Channel Shift to Force Creative Shift in Games

Ralph Koster has a long and very convincing blog post on the next generation in video games. No, he's not talking about some killer new graphics engine or artificial intelligence breakthrough. Rather, he sees a significant shift coming in the nature of game creation coming from business pressures.

Read the post. He has about a dozen different drivers, but it all boils down to a rise in creation costs coupled with an increase in the power of individuals to participate (and create) games. I'm not a part of the gaming world, but I do see this as a good analysis of how the realities of getting quality products force innovation--but from new places.