2017: The Year in Gaming

Eldridge Lee, Staff Writer

The gaming industry is forever growing and changing every year.  This year to me was one to remember in the gaming industry. In 2017 the big developers this time around took a backseat and the main drive of the industry was indie developers. Indie developers are usually small groups or 1 person making a single or series of games. Amazing products that came out this year would be Cuphead by Studio MDHR , Bendy and the Ink Machine Chapter 3 by TheMeatly Games and Five Nights at Freddy’s Six by Scott Cawthon, Doki Doki Literature Club by Team Salvato and many more games that became really popular over big name brand developers like Sony and Microsoft. I’m not saying all huge developers didn’t make a big mark on the gaming world.

2017 wasn’t only the year of indie games but also the year of a gaming  fantasy realized and brought to life.  That fantasy was on the go console that could be played anywhere. Meet the Nintendo Switch, a product of Nintendo’s experimentation, imagination, and a year of development. The Nintendo Switch was released in March 2017 showing that console gaming isn’t just limited to home.  Multiple games appeared for the Switch like the critically  acclaimed Super Mario Odyssey.  Many other popular games joined Mario Odyssey, like the well known and popular RPG Skyrim, fan favorite Sonic Mania, basketball-fanatic favorite 2K18, the 2009 Sandbox Minecraft, and Ultra Street Fighter 2 for older gamers with young hearts or vice versa.  The Switch wasn’t only a Nintendo console but an obvious show that Nintendo is always going to have a lasting effect on the gaming industry.

With the positive out of the way now comes the controversial point of 2017 in gaming. The biggest controversy, the elephant in the room:  the big corporate game developer EA Games and Star Wars Battlefront 2 unfair and expensive microtransactions. Microtransactions aren’t anything new in EA games and other big developer games. They are even there in indie developed games. All and all its a common practice but when its abused like how EA did thats where you cross a line as a developer doing business to a greddy corporation who makes games for money not the fans. EA made most things almost unavailable and partially unplayable. These microtransaction gave an uneven playing ground to the point where playing multiplayer was pointless. Getting new gear was a pain and paying for gear was also a pain. The loot boxes were a sham. That debacle made the highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront 2 drop in sale expectation; thankfully EA saved this game after the fans showed their outrage.  Consequently, EA cancelled the microtransactions for a short time.  In conclusion  this year was truly awe -inspiring for the everyday developer with a basic setup and skills you can make it anywhere. This year also gave us a glimpse into the future of gaming.