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Microsoft versus Sony, Battlefield versus Call of Duty and Forza versus Gran Turismo. These are some of the rivalries that can get people talking about console wars. “Game On or Game Over” is your place to get inside the minds of Nicholas and Andy as they seek to find the true meaning of gaming and tackle some of gaming’s most controversial subjects. Both are award winning authors – although the awards haven’t been mailed or created yet — but trust them. Would they lie to you?

Andy: A couple years ago, there was an evolution so to speak in gaming. At the time it may not have really seemed like an evolution, but looking back at it now – it’s pretty evident that it started something. What am I talking about? Skylanders of course. I have to admit that the first time I saw them, I thought they were dumb and it would quickly fade away. Yet, more and more people bought them, and were starting to talk about them more and more. So, I broke down and gave it a try and… I was blown away. There was something magical about holding a figurine, placing it on a portal and watching it come to life in the game. I was charmed from the first one I put on the portal.

Fast forward a couple years and Skylanders is now a billion dollar, yes with a ‘B’, franchise. True to form, Activision has kicked one out every year since then and has reaped the windfall it created. It was only a matter of time until other companies jumped on that bandwagon. We saw it last year with Disney Infinity, which is another great marriage of video games with an established stable of characters and franchises. Of course, last week yet another company has jumped into the fray with interactive figurines that of course being Nintendo and their Amiibos figures. They are a little different than Skylanders and Infinity figurines in terms of how they are used, and that, reportedly, they will be able to be used in other Nintendo games which is a very interesting possibility.

We’ve talked before about the evolution of gaming, and maybe we were too short-sighted in that we talked about graphics, story, gameplay, etc. We didn’t really think outside the box and talk about this elephant in the room that is slowly steamrolling rather substantial bankrolls for these companies. To get things started this week, I thought I’d ask what you think of this entire in-game figure market that seems to have popped up out of nowhere? Do you see this as something that will be sticking around for a while or are there getting to be too many hands grabbing for the same piece of the pie?

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Nicholas: I will admit, I was in the same minds as you when I first saw them – just lame toys that would never catch on, but seeing the popularity they have amassed, I’m not surprised as I think about it. As a kid, and I’m sure I’m not alone here, I loved collecting Pokémon figurines. There were a few I played with a little more than others, but something I really enjoyed was going to the store, seeing if there was a new collection in stock, buying them and then displaying them proudly on my bedside tables or cupboards. These toys for Skylanders and the Amiibos do well in tying into that. I know most gamers are adults now, but I’m sure a lot of us still like walking into EB Games, seeing what new figurines are out and saying, “ooh those are cool” or “they looked better when I was a kid”. We’re adults, but we’re still kids at heart.

The other reason they are doing so well, and as you touched on before, is because they’re interactive. No longer is a figurine just an piece of plastic that looks nice but ultimately collects dust on your cupboards, it’s now something you can actually use and do something with. The person who thought about taking toys and combining them with video games so that they actually work together is an absolute genius! We talk about issues with day one DLC and launch updates, but so many people are happy to buy a game like Disney Infinity, buy one or two figurines to play with initially, and then buy even more later on when they’re tired of what they already have. There’s no complaints like “all these figurines should be available at launch” like people do with day one expansions. It’s quite incredible.

This weekend past my Instagram and Facebook feeds were littered with people buying not just one or two Amiibos, but the entire set! There are at least 5 – and with each one averaging $14 each, it’s over $60 they’re spending on them – and that’s without the game that they need to make it work! We’re not talking about kids here either – grown adults are rushing to stores to buy them. So to answer your question, if it’s worked so far with Skylanders and Disney Infinity, and Nintendo has seen a great reception to them already, then I think we’re a long way out from seeing them die out as merely a fad.

What about you though? Do you think we’re going to see some good longevity out of interactive figurines? I know you mentioned you were blown away by Skylanders, but is it still a game you keep returning to? Can you see yourself continuously using these in your games even if you own them?

Andy: I’ll answer your last question first. Skylanders is not a game I play anymore. I played the first 2 iterations and had almost every figure. Then, I sat back and realized how much I was spending on them and backed away. I threw up my hands and said “no more”. It was right when the Xbox One launched, so it was easy for me to justify saving the money for the console and not the game. Would I still like to play it? Oh god yes. It’s a fun game and the interaction between real life and game is still magical today, just like it was the first time. You mentioned the cost of just the figurines and that’s the biggest reason I stopped. Now, if I had a kid that played games, I doubt I’d be able not to buy them. The whole peer pressure from the kids would get to me for sure.

Like you, this past weekend I saw many pictures, tweets and comments from friends who were scooping up the Amiibo figures not just one here and there but every one they could find. By allowing those figures to be used across multiple games, Nintendo has a brilliant marketing idea. The figures themselves are collectible for Nintendo fans just by themselves. Allowing them to be used in games ratchets their appeal up even more. Skylanders and Infinity figures are certainly collectible – Infinity figures probably a little more – but for the most part they are a one and done. Yet, they are still selling very well so those companies must be doing something right. I’ve heard rumors that the next Infinity game will feature Star Wars characters. If that’s the case the value for those will be through the roof as two fan bases will be competing for the same characters.

I do think we’re going to see quite a bit of longevity with interactive elements in games. I chose those words carefully there. I can see the day that we move past figures and go to elements themselves. Let’s look at Skylanders, they started with figurines and packs that unlocked new areas. With Activision owning Skylanders I would not be the least bit surprised if we see unlock elements leak into other games. Think about it, a Call of Duty game where you can buy a sealed pack, with no idea what’s in it, and there are random guns, perks, kill streaks etc. that you can use in the game. The next Need for Speed game you can buy cars and boosts to use. Now, you may scoff at that idea but I really think we could be moving towards something like that. Based on the success of the interactive figures already, why wouldn’t a company try that? They really don’t have much to lose do they?


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Nicholas: Immediately I’m picturing Need For Speed World and immediately I’m having my reservations. I don’t want to be playing a racing game where the option for nitrous is available, but because I haven’t spent $5 on a pack of tokens I can’t use it. Like we’ve mentioned in the past, if I spend $60 on a game then I want to be able to experience it in its entirety, not buying temporary add-ons for the same thing over and over. If it’s something trivial like vinyls or special liveries then sure, whatever, but not stuff that affects the performance of my vehicles or may impact my ability to be competitive online. If it was a freemuim game (like NFS World is now) then sure, I can spend a few dollars for a few perks, but certainly not a full retain title.

To answer your question though, you’re completely right – there’s no reason why a company wouldn’t try it. If buying figurines is working, then there’s no reason why those ‘hardcore’ gamers wouldn’t want to buy perks and other elements to better their game too. Like mobile games, it only takes a select few to make something profitable. The worst thing is EB Games or GameStop will have boxes of silver packages with little tokens inside that no-one wants. If they write it off as a failure I’m sure they’ll just chuck in a few packs with the sale of their other titles (e.g. get 5 boost packs for Need For Speed Most Wanted 2 with your pre-order of Mirror’s Edge 2).

Let’s get a little cynical though. Above I’ve spoken about how I don’t want to see the sale of these boots/elements as separate packets/items because I feel it could be abused. In which ways can you see a publisher making the worst of this opportunity? When we’ve spoken at length about day one DLC and microtransactions, is this a nightmare waiting to happen?

Andy: That’s actually something I was thinking about as I was typing up my last reply. What would be the worst case scenario of this interactive element to games?  For me, when I think about that I think about a game like Call of Duty or Battlefield having interactive elements for more ammo, grenades or things like that. Maybe even a game like Need for Speed needing an interactive element every 10 nitrous boosts, or EMP uses. I’d hope those are just nightmare scenarios, but I can envision Need for Speed having replica car figures, and possibly different paint jobs to indicate rarity and enhanced stats. Heck, as much as I like Need for Speed I’d actually love a shelf with little mini NFS cars.

You made an interesting point earlier that gamers have become very adept at complaining about day one DLC, season passes and what have you. Yet, many of those people are the same ones who were/are hunting down every Amiibo, Infinity and Skylander character and spending more money than they would on traditional DLC for a game. That seems to be part of the magic of these interactive elements as well. The ability to get normally grumpy gamers to so easily part with their money. I mentioned before that one of the reasons I stopped playing Skylanders was the cost. It’s a crazy amount of money to have all the characters so you can experience each part of the game. Imagine the internet chatter if a major AAA game released with a pricing model that said you have to purchase X in order to access a dungeon, track or some other area. Yet, we are somehow OK with it because it involves figurines. I can’t say too much negative about it really though, because I bought into it and played the game for a while.

I know we try not to do this very often, but you and I have been disagreeing a lot lately, so I have to ask – in your mind what would be the worst case scenario for interactive elements like we’ve discussed above. Also, and the side I am more curious about to be honest, what is the best case for those types of elements? Do they have the power to really revolutionize gaming or will they also be relegated to a niche market?

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Nicholas: You’re right, we have been disagreeing with each other quite a bit lately – but that’s what happens when you’re so wrong all the time. Alright, I kid. I think the worst case scenarios are along the things we’ve discussed above – the idea of paying for things that at the moment are automatically included in the game as standard. We’ve discussed in the past about how the plethora of different pre-order bonuses can often mean one gamer’s experience of a game is different to the next person, and I think having something like this would only make it worse. As I said, if it’s something as trivial as a livery (perhaps a particular ‘hero’ car from the previous NFS titles) then I’ll deal with it, but I wouldn’t want to miss out on something that would make me less competitive online or that I used to unlock/receive as standard before.

I’d personally like to see the use of these figurines a little more – especially in racing titles (a collection would be cool), but part of me really can’t be bothered buying them all. Even now as I think about the Amiibos, I’d like to get all of them, but can I really justify spending $15+ on multiple to perhaps use them once or twice? Like most figurines I collect, I don’t think it’ll take long until they feel like clutter and I end up putting them away in my cupboard never to be seen again. So do I think they will revolutionize gaming? Well, I’m a little skeptical about that. Will they act as a nice chance to mix up the more cartoonish games out there? Yeah, most definitely so. As much as I’d love it, I doubt they’ll catch on with the more mature AAA titles.

So far we’ve been discussing costs of the figurines and how they’ll be implemented, but let’s strip that back a bit. With Skylanders, you had a somewhat shell of a game which came to life with the figurines. Contrast this with Nintendo’s implementation where you have full games and then the figurines add to that. Which style do you prefer, and should the former be cheaper if you essentially need to pay for more figurines to unlock more content? Would you be happy paying $60USD for a game that you needed the figurines to experience, or should the base game be discounted?

Andy: You make a great point there actually (man that was tough to type). Skylanders for all the amazing things it does, really is a shell of a game and for the most part is a DLC factory in the form of additional characters and levels. I’ve never really thought about it that way before, it goes to show you that when done right, certain practices can be completely ignored in the quest to collect them all. Thinking about it more practically, I think I prefer Nintendo’s method and delivery much more. There are so many things to like about it. For starters you don’t ‘need’ the Amiibo figurines for a game. You can play the game just fine without them, and not miss out on any levels or such. Two; the characters aren’t just for one game – this to me is actually the biggest selling point. They can be used on multiple titles and interact in different ways. Three, Nintendo was very picky about what characters they released, where as Skylanders and Infinity have so many characters out that they take up huge sections in stores. It’s crazy how many different characters there are and the sheer number of variations of them.

For me, the allure of Skylanders was the novelty and charm. Once Activision saw how big of a cash cow it could be they went all in and the charm, at least for me, quickly went away. That’s actually somewhat disappointing to me, as I loved the first game and enjoyed the second one, but after that it felt forced and I could envision the folks at Activision sitting behind a desk just pulling the slot machine arm watching money come out in bundles. I’m starting to get the same feeling with Infinity as well as they moved into the Marvel universe as well as additional characters. I love the idea of these figurines, and I really think it can expand the reach of gaming and keep gamers engaged longer for titles; such as leveling up each character. I know making money is the reason companies do it, I just wish they had a little more self-control in terms of the quantity they kick out.

I am a collector of video game trinkets and doo-dads. I love stuff. I have shelves of stuff and am always looking to add more. Heck, I’ve considered grabbing a couple Amiibo figures and I don’t even own a Nintendo console to use them on. I hope we see more of this type of element that adds to the gaming experience, but at the same time I hope that addition isn’t because of something being removed or put behind a wall requiring an element to unlock/use it. Companies will need to walk a fine line between innovation and offering more value, and just looking at the bottom line and trying to pad it the best they can. To wrap things up this week, are there any games out there right now that you think could benefit from an interactive element? Do you think we will see more of this type of idea soon, or will it be a more gradual feeling out process by the developers?

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Nicholas: Racers are my obvious choice, but I’ve discussed that above so I won’t dwell on it. I think a really cool idea would be with an RPG – something like Skyrim or Dragon Age. You start off with a figurine that acts as the base for your character, and then you can get individual figurines that would improve the stats of your character in-game. I stand by what I said above about not having perks via these interactive elements that would disadvantage others by not having them, but having a sword that you can only get via collectible that is equal in stats to another item in the game would be cool I think. These additional items could have unique colours so just because you and your mate get the same chest piece of armour, one could be bronze while the other is silver. Perhaps you’re weapon’s abilities need to change depending on which enemy you are fighting, so rather than having to go through menus you could tap the required gear on your controller and it would switch automatically. Just a thought. *patents idea*

Pokémon would be really cool too I think. I know I just said I don’t want content that is otherwise in the game to be cut because of these figurines, but I’d love to combine my childhood passion of collecting Pokémon figurines with seeing them in my games. Doing so with some of the weaker Pokémon probably wouldn’t be worthwhile, but having a unique legendary only available through figurine would net Nintendo a stack of money.

To answer your final question, depending on Nintendo’s success I think other developers may follow suit. PlayStation and Microsoft both copied Nintendo with their motion-sensor technology to try and capture the family market, and if they see that these Amiibos are killing it then they’d be fools not to try something similar. Once again, I’m not too sure how well it would work with those mature AAA titles, but as far as family-friendly games are concerned, absolutely. Actually, strike that – anything cartoony would work well I think. It’ll be interesting to see though for sure. In the meantime, that Mario figurine looks kind of cool.

Tune in next time for the next instalment of Game On or Game Over. If you have any ideas for our next article, feel free to contact Andy or Nicholas on Twitter.

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About the author

Nicholas Simonovski

Events and Racing Editor at Stevivor.com. Proud RX8 owner, Strange Music fan and Joe Rogan follower. Living life one cheat meal at a time.