Gaming like many industries follows trends. If you look back at the past you are certain to see them despite perhaps being oblivious at the time. The movie industry is the most obvious example of this, just take a look at this list of similar movies from Wikipedia or if you’re more inclined to images this collection of pictures on Reddit. Or the large number of similar stores on Stores Finder, people love trends and similarities.
So what were the big gaming trends of 2013 that you’ll look back upon? I’ve put my finger on 4 that I definitely noticed throughout the year, did you notice the same? Or maybe something completely different?
MOBA, MOBA & More MOBA!
If you haven’t played a MOBA or heard about the rise of the genre then it’s time to crawl out from the rock that’s been your home for 2013. With League of Legends continuing to grow rapidly and building on its 2012 success there have been plenty of gaming companies looking to get into the action. We saw a steady stream of MOBA releases, beta openings and even a few games closing their doors during the year.
At the end of 2013 we finish up with nearly two dozen MOBA games available with plenty more due for release in 2014 including Blizzard’s Heroes of The Storm (well let’s hope we see a 2014 release date).
Building A Game Of Blocks…
Imagine a game where you can mine and craft with a sandbox focus that takes place in a cube filled world. Sounds like a brilliant idea for a game doesn’t it? Well you and 100 other game developers must be sharing notes in class.
Minecraft might have been around since 2011 but with its console release in 2012 and the continued growth in players and popular culture references the game shows no signs of moving out of the spotlight any time soon. 2013 was definitely a year for the Minecraft clones with plenty of games drawing inspiration and copying the Minecraft formula (and plenty of free options aswell).
Plenty of these games added their own twist to the gameplay mechanics though so it wasn’t all bad news for us gamers. Some of the best is still yet to come with a fair few of these Minecraft games being in beta stages as we speak.
Freemium Cloning On The App Store
Definitely my most hated gaming trend of 2013, I used to love gaming on my iPhone but this year really killed my passion for it.
Everywhere you look on the iTunes App Store you’ll find freemium clones holding the top spots (or trying to). Games Like Clash of Clans have picked up a large amount of speed towards the end of the year while the earlier parts of the year were dominated by Candy Crush Saga clones. You also had to fight off plenty of Temple Run copies and different variations of Four Pics 1 Word.
While the original games were both great experiences only a small percentage of clone titles that I’ve tried since have risen above the level of horrible. At least Minecraft clones promise an experience that is at the very least average.
If there is one trend I’d love to kill off in 2014 it would be the game app cloning, this all reminds me of the countless Facebook game cloning that plagued 2012 (a trend that Zynga capitalised on).
A Breath Of Fresh Air – Indie Gaming
The thing that saved gaming for me in 2013 was the indie games. We’ve been spoilt with games like Rogue Legacy, Papers Please, Faster Than Light and countless other masterpieces. Collectively, I definitely spent a huge amount of my overall game time this year on an indie game.
A core part of this rise was thanks to the Steam Greenlight program that started picking up steam after a late release in 2012. Crowd funding games through Kickstarter and similar websites also played a vital role and I’m extremely excited to see what the future holds for this booming indie scene.
Looking Into The Crystal Ball….
So what can we expect from 2014? My moneys on some impressive experiences coming from the new generation of consoles and I’ve also got an eye on 2014 being the year of the MMO with some truly impressive MMO games due for release.
What’s your predictions for gaming in 2014?
