While PC gaming has enjoyed smaller downloadable games for just about as long as the Internet has been around, the console space has only just begun to embrace this concept.  The incredible ease of obtaining digitally distributed content along with the rising cost of game development for AAA titles has carved out a nice niche for independent developers to showcase their wares.

Sony has proved that downloadable games can offer large, retail game-sized experiences (see Warhawk , GT 5 Prologue and the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty), however, the space is primarily inhabited by more casual “pick up and play” games.  Titles like Geometry Wars Retro Evolved or Super Stardust HD are extremely addictive twin stick shooter gems, but they’re also great games to play for 10 to 15 mins, while you wait for your buddy to join you online.  In a way, they’re really more like palette cleansers that can be loaded up quickly while you’re in between game sessions.  These games also don’t require individual discs, which means you can turn on your console and then decide what you want to play, possibly after you’re glanced at your friend’s list.  And since they tend to be smaller, less complicated games, you’re more apt to find a local multiplayer game everyone can join in on.  Rather than entice your friends to come over and play Halo 3 or Madden, you can boot up N+ or Calling All Cars! to bring out some good old fashioned couch rivalries.

Creating these smaller bite-sized games also means you can charge less and still turn a decent profit because the development times are drastically lower.  Independent development studios like thatgamecompany or NinjaBee would have probably never existed or at least might not have been as successful had it not been for the smaller canvas and digital distribution.  Rather than deal with one of the incredibly massive multi-national publishers, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstaion Network, and Wiiware, offer direct channels for consumers to buy their products.  Since a lower cost of development means lower investment risk, developers are given more freedom to innovate.  The single-man production of Everyday Shooter is a great example of a game that seems unlikely to have ever existed on a console 5 years ago.  Such is the potential for this brand new medium.
Even large games studios are looking toward digital distribution for ways to cash in on this new and lucritive market.  Recently, the downloadable space has become the ideal delivery method for new retro-revival titles to hit the consoles.  Pac-man CE is perhaps the best example of this phenomenon, which took the relatively simple, original game concept and injected an interesting new twist, gave it a fresh coat of HD graphics, and added a competitive online leaderboard aspect.  Others like Bomberman Live or TMNT: The Arcade Game have taken old classics and brought them to the modern era by including online play.  With the upcoming releases for the 2D remakes of Bionic Commando (Rearmed) and Street Fighter II (SSFIITHDR), the bar seems to have been raised once more for quality retro-remakes of classic franchises.

The limited cost and scope of these types of games can also be a double-edged sword at times.  The lack of a traditional marketing campaign and retail presence makes it hard for download-only games to even come close to the kind of numbers blockbuster AAA titles produce.  While still profitable, they make it hard for any online multiplayer community to stick around for more than a few months or so.  Good luck finding an online match for one of the older arcade titles like Robotron: 2084.  A digital copy also means you can’t necessarily lend your game to a friend after you’re done.  I’m aware that it’s possible to share your PSN account with friends across up to five different PS3s, but this isn’t something Sony offically encourages, so I’m not sure what the legal ramifications are for this type of practice.  Unfortunately, the practice of introducing friends to hidden gems by way of sharing old games may eventually become a thing of the past.

However, these concerns are merely tiny grievances compared to the many benefits digitally distributed gaming continues to offer.  I think we’ve really only seen the tip of the iceberg so far.  The quality of these games will only continue to improve, but better still, the medium is perhaps the best suited for allowing innovative new game developers to take brilliant risks.  The potential for the XNA Creator’s Club to create a whole new tier of independently created games by ordinary people like you and me is definitely an encouraging one.  Episodic gaming, though entirely possible, has yet to realize it’s full potential of a TV show-like, seasonal game series, but the digital platforms are primed and ready.  In all honesty, the best is truly yet to come.

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