WHO KILLED BROWSER GAMES?

Who killed browser games?

Online games news Tedious Retro Gamer, 02-11-2020
Online Games Bay

I recently read an article pointing out how Google and Facebook killed browser games, but while author made some valid points, he missed on few key elements.

Recently I have read an article on OMGSpider explaining that Facebook and Google are responsible for decline of browser games. The argument was that around 2010, while browser games were at their peak, Facebook introduced products like Farmville or Cityville, who were technically played via browser, so they put all other games in the shadow, because they looked good even though they were inferior to other browser games. To make things worse Facebook, since they had income from that, aggressively promoted those games. It was also argued that Facebook started running ads over organic results and this made smaller games, with limited budget, struggling to survive. The other part of the article pointed out rise of the mobile games, which were oversimplified, and Google establishing their Google Play store put the final nail in the coffin of traditional browser games together with changes in Google results formula.

While most of this is true, the article pointed out some valid arguments, the truth is not that simple. Yes, browser games are not as popular as they were 10 or 20 years ago, even though some of them are really the top of their genre, like most of the space strategy games, but to argue it is conspiracy of big business is a step too far. Yes, big corporations concentrate on money and they will trample their competition if given a chance, indie online games have to face competition with huge financial backing, but the problem is also with times. The times tend to change.

Google and Facebook have done a lot to kill off traditional browser games, mobile app games have dominated the market of mobile users, but at the same time the younger generations might not be interested in what traditional browser games have to offer. Back in 2000 interesting text-based game was enough to make you want to play it. Today younger players are used to 3D graphics, they do not read books, they do not read newspapers or magazines, they have shorter attention span, so they tend to play more casual games or games that provide instant gratification. In classic strategy games it took weeks and months to win the game while constantly being aware of your opponents. And how does Fortnite or even World of Tanks gameplay looks like? You take part in battle that lasts 15-20 minutes and you get rewards. Can you imagine someone, who enjoys Fortnite to play online strategy games that would took weeks to finish?

Another thing is players taste - back in 2000 strategy games, interactive novels, management games were still very popular, today RPG games, hack-and-slash or arcade games are more popular among players. I was never interested in platform games, because I did not enjoy playing them and back then, as well as right now, you can put me in front of the best, most sophisticated and satisfying platform game in history and I still would not be interested even to try. Not to mention that modern players expect something completely different their games - I remember a lot of negative "reviews" on Steam that were limited to just one sentence: "the graphics looks like they are from 2005". I was born in 1970s, so for me music from 1960s is something that I do not understand or even try to enjoy, so imagine what someone born around 2005 thinks about game that lacks 3D graphics...

And there is another argument that was missing in the article - competition. Just like it was mentioned, today browser games have to compete with platforms like Facebook, Google Play, Apple Store, Steam, titles like Fortnite, Fall Guys or PUBG, engines that allow almost anyone to make his own 3D game. Each week dozens of games (if not hundreds) are introduced to the world, most of them will struggle to find player base, especially the indie games. Even triple-A online titles that took 2-3 years to make are sometimes closed weeks after premiere, because they could not find enough players (f.e. Crucible or LawBreakers). There are so many games on the market, that browser games have to offer something that players cannot find anywhere else, which is now almost impossible.

And the last bit - habits. People, who played browser games are used to some of the rules, to interfaces, to some limitations of those games. If you are new player, unfamiliar with that kind of games, they might not appeal to you, because it is something that you never tried. Mobile apps are something else - you install them and you always have them available. People used to that order of things might not want to visit website from time to time or be put off by limitations of using browser.

Online browser games have been on decline for a while, but pointing finger only at monopolists like Google or Facebook is too superficial. They treat online browser games as competition and fight it, that is just common sense. At the same time browser games could be just thing of the past - they provide service for players, who look for games that are not available anywhere else, and with tons of new games added every week to Steam, it might be road to nowhere. Which is a shame.

21-12-2021