No gamer in their right mind, no matter how fervent a fanboy they are, should ever truly want a "One Console World". Yet almost weekly now the big 3 (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) seem to be attempting to do just that and tricking us into believing it is best for us. The latest salvo in the war is the exclusivity of gaming icons that were once available on every system imaginable. This week that icon is Pac-Man.

Yes, game exclusivity has been around for generations of gaming platforms in the likes of Mario, Crash Bandicoot and Sonic the Hedgehog, to name only a few. But in a wider world perspective this was necessary at the time in order to get people to buy a new, as yet unproven console. Now the battle lines have been drawn and everyone knows the score. Yet the big three (well 2 of them it seems) are constantly attempting to destroy each other and gain larger market share with various tactics and tricks which only hurt the gamer and rarely change the numbers drastically, one way or the other. With the latest generation of consoles (that being the 7th or so depending on how you count) there is an enormous difference in them which makes each unique and suited to different gamers and gaming styles. Additionally, each supplies different 'value adds' which gives them a market niche. A market niche which may shift and sway but should never be allowed to disappear completely.

Why do I, a self-admitted Nintendo fanboy (although far from frenzied), not desire a one console world? Well the fact is simple, competition is good for gamers. Let's look at a hypothetical situation. Company Z finally wins the console battles and companies Q and U fold up and pack in their console production. Instantly this eliminates a host of jobs in the market and drastically lowers the number of games developed every year. In addition a massive piece of what I will call 'Gaming Biodiversity' is lost. For those not familiar with the term biodiversity it is the number of different species of plants and animals in an environment. In this case we can think of it as the different number of games and consoles. Without Gaming Biodiversity everything becomes the same, or close to it. Back to the hypothetical Company Z...

Company Z, to celebrate their victory in the console wars, decides to raise the price of their console and slow research and development on a new console. After all there is no competition and no reason to keep the price so low anymore. Plus, now that they are the only game in town, so to speak, they believe they will see a rise in hardware sales, regardless of price, as everyone who fought on the opposing sides finally gives up the resistance and buys into the new world order. So Company Z becomes lax and sits back waiting for the console sales to skyrocket as they assimilate all of their opponents' customers. They also lower spending on research and development because there is no longer someone to stay one step ahead of and they want to juice the current console for all it is worth.

Following suit, the game developers instantly announce that all future titles will also have a hefty price increase. Plus, since they will have to only create one version of the games they will have a larger profit margin on the game and can also slow down production of new games and remain financially viable. Again further jobs are lost which increases unemployment and begins to affect the economy negatively. Remember, the video game industry is a behemoth that employees a gigantic number of people. Sales in the UK alone in 2006 were £1.36 billion (approximately $2.6 billion). US sales of computer and video games for 2004 were $7.4 billion and in 2005 were $7.0 billion. With the release of the new consoles in 2006 those numbers are even higher.

With the large number of layoffs the economy is affected and a slight recession begins. In addition game and hardware sales also slow, something the developers did not expect. This is largely due to the lack of 'Gaming Biodiversity' and the increased prices. Many people are not willing to reach as deep into their pockets as Company Z predicted and their consoles litter shelves, gathering dust and depreciating over time. In addition, because of the lack of 'Gaming Biodiversity' the games themselves become stagnant. Gamers are simply not prepared to continually, year after year, buy a new version of the same game for the same console when there is little or no innovation. Suddenly game developers and publishers begin seeing financial problems and several close their doors, further impacting the economy and the industry. Eventually the market slowdown turns into a market crash and the video gaming industry is blasted back to 1983 when a string of terrible events leads to a year long slide resulting in bankruptcy for many companies.

The end result is that the gaming industry comes to a near halt and gamers take the brunt of it. Consoles become obsolete, games become scarce and eventually executives deem the era of video games to have become unprofitable and decidedly ended. Video game production halts, companies turn to other things and the gamers are left without games.

Welcome to the Video Game Cataclysm, the fever-inducing nightmare of any true gamer. An overly bleak and melodramatic representation? Perhaps, but things like this have been known to occur, notably the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Black Monday of 1987 and the Video Game Crash of 1983. It is not unheard of for an entire industry to crumble to pieces with only a few survivors; the dot-com bubble burst is a prime example. Of course many have survived these events to become stronger as well, but it would be a dark time for both the gamers and the industry that could last several years.

So temper your fanboy fanaticism with some cross-platform tolerance for the sake of us all. A "One Console World" is not in the best interest of any of us. Put aside your platform specific differences and look at the bigger picture. The Video Gaming Lifestyle of today is by far the best it has ever been and this is in-part due to the large amount of competition in the market, the willingness of the industry to be diverse and the ability for industry companies to take chances on multiple platforms. So do not abandon your favorite console, but do not shun the others for that Gaming Biodiversity is what makes our lifestyle what it is today, a great deal of fun and a wide range of choices.

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