GameBlurg

Originally uploaded by Steve Losh

During the age where accessibility and ease are consistent buzz words, one topic that aligns itself simultaneously with these words is the hypothetical situation of the diminished presence of retail games, and the rise of the digital distribution. “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness”, recently released for the Xbox 360, administers the 1st of what is sure to be many tests of delivering role-playing experiences via downloadable software on the Xbox 360.

The recent success of Penny Arcade’s polygonal outing, “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness” purges interests from me for a number of reasons, all of which, supersedes the actual game itself and more or less, the unique situation that it presents. Embracing 5-10 hours, Hothead Games has dispatched the first episode of the four chapters of the role-playing series through various platforms. The most notable foundation that the Penny Arcade crew is building their presence on is the Xbox 360. I say notably because of its “premium” price tag of 1600 Microsoft points ($20.00 US) that seldom chaperons a Xbox Live Arcade title’s entrance into the marketplace. The average videogame that resides along the marketplace usually costs 800 Microsoft points ($10.00 US). However, the average videogame on the marketplace barely breaks a campaign that occupies 3 hours of a players time.

Initially, the Xbox 360 price tag of 1600 Microsoft points ($20.00 US) will raise the eyebrows of the less cynical gamer. The funny thing about the situation at hand is that the content that the game contains justifies the skeptical price. Technically, it makes sense for a game containing half of a “normal” role playing game to be priced appropriately. (In actuality, it’s close to one third of retail videogame pricing, which resides between the $55-60 US price mark.) During show #279 of the Major Nelson podcast, the Penny Arcade crew notes that titles such as ‘Bejeweled’ costs nearly as much as their title, and only contains moving objects around on the screen, versus their supply of a role-playing experience.

This draws the interesting inquiry of the “inevitable” migration from physical to online distribution. Apart from the hubbub built over physically holding a title from the consumer and the other palpable tangibles that may come packaged with the title, there are tedious aspects of manufacturing that the process of digital distribution release avoids like the tasks of printing boxes and physical discs. These resources can be mitigated, if not removed from the videogame creation process altogether to allow publishers to focus, physically and financially, on other issues surrounding the course of releasing software. All of this, of course, is speculation on the release of games that have relatively small or medium scale of overall size. However, it is worth the reoccurring thought of distributing games with a respectable amount of content at a reasonable price is worth the ponder. Not to mention, if it continues it’s wave of success, the wallet’s sky’s the limit.