It’s usually a good thing to see any market grow and the video game market is no exception. However, there is always a risk associated with rapid growth and, in the case of video games, it’s shovelware. Given how potentially destructive shovelware can be, it almost killed the gaming industry once, it’s astonishing how few people seem to even be aware of their existence, let alone being knowledgeable enough to avoid them. Taking this into account, I thought it important that we take a look at the history of shovelware, its presence in the modern video game industry and the need to be aware of them.
Let’s start with the definition of what shovelware is. While a definitive definition of shovelware can be quite tricky, it’s generally agreed that shovelware are games that are developed quickly and cheaply in order to be sold cheaply and rack up sales from customers who are ill-informed and don’t know any better. These games are usually of diabolical quality, may reuse assets from prior titles and feature numerous bugs and glitches.
While the term “Shovelware” was first used in the 1990s, video game shovelware actually predates the coining of the term. The video game market crash of 1983 was caused by several factors but the most noteworthy cause was a deluge of poor quality games. Easily the most infamous from this time period was Atari’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial which was developed in only around five weeks. This led to a game that’s become infamous for its poor quality and resulted in hundreds of thousands of refunds as well as millions of unsold stock. These shovelware titles, along with some other factors, led to a crash that dramatically impacted the gaming industry worldwide.
Interestingly, shovelware cropped up as a problem again with the release of the Nintendo Wii. I think it’s fair to say that the Nintendo Wii turned out to be a much greater success than anyone had anticipated, selling over 100 million units worldwide. However, the gimmick of the motion controls along with the fact that many casual or first time gamers bought the system led to a rampant shovelware problem. While certainly not on the scale of the 1983 crash, I can remember store shelves and bargain bins being flooded with shovelware designed for the system and to make a quick profit based on its cover.
Of course, the other market that I tend to think of when it comes to shovelware is the PC games market. I remember in the early days of Steam that it was a big event whenever a new game became available to purchase and I would peruse them all, considering whether I was interested in them. However, after a series of changes to how games were chosen to be released, Valve finally announced in 2018 that they were no longer going to curate games on Steam. This has led to a major curation and discoverability problem on Steam where games produced cheaply in an attempt to abuse both consumers and the community market outnumber other games on a daily basis. While Valve have taken some steps to try to combat this, the problem remains rampant as of this article.
The issue of shovelware is tricky since, on one hand, the lack of restrictions when it comes to what games can or cannot be released has allowed the indie market to thrive but, on the other hand, the amount of cheap, low quality games can also drown out games that deserve the attention. Let me know your thoughts on why you need to be aware of shovelware, ways you think the industry can combat shovelware, other platforms you’re aware of that struggle with shovelware and any additional information you 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.