I had a discussion recently with a well-respected member of the computer games industry who claimed that content is passé: community is the current buzzword amongst the top brass. Not only is this interesting from a man who's been a valuable contributor to the concept of story-style engagement in interactive entertainment, but it certainly reflects manufacturers' current drive away from announcements about their next-generation software and towards info releases that proclaim convergence, multimedia and, well, community spirit.
But is this what gamers want? Would they rather have a great group of people talking about, chatting during and gaming together through mediocre products or solitary - but amazing - gaming experiences? Is community key?
