a sad realization about video games
- Thread starter Red Crayon Aristocrat
- Start date
Not just games, it's infected everything.
Randall365
Member
Let's be fair - gaming was at its most creative when it was a bunch of nerdy guys having fun and testing boundaries in the late eighties/nineties. Nearly all the successful games these days just copy the formulas established back then.
The booth babes, edgy adverts and amusing writing in gaming magazines were all symptomatic of that.
Nowadays it's just COD, Ea FC, the next big JRPG of the conveyor belt and the occasional triple A qte wokefest.
That said, I did buy FC 26, Indy, Bananza, Mario Kart World and will probably get Shadows at some point and most likely enjoy them all, so I'm part of the problem.
The booth babes, edgy adverts and amusing writing in gaming magazines were all symptomatic of that.
Nowadays it's just COD, Ea FC, the next big JRPG of the conveyor belt and the occasional triple A qte wokefest.
That said, I did buy FC 26, Indy, Bananza, Mario Kart World and will probably get Shadows at some point and most likely enjoy them all, so I'm part of the problem.
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Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
You are completely correct, OP. On all counts.
It's not that I can't find good games still, but the constant bangers like we got back in the day is unfathomable now. But it kinda works out, because it's not like I actually played all of them back then, so retro gaming/discovering that stuff has been amazing.
It's not that I can't find good games still, but the constant bangers like we got back in the day is unfathomable now. But it kinda works out, because it's not like I actually played all of them back then, so retro gaming/discovering that stuff has been amazing.
Hypereides
Member
I disagree.
From observation, we're entering a sort of AA renaissance/re-emergence which carries the torch of that same experimental, pioneering and artistic spirit gaming largely used to exhibit, if not in somewhat close range to it. Modern indies laid out the baseline foundation which has been scaling up. Its all about that "let's-do-this-weird-idea-we're-into-and-see-how-it-works-out" kind of energy. That's the untamed creative spirit gaming used to be about and set the foundation for the long standing landmark titles we see today.
There's even some crazy dev out there taking a chance on a Bully-like spiritual successor which was showcased during the Steam NEXT FEST:
I absolutely couldn't see this kind of concept making it through an AAA sign-off in the modern day.
These kinds of games might not have the state of the art graphics, but if that's all that matters to some folks, then I question why they play games in the first place. I really think this new growing segment will be the one that'll be ushering in new gameplay trends since the bigger ones don't bother to take the chances anymore. There's vids and Youtubers out there already highlighting the momentum of indies and AA.
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mèx
Gold Member
There are still plenty of incredible indie and AA games. The only space that is compromised is AAA.
You are just ignoring the good stuff. You keep playing the same corporate AAA shit, complain, and then do it again.
You keep buying mediocre stuff because they come from studios or a franchises that were good 20 years ago, and you still cling to the idea that they can still make great games.
You keep buying the same tired products just because they look shiny and polished in trailers, while the core gameplay loop is a snoozefest.
Try something new for once and you will see that there is plenty of good shit going around.
Yes, it's a shame that the AAA space is a dumpster fire, but fuck them.
You are just ignoring the good stuff. You keep playing the same corporate AAA shit, complain, and then do it again.
You keep buying mediocre stuff because they come from studios or a franchises that were good 20 years ago, and you still cling to the idea that they can still make great games.
You keep buying the same tired products just because they look shiny and polished in trailers, while the core gameplay loop is a snoozefest.
Try something new for once and you will see that there is plenty of good shit going around.
Yes, it's a shame that the AAA space is a dumpster fire, but fuck them.
Humdinger
Gold Member
I think social media plays a role, too. Everything is on a 24-hour news cycle with a constant churn. It makes things feel ephemeral. The fast pace and rapid turnover prevents immersion or even sustained discussion of all but the most popular, current games. There is a flash in the pan, and then it's gone, replaced by something else the following week. And because attention is drawn by extremes, polarized and simplistic views are rewarded while nuanced discussion is not.
I'm not saying everything was wonderful back then. But I remember a lot more conversations that went in depth on the gaming experience itself, rather than just one-liner reactions to news of the day.
I'm not saying everything was wonderful back then. But I remember a lot more conversations that went in depth on the gaming experience itself, rather than just one-liner reactions to news of the day.
Killer8
Member
Gaming had a lot more to prove back then. It fought tooth and nail to shed the nerd associations, hence relying on celebrity endorsements and a party-like atmosphere. Now gaming is totally mainstreamed and so doesn't have to try as hard. I do miss some of it, especially the energy of E3 (these state of play / directs spread throughout the year are no substitute), but it feels like more of the focus is now on the actual product. Which is also good. And seeing how much money these companies are raking in nowadays, it's obvious this approach works well for a lot of people.
FinalBossWithTheMostPower
Member
Started going down hill when it shifted from making good games to moving systems.
Northeastmonk
Gold Member
They've always had their bad years. I remember thinking it was garbage when Fable 3 and Kinect were a thing. The industry is all about making money at whatever expense. There's also so much to pick and choose from. Half the art they make now could be flushed down a toilet even though the games have been enjoyable. Pick your poison. Even when it gets good, it will always have its moments of sucking.
It's probably better now that you can craft your own experience if you're excited about new games and releases. What sucks is that companies will mold or change to make more money. It's all about making money and if they offend someone then they can't make money.
It's probably better now that you can craft your own experience if you're excited about new games and releases. What sucks is that companies will mold or change to make more money. It's all about making money and if they offend someone then they can't make money.
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Fbh
Member
Gaming is great now, I've never felt flooded with so much cool stuff to play.
As for E3 and the "dullness" compared to the old days, that's not unique to gaming. This shift from fun, quirky or edgy towards boring, sterile and "modern" has been a trend in almost every type of business over the last 20 years.
It's the same stuff that happened to McDonalds
As for E3 and the "dullness" compared to the old days, that's not unique to gaming. This shift from fun, quirky or edgy towards boring, sterile and "modern" has been a trend in almost every type of business over the last 20 years.
It's the same stuff that happened to McDonalds
StereoVsn
Gold Member
The below stuff is due to … wait for it… business consultants and private equity.Gaming is great now, I've never felt flooded with so much cool stuff to play.
As for E3 and the "dullness" compared to the old days, that's not unique to gaming. This shift from fun, quirky or edgy towards boring, sterile and "modern" has been a trend in almost every type of business over the last 20 years.
It's the same stuff that happened to McDonalds
Basically MBAs decided that it's better to lease and sell the land. So when you do that you don't want to build distinctive designs as it's easier to resell the franchise restaurant if it looks the same as any other random one.
Hence the enshitification of the design. And where Private Equity comes in is they have been buying up chains, selling off land (per above) and keeping the business barely afloat (debt has been offloaded and bonuses have been taken).
McD owns their real estate.
The change in those pics of McD's is based on customer habit and design trends.
but yes, in general, PE likes to gut companies to juice the short term, take out money for themselves and/or pawn them off on someone else, leaving the companies walking zombies.
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MiguelItUp
Member
There's a lot of things that are sad about the current state of video games, and they've been sad for awhile. The AAA industry has become SO big and SO mainstream that the cost of development in both time and money is absolutely insane. We've seen less innovation, creativity, etc. in those areas. A LOT less than we used to back in the day.
It's wild going back and looking at games from the late 90s and early to mid 00s. Even a bit after that. So many games continued to do neat things in terms of gameplay mechanics, details, etc. A lot of details and mechanics that don't even exist in modern games. We don't see revolutionary breakthroughs in engine technology like we used to, we also don't see new remarkable and neat mechanics that we hadn't seen before like we used to. A lot has changed.
As a result, a lot of big budget games just all feel like a big "been there done that kind" of thing. Games that may look prettier, but they don't bring anything new to the table, nothing refreshing. Thankfully we see some of those things in AA & budget/indie titles, so at least there are those.
Good to great games still exist, even if they're not that plentiful. I'm just glad they exist, period. But man, do I miss a lot from the old game industry. Hell, there are mods that existed for games that were more creative, unique, and fun than a lot that's released by big studios these days, lol.
It's wild going back and looking at games from the late 90s and early to mid 00s. Even a bit after that. So many games continued to do neat things in terms of gameplay mechanics, details, etc. A lot of details and mechanics that don't even exist in modern games. We don't see revolutionary breakthroughs in engine technology like we used to, we also don't see new remarkable and neat mechanics that we hadn't seen before like we used to. A lot has changed.
As a result, a lot of big budget games just all feel like a big "been there done that kind" of thing. Games that may look prettier, but they don't bring anything new to the table, nothing refreshing. Thankfully we see some of those things in AA & budget/indie titles, so at least there are those.
Good to great games still exist, even if they're not that plentiful. I'm just glad they exist, period. But man, do I miss a lot from the old game industry. Hell, there are mods that existed for games that were more creative, unique, and fun than a lot that's released by big studios these days, lol.
StereoVsn
Gold Member
Not even McD owns all of their real estate anymore and in general the view is often that real estate is potentially more valuable vs the franchise restaurant.
It's not all (or even mostly) that customers tastes changed and they want to see boring designs.
Most fast food restaurants are now designed for drive through, delivery or pickup. They aren't meant to be in general spaces where people sit and eat their meal.
And that inoffensive boring design makes it easy to dump the underperforming restaurant whether by reselling the lease or selling the land.
EverydayBeast
ChatGPT 0.001
Social media, Open world games, better story telling, much better gameplay kinda erases all of that.
Wildebeest
Member
When Millennials hit college age they decided that their life's goal was to stop games or the games industry from being fun, ever, because they found out in higher education that there was more to life than fun.
Actually a lot of neighborhoods don't want gaudy fast food places. Fast food places want to be seen as more sophisticated. Retail shopping areas seem to have design guidelines to create a uniform 'village' look. And fashion trends change.
And I'm sure fast food learned over time that pouring money into the most distinctive look possible is costly and doesn't contribute much to the bottom line.
Many McDonalds in this area used to have playgrounds and/or red roofs and now don't. They got rid of them when they remodeled.
Customer habits influence building design in ways like the playgrounds going away and/or the big dining rooms. More focus on the drive thru. And pick up.
WE had a 1950's style McD's here too. And that also got remodeled and got rid of that look...unfortunately. They didn't do it with an eye on the exit.
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Hawk The Slayer
Member
I miss a lot of the N64, PS1, to PS2 days a.k.a early 2000 to mid 2000s. Morrowind, Warcraft 3, early WoW etc.
After that the only good thing was Fallout 3, New Vegas, Skyrim, and Fallout 4 around the 2010s.
There was a dark period after that but things seems to be slowly getting better again starting with the Resident Evil games like RE2R, RE3R, RE4R, RE Village, and RE9. Space Marine 2, Stellar Blade and the upcoming Tides of Annilhinaiton, GTA VI etc.
After that the only good thing was Fallout 3, New Vegas, Skyrim, and Fallout 4 around the 2010s.
There was a dark period after that but things seems to be slowly getting better again starting with the Resident Evil games like RE2R, RE3R, RE4R, RE Village, and RE9. Space Marine 2, Stellar Blade and the upcoming Tides of Annilhinaiton, GTA VI etc.
DeVeAn
Member
what do you mean Uhhh Yakuza 0, its YAKUZA 0! lol
Trilobit
Absolutely Cozy
It was great when the word 'woke' started getting used for their shenanigans. It labeled their weird moral grandstanding and pulled down their pants.
