Topic: What happened to video games?

Games are most likely to be mediocre or just decent at best these days and I don't know why. Just look at highly anticipated games that were years in the making like Avowed and Starfield among others end up being a massive letdown. Who knows how The Elder Scrolls 6 will turn out but I wouldn't be surprised if it flops and Todd Howard is a big liar by the way. We were incredibly lucky to get a game like Skyrim from him but it's very outdated now and the next gen ports were wasted potential. I lived in a time when video games were incredible but I don't know what in the world is going on with game developers in a time when we have superior dev kits, game engines, hardware, consoles, PCs, etc. but perhaps it could be a major lack of talent now. Ironically, Leslie Benzies was a big part of the Grand Theft Auto series and will be putting out a potentially crappy game being MindsEye. GTA 6 which is a huge exception will most likely still be extraordinary without him being involved.

I'm no expert but this strikes me as a Western AAA problem.

I've always leaned towards Japanese games and tbh I think Japan is killing it atm — their games are better than ever.

Can't speak too much for Western games as they've never been my go-to, but I find myself less and less interested in them these days and I hear so much negativity around the big releases.

Not to say TGA is completely representative, but just look at last year's GOTY nominees — 5/6 were Eastern-developed and the one Western game was an indie.

I think I agree with you both. I feel there’s so many hidden gems from Japan. Most things I hear about constantly and either don’t look like anything other than overblown graphics-fests, or don’t live up to the hype. Like I kept seeing and hearing about Stellar Blade. It really looked great. And just had so much trouble actually enjoying it once I had the chance to play. The only thing it proved in my case was sex sells since I repeatedly saw images of Eve in skimpy outfits. I think there’s too much focus on graphics lately and not much else. Hell, Stellar Blade had a premise that I have just seen multiple times already and felt unoriginal.

Now, I’m not a huge gamer by any means. I mostly play Pokémon or play something with my brother. But I’ve come to figure out what I like and what I really just don’t find interesting.

Big games from big studios have become too big a financial cost to take risks anymore. They are now often games created by commitee, ensuring they play it safe enough to not offend anybody but not really willing take the risks which could lead to the games which really stand out but could also fail spectacularly.
Maybe there is too much hype and build up when we're all waiting for years before the next big thing releases.

I do personally think there are still plenty of great games though, different things for different people I guess. Don't be afraid to jump into random smaller scale stuff and indie gems from time to time, that's were individuals and smaller groups still have the freedom to innovate and follow their own creative impulses.

They're great.

My theory is that they’re all old now and lost their touch and newer/younger devs don’t have as much creative freedom as devs did back then. Gaming was at its best when it was underground or lowkey and seen as a niche hobby for nerds and losers; ever since it became mainstream & corporate it just went downhill.

another theory is that new ideas of something original and new is so few and far in between. most of the game franchises that are popular today that we still anticipate or enjoy are from DECADES ago, save for a select few. many other attempts at a new franchise failed.

@sorteddan that’s the thing though , some of us don’t like indies and hate that the state of gaming has changed so much that we have to look to them for a fix

@DarthMaster09 I agree with the concern about development time being so long, and it is an issue that has effects on game production. It is worrying to see games long in development hell and then release either broken or to poor reception with all that wasted time and resources.

However for every Concord, Suicide Squad, or Skull & Bones, there is an Astro Bot, Baldur’s Gate 3, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Elden Ring, or It Takes Two. And even though many AAA games are taking many years to develop, there’s still studios putting out high quality games at remarkably fast clips, like the Yakuza developer, RGG.

I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for, but I think it’s possible you’re just looking in the wrong place. Rather than focus on the few games that were hyped and are stuck in development or that come out and disappoint, look toward all the quality that is coming out also. There’s so many games out there being released that it’s hard to believe that there wouldn’t be anything of interest or of high enough quality to be worthwhile to the average gamer.

Yes, there are more catastrophically bad releases nowadays than there used to be, but there are magnitudes more high quality, fun, inspiring, innovative and dazzling games being made than ever before also. Even if it’s retro-styled games you’re looking for, they are in abundance as well.

I don’t begrudge anyone to feel disappointed in a particular game or studio or publisher, but man, in my opinion it’s an overstatement to apply that criticism to the entire industry. I’ve been gaming since the PS1 and I’ve never had a backlog this large. I can list 30 games right now that I wish I had time to play, which is probably more games than my entire PS1 collection. 😅

We need more developers like War Horse.

"The entire industry has altered from being largely a labour of love projects made by enthusiasts to what is now the biggest entertainment media on the planet."

Why do people keep ignoring indie devs. 🌞

By saying 'the entire industry' you're turning the 'problem' into a zelf fulfilling prophecy. If we define video games industry as those companies that hardly take risks, then how do you expect more risks?

Does the gaming industry **** me off? Yes… yes it does.

Do I enjoy gaming more now than I did during my previous 43 years of gaming? Yes… yes I do.

Nothing happened other than time and circumstance as far as I can see. OP sounds jaded is all, maybe try some new games or take a break, come back with a fresher outlook? I’ve been in this very same position so not trying to be negative, it can be hard to be objective sometimes.

I think the question isn't "what happened to video games" but instead "what happened to gamers". I'm 100 percent convinced that people don't appreciate genuinely good games anymore and instead praise mediocre games while at the same time complain about other similar games being mediocre. It's absolutely bizarre.

Japanese AAA and AA
Western indies

Stick with those and you're good. Completely avoid the sociocultural rot that's hollowing out the Western AAA development landscape.

For me hobbies are supposed to be fun. If that is no longer the case for anyone maybe try a new one. Or maybe another platform if possible, try different genres that you do not normally play. As much as all the layoffs and other stuff are not good to hear about, I'm personally not thinking about any of that when I'm playing a video game.

Not that people shouldn't talk about or criticise these things, but if it is negatively affecting you in anyway, maybe take a step back. I think some people get stuck in the weeds of the industry too much and forget why play video games in the first place.

@PorkChopExpress this is why Swen's speech at TGA was important. All the best games are still passion projects and people should get behind that even more now that the gaming landscape is more corporate led and absolutely too vast to support itself, and in the case of the stuff the kids like these days, terribly vacuous.

Also, i'd say personal beliefs in art has always been a thing, it's just now a lot more writers, artists and creators are quite sh*t at their craft so it stands out more, and the human garbage on the internet have decided it's a fun thing to latch on to hate wagons regardless of if it is done well or not because their celebrity overlords tell them to do so, and they've convinced themselves it's somehow a new trend that has been pumped in to our heads by the liberal media, rogue pharmacists and 5G towers or whatever.

It would suggest that, although quality has overall declined due to the sheer amount of content required by corperations, that the quality is still there as it always was, and better than it's ever been a lot of the time while it's at it. It is just such a crowded space that is also filled with endless junk which makes it harder for people to know where the good stuff is any more. Which is probably where OP sits, focusing on what they don't like, or expecting something to be bad, instead of finding something they do like, or simply moving on if it isn't for them any more.

In summary, I kind of agree just from a different angle (just in case it comes across as if I'm going at you, when I'm just using your comment as a launch pad for discussion) Crowded corporate crap definitely makes it harder to appreciate that we are indeed being treated to some all time great games over the past 10 years. And that Indies are still reliable as they are mostly going to be passion projects themselves. But, boy, there's a whole sh*t load of legitimately bland, yet somehow extremely stinky, garbage, made with no real care or passion because "the numbers say we should do this"

And here, here @JohnnyShoulder @Ltsarge I wholeheartedly agree. And a double shout out to @nitraM JCBP. Warhorse somehow got attacked by both sides of the internet cess pool and came out swinging by simply making the game they wanted to make while telling the people moaning to stfu. And they have made a bloody monumentally good RPG with this attitude! We should always applaud when a dev cuts through the sh*t and stands tall above the idiocy of modern "gamers"

@Ravix Couldn't have put it better myself.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to KCD, after 23 hours I've finally got some decent armour from 3 bandits I killed and have just found Mutt, maybe I should take a look at the main quest and give my murderous stealthily stealing Henry a break!

People get so lost in the negative press that they forget about the great games they can play
Based on what I read on social media we're living in a dark age, based on the ten best games I've played were living in a golden age.

I fully agree with @JohnnyShoulder their comment.

@nitraM honestly, playing side content early is actually probably the best way to play it, i've found. I'm finding it hard to justify going back to the one side quest I left open now I'm really getting stuck in to the main quest. But then again, the main quest has taken it up several levels and is absolutely phenomenal, so no wrong answer really 😁 enjoy