Diamodoku Syndrome

Plinydogg over at Pocket PC Gems has posted a rant that has provoked quite a bit of discussion. It's about the seemingless endless profileration of games based on diamond/gem matching and Sudoku. I feel his pain, and I've pointed out this trend many times in my newsletter and the print column. There are just way too many of these Bejeweled/Tetris/Dr. Mario, etc. games out there, and having endless duplication of these titles detracts from those making quality versions of these games. Most of the "me too" clones tend to be haphazardly slapped together and are inferior to what's already out there.

I should point out that this trend is certainly nothing new: gem-matching games have been appearing on the Pocket PC since the days when MIPS, SH3 and ARM were duking it out. When ARM started to take over, people continued to throw these games together even after high quality version from well-known companies began to appear. Since Sudoku didn't start showing up until recently on the Pocket PC, I don't consider it to be part of this trend yet, but that may change if enough versions keep coming out. This trend of duplication has affected other games, too: mahjong, pac-man, solitaire, space invaders, and breakout have all been flogged to death.

If you're a developer looking to create games, I have nothing against developing a very simple title initially to get a feel for the platform. But don't release a game that's already been created dozens of times and then expect people to pay for it. After all, the platform is half a decade old and has achieved some maturity in terms of content. Take a look at what's already out there and honestly assess if your product will add anything new. If it does, great, if it doesn't, then it should probably just be released as freeware or even kept private.