It's not free play algorithms that doomed pinball so much as the fact that video game arcades were doomed by improved home gaming systems, and pinball machines are expensive to design, manufacture, and maintain, and pinball operators charge up to $1 per play.
The same thing happened with fighting games (such as Street Fighter). This type of game is extremely deep and technical, with highly refined skills which can be transferred over successive generations of a series. There are people who have been honing their Street Fighter skills for 15 years now; that makes it difficult for new players to participate on a casual basis.
As a result, the genre is pretty much a niche these days, despite the unexpected popularity of Street Fighter 4.
However, I would think this applies mainly to arcades, which I believe are dying in the US anyway (though I've heard they still flourish elsewhere). Console games allow one to play against the computer or against friends. At least against the computer a beginner can play and have fun.
I wonder how this will evolve change as console's take advantage of the internet. A test case could be Starcraft. Anyone have any idea of how hard it is to break into Starcraft now for someone just starting?
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It's not free play algorithms that doomed pinball so much as the fact that video game arcades were doomed by improved home gaming systems, and pinball machines are expensive to design, manufacture, and maintain, and pinball operators charge up to $1 per play.
Actually, as I read the article, I didn't get the impression that he meant:
free play algorithms --> demise
In fact, he seemed to mean:
transferable skills --> disparity in skills --> demise
And free play algorithms were actually what kept the industry going for slightly longer.
The same thing happened with fighting games (such as Street Fighter). This type of game is extremely deep and technical, with highly refined skills which can be transferred over successive generations of a series. There are people who have been honing their Street Fighter skills for 15 years now; that makes it difficult for new players to participate on a casual basis.
As a result, the genre is pretty much a niche these days, despite the unexpected popularity of Street Fighter 4.
Interesting, makes sense.
However, I would think this applies mainly to arcades, which I believe are dying in the US anyway (though I've heard they still flourish elsewhere). Console games allow one to play against the computer or against friends. At least against the computer a beginner can play and have fun.
I wonder how this will evolve change as console's take advantage of the internet. A test case could be Starcraft. Anyone have any idea of how hard it is to break into Starcraft now for someone just starting?