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If any confirmation were necessary to prove that video games have become big business, one need look no further than the pageant that is Blizzcon 2010, taking place over the past week. Blizzard are the monumentally successful games developers responsible for Diablo, Starcraft, and of course, World of Warcraft.
Much maligned though World of Warcraft is (and, as an aside, if you haven’t seen the South Park episode about it, you have not truly lived), any game with over 12 million subscribers and a fully interactive, colossally vast world has something going for it. This wasn’t some low-key event; Tenacious D and Dave Grohl performed at the closing ceremony. So what exciting news did Blizzard have for its fans, hardcore and casual alike?
The main news is its future of sequels and expansion packs. While it’s understandable that Blizzard is sticking to the ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ formula, it is slightly depressing that games getting the most hype are sequels offering no innovation; rather a consolidation of what was popular before. Rant aside, what is interesting about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, available in November, is that it can be downloaded directly from the Blizzard store. Games retailers in the UK have been suffering from lower sales, and Blizzard’s desire to cut out the middleman means we could see fewer GAMEs on our local high streets.
The other big game of the festival was Diablo III. I remember playing the second Diablo when I wasn’t out of short trousers and the general consensus was that it was one of like the Best. Games. Ever. But that was over a decade ago, and the short trousers, thankfully, are no longer with us. What was revealed about Diablo III, in development for quite some time, is that it’s become similar (shock shock) to World of Warcraft. The role of artisans within the game is noticeably akin to the big daddy itself, but the improved combat system and new playable class, Demon Hunter, provoked much excitement. My pet peeve is that few new players will be attracted but when the base is so hardcore I doubt Blizzard cares that much.
The main surprise watching the event streamed live on Blizzard’s website was the extent to which Blizzard games have become a way of life for people. One of the most hotly anticipated events of Blizzcon was a Starcraft II battle between two Starcraft players, SlayerS_Boxer and Fruit Dealer, legendary within the community. They drew a bigger crowd than anyone would have thought possible – myself included. I didn’t even know there were professional Starcraft players, but apparently in South Korea it’s their social equivalent of necking 5 VKs and spraying the resulting mess in Salvation’s toilets. Anyone viewing this festival would have come away with a powerful impression that the video game market, as long as it provides this kind of immersion, will simply grow and grow.
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