The goal of gaming is to create a bond between the gamer and the game itself, creating lasting memories and bonding moments in communities. Recently I’ve been noticing a new way that companies create those bonds, not just with communities and creating core memories with the games themselves, but with the developers making the game. This could be a double-edged sword however when not all companies are delivering on promises for goods within the game or even getting upset when content creators critique their game. Having a direct line to the developer creates a sense of transparency when a company is either looking for feedback or more people to get into the game they are creating.
I’ve noticed this trend as of late where a game is put into early access for the players to consume, test out, and see being built and play as it is being constructed. Hades 2 shadow-dropped into our hearts on May 6th, 2024, and caused the gaming community to go feral (in the best way possible). That game was the first time I dove head first into the early access pool, nervous and not knowing how the whole process worked. Playing through part of an unfinished game, getting to see things change right before my eyes in terms of patches, different icons, and even the way certain mechanics flowed. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed with my first experience of an early access game and wanted to go into more of them.
There are a lot of positives to what early access can provide, seeing a company make a game right before your eyes, and getting to be a part of the process is something new and wonderful that technology has allowed a lot of people to incorporate into the process of game development. While there is a lot of good to be had with early access and what it provides let's go into some of the things that make early access an issue for some. First off not a lot of people want to dive into an unfinished game, yes there is this joy of seeing a game/being a part of something that’s being built, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Being a part of an early access game for some is like unrequited love, the player will go through the game thinking there will be a return in how the company feels about them in terms of what’s going to be added to the game, in some cases there is a return and then some, and in some cases there isn’t like the case with Chill Town. Chill Town’s not-so-friendly or chill ways were brought to the attention of people on Twitter and content creators who played the game. The company that made Chill Town started to block people for simply critiquing the game, when you block creators and consumers you block any chance of any proper critique coming through on how to make the game better.
When it comes to early access games the company needs to have critique because nothing will ever be a hundred percent perfect with the game. There will be flaws, hiccups, bugs, and crashes, anything and everything can happen. Ender Magnolia, the sequel to Ender Lilies which came to early access on March 25th, 2024 automatically sends reports in the event of an error, there's also Fields of Mistira while there is limited story progression and things you can do to a degree, this title genuinely adds value to the cozy community. So there is a balance that needs to be met in early access titles where you give enough content to the player to create a conversation and fun for the person playing, and have an open dialogue with the communtiy playing your games so they can inform you of things they don't like, in a respectful manner. To me, early access games provide a point at which bridges can be made with consumers, journalists, and content creators, providing incredible moments of constructive advice and guidance. I'm truly grateful that developers are allowing us into their space, letting us take a look behind the curtain to enjoy titles earlier on and to see the process of creating new worlds for us to get lost in.
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