What If Developers Stopped Developing?
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
We’ve just had our first content update of the year in PlayStation Home, and already the complaining has begun.
So here’s a question: what if Home’s third-party developers…stopped developing? What if they simply moved on?
Home is an ever-changing place, subject to change at the whims of Sony and the other developers involved in its makeup. They come up with new ideas on a consistent basis that change things like our public gathering spaces, our gaming, and lately in increasing numbers, our range of motion capabilities. All of these things affect what we do and how we act within Home’s construct; they affect where we place our interests and our hard-earned cash. The past six months alone have bombarded us with so much content we haven’t had time to catch our breath — so much so that we had a recent article from my friend Mickey, asking them to slow down, and I have felt the same way as well.
When Home was in its earlier stages a couple years ago, content release was much more spaced out, but this is because Sony itself was the major contributor to all of it, and they were still negotiating with other developers for added content. Now Sony has taken the backseat and many third-party developers have taken over Home with their products, while Sony remains content to simply be the platform provider. The products are wonderful and we have started to be more picky about what we buy because there it just so much out there to choose from.
Then the Christmas and New Year season hit, and there was no content for three weeks. Three long weeks without anything new in Home at all. For some, that allowed them to catch up on the new things; some people actually have to work and don’t have the time to spend in Home that others do — real life won’t allow it, even if they want to be there. The slowdown was a nice break for all of us to reflect and absorb what Home has offered lately, and I know I rather enjoyed it.
But what if this became a permanent thing? It is no secret that Sony has the PS4 in development to be released at a future date as yet undetermined. What if Home isn’t a part of that?
I believe that Home will be, but it might appear in a different format. A more enhanced version that only those with a PS4 will have access to. I think that Home in its current stage of development will be around for a long time yet, possibly another five years or so, just like the PS2 stayed long after this console was released. But when it jumps to the PS4, most of the developers may do so as well, which means that at some point there will be no new content developed for us any more, ever. This would probably include updating the games as well, plus furniture, clothing and the rest. All of this will probably stop. Eventually, it is inevitable.
What will happen when this time comes to Home? Do we really need more content to stay happy each week? I believe the way people will react to this is as varied as the people themselves, but I think what really determines it is what we as individuals see Home as.
What is Home to you? A place to play mini-games or the meta-games of decorating and fashion? A place to make machinima? A place to spend time with friends and family that may be many miles away? A place to have parties for various holidays and live a lifestyle that is way beyond your grasp in real life? Is it a lifeline to you because you are trapped in a physical state that doesn’t allow socializing?
All of these things will determine what we will do when this time comes. How important is new content to Home and to you?
If you have been around Home for a number of years, new content might not be an issue for you. I am going into my fourth year now and I don’t think it would matter to me one way or another. I do like to go to my personal spaces and redecorate them when something new I like comes out. I also like to find new clothing combinations when new clothes come out as well, but I don’t think that a lack of new content would stop me from enjoying what I already have here.
Some of my favorite new things
For me, Home is its people, not its things — but that might not be true for some. We have so much here already with much more to come in the next year that no matter what is decided later on, I would be content with what I already have, even if it stopped tomorrow. That doesn’t mean I want it to — I love adding new things to my collection of spaces and all that Home has to offer — but if it ended I would still be content.
Reward hunters would probably have a different view of this. I am sure for many if the rewards stopped they might back off a bit from coming into Home. This might also be true for those who are collectors and buy most everything Home has to offer. How would they react to this?
It might become an issue for people who do commercials for developers’ products, too, as there would be nothing to talk about. Machinima might take a different turn, and those who make them either go to the new format on PS4 (if such a thing happens, which is not guaranteed) or change the way they do things. This magazine would have less to talk about as well, as would all the other media outlets; for many, their content is strictly new product, and that would be gone. HSM would likely continue to do well because it covers social issues and business analysis as well as new content releases, but what of the rest of the Home community media scene?
When the day comes that the flood of new Home content becomes a trickle, and then that trickle stops entirely, what will you do? Is the true worth of Home based upon its content, or — to paraphrase Martin Luther King — the content of its character, its people? For me, the people win every time.
January 9th, 2013 by Burbie52 | 8 comments
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.
I agree with you Burbie, I probably will be sad to see Home’s content slow then stop but at the same time I cant say I’d be too bothered by it. There’s plenty out there that I still wouldn’t mind having, and still time to enjoy it. I think I’ll probably stick around Home until it’s switched off -- unless there’s a new Home with content closer related to gaming.
The situation may well be that *if* we get a new Home, they do this one right. By “right” I mean have content based on gaming, and this time manage to convince more game devs to come on-board this time. Redbull and Starwars is all fine n’ dandy but I was always most happy with Home when I saw actual game content like the Motorstorm space or inFamous space.
As a social network it’s fine to have these other things, but the real trick of Home has been hampered by the current tech. Streamlined game launching, dedicated game launch rooms, that damn trophy room we never got -- and the rest. On a gaming platform, this is what the new Home should try to embrace. If we get a new Home.
Great article Burbie, my view is this, Home has become what it is. We are less a gaming launch platform and really more a social environment, that being said, if devs stopped producing content I think that the amount of people we see would fall a bit and others would get a little bored, but the hardcores and those with active social lives would stay simply because Home is so much more to those than a simple palace of commerce. This is a place where we meet with those that we have come to know and love. I know for me, I would not mind being here with my friends arranging ‘old’ stuff because my friends are what make this the gold it is to me.
Very good article Burbs!
I think if all the developers moved on to the next platform, and provided Home were still being supported.
I would still be coming in this iteration of Home. I have had a real blast using Home. Being social with the gaming friends I have in Home.
I would like to see something I think would push Home into the next generation. But I think I will just write an article based on it.
Nice article Burbie,
I really feel Home is first and foremost a social platform, regardless of how hard they try and turn it into a gaming center. With that said Home could stop all new things today, and life would go on as normal. Don’t get me wrong I don’t want to see that happen, but I feel the heart and soul of Home is us.
I doubt that more than about 15% of the userbase would disappear if Home stopped updating completely, and those who’d be lost would be freebie hunters and whales who live to buy everything every week. Financially, it would be a disaster for Sony, as the cash would stop flowing very quickly, but I think the vast majority of users would be fine.
There are enough open-ended and time-intensive gaming experiences in Home right now for the platform to survive at least two months without an update. Very few users have likely done everything in Home, so it might encourage those who want a “new” experience to try HGL,FUBAR, No Man’s Land or Mercia. There would still be hours of Crackle content and limitless conversation to enjoy (most Home users, I’ve noticed, don’t spend a ton of time talking about content).
It’s a SLOW start for Asia PlayStation Home at the moment; we only got a new outfit set and companion from Granzella and that’s it.
Hopefully it picks up in the following weeks. We’re lacking the Granzella Beach, updates by peakvox and several other stuff from VeeMee and I am still praying for Konami to sell their stuff in my region, but they are just too damn f-ing selfish.
If everything falls apart and there’s no social action we can always go to the Rapture apartment and listen to that radio music and put in one of the solitaire card games and play that.
If developers stopped right now, I’d safely have another year or two to catch up. OK Case in point.. We (family and myself) just discovered Cutthroats game. We have been playing it religiously for about 2 months now and see no signs of stopping any time soon. now multiply that times “how many games are on home?”. And then there are downloaded games and disc games (haven’t beaten flowers or flOw…, Saints Row, Epic Mickey, probably 50 or more on disc alone) So that could keep me busy for another long period of time.
Honestly, To me Its about friends. So I’d stay till they pulled the plug. We have 3 Playstation 3 consoles and are planning a 4th for our other child. Three of us in our home play at the same time on our own accounts. We’ve spent a great deal of money on Home and consoles. If PS4 comes out tomorrow I don’t see myself buying it for at least 5 more years. I’m perfectly satisfied with PS3 and all its shortcomings. I have spaces to redecorate, unplayed mini-games, and enough avatars to waste away a lifetime.
But the main reason I stay on home so much is friends. I have friends on home that I know better than my own relatives and neighbors in real life. I talk to my Home friends daily, and I’d never dream of disassociating.
The games are fun, but I still put my emphasis on just chatting with friends and people I meet.
I have to disagree with hearitwow. Personally I don’t need another update in a month or two with another onslaught of games and avatars. I will welcome the update, as its more to see and experience, but it’s also distracting me from my simple “dance and conversation” experiences that are still the primary reason I’m here. So in short I can live with it, and equally well without.
Sony has a reputation of always advancing, but never fixing whats broken already. So my biggest fear would be, that hackers would inevitably shut it down for us, if Sony moved on to another “newer” version of Home. And if the money wasn’t pouring in the old Home I seriously doubt they would care to fix it. I mean not to badmouth Sony but it’s simple economics.