Sony just held a PlayStation Showcase recently and it was generally considered to be quite disappointing. There’s a number of reasons for this from the focus on live-service games, the lack of exciting PC ports and how there were very few games that took us by surprise. However, one of the more disappointing aspects was the number of CG trailers present which left people confused and, sometimes, unsure what the game even is. Therefore, I thought I’d explain why I’m beginning to hate CG video game trailers while also examining why so many companies end up relying on them.
When I was much younger, I would be quite excited about many of the CG trailers that I saw whether they be for Blizzard Entertainment games, Final Fantasy etc. I knew that it didn’t represent what the game would actually be like but I didn’t mind. However, as I’ve grown older, the gameplay of games have become more and more important to me and now I look at CG video game trailers with confusion, hate and scepticism because, ultimately, it may tell us what the narrative may be but it generally tells us nothing of what the gameplay will be like.
I do understand some of the logic in making CG video game trailers though. Development time has been growing longer and longer when it comes to creating AAA games and, due to how the systems in video games tend to be developed all at once rather than linearly, it may not be possible to show gameplay at the time of announcement. Of course, I’d wonder if it wouldn’t be better to just wait to announce the game until gameplay can be shown but I’m sure their marketing demands that the game be revealed at a certain time, perhaps to lay the groundwork for the story and concepts.
Regardless, the increasing development times has resulted in the appearance of CG video game trailers growing more and more common at gaming events and it’s specifically this that I think has begun to truly aggravate people. People generally want to see what the games announced are going to play like, not prerendered footage that’ll have nothing to do with the game ultimately. A couple of CG trailers may be acceptable but the ratio of CG trailers vs. gameplay trailers continues to grow more and more in favour of CG.
Concord’s trailer is a particularly egregious example of a CG video game trailer.
I’m also wondering how much of these CG video game trailers are built for the mainstream audience rather than the more devoted gaming audience. There’s no doubt that it’s easier to sell your game to the average person if the visuals look pretty and many won’t even think about how the trailer has little to nothing to do with the experience that the game will ultimately offer. As I said before, I think the solution is to delay the reveal of the game until gameplay can be shown but it’s entirely possible that these CG video game trailers are proving to be effective marketing vehicles, regardless of how much I’m beginning to hate them.
Let me know your thoughts on CG video game trailers, whether you’re also beginning to hate them, whether you think they have any true marketing value or whether their job is to deceive the gullible, any solutions you might be able to think of to rectify this issue and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.