlfriend Reviews said of Alyx "now we are all backseat gamers", regarding the imbalance of people watching the game be played on Twitch vs actually playing it themselves:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m67wYSTgvus

backtracking• 6 years ago

Isn't Sea of Theives a two year old game?

karatestomp4• 6 years ago

Poster must be a PC gamer who doesn't use the Microsoft store (like most PC users who'd identify as gamers, probably?). It hit Steam this year, was on XBone and MS Store in 2018.

Personally, I'd forgotten there was a MS store until I looked this up just now.

MaximumMadness4• 6 years ago

Unfortunately, I'd expect this to slow down :( Tons of companies have announced delays due to Work from Home conditions, and with E3 cancelled developers aren't under as much pressure to rush out announcements and release dates

willis936• 6 years ago

Idk. cdProjektRed has a good track record. There is a lot of marketing money still being spent, and subsequent hype being built, on/for Cyberpunk 2077.

electroqueen• 6 years ago

My team doesn't seem to have lost much productivity

OedipusRex• 6 years ago

Sea of Thieves came out in 2018.

Paper Mario: Origami King was announced yesterday.

aerovistae• 6 years ago

Didn't Sea of Thieves originally come out in 2016? What are you talking about?

iEchoic• 6 years ago

The Final Fantasy VII remake has been huge, too.

grawprog2• 6 years ago

I dunno, i've been playing a lot more video games than I have in years and none of them are new releases. I spent about a month on Dark Souls, another on Bloodborne, now Bloodstained and The Messenger. None of those were released this year and i've bought all of them in the last couple months.

rotexo• 6 years ago

Exactly. I just bought a Switch Lite and I'm playing Breath of the Wild for the first time. It has been 15+ years since I played a Zelda game seriously (last one I played was Wind Waker), and I am just blown away. I'm lucky to be working, but the child in me wishes I was on summer break.

sixothree2• 6 years ago

Likewise. But gaming feels more pointless to me than ever. I have a hard time describing it. But games that lack a clear goal and don't guide you towards that goal are where I feel it the most. For in instance Cities Skylines building out cities leaves me feeling empty instead of accomplished. I used to treat Skylines and Civ like solitaire - play a few hours mindlessly to burn away a bit of time. But even solitaire would probably not leave me feeling like this.

Playing lately Phoenix Wright, Cities Skylines, Alien Isolation (snagged it at $2), RDR2.

astura4• 6 years ago

Additionally pretty much all of my friends have been super hyped for a few other recent releases: Streets of Rage 4 and FFVII Remake.

One friend even mentioned he hasn't been nearly this excited about video games since childhood.

There's a few new releases I'd like to get, but I'm too busy with the games I already have, so I'm holding off.

Lockdown has increased video game consumption beyond newer releases, the price of Wii consoles and Wii Sports has increased, for example, which shows an increased demand for a console that came out 14 years ago.

So it's a combination of a strong new releases, a big reduction in options for other leisure activities, and literally millions of newly unemployed people.

oarabbus_• 6 years ago

Streets of Rage 4 got me back into gaming after a couple years away from it.

It's still not SOR2, but one of the best sequels ever.

ls612• 6 years ago

And the second half of the year is stacked too with CP2077, Valhalla, Godfall, and a Hollow Knight sequel at least. And there’s going to be more big titles announced at the E3 substitute events in the next month or so. And the next gen consoles will launch in the fall.

thejynxed• 6 years ago

Dying Light 2, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2, quite possibly Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian also said announcements concerning their Divinity series are coming), Crusader Kings 3, this year is looking to rob my wallet and my time.

runevault• 6 years ago

Since you mentioned Hollow Knight: Silksong, it's also worth keeping an eye on Axiom Verge 2, as AV was another excellent roguelite (HK was better but AV was still very good to great)

pmarreck• 6 years ago

It’s amazing that the market is so big that I’ve only played ONE of those games (Doom, and only briefly... It’s not grabbing me for whatever reason) as a self-professed gamer (mostly action-RPG’s and stealth/strategy games)

Lately I’ve been playing Wolfenstein Youngblood in co-op with a friend on the Left Coast, and Phantom Doctrine also (neither of which are new games), and having a blast with both.

Animal Crossing... I just don’t understand the appeal

the_snooze• 6 years ago

Animal Crossing... I just don’t understand the appeal

It's basically The Sims mashed up with Minecraft mashed up with a cute animal aesthetic. Those things are insanely popular, but it's totally understandable that they're not universally appealing either.

reaperducer• 6 years ago

I'd argue it's not just lockdown

I saw a news article a couple of weeks ago that in my city, Xboxes, Switches and PlayStations are very hard to come by. I don't think people are dropping hundreds of dollars mid-cycle to buy new machines for the games.

To a much lesser extent, I have done this, too. My local used video game store started doing free home delivery, and I picked up a half-dozen Atari 2600 carts that were missing from my collection. But for me, in addition to needing the distraction a game provides, I need the comfort and familiarity of the big wood-grain beast and simple joysticks.

gbear605• 6 years ago

I know that Switches were sold out even before the lockdowns thanks to Animal Crossing.

noarchy• 6 years ago

I would even say it is nearing end-cycle for consoles, given that we'll see a next-gen Xbox and PS by the end of this year.

ekianjo• 6 years ago

No ffvii remake in your list?

pgt• 6 years ago

No, it's the lockdown.

I haven't played games in 10 years. But during lockdown here in South Africa, the only way to stay in touch with my friends 20km away is to have a fat chat on Discord and play some games.

s_y_n_t_a_x• 6 years ago

As a Gears fan, Gears Tactics is a money grab.

Gears 5 was CoDified, still happily playing Gears 4 though.

MCC for PC just came out. Can't believe I can play Halo 2 again!

WillPostForFood• 6 years ago

No way a turn based tactical game is money grab. More like a niche nod to hardcore fans. They haven't even released it on consoles yet.

kosei• 6 years ago

As someone who works in the video games industry, I can guarantee it is the lockdown. Stay at home orders align really closely with significant lifts in new players, increased hours played, and many other core metrics across the industry. And many games have seen significant lifts in their existing live service performance (not just new games).

gambiting• 6 years ago

I also work in games and I can confirm this too - even our older games which had dwindling player numbers have gotten a massive increase in player numbers in the last 2 months. In some cases we've had to spool up our network infrastructure to levels higher than at launch, since the numbers are so high.

SamuelAdams• 6 years ago

Also could be a large uptick in unemployment. Lots more people sitting at home with nothing to do. Games are on sale most the time and can be had for 10-15 dollars on steam. That's the same price as a case of beer in some places and you get far more entertainment hours out of a video game than a six pack.

bentcorner3• 6 years ago

At least personally part of it is that I also have more hours in the day due to no commute that I can spend on other things, including gaming.

puranjay• 6 years ago

I don't think it's just that. People are just buying more. I run a smallish hobby site and monetize it with Amazon affiliate links. I've had Black Friday-tier sales all of April and May.

I suspect Amazon's numbers for this quarter are going to surprise a lot of people

huntertwo• 6 years ago

Congrats on your success, I suspect they're not gonna be surprising for many. People can't spend in stores and are home all day, Amazon seems like a natural, almost obvious, winner. People who haven't seen a downturn in income have seen a reduction in places where they can spend money, not a reduction in reason to spend money.

zemo2• 6 years ago

I'm sure it differs from company to company, but I work on the multiplayer servers at Jackbox games and it's very clear that people are playing a lot more than they were at this time period last year.

termarks• 6 years ago

My entire family and many friends play the entire Jackbox games, over Zoom. Jackbox 3 (with Trivia Murder Party and Quiplash) is the undisputed favorite. I ended up buying all six Jackbox game sets, because demand to play is so high. I’m kinda surprised Jackbox servers aren’t melting down with the demand.

koheripbal4• 6 years ago

Most of those games are not that good. Uptick in traffic is perfectly correlated to school closings.

guevara• 6 years ago

Meh, nothing exciting.

Doom 2016 v Doom Eternal: same shit Valorant: it's in beta so I'll give it some slack but it's pretty boring Half Life: Alyx: a VR game. lol Valve. Much rather get a Source 2 update for CSGO

Atleast GTA V is free on the Epic store.

smabie3• 6 years ago

I dunno man, Valorant is pretty sick. Me and my friends play maybe 3-4 matches of competitive Valorant per day and we absolutely love it. Way better than CS:GO, though the maps aren't as good. And what's wrong with Alyx being a VR game?

jiscariot• 6 years ago

Disco Elysium too--A unique text-heavy RPG with some great writing and other character elements/buffs I haven't seen before. I'm usually a selective console gamer--maybe three or for titles a year, but got Disco running on a seven year old Macbook, and I'm loving it.

ping_pong• 6 years ago

I've bought several games for the Switch for my kids, including Animal Crossings. I don't understand it, but anything to keep them quiet for an hour (or three).

One question I have is, is this revenue rate sustainable or it is an unnatural pump that will die out in a couple of years? Once people can go outside without fear I'm thinking that it won't be a long term investment.

snazz• 6 years ago

It could get a lot of new people to be interested in games. I know some people who never really tried playing video games because they were always busy. When they suddenly got a lot more time at home, they realized that games were enjoyable.

Hokusai• 6 years ago

One question I have is, is this revenue rate sustainable or it is an unnatural pump that will die out in a couple of years?

The situation is better than that of toiler paper. One human being consumes the same amount of toiler paper during a pandemic that in other circumstances. So, an increase in purchases now means a decrease of purchases in the future.

For video games the increase can be real. During a pandemic, and quarantine, people needs to pass the time in some way. Movies, and video games are popular ways of doing so.

After the pandemic, thou, the need for recreation will go back to normal with the decrease of available time (corrected upwards by the amount of new players that keep on with the habit and downwards with less available income during a recession).

dynamite-ready• 6 years ago

I can see that being the case, but perhaps the amount of disposable time people currently have to spend with dedicated game systems, will help new users to cultivate a taste for the form that will last beyond the lockdown.

At least enough to take a few users away from Netflix and Youtube permanently.

asdkhadsj• 6 years ago

The situation is better than that of toiler paper. One human being consumes the same amount of toiler paper during a pandemic that in other circumstances. So, an increase in purchases now means a decrease of purchases in the future.

Aren't types of toilet paper important too? I would assume the average household is literally going through more toilet paper now than before; since before they were partially using industrial toilet paper at their employers.

The paper employers buy is usually not the same types that consumers buy.

With that said, I don't doubt we were out of toilet paper due to hoarding. Just adding a little asterisk that it's not purely hoarding.

mey• 6 years ago

Wife is an Animal Crossing convert entirely due to Covid. She played zero video games on a regular basis before that. I expect she will put it back down as other recreation options become available again, but I doubt she is the only one to pick up a new hobby. This is going to go on long enough for new habits to stick. Animal crossing in particular has exceptionally soft failure modes so it's great for people who aren't traditionally into video games.

DanielleMolloy3• 6 years ago

Actually Animal Crossing removes the element of failure deliberately to provide a soothing, un-stressful experience. There isn’t even a counter for how many bugs and fishes you still could catch in the current season. There was a thread recently here about the associated genre Iyashikei. The success of this game should be quite interesting for video game makers who traditionally address and compete for a very narrow market.

trynewideas• 6 years ago

is this revenue rate sustainable or it is an unnatural pump that will die out in a couple of years?

The revenue rate already isn't sustainable for anyone who isn't Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft (and as the story notes, Nintendo won the quarter in part by taking enough business this quarter from Sony and Microsoft for them to end _down_ even with some big announcements and releases).

There's a real fear in studios that between the pandemic, unemployment spikes, expenses in moving to remote work coming before savings from getting rid of offices, and the broader economic malaise, this represents the last bit of inflation before wallets close for years and the games industry bubble pops for many, many studios.

username90• 6 years ago

Gaming is an inferior good so it doesn't follow the normal market dynamics. When people have less money they can't spend their time doing expensive activities, so they spend more time gaming since it is one of the cheapest ways to spend your time.

IggleSniggle4• 6 years ago

I think it will become a permanent bump, even if the same rate is not entirely sustained.

I never watched any movies or tv until I met my partner. It just wasn't a thing I even thought of doing. Now, I suspect I would still watch things on my tv even if we separated.

Once you're addicted to sugar, you crave it.

Dopamine is habit forming.

brenden2• 6 years ago

FWIW I have been spending a lot of time playing games because, well, there's not much else to do.

bitxbitxbitcoin• 6 years ago

As long as the benefits aren't going to Game Stop, that's cool. Their actions during this pandemic have been reprehensible.

MaximumMadness4• 6 years ago

Can you elaborate a bit more? Haven't seen much besides how poorly they treated their employees when this all got started, but that's par for the course with Gamestop.

crazcarl• 6 years ago

Around the time states were closing non-essential businesses they were claiming to be essential and requiring the stores to stay open.

1123581321• 6 years ago

GameStop did well with the Doom and Animal Crossing releases. I believe they did curbside pickup in most states. Just explaining, not arguing.

smabie3• 6 years ago

What's wrong with them wanting to keep their stores open?

MaximumMadness4• 6 years ago

It's not just game sales - traffic on gaming-related services like Discord, Twitch, Mixer, and others have hit historic highs [0]

The industry isn't recession-proof though. A lot of folks I know on the events, marketing, and game dev side have been losing jobs at an absurd pace.[1] It's one of the clearest examples of a double-edged sword that I've seen

[0]https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/twitch-di... [1] https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132294/game_developer...

thomashobohm• 6 years ago

I think your source for the "game dev side" is odd-it's from 2009, a recession with markedly different characteristics than this one-and says nothing about the claim you've made about people losing jobs right now. Usually video game sales track the market, this time they're not doing that, which makes this more interesting. Do you have any links indicating that game developers have been losing jobs at an absurd pace?I haven't been able to find any.

MaximumMadness4• 6 years ago

Apologies - I linked the wrong article, take a look at this survey[0] where laid-off game devs can submit their work after being laid off for COVID-related reasons

[0]https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1LiVnFpmDK29UV9xj...

52-6F-62• 6 years ago

Yep. I work for a Canadian [print/digital] media company. One of the magazines has been operating for about 115 years.

It's had record views and subscriptions. On the other hand ad revenues have dropped as well as, of course, newsstand revenues.

It's been interesting.

MisterBastahrd• 6 years ago

I had to order a new Xbox One controller from Gamestop because my local Wal-Mart was completely sold out of all controllers other than Switch and Xbox 360. They were also completely sold out of TVs other than TCL 65".

wayneftw• 6 years ago

I think I must be a simpleton compared to many people. I am able to play the same video game for years and years before getting bored with it. Currently that game is Rocket League. Before that, it was Skate, Skate 2 and Skate 3 and before that...World of Warcraft.

Trasmatta2• 6 years ago

I could be wrong, but I feel like there are more people like you that play a lower number of games for years than people like me, that play most big releases as they come out. It's a big reason why games are moving to the "live service" model, where they continually release updates for released games. Many people find a game or two they like and stick with them for years, so companies are trying to find the best way to monetize those types of players.

IggleSniggle4• 6 years ago

Yup.

Tetris, Civilization, XCOM: UFO Defense, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Spelunky, Brogue, CDDA, and now Slay the Spire.

There have been a lot of other games, but those are the ones I've really played in my life. Others are pretty much relegated to 6 hours maximum, and that's just for games I really enjoy.

paulryanrogers• 6 years ago

On the other end I sometimes just enjoy the shopping, buying, collecting games. Even just collecting digital games on sale can be entertaining in its own way.

As I age and my family grows it's becoming obvious I'll never complete many of them. But that's OK too.

sixothree2• 6 years ago

I agree with the collecting aspect. I have some 292 games in my steam collection. I no longer consider the unplayed ones as being on my "pile of shame". I like having them at my disposal. And I like collecting them.

Spending 3 or 4 hours on a game that cost a dollar or two feels fairly economical. I got Alien Isolation for $2 recently. That probably would have just gone into my collection unplayed. But I did give it a shot. And would say it's probably worth full price.

komali23• 6 years ago

I think I've played maybe .5% of my Steam account library... and I'll still put new games in there. I dunno, it's just fun.

I'm starting to do the same thing for my Switch. I've just gotten a fat 500gb microSD card for it. I'm even rebuying games I already had on PC just because the portability factor is nice.

My partner says it's bad money management. I dunno, it's a hobby I think. My only concern is that Steam kicks the bucket one day.

GrumpyYoungMan• 6 years ago

Whenever I look at my pile of shame, I keep promising myself I'll sit down and play every one of them when I retire.

(All the while, there's a little voice in the back of my head snickering and calling me a liar.)

toyg• 6 years ago

I just slept 5 hours because of Civilization V, so you're not alone. But yeah, lots of people go through tons of games very quickly. Some buy stuff they will end up not even playing, like it happens with books.

eunoia• 6 years ago

You can still play Skate 1 and 3 on modern Xbox! Holding out hope we’ll get a 4 some day...

efrafa• 6 years ago

There’s THPS 1&2 remake comming in this summer!

karatestomp4• 6 years ago

I have newer systems & games but I'd probably be just as happy catching up on all the reputedly-very-good SNES, Playstation 2, et c. games I never got around to playing the first time, or re-playing ones I really like.

This is true of a lot of things. A weird effect of having so very much excellent work available in so many media is that my quality of life probably wouldn't suffer noticeably if they just... stopped making new art of those kinds, entirely, for the rest of my life. Novels, games, movies, recorded music. I don't have time for all the good stuff that already exists, as it is.

mcv2• 6 years ago

That doesn't have to make you a simpleton. Some of the most complex hardcore games take years to master. Like EU4. I've been playing it for many years, and I'm still learning new things.

I tend to stick with games for a long time.

hombre_fatal2• 6 years ago

Like EU4. I've been playing it for many years, and I'm still learning new things.

I just learned that cavalry sucks. I probably have 1000 hours in EU4. Though Paradox needs to patch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-62B7GiwDw

0xffff2• 6 years ago

As someone on the other end of the spectrum, I wish I could do this. While MMO addiction is a real problem (or at least it was... I don't seem to hear about it much anymore), being able to stay interested in a game for years at a time is something I've never experienced and I do feel like I'm missing out on some things because of it. I've never done any kind of "end game" content (e.g. WoW raids) in any MMO because I rarely stay interested long enough to even level a character, and that disappoints me a little bit.

zemo2• 6 years ago

that's what a lot of the industry is. that's ... exactly why games like fortnite, league, cs:go, dota, etc are all based around monetizing cosmetics and other DLC. lots of people play games like that. a lot of them ... just play fortnite now.

laurentdc• 6 years ago

I'm the same. I'm not interested in any of the new releases (besides maybe DOOM) and I've never really been able to enjoy games with a long story, I get distracted too easily and generally prefer TV shows for that type of story-driven entertainment.

I pretty much bought a PS4 only for Rocket League and Gran Turismo and that's all I've played in the last years. Plus a few SNES platformers. Perfect for 20-30 min gaming sessions without too much involvement

jfkebwjsbx• 6 years ago

A suggestion: avoid AAA games and try indie games focused on gameplay or action.

fokinsean• 6 years ago

I'm with you. I keep buying all of these awesome AAA games and somehow end up just playing Rocket League.

meestaahjoshee• 6 years ago

rocket league is a competitive esport game, WoW is an ever-evolving MMO, and the Skate series are just the deepest skateboarding sims that exist I think.

Nothing wrong with continuing to play those type of games forever. I've been playing counter-strike for 20 years now. Some games just have endless play and replay value.

jtolmar• 6 years ago

People who buy games more frequently are a bigger part of the market because they buy more games.

GlennS2• 6 years ago

Was discussing this with my partner recently.

We have all these hundreds of games we've paid for, and somehow just end up playing free co-op tower defense mods in Dota 2.

proc02• 6 years ago

WoW is hardcore and people still playing it of course. I would think simpletons can't retain attention that long.

biryani_chicken• 6 years ago

I got Monster Hunter World recently. Was debating whether to go down that rabbit hole for months but the lockdown and steam sale made it an easier decision.

jayd16• 6 years ago

It really good. This was my first real attempt at a Monster Hunter game and for two or three days I didn't understand the hype. Then the controls clicked and I loved it. Very well designed game, from the controls to the character progression.

hnick• 6 years ago

This is really common. A lot of people struggle with it then something clicks and they get really into it. Happened to me too, though I have to say the micromanaging (in and out of fights) is a bit too high for me so I've gone off Iceborne recently.

k__5• 6 years ago

Half-OT:

Currently I'm playing Stardew Valley on my FireHD10, I never played a mobile port that had THAT good controls.

I also got Terraria and Minecraft and they are pretty bad to play with awkward on-screen controls.

Does anyone here know of games that have good mobile ports? Or even good mobile games to start with? Most "native" mobile games just were really basic, full of in-app purchases etc. so I was looking more into ports, but if you know something good, let me know :D

Kaze404• 6 years ago

Max Payne is on Android (for some reason). It's a fantastic game, so it might be worth a try if you haven't played it yet.

NikolaNovak• 6 years ago

* Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a classic and fully playable on mobile device

* Star Traders Frontiers is a new old-school game that's also quite excellent

* There's a large number of old-school adventure games ported or created for mobile such as TimbleWeed park or Gemini Rue

* 80 Days is a beautifully written steampunk narrative travel adventure

* Out There and Out There Chronicles are modern classics

* Also & Oddysey are single-button games that are extremely simple but quite beautiful and peaceful

hoorayimhelping• 6 years ago

The Monkey Island games work really well on mobile devices and they re-released them a few years back.

libria• 6 years ago

Aw man, why'd you tell me this? You just cost my company 1 productive-engineer-day.

jackklika• 6 years ago

Mindustry[1] is an open source game that works perfect on mobile, especially if you have a big screen. You can find it on app stores or download it manually.

It's like factorio but more tower-defense and round-based. Much more approachable while still being really fun.

[1] https://github.com/Anuken/Mindustry

k__5• 6 years ago

Factorio was a bit too much for me, but I'll look into Mindustry, thanks!

IggleSniggle4• 6 years ago

This game destroyed me. It works well even if you don't have a big screen (relatively speaking anyway. I played it on an iPhone 7. You can't really get screens smaller than 4.7 anymore).

MayeulC2• 6 years ago

Oh, in the open-source department, there's also Unciv which I'm keeping an eye on. It could be improved, but it's quite fun already. It's a civilization clone.

https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv

rpvnwnkl• 6 years ago

Xenowerk is a lot of fun, as well as the Halo games for iOS, although I think they got pulled from the store.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xenowerk/id969447496

vorpalhex2• 6 years ago

There's a bunch of cheap bluetooth mini game controllers you can pickup online that will make a lot of ports (and emulators) quite a bit more enjoyable. RPGs from the playstation days are my go to.

k__5• 6 years ago

I had one and it didn't work, but this was 5-6 years ago.

Did the controller story for mobile get better?

The XBox controllers on desktop work like a charm, even with browser games.

MayeulC2• 6 years ago

You can also look at mobile games that got a desktop port, as that should hint at good quality games. On the top of my head, I recall the Anomaly (Warzone: Earth) series, and Kingdom Rush.

k__5• 6 years ago

Good idea, thanks!

slim• 6 years ago

Best roguelike : pixel dungeon

Spellman2• 6 years ago

Even better imo? Shattered Pixel Dungeon.

It's a fork, but some nice quality of life upgrades and tweaks imo

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shatteredp...

Spellman2• 6 years ago

Someone has unofficially ported Battle for Wesnoth to Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.alessandrop...

The controls are actually not half-bad.

There's also A LOT of board game ports of varying quality.

I've been enjoying Through the Ages. Ticket to Ride is competent. Splendor, Race for the Galaxy, and Twilight Struggle also pretty great.

student2k• 6 years ago

Morrowind runs really well on my modest android phone, with openmw, It even support mods,

provak• 6 years ago

Do you want a sick modpack? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4loGDYIJXw

thirdsun• 6 years ago

"The Witness" hasn't been mentioned yet.

OctopusSandwich• 6 years ago

What Remains of Edith Finch Life is Strange

NDizzle5• 6 years ago

I hope there is a resurgence of couch co-op games after the lockdown. I have been playing a LOT of games, most of them of just mediocre quality, with my kids. Co-op makes mediocre games fun most of the time. I wish there were more options available for local co-op games.

PS: Don't try to play Outward with your novice gamer kids.

zarkov992• 6 years ago

What do you recommend for co-op with kids?

mgolawala• 6 years ago

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime.

Overcooked.

Overcooked 2

Up to 4 player Co-op. Incredibly fun games.

Source: I play co-op and versus games with my kids. We've incorporated casual video game play into our family time for the past few years.

pgoggijr• 6 years ago

I picked up Unravel 2 and have been playing it with my non-gamer girlfriend - she's had no problem picking it up and it's quite fun and challenging for both of us, both from a technical perspective (Most puzzles only require precise inputs from one player) and a mind-twister perspective. I believe it is only two player co-op, though, so if you've got more than one kid to entertain then this one might not be for you.

NDizzle5• 6 years ago

Smash brothers, Luigi's Mansion, Marvel games on ps4, Lego _____ games.

Castle Crashers, Children of Morta. A little more violent, things like risk of rain, chaosbane, diablo 3, inquisitor martyr.

jelled• 6 years ago

On the switch Luigi's Mansion 3 is great. Got close to 10 hours of play working on the main story with my 5 year old playing as gooigi. With everything unlocked my 5 year old and 3 year old have fun roaming around the hotel catching ghosts. Plus there's some fun mini games.

NDizzle5• 6 years ago

Check out this site too: https://www.co-optimus.com

DrPhish• 6 years ago

Mame has lots of great multiplayer games. As an example, we've been playing Trog and Gain Ground lately as a family.

Bubble Bobble is another obvious choice, but really there are thousands of 2-4 player coop games.

You can usually set the difficulty directly in the arcade machine setup, or by proxy by limiting yourselves to a certain number of coins.

A warning that unlimited coins can just make a game a never-ending grind because you don't have that failure/reflection loop to skill up between attempts and you can end up way beyond your ability to succeed by just feeding coins in.

koheripbal4• 6 years ago

This is what we need VR games for - to bring back co-op with the kids!

sien• 6 years ago

The Lego games can be really good with younger kids.

FIFA / NBA 2K for older kids.

kipchak2• 6 years ago

Co-Optimus is a good resource for finding couch co-op games.

https://www.co-optimus.com/games.php?type=couch

Some co-op games ones you might enjoy are Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Magicka, overcooked, hammerwatch, Trine, Rayman Legends or human fall flat.

There's also a really big back catalog of arcade or earlier console emulatable local multiplayer co-op games, many of which have gotten ports like Chronicles of Mystara or Gauntlet if you don't want to mess with emulation.

enchiridion• 6 years ago

Portal 2

NDizzle5• 6 years ago

Yep, you mentioned a bunch of games that I have and forgot about.

jmiskovic• 6 years ago

I would add Castle Crashers and Spelunky as personal favorites.

kungato• 6 years ago

Unfortunately these and maybe 4 more games mentiones below are also almost the only coop games. Ive been trying to find good coop games for playing with my gf or family but the selection is small and especially if you want something for non gamer people. Split screen seems to be a thing of the past

cpv• 6 years ago

There's also this http://moveordiegame.com/

Not affiliated, seen the talk from GDC about it.

logicprog2• 6 years ago

I've played Rayman, Lovers, and Overcooked. All a blast. I've also played Fall Flat, but that game is super annoying, I'd avoid it. Also, TowerFall Ascension is amazing as a coop game.

autokad• 6 years ago

I have been playing escape room games on steam with my friend from NYC, lot of fun. We got into it after playing this free two player escape room game: https://www.enchambered.com/puzzles/alone-together/

CocaKoala• 6 years ago

A game with similar vibes that works really well over conference call is Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. Even better, only one person need own a copy of the game for others to play with them.

For anybody who's unfamiliar, the game is thus: one person is stuck in a room with a bomb. They can pick the bomb up, manipulate it, and interact with it, but a clock is ticking and the bomb is going to explode. On the phone with you are the Bomb Defusing Experts, who are armed with a Bomb Defusing Manual for the bomb in question (free PDF, www.bombmanual.com if you're curious). Unfortunately, the manual was written by somebody who loves inscrutable graphs and hates the person reading it.

The person with the bomb has to describe the modules on the bomb, e.g. "I see three red wires, a blue wire, and a white wire". The people with the manual then need to instruct them on which wires to cut in order to defuse the bomb correctly, e.g. "Three red wires? Cut the second wire. Wait, hang on - does the bomb have a parallel port? Okay, cut the third wi-WAIT, how many batteries does it have? Did you cut the third wire? thank god, definitely don't cut that one."

The bombs can get hard and stressful, but it's a fun asymmetric game that works really well over voice chat.

TAForObvReasons2• 6 years ago

Do you still have your older video game consoles? Some of the games are still playable and still fun decades later

koheripbal4• 6 years ago

Picture this... co-op VR Elder Scrolls/Skyrim.

Dungeon crawling with the kids would be incredible. Hearing their screams as they get surprised by their first cave skeleton, and then hear them fall over backwards over the coffee table.... nothing would make me happier right now.

klmadfejno• 6 years ago

VR in rooms is pretty hard. VR with two people in the same room... you better not let them move from where they stand

simonhughes22• 6 years ago

Streets of Rage 4 is very good. It's cartoony violence, so probably Ok unless you have very young kids.

zhoujianfu• 6 years ago

I wish Mario Odyssey (2?) had a co-op mode. I want four of us running around the same world looking for power moons at the same time..

chapium• 6 years ago

I think you can do balloons as local coop?

Buttons840• 6 years ago

A 2nd player can control the hat. It's not full co-op but it's something.

dv35z• 6 years ago

(1) Any suggestions for couples? Like something peaceful and fun, maybe open world?

My GF and I played Overcooked 2. She loved it, but honestly I found it way too stressful for me (I felt like I was at work during a Sev1!). I've always played FPS & RTS, and so entire genres of games are just so unfamiliar to me, but I'd love to explore some and see what else fits.

Just the other day, we tried Stardew Valley. I never thought that kind of game would interest me, but it's fun walking around the world, going into town, interacting with NPCs. I think those "slightly-more-structured-than-Minecraft" games would be cool.

(2.1) What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"? I experimented with Pulsar: Lost Colony a few years back, and heard that Elite Dangerous has some new coop stuff in it. I'd honestly love a "first person perspective" version of Homeworld 2. You and some friends are manning a frigate, battling it out with NPC ships, etc.

(2.2) Other small group of friends games? I've got a friend who is setting up a minecraft server to play in, but I'd rather have some other small group game where we could team up and either build something (e.g. minecraft clones, or other open world things), or even perform adventures/quests together (I've never played any RPG, and am not particularly interested in the magic/fantasy genre). I know it's a bit dark, but I've always thought a multiplayer/co-op version of This War of Mine would be absolutely incredible.

Anyway, if anyone has strong opinions on this, please share!

NDizzle5• 6 years ago

"Group of friends commanding a space ship" Star Trek Bridge Crew!!! https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/star-trek/bridge-crew

It's hilarious with the right group of friends.

acomjean3• 6 years ago

What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"? I experimented with Pulsar: Lost Colony a few years back, and heard that Elite Dangerous has some new coop stuff in it. I'd honestly love a "first person perspective" version of Homeworld 2. You and some friends are manning a frigate, battling it out with NPC ships, etc.

Star Trek Bridge Commander? (Crew?) though it can get kinda stressful.

If you have a ps4 Unravel 2 is pretty fun light platform for two people.

My GF plays fortnite with her cousins husband and his brothers. This like it. The voice chat is pretty decent and the game is lite for a shooter.

Plus the occasional Fortnite concert/DJ set is an interesting break.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/04/fortnites-party-royal...

bentcorner3• 6 years ago

What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"?

I realize this isn't state of the art, but "Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime" is a very approachable take on this concept. Very couch co-op friendly and you aren't 100% reliant on your crew so you can carry the game if you're playing with people who don't usually play videogames.

Other small group of friends games?

Terraria is a 2d-minecraft-like game that AFAIK also has some RPG-like elements. I haven't played it a ton but it seems more approachable than minecraft.

lelandbatey• 6 years ago

I'll highly recommend Untangled 2. It's a platformer based around two-player couch co-op. I played it on the Nintendo Switch and found that it was cheap (~$5), had excellent platforming mechanics, and very clever puzzles that were very different from any other game without being too hard or frustrating.

It's relaxed, beautiful, tons of fun to play, and exactly the kind of game to play with an inexperienced co-pilot.

blockmarker2• 6 years ago

2.2- For co-op I recommend Terraria, it is a 2d Minecraft but much more focused on adventure and combat. Really cheap and has lots of content, and there are mods on PC.

I also recommend getting the Epic Store free games, since all your friends can get them. Not all of them are multiplayer though. This week GTA5 is free, you might want to try the multiplayer with your friends.

FractalParadigm• 6 years ago

As for (2.1) I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet;

Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator is a really good one I've played with friends before (albeit that was about 5 years ago since we last played). The graphics are fairly dated, but IMO the gameplay is there, and when you include 5 other friends playing in the various positions as well, it can make for a lot of fun.

lukaszkups• 6 years ago

Tekken - maybe not peaceful but fun to play with loved ones :D

Also, Gran Turismo or any racing game (if your partner is into these kind of games).

Bekwnn• 6 years ago

Barotrauma or Lovers in a Dangerous Space Time are two very different "sharing a spaceship" style games you could try.

quacker• 6 years ago

GF and I have had success with Minecraft, Overcooked 1/2, Human Fall Flat, Don't Starve Together, Rocket League, and the Halo co-op campaigns[1].

Unrailed is an early access game on Steam. Short but not bad. A bit like Overcooked in terms of task management.

We've tried Borderlands and Diablo 3, but quickly became a bit bored of them and dropped off. Lots of loot and not a ton of substance I felt.

----------

1. Halo: MCC is out for PC and will include six titles for $40 - though you need two copies for co-op play. Halo Reach, Halo: CE, and Halo 2 are out currently. Others coming in 2020)

GuiA• 6 years ago

Rayman Legends

acomjean3• 6 years ago

Couch co-op is the reason for existence of the new intellivision Amico. It due this fall, so I can't tell exactly how good its going to be but they seemed to have come a decent way with it since it first was announced.

I had an intellivision growing up and playing sports games with my brothers was a great memory. Back then, all multiplayer was couch based...

https://www.intellivisionamico.com

thatguy0900• 6 years ago

I've been using https://github.com/lucasassislar/nucleuscoop to play borderlands 2 with my nephew, it's a little finniky but it works well. Can't vouch for any other games it supports

scarface742• 6 years ago

This is a first world solution....

Buy two consoles....

My sons both had one when they were both at home. The older one bought one with his own money.

astura4• 6 years ago

Then you'd also need two TVs side-by-side, doesn't seem desirable. You'd also have to buy two copies of every game you wanted to play co-op.

malux85• 6 years ago

Play geometry wars with them! I’m playing with our kids and it’s great for their dexterity / fine motor control, simple game and good graphics too

graham_paul• 6 years ago

Pretty sure Outward is not even meant for kids content-wise. It is not even meant for novice/casual gamers

jvrossb• 6 years ago

If you have access to a PS3 Ratchet and Clank All 4 One is an excellent couch co-op game. Most of the LEGO games are great couch co-op too.

devchix2• 6 years ago

I'm not a gamer, but I want to play something to maintain connection with family and distant friends. What should I play? I was once given a copy of Civilization and after playing it for a day, decided it was too much work and I already lose to many things IRL no need to add the Assyrians to my vanquishers as well. I also played Zelda, by "play" I meant wander around the landscape looking for goodies and trying to chat up the game hint characters, and not really interested in solving the game.

traes• 6 years ago

You could give the new Animal Crossing a go. It's a super relaxed game with no real "goal" and it let's you interact with friends in-game.

devchix2• 6 years ago

I did check it out, no lie, I find the art work not very engaging, bordering on creepy. For context I liked all the Mario/Wario/Peach/Yoshi etc incarnations and found them to be really cute.

DanielleMolloy3• 6 years ago

Definitely Animal Crossing. It’s a pure sandbox and particularly popular with people who are not interested in competition or overcoming game challenges, but rather in wandering around in a soothing environment, having some space for creativity (expressing themselves) and “meeting” their friends online in a relaxing environment. While they could have added more to multiplayer, existing elements like sending gifts to your friends or evening walks through the in-game museum together are actually working quite well.

astura4• 6 years ago

Animal Crossing might be up your alley, there's no real goals in the game, you can decorate your house and island, garden, befriend fellow villagers, craft new furniture, catch fish and bugs, and change your clothes and that's basically the entire gameplay. You can visit islands of your family and friends to swap items, shop in each other's stores, and share special events/visitors that happen in one person's island in the game. The friends and family part is interesting because each island will have different fruit and flowers available. It's literally the only game I've ever played multiplayer.

deskamess• 6 years ago

Can you visit same console friends/family islands or does this have to be online?

iamatworknow• 6 years ago

I would consider myself a "gamer", and play a lot of the big name, high budget titles, but the game I'm most looking forward to is the new "Clubhouse Games" for Switch that's due out on June 5. It sounds like that would be perfect for what you're looking for. It's 51 classic board/card games with many that can be played multiplayer, either couch co-op or online.

Now you could say, "there are already other versions of these sorts of games out there". True, but this brings them all under one roof, so to speak. One consistent interface through which you can play Connect 4 or Yahtzee or or whatever you choose. It's also developed by Nintendo, so there's going to be a certain level of polish you don't usually find in some random indie developer's release. I think it's going to be a killer title, especially if lockdowns continue to drag on. My only question is why they didn't try to accelerate the release date on it to catch more people stuck at home (though maybe it was considered and they had a good reason not to).

https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/clubhouse-games-51-wor...

acomjean3• 6 years ago

We play party games with my nieces and their family. We use the jackbox games screen shared over zoom.

You actually use your phone as an input controller into the game server (Quiplash and drawful they like). Check the setting for "child friendly". Its ends up being pretty fun. (We've been playing a couple hours the last 4 weeks)

A brief description of the game here: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/04/the-games-getting-us-...

emiliobumachar• 6 years ago

You should definitely ask the family and distant friends you're trying to maintain connection with what they're playing. Right after telling them you're interested in gaming to keep in touch.

They might invite you to some gaming session on the spot, or some time later, which is huge for maintaining connection.

Even if they don't, the weak-ish bond of having a common interest is stronger if you're interested in the same specific game, than if you're just interested in gaming in general.

blockmarker2• 6 years ago

You could try Tabletop Simulator, there are tons of games, and many free thanks to mods.

ubermonkey• 6 years ago

I did my part!

Of course, it was only buying the first Mass Effect, which Microsoft was selling for FIVE DOLLARS, so it's a tiny part. But still!

jvm_• 6 years ago

My used video game sales went from $X00/2 weeks to $X,000/2 weeks after the lockdown started in my area.

euix• 6 years ago

I have mostly been playing indie games. I find as a get older, triple A titles don't really appeal to me anymore. I sometime wonder if its possible to make a living developing a procedural generated rogue like on steam.

meritt• 6 years ago

https://steamspy.com/year/

8,243 games were released on Steam in 2019 and 3,434 so far in 2020.

Unless you approach indie development like a business and you have a concrete plan for gaining a following, your chances of making a living are near zero. That's not to say you shouldn't do it, but don't expect to make a living doing so.

As an example, David Brevik (of Diablo and Diablo2 fame) spent several years working on It Lurks Below -- a procedurally generated roguelite/dungeon-crawler. According to SteamSpy [1], he's sold 20k-50k copies at around $15-20 per copy, and as of today the game only has about 20 peak daily players.

So probably $500k-$1M in gross sales (and then Steam takes 30%) for someone of his caliber and reputation, after 3+ years in development and a year or so since initial sales. It's just an unbelievably difficult chance of making it financially viable.

[1] https://steamspy.com/app/697550

gnulinux• 6 years ago

I don't want to quit my day job, it gives me too much money/comfort for this to worth it. But I'm curious if it's possible to make beer money this way. The main problem is there is too much good free alternatives to low caliber games. E.g. I can do something like brogue, and sell it at $1 on itch.io. But who would buy it when they have brogue for free?

wishinghand• 6 years ago

I'm going to echo the other user claiming it's near impossible. The barrier to entry in making a platformer or top-down game is super low. If you can start a regular blog (minimum 2 posts a month), with good gifs or video loops capturing enticing gameplay, create an email signup list with interested and/or invested players, and get the game into the hands of prominent streamers, and have a personality that isn't prickly with entitled gamers, then you might have a chance. But it's still not a guarantee.

However, if you can do the above for every game you make, and build a following, then yes, it's possible. You'll need the support of a partner, a low-cost living location, or a job that doesn't kill the enthusiasm you have for developing a game.

werber• 6 years ago

I’ve been playing jackbox remotely and want something dirtier to play remotely and casually

alasdair_• 6 years ago

All my favorite games that I'd been eagerly awaiting release around April have all been delayed - Cyberpunk 2077, Watch Dogs Legion, even the second Vampire: Bloodlines installment!

Still, it's probably a good thing for my work productivity...

ummonk• 6 years ago

I got a sim racing rig, flight stick, and VR headset at the start of this. So glad I did; everything seems to be sold out now.

bitcoinmoney• 6 years ago

Can you share your experience so far and what games you used?

battery_cowboy• 6 years ago

In the last week both my laptop and gaming PC died. I replaced the laptop easily (system76, first one) but finding decent motherboards and video cards is really hard right now. I'm trying to get the newest stuff, but i think everyone else had the same thought already. I don't think I'll be able to rebuild my gaming PC for a few weeks or months now, at the worst time, while I'm unemployed and stuck in my house!

If anyone has a good source for parts online that isn't backordered to next year, let me know!

Tiktaalik• 6 years ago

People thought the games industry was 'immune' from the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, and it did ok for a while as people retreated to games as a relatively high value form of entertainment versus others (eg. movie theatres), but eventually all the layoffs in other industries and decreased discretionary income all around hit the games industry too and games publishers tightened belts, projects were canned and people were laid off.

I expect the same to hit the games industry this time around too if the economy isn't able to 'open up' to some degree in time.

lastres0rt• 6 years ago

I'm sure the ability to download AAA titles helped this time.

proc02• 6 years ago

Playjng Grim Dawn and DOOM eternal. This is a good year for games. Cyberpunk can't come soon enough.

US video game sales have record quarter as consumers stay at home

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