COD is Ruining FPS? Really?

I'm here to eliminate originality within the FPS genre.......and to kill you.

This post is more or less a response to an article that I took issue with on IGN regarding how the COD series has "standardized" the first person shooter genre in ways that the editors feel have destroyed creativity in video games.  IGN contends that all modern combat based shooting games use in game mechanics and control schemes that resemble COD so much that they are no longer original, and that they are being passed off as nothing more than poorly executed clones of the successful franchise from Activision studios. 


While it is true that most games are very COD like, stating that the genre is ruined may be a bit of a stretch.  It is also true that every single popular FPS title that has been released after the premier of COD 4 Modern Warfare employs a very similar control scheme.  However, the reality is that while these games are similar, it is important to note that every different title brings something to the table that makes it unique.  Each different take on these popular game mechanics builds  the genre by offering a different take on how particular elements can be implemented.  To say that one game has created the ultimate standard and that all others are poor clones of that game is incredibly unfair. 

It is also important to note that the gaming industry as a whole could be blamed for a lack of game play innovation.  Platforming games all perform based on the basic principle of navigation and problem solving with a side of item collection.  Racing games focus on precision driving and modification to a certain extent based on the title.  So, how is it fair to say that all FPS titles have cloned COD's mechanics?  The COD series and Activision can be credited with being perhaps the most successful marketing and strategy teams in the FPS genre right now, but they certainly are not the end-all be-all of FPS.  Until there is some major innovation in how controls are processed in this industry (i.e. through motion control or real time 3D space manipulation) the control schemes that gamers are familiar with don't have much room to change.  In regard to how in game mechanics such as perks and real time reward systems are handled, it is clear that COD does not have this nailed down yet either. 

COD may be the most popular game out for any system, but it is also the most complained about game on the market.  Many other games provide more balanced game play, but COD is a quick fix for players of every skill level.  What it all boils down to is a consumer's inclination to how a game caters to his or her method of play, or even to how long that consumer keeps playing a title.  While many gamers play a title exclusively for extended periods of time, others will sell or trade their copies, and those stats are not tracked.  Whether or not games have copied COD's mechanics is not important.  What is important is that variety still exists, and many titles appeal to sensibilities that COD does not.  Keep gaming everyone, and try to stay more grounded IGN.