Instead of Complaining About Everything That’s Wrong With the Games Industry, Go and Actually Support the Games and Genres You Like

The main image of this article is the Xbox’s ID@Xbox logo for a reason. Xbox, for all its perceived missteps and miscalculations, is actually doing its best to platform games most people haven’t even heard of. It’s true that the games industry, at the moment, is suffering from a multitude of internal factors. However, there’s enough of a magnifying glass on everything that’s out of our control and nothing pointing to what we — the games journalists and players who supposedly want this industry to thrive — can do to keep this tortured industry from collapsing in on itself.

If you go on most gaming forums right this second, most people are talking about how broken the industry is — how it’s unsustainable and can’t be salvaged. Bickering about games journalism and how inept the field is. Although, you know what both journalists and players don’t focus on enough? All the games we have the direct power to boost and allow to thrive — and subsequently ignore because we’re often too busy whining.

The AAA space may very well be irrevocably unsalvageable. The fact that Grand Theft Auto VI is positioned as the game to save the entire industry is so sad. Here’s a solution: start talking about and supporting indie studios. Yes, as a collective, we’ll likely never be able to “save” the AAA realm from eating itself. However, the games you want have always been there. Go on Steam, or the Epic Games Store, or GOG, or itch.io, or just randomly look up your favorite genres and search for games you might not have heard of!

we have the power to at least protect indie games

If current market projections are anything to go by? PC and mobile gaming will be the industry’s sustainable areas (and Nintendo because they always figure it out). If that’s the case, and consoles become “obsolete,” we must do better at spotlighting smaller indie companies that lead by passion first and profitability second. Stop complaining and start putting boots to the ground.

“Indie gaming is the future” isn’t a cute little industry phrase — it’s looking likely to be the unfortunate reality. I don’t talk about the Slow Game Club incessantly because VICE profits off of any subscribers — because it doesn’t. The SGC is one of very few gaming spaces I personally know of where players genuinely love gaming. Where people enjoy chatting with one another and happily boost smaller games. If it weren’t for the SGC, I would’ve never known about Shogun Showdown, or Blue Prince, or Starstruck: Hands of Time.

If you’re concerned about the survival of this medium we supposedly love and care about? You gotta do more than scream about its flaws. Foster worthwhile communities, challenge each other to find unique, lesser-known games, and buy and/or boost them. Instead of making it about what you hate, pivot the conversation to focus on what you can directly positively influence.