Video games used to be better - What went wrong?

[ArTex311]

Very true statement about people getting older and hobby's have changed or more responsibilities in life make us to tired to spend 60 hours beating a game. It may not be true for everyone but I also like to think microtransactions is a bit to blame, like P2W. Like as mentioned, people as they get older have kids, or get a career where in my case, have their own business thus making them spend money on P2W games that ruins the experience for other players. I'm actually against P2W games even as busy as I am, however, I don't mind if its cosmetic nonsense.  

 

An other reason is people seem to blame it on Indie game developers. I read an interesting article on this topic.

 

Coming from a 80s kid and a 90s teenager I seen the growth of videos games and my personal opinion is greed. CoD is a perfect example, all it is is copy and paste and they slap a number 2, then a 3 and then a 4 on the box and nothing new, nothing ground breaking. TBH nothing in years has been groundbreaking. I remember when Quake came out, it was the first game that when you walk around a dead body the body doesn't always face you. That was groundbreaking lol, and half-life was the next groundbreaking game with the crazy physics. 

 

But again these are only my opinions, doesn't mean I'm right.

[xAcid9]

Triple a dev/studio nowadays have like a long checklist of things that doesn't actually contribute to making the core gameplay experience better/great. Just look at last year  AAA game, most of them are shite. They ticked a lot of boxes, but they forgot to actually make the game fun/engaging to play. 

 

3 hours ago, Fendrick said:

Vampire Survivors.

I can see big studios will create a clone of this game, I'm sure of it. 

 

46 minutes ago, ArTex311 said:

An other reason is people seem to blame it on Indie game developers. I read an interesting article on this topic.

Blame because of what? Make video game fun again? Lol

[Vishera]

1 minute ago, xAcid9 said:

Blame because of what? Make video game fun again? Lol

Because they make AAA look bad ;D

[SteveGrabowski0]

Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok alone made 2022 awesome. A couple of outstanding indies last year in Sifu and Stray too. If you were going to pine for an amazing year in gaming from back in the day should have taken 1998 with Fallout 2, Half Life 1, Metal Gear Solid, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Starcraft, Xenogears, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Suikoden II. 

[Vishera]

2 hours ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

If you were going to pine for an amazing year in gaming from back in the day should have taken 1998

Also 2011 was one of the best years in gaming history with Portal 2, Skyrim, Minecraft, Batman Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Dead Space 2, Saints Row The Third, Alice Madness Returns, Dark Souls, L.A. Noire, Mass Effect 2 and many more...

[LloydLynx]

I guess it helps if you stop thinking about gaming as a whole as a hobby, and just play what you want when you feel like it. 

[thrasher_565]

5 hours ago, Worgarthe said:

Hello. both now and before there were good games and failures. Of the new, I unrealistically liked the new call of duty, its graphics, and even more so the storyline, are simply beautiful. From the old, I get high from cs go. Even now I like to go to https://fyed.me/ or YouTube to watch cuts of the games of professional players. It looks incredibly cool.

 i cant find the one of this clan were they wold run around the map on some one head... but of coarse  its Du hast

[Gork]

On 11/15/2022 at 5:58 AM, venomtail said:

It's two fold.

 

We changed.

Profits have changed.

 

When I say WE changed, we've moved on. We're different individuals from those days with different schedules and priorities. We've been able to refine what we like far better and can critique, analyze and nit pick every new release because we know what we are looking for. The higher standards we have the less we're impressed. I can still boot up Skyrim for my younger cousin and because he's not used to playing such games and it's new to him, he'll be mesmerized, even when I've grown old to it and think it's severely outdated and don't enjoy it anymore.

 

In terms of profit, companies have realized that microtransaction models are the way to go and that children are a cash machine. Not only in games but in many other segments such as YouTube. A lot of huge franchises in the endless goal of more profit than last quater scavenge their own gameplay loops to appeal to the bigger audiences that pay more, those being kids. Only way to appeal to them more is to make it easier to digest and dumb the game's down. First victim was GTA 5, with a lot of things I though then and still do now are downgrades. Kids have no interest in things that were used to be valued like authenticity, realism and good foundations not riddled with plotholes.

But it's not all bad. We're in a new cycle where the giants are collapsing in on themselves, the grass underneath can start to grow. That's why the Indie and AA scene is thriving right now. Just remember that you as an individual are far more picky by what you want to spend your already little precious time in.

Well said! Personally I lean twards retro styled games what I mean is give me something colorful, light, tongue in cheak,  and it I might take you up on trying out a fun new racing game. (for instance), But if you say, Big Race 2000 is "only" 90GB, and 10 bucks on steam. I might pass. On the other hand I grown at the state of World of Elfcraft: dragon farts.  And love me some house of the dead (remake and orginal).

I don't agree with your dunking on "realism" and "stories with potholes" . How look at how drown out, and meandering  Resident evil is now. It went from a dumb pulpy zombie survival game to, to half naked goth vampire ladies.

[Gork]

On 1/15/2023 at 12:03 AM, Vishera said:

Also 2011 was one of the best years in gaming history with Portal 2, Skyrim, Minecraft, Batman Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Dead Space 2, Saints Row The Third, Alice Madness Returns, Dark Souls, L.A. Noire, Mass Effect 2 and many more...

Debatable if 2011 was ThEGrEatAsteTimeInGamngHisTorY. I can counter that by pointing out iconic games from back in the day coming out. Without some of them entire genres wouldn't exist.

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, Gork said:

Debatable if 2011 was ThEGrEatAsteTimeInGamngHisTorY. I can counter that by pointing out iconic games from back in the day coming out. Without some of them entire genres wouldn't exist.

2004, 2007, 2011

 

And the 90s was the golden age. 

[Gork]

32 minutes ago, fpo said:

2004, 2007, 2011

 

And the 90s was the golden age. 

lol well it had it's good and bads. but that's a fair hit.

[Tan3l6]

These days there are just too many great games in verry different genres.

In my opinion the only downside is that they might not be very advertised.

If you search then there are more games in general, not all being great.

Also - not all genres have survived.

[gen_angry]

With AAA titles: mostly corporate greed and the requirement to chase as much profit as they can for shareholders. Mobile gaming taught them that IAPs and paid DLC is a very lucrative market - and they're trying to introduce the same mechanics to PC gaming with a very slow 'boil the frog' approach. It started with horse armour which became these battle passes, day 0 DLC, and time-gated content. Nowadays it seems like they release half a game and/or don't bother with any optimization, then put a few interns on it for 'life support'.

 

These days, if you want a good experience that doesn't leave you feeling like a wallet - you pretty much have to go 'indie', with passionate studios that haven't went public for funding yet, or older games.

 

 

[ewitte]

The industry caters to what is popular (and most profitable), that may just not be something you like.