I always see this question proposed. Gaming isn't dying, it's just that the AAA industry has run stagnant. Too many execs trying to copy off each other without realizing why things that work actually work. The innovation in gaming is happening at the indie level and sometimes AA games but never AAA because they deem it too risky. We're just having a change in power. Current AAA companies will vacate the throne as newcomers battle for the spot with creativity.
Indeed I Agreee. Hopefully we get some great games from everyone but for some of these AAA companies to continue on how they are they need to start putting some skin in the game and putting out some great content. Not all but some.
"Current AAA companies will vacate the throne as newcomers battle for the spot with creativity." you just described how every industry works. However established companies usually keep themselves in business longer by buying up said innovative newcomers. It only works as long as the innovation is allowed in, of course.
@@angeleyes2c Publishing monopolies haven't been doing too well in comparison to a few years back and a big reason for that is their micromanaging in things they know nothing about.
@@angeleyes2c sad to tell this but cuphead or hollow knight will not surpass RDR2, GTA V, DOOM, UNCHARTED, MARIO, TLOU, CSGO, TF2. those "innovative" indie games at most are 90s arcade level and they wont carry the industry for long
I feel like the gaming industry had mirrored the film industry in the sense that everything has become very copy paste but every now and then you can find hidden gems
Yeah that is how I see it a lot if the time. It’s sad but I also think it’s a lot of the time because everything is just being made for the mass audience over a specific type of people
@@epicgamer-iz4ok movies have plots that shouldn't have been deleted and scenes that shouldn't have been deleted and sometimes incomplete CGI because of scheduling and poor rewrites because of scheduling. Those are the equivalent to bugs and glitches
I'd say it's more coming up with new ideas for new ip, at a point it's just you do a plot that's already been done but with a few changes, because there comes a point where you can't keep 1 uping the previous game
Luckily it's vice versa for me. I used to play a lot of comp games and watched a shit ton of content about them. Nowadays I play more story focused games and the videos I watch are more about why games are like they are.
If you want to have that fun, you used to have as a kid then literally touch grass and don't think about games for a little while and when you play it will feel fun again thats what I've been doing
I like long plays and cutscenes so I don't have to physically deal with the button mashing labor and mental stress for no reason. So it's like a win to me 😂. I get to eat Doritos and laze around. It's like watching TV except for video games.
Lies of P, Baldurs Gate 3, and various Indie titles like Vampire Survivors and Astlibra have proven to me that even in this somewhat gaming dystopia, true passion and dedication to the art still exists in gaming
I also notice my younger sisters and brother taking an interest in older games more than they do the new ones. I think the gaming industry has changed the most. We just want what we had when we were kids; Not microtransactions, not deals, not pay to win. Just gaming in its purest form, which is why I believe Elden Ring did so well. It didnt need a compelling story or the best built world, but instead just needed to be a pure game and not a moneymaking scheme disguised as an 'interactive online experience'.
Yeah. Every once in a while I see a Mobile game that actually peeks interest (most are completely ignorable trash imo, even at a glance), but of course I can't just buy it for 5 or 10 bucks or whatever, it's "free to play" (which means it's designed to try and suck up an unlimited amount of cash if it can, and at the expense of everything else in the design), AND it requires permissions to spy on basically everything on my phone that's none of their business, so I just nope out. I also don't tend to care so much for the big named AAA games shoveled out that often isn't really even a game but a busy work task list with nice graphics, not to mention more Spyware and often terrible releases punishing those dumb enough to pre-order.
You're on point except ER don't have a compelling story and well built world.There are many reasons why lore channels such as vaatividya have such a huge following
one major annoying thing about games these days is not getting the full game that you paid for.. with all the DLC or “road maps and seasons”, all the bugs and all micro- transactions.. back in the day companies had to release everything onto a disc / cartridge 😂
Yeah I would say It annoys me that games aren't finished when they release but I'm fine with road maps to keep the game alive if its a multiplayer game for example or if it is single player then it gives you a reason to jump back in!
@@azureascendant994 no because there is this little thing you "AGREE" to before you start a game, well that means if you actually read every single word in the Terms and conditions
I’ve learned that having a productive day before gaming has caused me to appreciate gaming more. It is more fulfilling after you’ve spent your day well.
I’m the opposite haha. If I work too hard then I have no energy to play anything. Plus if I’m really into a game, I don’t like short sessions. It killed me whenever I only had less than two hours at the end of the day for Elden Ring.
As a 42 year gamer running an LLC, I can attest, this is eventually the only way to be successful in life and continue enjoying video games. Years ago I was actually addicted to Halo 2 and smoking weed. 😂
@@kode-man23 it’s working for you tho . You’re so busy you’re too tired to play the game (same boat here) but when you wake up with nothing to do the most rewarding feeling is getting on the game and not even realizing the sun went down .
The industry right now sucks, but I'll admit part of it is "growing up." I got bored of gaming right after high school and I think it's because as an adult, it's a lot harder to get all your friends on at the same time. The more I think about it, gaming was a very social thing for me. I RARELY played without friends except when I was younger and the novelty of any game as a child was enough.
But you're referring to a specific type of game then, and actually not even talking about video games at all. It would be like saying you only like alcohol when you go out with the guys, and in reality, always prefer coffee when you're by yourself. Or hiking only in a group, and actually prefer not to be outside. Games are equivalent to movies and books. If you liked movies as a kid, you probably still like them as an adult, even though your taste might change. But you don't just stop liking movies because you're grown. That's why the 'it's just part of growing up' thing falls so flat imo.
@@joecoolberry911I felt this way too and ended up in a job that sucks the soul out of me. These single player RPGs help, even though it’s tough some days to prolong screen time.
I have a fully backwards compatible ps3 and I have had a lot of fun playing games from each of the first three generations of playstation. I think a lot of the games have aged really well and I don't really have a desire to upgrade to a modern console anytime soon.
I’d say the SNES era leading into the PlayStation era that lead into the PlayStation 2 era was collectively the greatest time in gaming history. So this is a time span of roughly 16 years (1990-2006) that pretty much set the stage and built the foundation that modern day gaming stands upon today. It is not a coincidence to me that the majority of the most successful game consoles of all time, and the majority of the most successful video game franchises of all time found their origins and spawned during this time frame.
I also have a perspective that could help: when you're younger there's not really much that you can do to improve your life so you can just sit for hours at a time playing because really it doesn't matter to you. As I got older, I realized that while technically I could just play games all day, I'd feel really guilty because I know I should be studying. It's not that I don't game anymore, but it's hardly a priority with all the stuff I have to do to get to my goals.
Nowadays, there’s many ways to do in real life what we can do in videogames and get paid for it. It’s more rewarding financially, emotionally, physically, mentally, and for your social life when you go out in the real world and build skills. I play DriftCarX because I don’t have the time and money to build a cool car and get good at drifting. Not to mention take vacation days to go to all the locations I can go to in the game.
I feel the same way. What a depressing reality. I miss fully immersing and enjoying a game, now I cant really get sucked in anymore because Im stuck thinking about whats actually going on in my life.
@@planetxtk7567 exactly, now I use gaming as a escape from the real world such as drift X as you mentioned because I don’t have time to get good at a game
I agree, I sort of feel like a loser sitting playing games for more than an hour these days. No matter how good the game is I always have this thought in the back of mind like "Really, this is what my life has come to". To be fair though I get the same feeling watching T.V. Lately i've gotten into some of the virtual fitness games on Quest. I have a feeling as vr headsets get more popular and lighter that will start to eat more and more into the traditional flat screen couch gaming. They fill my appetite to play a competitive game and am able to spend my biological energy at the same time.
With the quality reduce of released games and decreasing trust of game devs through series of disappointments, anticipation becomes less and less attractive for everyone
Indeed. I feel like because of the recent games coming out with awful push behind them we now will start to see a bit less of the terrible releases. Hopefully
I think when we were younger, companies that created games were basically some "nerds" that wanted to make something fun to play with friends, money was the second objective. Now we have big corporations that only care is the money.
This Video is the exact reason why i absolutly love Indie gaming, every game from a small dev studio is just so much different from any AAA Game that the Big Publisher not even thinking about making for a minute.
I think it's exactly it. AAA games don't take risks anymore because they can't afford it. It's too expensive. It's time to look at what's next to the AAA track . The AA and indie world. These still push innovations, art and gameplay.
Maybe you only just started observing it around 2013, but the years you outlined were actually the beginning of a slow trend towards today. Games before this time were a lot more experimental, even without technical advancements games were finding ways to innovate. By around 2013, gaming became big enough that companies knew what would be successful and so started to only make that. To be fair you outlined how nostalgia influenced your opinion in the video and I respect that.
Definitely agree with you, it felt like games of of 90's and early 2000's always pushed their engines to the limit in terms of the stuff they'd try to let the player do. Now engines are so complicated and big that it seems impossible to do that now
Ur completely rite! I was just abt to comment abt how Fortnite wasn't even the real turning point since it had was a trend riding game in development hell way b4 the battle royale pivot. The 2013 era is more like a goldilocks zone where the money was good enough for games to be big, but the medium wasnt taken as serious enough to form fit every game the way they are now.
@@mike04574 Eh, lets not get too rose tinted. Experimental stuff wasn't always good. But a lot of it was 'interesting' if that makes sense. Recently, I tried out this old PS2 game called 'Way of the Samurai'. It's an interesting sword fighting experience and one of the few games where your choices actually DO matter . . . Because it only takes place over a couple of days in a small village. A play through should take about two hours, all death are permanent, and you're encouraged to try to experiment. I found it very interesting.
I remember the first time I heard this entire argument around 1999. It's kind of refreshing to see that some things never change. Remember when Blizzard and Bungie were the innovative new kids on the block? I wonder whatever happened to those guys?
Now they ruin games people put their hearts into. I.E Diablo and Overwatch. I wont ever be able to play overwatch 1 again....why are they taking away my game.
@@LemmeCheckMark not all the time, destiny 2 has got so much better especially story-wise. We have an actual story arc instead of the exo stranger telling us 'I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain'
@@LemmeCheckMark sadly I'm pretty sure they outline why they can take away the game in the EULA. By saying that it's not yours, you just lease the software as long as they allow it. As a user that's always sucked. As a software engineer, it's how I got paid.
@@wrecklass except that contract is unenforceable legally... but they dont need it to be, because they can just bury you in legal fees before an outcome can ever be reached.
It hits every gaming generation at some point. It’s the business that kills the art. But every now and then someone breaks the routine and we start it all over again. Been gaming since games were black and white.
The solution is pretty simple, just play old games. Either through emulation, old hardware or just games that are compatible on modern system. I got bored of modern games, and returned to my favorites growing up, like BFME 2, rfactor 2, WRC Rally Evolved, Richard Burns Rally, Dragon Age Origins, GTR 2 etc. Those games are so much better than the modern stuff. Not to mention those are GAMES, unlike modern "games" that are casinos disguised as video games. I miss when you started the game and entered a cool, clean and atmospheric title screen taht screamed passion in its product. These older games have that soul that modern games are missing, and it really shows. I don't care about graphics, its pointless anyway so I returned to my favorites games and I have officially quit looking for modern games, it always disappoints. Besides, you can play old gems for the rest of your life, considering how many great games that have been accumulated over the years, no need to look for new stuff.
@@Skumtomten1 Agreed, this is what I've been doing. This is exactly why gaming could never die as well, as long as there's inspiration & passion & soul in the hobby we love. ULTRAKILL, DUSK, and AMID EVIL are just a handful of boomer shooters that have hit the market & they are just the beginning of a return to the "Good ol' days".
You touched on some really good points in this video. I'm 31 and I have watched the gaming industry slowly get worse over the course of my life. When the gaming industry became heavily corporatized, the art and creativity went out the window. Live service games are a blight on the industry, but they produce insane amounts of profit for shareholders and so they will never go away. I remember the early days of Steam and how games were cheaper to download from Steam because you didn't get a case, box art, manual or poster. Now there is no difference in price from the physical copy and technically, on a lot of download platforms, you don't even own the game anymore. I think the big lesson here is that once big money and corporations get involved in something, it dies.
and don't forget, "micro transactions" ... but seriously they've been making Call of Duty games for 20 years. It's funny hearing Gen Z talking like they're the first generation that grew up with games or grew up gaming. Since the 80's (Nintendo) kids have been growing up gaming.
@@malikon6953 To be fair, gaming definitely wasn't as widespread back then as it is now. Lots of mobile games are around the same levels of quality as NES games (in terms of system complexity and content - graphics obviously superior) and everyone plays them, whereas console and PC games are a lot more diverse and higher quality. This is especially true in the eastern block, where gaming was largely inaccessible pre-90s, followed by economic turmoil before people could afford consoles.
its odd to hear this coming from someone probably half my age. ive felt the same way about gaming but a decade removed, my favourite era was the late 90s early 2000s because it was so easy to innovate, every new thing that came out was a step forward and you didnt know what to expect from a game, every title was filled with possibilities that youd projected into it just from looking at the screenshots.
Yeah for me I have a load of friends who find this as the current state of games which some people just say is cynical but really for us it’s just we’ve had such bad quantity games or just general lies and promise being broken that it’s left a bad mark on everything
Wow. It make sense from the 90s perspective. Ac 1 to 2 wasnt really improved much if u compare it to nintendo pixelated asscreed on old console to ass creed 1.
Haha bro when you said “half of my age” I checked for how old is your account and well 15 years..that’s bigger then fortnite bois..I totally agree with your with your comment now it’s more of cash grabbing and “normal enjoyment” not like you can think this was gonna be good or that one..all they got now micro transactions and done... Idk may be I do lose interest with time but I didn’t play any game full from 2018...things have change a lot..companies create hype with game but It didn’t go as planned. I don’t find any games these days which I can say “take my money” I used to like batman Arkham series I bought it...I like Lara Croft tomb raider till the “underworld” I bought it after that things are just....okay I’m growing and now 21 and I think companies are now looking for younger age audience attention
I'm a few years away of being 40 and I have to completely agree with the video and how things work. Real life pressure has become so much that playing games become a real luxury and no longer a pass time. I used to play the crap out of any game I could, but this year was a defining time when I realized I just wasn't having as much fun anymore and that reality beckoned through every moment of gameplay.
@@CJFreeza you realise in late 30s here I’m 21 and when I play games the stress of “staying behind” and do all the task or thoughts keep going which makes me play for just 30mins most often :’)
I can honestly relate so much to when I was younger, I could play games like Minecraft from sunrise to sunset. Although now I can barely play a game for more than two hours without it feeling like I just wasted my time
Well is a same waste of time like with watching movies. Is just a hobby. As a kid we do not have much else to do except to go outside or to school. As an adults we have way more responsibilities and things to take care of so playing games can feel this way.
@@LukiGames0 I disagree. I love gaming but you seriously can't say that watching 50hrs of various different movies (with different stories, values, acting styles, thought provoking ideas) is on the same level as spending 50hrs in Minecraft. There are certain game genres with stories, yes, and I'd argue that playing those isn't a waste of time (because it has the same advantages as watching movie or stageplay), but if I ever have kids, I'd never allow them to play mindless games that go on repeat for hours upon hours (Minecraft, FPS games, Car racing games, Arcade games). I don't even remotely remember what happened in the 100+hrs I put into Tekken, Smash Bros, etc while I very well remember every JRPG I played and major plot elements, values, and lore it taught me.
@@LukiGames0 Yeh but movies dont give you the same feeling. I know many people who can watch a movie without feeling guilty or wasting time but the same people play a game and feel guilty. I have also experienced this.
@@NoctLightCloud I Agree with you compeletely however with Minecraft I think it really depends on what your children are doing in Minecraft because Minecraft can be a very creative game and if they are using it to improve their creative abilities through ingame building and what not then I think that's okay as opposed to just running around mining and killing stuff for 50 hours if they are creating new builds, their own designs or even following design instructions from UA-cam that is all very educational for a child. I would assume anyway?
You know what? I think newer games tend to require more work and effort just to get into them, and not always the fun kind of work. Something I’ve been thinking about more and more is that when I was younger (or anyone that was playing games from the early 2010’s or before that) is that games used to leave A LOT more to our imaginations. As technology gets better and better, it’s almost by design that developers are filling in all the blanks so that we don’t have to use our imaginations at all. When I first played Skyrim, I didn’t mind that towns felt tiny. Hell, Whiterun felt huge. Going back to it now after playing newer games, it feels quaint. But at the time it was glorious, not because it was a fully realized and realistic city, I didn’t expect it to be that. But it had just enough to give my imagination fuel to get excited about all the mysteries that could be waiting for me around any corner. Now with a gigantic, realistic city, it can be blandly overwhelming. I can wander around aimlessly for a long time without engaging at all with anything of substance or purpose. I can even get lost and potentially waste an hour of play time. Bigger, more detailed worlds that don’t inspire your imagination are MORE WORK to play, and honestly feel more empty, no matter how much more detailed they are. A game like Elden Ring or Breath of the Wild are good examples of ways around that. They have just enough ambiguity and variety to keep your imagination engaged.
This. My favorite games are isometric RPG games from Spiderweb Software... with super terrible graphics XD. There is just a ton of space for imagination.
@@Olivia-W Absolutely, I love all the Avernum games, especially Avernum 1-3 (1998-2001), I could imagine all kinds of things happening, how the Tower of Magi was blown, the Vahnatai etc. Modern games leave very little for imagination & too much going on at the same time to be fun & immersive.
I had similar sentiments. Avoided online games like CoD until eventually bought into MW2019 due to covid and peer pressure. Was good enough with the game that I was able to unlock the obsidian skin. And then Cold War came out and to my horror, have to go through another set of farming again and I noped put.
This is why text based games can still actually be superior to graphical ones in some respect, if you find an actual good one like Akanbar in among the oversaturated basket of very similar text games which use the same codebases/skins etc (so the same thing that happened with graphical games losing their innovation actually happened before with the text ones that preceded them). Like books, they can stimulate your imagination in a way that a graphical one rarely can.
I both agree and disagree with you. Imagination plays a big factor to the longevity of its shelf life. I play GTA V a lot. I created two characters, gave them both storylines. I play differently with each character, own different weapons, vehicles, houses. And I have fun. What ruins it is there is no individuality in games. Everyone else flies around on the same oppressor, and kills me without trying. Where is the fun in using the best vehicle, the best weapons? Or any game? Everyone looks up the best build online and everyone copies that. Everyone uses the best/strongest/fastest characters. And then says it isn’t fun… I can’t imagine why. I can still drive around and get lost in San Andreas, go to places I’ve never been and that games been out forever.
Sometimes I wonder if it's just me growing old and starting to go full boomer but I actually get hyped and enjoy new indie games with much simpler mechanics than AAA games. Teens these days seem to get bored and sick of games way faster than I even did as a teen so it's most definitely an industry problem.
I think it is also because of the overconsumption of media in this time. I remember showing all kinds of games to kids from my family. I mean they are fucking 5/6 years old and already on ticktock with their own phones and shit. At that age was building fortresses with wooden blocks, and building things in the forest. I veryvividly remember playing Minecraft for the first time I was completly engrossed in that game. I could plays for weeks straight, it was like that with all games.
It's partly an industry problem. But it's also partly a cultural problem. Our culture has just shifted in such a negative way the last few decades and it shows in both the gaming industry and in our youth of today.
Gaming is in a poor state. I’m unashamedly a gen 1 gamer, it’s in my dna. My son is a gamer too & I’ve never witnessed such a poor turnout of broken games in my life. This has happened because games are made for profit first, creation last. Devs used to put heart, soul & imagination in their games. Now they can’t do that when the head board is telling them what to make instead.
I was thinking similar things to you until I saw fire emblem engage got announced and I nearly jizzed in my pants. Also Rachet and Clank rift apart gave me hope too for modern day gaming. That was probably the best game ever made in my opinion
@@cd4playa1245 Is it really that good? Last R&C game I played through was Tools of Destruction. I can't imagine it topping Up Your Arsenal (for its time).
This really resonated with me. I was born in 1995, and I grew up playing PS1, N64, and then of course ps2, 360, and PS4 into my early adulthood. My love for gaming hasn't gone away but these days it really takes something special to hold my attention like it used to. Red Dead 2 is one of the great examples of a game that pushed the envelope enough for me personally to draw me in. I can't wait for the next game that inspires imagination like so many used to.
I'm 39 years old and I've had several quiet "era's" regarding gaming, where I just don't have interest for it all that much. But it has always come back eventually. I don't know if it's the industry, age or just fatigue for gaming that demands a break for it to feel fun again, or a mixture of all 3, but now that I've noticed how that fluctuates, I no longer have that worry that my gaming hobby would somehow die out. First time it happened, I think I had very similar thoughts that you go through in this video and - I don't know if you can relate, but a part of it was kinda a huge bummer when I thought I'm losing interest to gaming entirely. It felt like not wanting to let go despite not being that into it. Then something came along like the new God of War, or Valheim that me and a friend played for something like 30 hours on the first 3 days of owning it and I noticed it's all still there once the interest sparks up and I have free time for it. It does however reaally suck how the industry has changed towards mass production of similar games, the greedy anti-consumer antics being so rampant, unpolished titles when publishers decide they've sold so many pre-orders (with their pre-order incentives playing into FOMO etc.) they don't have to care about the release state all that much and can just fix it later, maybe... But there is absolutely no way I'm running out of things to play. Right now playing Remnant: From the Ashes with that same also-39-year-old friend and we're very much hooked, playing on Nightmare difficulty and cursing at bosses until we beat em haha. Sure, it's not all the same where I could play until I go to sleep and start playing when I get up in my day to day life, but every now and then when a good game release and a vacation lines up, it's still about as glorious as before. Elden Ring was one of those as my first FromSoft game and it was incredible. * flashbacks of trying to beat Malenia for 2 days straight until I finally did it * Still, good video, a lot of food for thought!
One thing you have to consider is how we the players have changed due to social media and other technology that offers instant gratification. Our attention spans are the shortest they’ve ever been. There’s never been a more difficult time being a developer and engaging people. especially when your audience can only hold their attention for 30 seconds. Then they move on to the next thing.
@@ominous-omnipresent-they The human brain changes and adapts to it's surroundings. What you are saying is implying that we cannot get addicted or form bad habits around modern concepts because those didn't exist 10000 years ago.
@@ominous-omnipresent-they Why did you say the brain had gone realtively unchanged for tens of thousands of years then? What was your point? Also how about you working on your reading comprehension instead? I only said what your words would imply by logic, not what you literally said.
late 2006-2011 to me was the plateau. You had the HUGE jump between ps2 graphics and Xbox 360. You had gears of war come out which blew everybody away. Still to this day my favorite multiplayer game I ever played, latency problems and all! You had COD 4 in 2007 and mass effect, assassins creed, bioshock. 08 had Metal Gear Solid 4, GTA4. 09 had Arkham asylum, Assassins creed 2, 2010 mass 2, bioshock 2, red dead, God of War 3. 2011 Was skyrim, portal 2, Arkham city. It hasn't got any better from here.
I’m not saying it was the craziest year for games ever but 2017 saw some really influential releases that shook up the video game world as we knew it: Persona 5 (Worldwide Release), Breath of the Wild, Cuphead, Mario Odyssey, Resident Evil 7, Fortnite, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Injustice 2, Hollow Knight, NieR Automata, and Horizon Zero Dawn. That’s an extremely stacked lineup!
2011- dark souls, dead space 2, gears 3, rage, resistance 3, killzone 3, fear 3, mass effect 2, bulletstorm, crisis 2, witcher 2, la noire, arkham city, dead island, uncharted 3, modern warfare 3, battlefield 3, saints row 3, dues ex, bodycount, 40k space marine . 2011 was packed and amazing, I spent so much money that year and liked more games that year than I have any year before or since
The social aspect is huge. Even games with no thought put into the social elements benefit from kids going to school everyday, that was a place to talk about games. Now as we age having that social circle is much harder, and many AAA games leave out things that could help this aspect like couch co-op. Games that bring us together again succeed, Pokemon Go, Overcooked, Diablo, etc.
Been feeling this a ton in 2022. I literally spend more time looking through my library than I do playing the game I finally settle on. I just feel like I’ve seen it all at this point. Haven’t felt that magic in a long time (Tunic came closest this year)
Currently stuck in this loop where I get on, see no game that interests me so I buy a new one on sale and play it for like 3 days then get bored or just go back to the same 2 games I only play. I have bought nearly 200 games now😅
@karmicbacklash played Tunic on Xbox and looking to enjoy it on the go with the Switch. You’re absolutely right… Tunic was just about the only thing worth looking into this year. Sad
No it’s lack of effort or the creativity we had back then, gaming was a new frontier and people threw their lives into it games were epic and thought through. The stories were creative and immersive, everything was inspired and we could enjoy it without shelling out our wallets
I think that could be because the future never came. VR was the lost future of the 90s though no real celebration took place when the actuality of it manifested years later. There is no real future so to speak. We have diminishing, incremental strives towards something but that’s seems to be about it. If I was still playing a NES when PS1 came out I would have been laughed at. Now retro is cutting edge and 8 bit games occupy as much digital real estate if not more than triple A games. It seems to me we are not only going backwards but literally back to the future.
@@diggielixx The problem is that in the 90s virtual reality was a tech company thing and not a gaming thing. Virtual reality was an Apple thing or (ironically)a Microsoft thing back then and not a Sega or Sony or Nintendo thing. We were still impressed by the PS1’s horrible 3D graphics until the very end of the 90s because Sony was the closest thing the hardcore gamer had to a big tech company making games.
It's kind of funny when Gen Z kids talk about their golden era of games...I played games in the 90s/00s so my golden era is totally different and I felt the same way he feels now during what he considered the best days of his gaming. I totally agree. I'm starting to think it's all really perspective and how you accepted gaming during your formative years more so than it is about gaming in general
I remember playing super mario 64 and goldeneye those were great fun and couch coop and screen peeping were the best. The biggest jump in graphics and story were from the 5th generation to sixth generation of consoles. Back then every week had a banger of some sort or another releasing and it was absolute bliss. There are gems still out there I really enjoyed Amnesia The Dark Descent, Minecraft, Doom (2016), Forza and many others. I have to admit though 5th to 6th generation were popping out classics like crazy.
I personally played the most games from 2004 to 2013 and that was the true golden age of gaming. Resident Evil 4 reignited my love for gaming and from there it was a down hill spiral. Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, VTM: Bloodlines, Half Life 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect series I could go on. Even before that I was a gamer, but I dipped out of it a bit between 2000 and 2003. The occasional Unreal Tournament games with friends were there. Fun times.
I think getting older is a big aspect in why the experience changed. Its hareder to get immersed as you age, you have more "adult" things lingering on your mind. Financial, work, family, health..all things you dont worry about at young age.
We're just growing up and noticing there's much more to life than gaming. Quality games are always coming out. I'm 32 and still having loads of fun with gaming.
I reckon the indie revolution is coming. Engines and more powerful tech will empower small teams to make indie games at scales we consider AAA. If AAA stays where it is, it'll get lapped within the decade.
@@kongman536 can't buy something that doesn't want to be sold. If an Indie dev team is happy with their capacity to produce, and truly wish to maintain what they have and make - I'm all for it. "Sometimes selling out, is giving up."
As a gamer I definitely notice im changing alot in how I enjoy gaming. I hardly have the patience to sit and play a game for more than a few hours before I start to get uncomfortable from sitting in one spot too long and I used to always play games on hard and enjoyed a challenge but now I usually just play everything on easy now because I'm more interested in just experiencing the story rather than repeating a fight several times. I know this isn't necessarily related to the topic but its something I've noticed about myself as of late
I have been feeling the same. You aren't alone in that feeling. As soon as I see a massive grind ahead of me or get to a really difficult part, I quickly lose interest.
@@Drstrange3000 yeah the only grinding I enjoy is like obline GTA or Red because because that's basically you building your own empire brick by brick everutime you level up or gain another big sum of money but when it comes to collectibles in stories or having to search a map for something instead of the game just telling me I get bored right away. I see games more as a way to tell a story almost like im binging a show. Also games like AC valhalla are so much better on easy. I've always hated the combat in AC origins. Odyssey and valhalla its so boring and not satisfying like the older assassins creed games and I've never been able to finish any of those 3 while I've beaten the other games several times each. However when I switched those games to easy the combat felt good all of a sudden and the attacks I did actually packed a punch. That doesn't make those 3 games much better story and ganeooay wise but it improves at least one aspect.
I am the same exact way. I find I enjoy Rocket League very much due to the quick matches & having the choice of either fun or getting seriously competitive
Yea i found myself doin the same thing i think the reason is so many games have the same type of storyline you played a few u played them all so i just wanna see how the story goes without having to do to much myself
One of the biggest changes is that making games stopped being about passion and more about corporate greed. In the past games where made and published by people that genuinely wanted to improve gaming. See examples as Assassin's Creed or Crusader Kings 2. Now games are developed to be as mainstream as possible with the risk of losing the heart of your game and the true reason they where made for in the first place.
I still play games today that give me the same magical feeling as video games did as a kid, i think a huge reason has been the introduction of micro-transactions, sacrificing a game being released in a buggy state just to meet a deadline they announced way too early, and vice versa with games not being released with enough content and just adding more later.
A way I found to keep things new is to play older games I didn’t get the chance to play as a kid. This goes along with the price of games. As a kid, your parents only bought you so many games each year. Now I’ve been going back to each of those games!
I agree, though I also kind of had some kind of sad feeling playing older games, because it gave me a sense of feeling like I missed the train to talk about it with my friends when it was hot.
My problem with gaming and this is more of a personal problem is that I start a game and fall in love with it for a week or two and then about halfway through I lose interest. It’s not even about them being a new experience, cause I literally restart games make it to the same point then burn out. I think I’m just in love with the idea of having a fresh start
Yeah it’s very common for games not to keep up the interest. Some games I just can’t stop playing, but most just get boring after a while, too much repetition and the story isn’t good enough to keep you interested.
I have the same problem. I'll play a game for weeks and then burn out and not play it again for another 6 months. This is becoming more common too and it's why games as a service is turning people off.
The problem with modern gaming that nobody wants to admit is that originally games were made by groups of nerdy guys who wanted to create art and share their ideas and stories with the world. Then gaming became more moderated and those nerdy guys were pushed out in favor of "equality" with people who don't care about creating their own story but instead create whatever the big wigs tell them to create. Don't believe me? Bungie, Neversoft, Maxis even R* and many many others were originally made up of just nerdy guys. They didn't have "diversity" and that was OK. They made art. And that Era is gone now.
Definitely a new age. Good games exist in the corners that no one cares to check. There are still some good AAA games(Elden Ring being the first that comes to mind), imo, but 90% of the games that are good are indie titles.
And mods ..millions of mods and total conversions and mobile games Like TOTAL CHAOS ,ASHES 2067,ASHES AFTERSHOCK , POLYFIELD ,ATOM RPG , BATTLEFRON 2 PSP V9 and so on .. on my main channel androidferret I show a lot of those
I would say it's abit of both. Back when I was a kid, I enjoyed many a game that I've come to realise now we're actually crappy games. Reason I enjoyed them was coz due to lack of funds, I would have to "find" the fun in whatever games I could get my hands on. Also it's alot easier to enjoy gaming when you don't have any responsibilities as a kid... BUT on the other hand the gaming industry has obviously regressed in a way. In as much as we are spoilt with powerful gaming machines, stunning graphics, epic worlds, etc game quality had definitely taken a knock. Back then before the evil mega corporations got too involved with the finer details of video games, the games were spear headed by passionate and creative game developers who weren't in it for the money per say but we're in it for the love. Now most games feel sterile, empty, soulless, rushed and half realised because they are made by hundreds of "robots" in these so called development companies... being led and pushed by accountants and boards of directors who are out of touch with gamers, and are only interested in the money there is to be made
I think it's most likely a biological thing and not necessarily the games themselves. We, the complainers, are generally older gamers with developed brains. We care less and less about fun and more about fulfillment and contentment whereas children look for fun. And let's face it, in the end games just aren't fulfilling. That's precisely why we are enjoying games less and less, not to mention that you become more critical around age 22.
I don’t know about Gaming itself But gaming channels are definitely a thing of the past. There was only so much gaming Mark Felix and Seán could do before they reached insane and unpredictable heights of UA-cam fame to the point where they’re much of their content had to be changed and edited. It used to just be funny teens playing scary games, now they’re almost 30 and how many of the 3 have changed drastically? All Three. Gaming only gets worse because of developers choosing to make games for consoles instead of consoles for games anymore. My ps2 from childhood runs better than my 2nd Xbox one for longer, it only takes 15 mins for the Xbox one to start whirring and “overheating.”
"Back then before the evil mega corporations got too involved with the finer details of video games, the games were spear headed by passionate and creative game developers who weren't in it for the money per say but we're in it for the love." Really, can you remember E.T.?
I started playing computer and console games in the late 90’s when I was in my thirties. It was something my son, my husband and I did together as a family. We had so much fun playing games like Diablo 2, Age of Empires and many others. There are so many great memories from so many different games we shared as a family. From my perspective, gaming is indeed changing. The audience is growing up and has gotten wise to the predatory practices of most of the current day AAA companies. Change is in the air. I’m excited to see where we go next!
Your family should have been at a park getting air and learning competitive skills that actually matter and don't involve how fast can I kill and how many.
@@theberetdepression8217 Of course I don’t play video games anymore! Everyone knows they round us all up when we reach the old fart age and wipe all the cool, fun stuff out of us. 😂
I’m 34 and have been playing video games since the Super Nintendo. Times have changed for the worse. I don’t wanna work 50 hours a week just to come home to “grind” or pay my way to win a game. It’s don’t wanna spend half of my experience searching for loot boxes/chests.
I got bored of modern games, and returned to my favorites growing up, like BFME 2, rfactor 2, WRC Rally Evolved, Richard Burns Rally, Dragon Age Origins, GTR 2 etc. Those games are so much better than the modern stuff. Not to mention those are GAMES, unlike modern "games" that are casinos disguised as video games. I miss when you started the game and entered a cool, clean and atmospheric title screen taht screamed passion in its product. These older games have that soul that modern games are missing, and it really shows. I don't care about graphics, its pointless anyway so I returned to my favorites games and I have officially quit looking for modern games, it always disappoints. Besides, you can play old gems for the rest of your life, considering how many great games that have been accumulated over the years, no need to look for new stuff.
The gaming industry used to be much smaller, the medium was newer and more experimental, entire new game genres were invented and blended together. Nowadays, the game industry is worth over a billion dollars and games now are played by a larger group of people. So the pressure is on developers to create a widely accessible game with mass appeal, instead of an experimental game to discover new niches, or create highly tailored games for a smaller market. The games of today look better and play better. We get amazing voice acting, smooth mechanics, animation and cinematics, but rarely do we see a game do something unusual or bizarre. Most modern games all seem to have an open world, a crafting system, equipment and upgrades, dialogue choices, quests and sidequests. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it shows the tendency for larger studios to go with the 'tried and true' formulaic approach rather than be bold and risky. There was a time where open world games were never a thing in gaming then came along Gran Theft Auto. There was a time where there was no such thing as bullet time, and then came Max Payne. There was a time when online first person shooters were not a thing on consoles then came Halo. The first few Assassin's Creed games are a good example of Franchise/IP milking and fatigue. The developers of the first few Assassin's Creed games had total free creative control. They had tons of money available as investment to create a brand new complete revolutionary game engine, could take risks and had the passion to create something that would be great. But as a general rule, investors prefer to give go ahead to established titles than risking something new. This way we get sequels, trilogies, remakes, and now nearly all high budget products are rehashing of what was there years ago. Games that stand out for me are the games that don't just do something well, they do something new. I think I'm always going to believe that things from my time are better, but I think I have solid arguments about why modern games aren't as good. You know, the usual stuff, microtransactions, companies playing it too safe with never ending sequels, publishers having too much power over developers, budget going on graphics and marketing rather than gameplay, etc, etc. That for me might be the reason I gravitate towards older games. I think it's less about nostalgia and more about the state of the industry...
The console and PC gaming isnt much bigger(if any) today. PS2 sold for 150 million. Its the mobile gaming that disrupted the market. Thats one reason for the decline of the AAA games market, talent has gone to small indie studios. Second its the inherent greed and corruption that comes with big money. As I said during PS2 era it was already huge and some studios that got really rich by then already started to collapse in the end of that cycle. Capcom,Square and Konami to name few. They are but a shadow of what they were during PS1, PS2. Third is the stagnation of the CPU side of hardware coupled with less competent programmers. It hasnt risen much since PS3 era. Considering thats where the gameplay gets to run on its a big deal. Programmers have to be really skilled(and willing) to really tap into some extra horsepower(which isnt that great tbh compared to PS3/Xbox 360 era that already had multicore 3+ Ghz processors). Jonathan Blow goes on about this at lengths.
I agree and I would go further back but I’m 40 years old. You sound like you’re maybe 30(?) (that’s not an insult) Even Nintendo (NES) had so many games of great variety. The 16 bit games saw a large expanse of ideas as well. The more powerful the systems got, the more innovation we saw, up until about 5 years ago, right when the industry got to big for its own good.
I 100 percent agree. It’s not that I don’t enjoy modern games. I only love the ones that innovate and give me a new experience. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of them in AAA and most of them tend to be indies.
Honestly any time I can get 2-3+ people to all play at the same time I get that feeling of nostalgia when I was younger. It seems so hard to get 2-3 people on at the same time. Especially the same people too. I remember when I was younger and there was a game (not always new) that we’d like we’d all get it together but now that doesn’t really ever happen anymore . A group of friends to play with is always really nostalgic . Especially when it’s a group of friends you knew when you were young
Was just talking to a few friends about this. Gaming feels stale at times because when we were younger, it wasn't about competition ALL THE TIME. You had some, but it was really about single player and then teaming up to play through a game for fun.
@@Aitchfactor like there’s nights where I get a random invite for csgo . One homie just randomly invites all the homies at a stupid ass time like 2 am and we got like a 4-5 man going on and it’s so hella fun. We all gamin , it’s 2 am it’s not like we care or trying (plus it’s csgo I don’t even care about comp in that game anymore ) and every time, I get nostalgia because it reminds me of back in the golden days of just invite , hop on, fun . Nothing else to worry about
AAA studios are dying. Gaming is very much alive. Nobody trusts corporate execs to make good decisions anymore its all about the investors and fast profit
I am hitting 30 soon and I just don't have much interest in games anymore. I feel like I am witnessing the same tropes and stories over and over for the most part.
I think creating games, like any creative endeavor, can't easily survive going corporate. Passion, creativity, the willingness to pursue crazy ideas - all that gets homogenized into a shadow of itself when spreadsheets and lawyers get involved. Yes, we all grew up, but unfortunately the gaming industry did too - into a lawyer.
This week I got myself scrolling through stream services and steam, looking at movies, series, new games, and I felt like all these industries stopped to try and make good art to instead make anything that can grab my attention. The lack of originality is really showing in all forms of entertainment, feels like all sorts of new media are a copy/paste of something that has already been done. I know it's impossible to always innovate, but they don't seem to be even trying. With so much content avaliable to us, the ammount of time we spend looking for something actually good and entertaining sometimes is bigger than the time we spend playing or watching something.
I feel like gaming, and game making, was still an artistic thing back in the 90s. However, as the market has gotten bigger and bigger over the past few decades, and that has drawn in all the typical corporate vultures. Also, if I could lay the blame for the current gaming environment at the feet of just two games, they'd be Candy Crush and World of Warcraft. Candy Crush for showing how popular the "pay for convenience" style of mobile gaming could be, and WoW for paving the way for "games as a service". Yeah, I know WoW isn't the first MMO, but it's the first one that really got CEOs eyes popping out of their heads with how much money it was making.
@@seanwilliams7655 I don't know if you can really place the blame on any game. These systems were going to happen one way or another. The blame is where it always is, the consumer, if people stopped paying 5 dollars for their coins in candy crush or whatever it would have never gotten as big as it has. Now these companies have taken on more of publishing/parent company role. Most big companies hardly make games, they either buy up smaller companies or own the engine they are using and get a % of profits. Personally I don't play games much anymore anyway so it's not a big deal for me.
@@devinkipp4344 you're right. I didn't mean blame in the literal sense. More that it was those games that caught the attention of publishers because they were making so much money. As you said, if it wasn't those two, it would have been something else. Personally, I don't mind MTX in a free to play mobile game. I understand that developers have to make money. I don't think it should be pay to win, but some minor cosmetics or convenience items I have no problem with. Where my issue comes in is when they have that stuff in full priced AAA games. And what REALLY grinds my gears is that, from the moment Bethesda introduced horse armor, people were saying things would turn out EXACTLY like they have. I still play games quite a bit, but I hardly ever buy anything brand new or at full price. It's usually getting older games on Steam that I missed back in the day, or using emulation.
@@seanwilliams7655 I'm in the same boat as you. "This game is the best game of the decade you HAVE to play it." Ok I'll wait four years when it goes on a steam sale for 90% with all dlc/extras included. I bought Witcher 3 and all expansions for like 5 bucks I think. That being said I did buy cyberpunk day 1 but I really enjoyed it. I agree that there shouldn't really be MTX in AAA single player games but it's here now. Personally I don't think I've ever bought a game that has MTX in it but I'd have to double check.
It's crazy how much I relate to what you're saying about your relationship with gaming nowadays - I feel like I'm watching a video I made in an alternate universe. The industry of greed, my adulthood, potential addiction, games being worse, nostalgia bait, inefficiency when giving time to my current games, the stagnation of innovation and creativity. It's all spot on.
For me, my loss of interest in games is because of how every game has to be a service that needs to be downloaded and updated and is stuffed with microtransactions and add ons. When I was young, I just popped in the disc and the GameCube would play what’s on the disc.
Ditch multiplayer games. Some might get some kind of patch every now and then, but for the most part, the strings attached to “online only” games just aren’t there
This video hit home for me. I’m 24 and grew up playing halo 3 customs, CoD, and Gears but I’m at the beginning of my adulting. I still love and game for a bit ever so often but that spark for gaming isn’t quite there anymore. I’ve played mainly competitive fps games but found myself enjoying MMOs or single player games that I can start and stop when I want. The fun social aspect of games has been pretty much cast aside. I feel like there’s other things that are much more productive. It’s just us growing up and gaming being a cash grab in todays world. It’s really sad to see but I’ll take any chance to play with the boys for an hour or two here and there that I can✊
Same age as you. Sadly, I think it's just part of growing up. I don't think anything is going to capture again the sense of wonder and amazement I had when I played minecraft or destiny for the first time. I have so much more life experience now, so much more knowledge of games, and not enough time to truly enjoy them. I loved opening up the new Spiderman games pc port, but I downloaded it over a month ago and I've only had time to play it once since then.
Its funny because I was 24 (shit, my childhood was Super Nintendo) when all those games were released. I used to think the late 90's-2000's were the golden age of gaming but really it is just a constantly evolving industry full of dynamic genre, similar to the music industry. Just gotta know where to look these days, I still regularly come across games that blow me away. I think you hit the nail on the head concerning AAA. The law of diminishing returns is grating away at their stale approach to games, I think people are finally getting burnt out on their rehashed offerings.
I think you described a period of my life when I started playing less and less and ended up doing a long break. There was nothing that appealed much to me at the time. Then I started slowly playing some pc games in my very old laptop, got a console and then Elden Ring rolled around. I now can say I play a lot, almost as much as when I was a student. The advantage of long breaks is that when you come back you have an enormous roster to explore and that keeps things fresh. Thank you for the video!
This happened to me in my early late teens/ early 20s - I skipped the whole PS3 generation. It wasn't until I finished my degree, had a career, and had my own place that life started slowing down where playing a video game felt appropriate in the evening. Coming back in at the PS4 generation felt rewarding. The games had well thought out story lines that were deeply engaging. Graphically I was awestruck. Moreover I could afford them - and buying a game wasn't about it I could, it was about if I should. What surprised me the most was that I've had some genuine - "I feel like I'm 11 years old on Christmas Day" experiences. Breath of The Wild is a game that I wish I could experience for the first time all over again. Being in your 30s and realizing something can captivate your imagination in a way you only experienced as a child -- that is a truly powerful and comforting feeling.
@@andrewszabo1552 Same story for me! I loved multiplayer games as a kid. Had a long break (7-8 year) in my early 20s. Then got back into it slowly over the last 5 years. I have given up on multiplayer titles and am loving gaming more than ever! I pretty much only play indie titles and switch up genres often. I also prefer to play games that have already stood the test of time and are well received. I don't have time to risk it with new releases these days.
I pointed this out a few times already, but when I played ark 3 years ago, I felt like a kid again. It all has to do with lack of novel experiences available in the gaming industry, but also many of our lack of willingness to try something new and bold when it is presented
In the list of 2010-15 great games, most you mentioned there were sequels or made by already beloved studios. Now, I'm talking completely out of my ass here, but I'm starting to see more and more new games from unknown companies (mostly Indies) that people are enjoying, so what I think is happening is we're going through the early stages again where new companies and franchises gain a footing in the industry, and one day people will be able to enjoy the long awaited sequels for these titles as the series' that we've come to love fall behind
Oh sweet summer child. Back in my day NES was really popular and we spent time playing megaman and super mario together with friends. What you are describing is basically the experience every generation had with their games. From my point of view PS1 and PS2 era was the peak of gaming. Still they are releasing good games all the time even to this day: Phoenix Point (2019), Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga (2022), Creeper World 4 (2020), Loop Hero (2021), Mount & Blade 2 (2020). Just gotta look outside the AAA titles.
Zelda TOTK had me reliving my childhood in the most glorious of ways, so that means that a game just has to be sufficiently good. I honestly thought experiencing a game in the way I did this one, was behind me.
Nintendo is hitting it out of the ball park. They just showed a promo of a Mario RPG re-master and a Princess Peach game, etc. Quite a few bits they showed had me super interested. I remember playing Mario RPG with an ex-GF. She really liked the game. Now the game is going to get an awesome modern take on it released soon :)
@@fayelis yeah I just cannot get into open world games like that - they take take way too much time to really get into and enjoy. 38 year old me just doesn’t have that patience or time .. I can still get into simply platformers though for short bursts
I was born in 1980, and my first experience gaming was on an Atari that was older than me. The gaming landscape is evolving as it always does. As someone who loved FPS during the 90s and early 2000s, it felt like Halo and COD would be the end. All that happened was that it was the next evolution in FPS games. It's the same with all genres and platforms.
Im 29 and this video is fascinating. Because the era you describe starting with AC3 to me was the era where games started 'dying' to me. Not because gaming was dying but because that naivety started dying in me. I hear you describe a golden age and i remember a period where my enthusiasm was actually decreasing...
This is so interesting to hear. Really sounds like a natural human progression where I guess the games naturally don't engage our brains as they much too. I am 22 so I entered this phase just before Fortnite came out. I rejected Fortnite and loads of other new games. Even though I feel the past 12 years have flown by, I was speaking to my partners nephew saying I played Minecraft... which is now apparently for "Old People"
@matyohaha yeah ik that's the reality. But I mean the fact that a child thought minecraft is an "old person's game" shows time is getting on (I wasn't saying its an old person's game)
@@GamerBoyRobby I'm 22 and Fortnite in 2018-19 was my favourite time in gaming, even after having so many amazing memories already. As in 2019 I finally got to live my dream of competing in games at a professional level full-time. I think there is a small percent of people that just genuinely love games and it will remain a big part of their lives. Sure I wish would love to go back to previous 'peaks' but I still really enjoy games and almost certainly always will.
@@Shadow--- I definitely do love games but I'm not as much of an all around gamer as I used to be. I still play games a lot but usually the same games, don't get anything new often, apart from when I got an oculus recently but that's about it. I have to admit though, the next couple of years might really spark my gaming again. Looking forward to KSP 2, Starfield and a few others. Not sure why I never liked Fortnite though... not that I dislike anything in particular but I get bored a lot. Congrats on the games comp stuff btw, i defo wouldnt do well in any comps today haha. I was going to get into games development but after an apprenticeship popped up, I got my degree in software engineering and working in that field now recently graduated. Might look back into games dev in the future, really fun.
I was going to comment this too, I think it really is an age thing and it's not that when you get older you don't enjoy games as much, you're just more aware of what you're playing and your time is more constricted so you're focussed on trying to get as much fun in as short amount of time. Overall I think thre are still a tonne of amazing games coming out now. Elden Ring and the souls games in general are some of the best games I've ever played.
As a 40 year old It's kinda hard to get immersed into a games anymore like it was when I was a kid, but VR fixed that for me ;) Still don't game a lot but for a few hours during the weekend it's fun to be transported into a another world and actually feel like your there. After 2 years Half Life Alyx still rocks. Some many mods coming out that I can't keep up.
Vr is the perfect gateway into gaming. The controls are simple enough that you don’t have to spend a lot of time learning them. The gameplay is easy for newer players as well since it’s close to navigating the real world. There’s less barriers to entry of gaming through Vr compared to controller or mouse and keyboard gaming
People have been saying this on and off for decades. I think it's partially cyclical (designs fall into a groove until some innovative new game shakes things up and then the rest of the industry iterates on its formula), and partially like you said, that adulting changes our perception. I remember playing an online game as an adult a few years back and thinking I just wasn't interested in most of the new games at the time, but then I met this younger kid online who had the same enthusiasm for modern games that I had growing up, and it made me realize gaming wasn't necessarily better or worse, just that my tastes and requirements had changed over time.
One of the big problems that I have noticed in gaming as someone who has been gaming since the first Nintendo, is that there is no more mystery. Every game that comes out now has been in Early Access, revealed all of their development, or has so many let's plays on UA-cam that all of the surprise and awe is gone by the time you get into a game. It's also becoming more and more difficult to be into gaming without having things spoiled. 😅
It isn’t exclusive to gaming either. I think in one way or another, all media seems to leak to the masses with the intent to show off various accomplishments, all without thinking it’ll ruin what surprise it’ll have. The last film I saw without any real context of what to expect was Grand Budapest Hotel, which was a surprise.
@@BackLash1039 Yeah, I try my hardest to not get spoilers but I'm involved in so many gaming groups it's almost impossible at this point. Sometimes wish companies would just highlight some new game at a convention then be like, oh, it's also available tomorrow. No context, nothing. Just BOOM, new game. Lol
@Joshua haha I totally agree bro. Part of the kid magic was the mystery for sure. Now everyone can solve anything in any game in 2 seconds with a simple Google or UA-cam search. You aren't ever surprised by the villains anymore. You know the ending etc. Super lame
I took an 8 years break from gaming. Used to be hardcore since I was like 7, and seen all gens. But I skipped most of gen 3 and half of gen4. I was too busy with my career and kinda burned out anyway. I got back at the end of the Ps4 to play FF games and now ps5. The break renewed my love for gaming because I look back and only play masterpieces that really are unique. Going forward I am excited especially for indies, more than AAA games.
Same here. Always kept a couple things on my PC like a flight sim and maybe Civilization but those were getting tiring. Put them on the back burner for a while and I know when I come back to them, they'll seem fresh again. For me it was getting a new XBox. Some of the games like Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order and Assassin's Creed (both Origins and Odyssey) have reawakened that gaming spirit. I'm now just into console games but burn out is sure to happen eventually.
I have a similar experience, maybe not as hard-core player as some but I played on everything from Commodore 64 all the way up to ps3 and then almost nothing for 10-12 years. But now when I got myself a ps4 it blew my mind just how good some of the stuff out there is, with my absolute favorites being Witcher 3 and last God of War. Only thing I do miss from way back when is single player RTS games, always loved those.
Just stop playing AAA. If people didn't play AAA and ignored the news about it - only buying, playing and engaging in the indie and AA space, then they wouldn't think gaming is dying. Indie games are stepping into a new golden Era, it makes me sad that people don't see that. Rock and Stone!
1:05 This is the problem with so many modern games. They shove information down your throat. You can barely see Conner because of the words on the screen. Playing a game like BioShock or Skyrim feels so natural in comparison. Sure, there are things on the screen, but not more than you need. Dead Space delivered information without clutter better than almost any game. Why do developers design these amazing worlds, and then take you out of them with text and markers and icons all over the screen?
They don't trust the average player anymore. Old school games used to be difficult and expected a lot of the player (sometimes too much). Modern games have swung too far in the other direction and appeal to the lowest common denominator for the sake of "accessibility". Think of the male Karens who leave bad reviews on products because they couldn't figure out how to make them work. Those are the people they're designing for now.
My housemate bought that walking simulator game (forgot the name but you have back pack and deliver things and the guy falls over) it’s got concepts like DB’s or was it BC’s , alien concepts that make no sense and you’re supposed to just get it!? Might be a Kojima game. I do have gripe with Skyrim and that’s who’re the forsworn and why? Farkas sends me to wipe them out and I haven’t been to markarth yet to discover them. (I don’t read the books, they’re too much of a chore) It’s the expectancy on the player to just know.
When you touched the money aspect it ringed a bell with me. There is this issue where they seem to be assuming the world's minimum wage is the same as the US. There needs to be regional pricing because 70$ is expensive for US standards but for the rest of the world is outrageously high.
For this I wonder if regional pricing is decided by the game publisher or the store because I swear I got Elden Ring for $40 at release on steam but game like God of war who had been released year ago still cost $60 I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I play and finish ER and only pay almost half the price of most AAA games
@@sho9585 There used to be international agreements that caused the Argentina situation for example where 60$ games were like 10$ over there. But since the end of last year that is over. For what I hear Now steam gives publishers a suggestion for regional prices but it's up to them how much they charge.
@@skuash here it's 600 USD and they really think anyone can buy those shiny 70 euro games brand new..... We painfully need regional pricing there is very little way to get games otherwise
I still remember when I first played the Silent Cartographer on the Halo PC demo. That was when gaming really clicked for me. Halo was so special. I can't imagine the popularity Halo would've gained had they considered the PC as well for the whole trilogy.
Yup... Legendary campaign and game. Even with the repetitive levels later on, this game, and the whole trilogy, has a feel that can never be duplicated. The music, the 2-weapon gameplay, the dialogue, the marines, the enemies, the story, characters like MC, Arby and Johnson...
You awesome guys are really making me miss halo! Do you have any other suggestions of other good campaigns like that one? I will play whatever you all suggest. I played halo 3 and didn’t like the story as much. Atmosphere just didn’t feel as amazing to me. Halo infinite was just average to me. Good gun play but didn’t like the repetitive level design.
I can 100% relate almost 30 and starting to learn about living in the real world 10 months ago I had lost the first job I had ever had and tomorrow I start a new one I feel hopeful for the future this is what I needed to hear
I am 40 and what is currently happening with gaming happens with everything music,movies, art it's the same pattern. A creative industry will find something run with it until it gets wack and suddenly new IDEAS,technology or styling will come out and the industry will be revitalized. As you get older you get used to this cycle
I think getting married or having a kid(especially) really kills gaming in your life. When other priorities begin to demand your attention the amount of time you can put into gaming becomes limited and sporadic. With that many genres of games become almost impossible to play, games that might have been fun when you had more time become a chore because they now take too much time and you give up playing them altogether. Some people used to just grow out of gaming as kids when they decided socializing as a teen or young adult became more important. But others who have had the games change and grow with them have held on longer. I don't think i'd have played games as long as I did if I was still using a NES only.
my dad now in retirement got me ps5 but since i have my post graduate he is the only one using it. children do indeed ruin your gaming life but after the child becomes an independed adult you have the freedom to do whatever hobby u wish
I don't know if I'd use the word "ruin" or "kill" - I definitely feel more fulfilled and fun playing something like Yoshi's Crafted World with my young kids for an hour here or there than thinking back to college and high school me who would play Elder Scrolls anywhere from 3 to 12 hours a day. I think general brain development is an unspoken piece of it here. At 25, the "executive center" of our brain finally is fully developed (seriously, most violent crime and antisocial illegal behavior occurs between ages 18 and 25) - with that said, our priorities change just because our brains change. At 19, we'd laugh off and joke about spending more hours gaming than sleeping. If we did that now as adults, we'd feel sick, physically and psychologically. I see this with my brother who is a bachelor. He games way more than I do, but it's a couple hours a day. Dude still has a job. He's developed other hobbies, some much more enriching than gaming. And our bodies don't let us stay up until 3 am and go to work at 8 without consequences. (Though I'll admit when Elden Ring came out and a month later, my hometown was expecting a blizzard that would bury us in the house for a week, I bought it and played the heck out of it! There's still circumstances the young gamer can come out.)
Well, depends on your mindset, I'd say. As an introvert and a bit of an asshole, I cut off all my friends. But playing lbp with my son when he was younger, then diablo, now cod, is a great fun
Your frame of reference for nostalgia is based on your own childhood perspective of gaming. I grew up when Zelda OOT was game changing. Halo was another big game changer for me.
So I actually did things a bit different... in highschool I gamed a lot, but I didn't ever play RPGs or open world games much at all. Took a few years off gaming after highschool, got into RDR2 for a year or two, took another year or two off, and now I'm back on PS3 playing Oblivion for the first time. I found that same enjoyment from back in the day, and I play it every weekend for a few hours each day. Perfect, for me, to walk that line between burning myself out, digging real deep into the game, and living my adult life with all the responsibilities I have. Finding your balance in everything you do is great
One thing I've enjoyed alot as an older gamer is going back to the retro scene. Playing old games to me is easy to do and fun, this week I was playing multiplayer on red alert, loved it
been playing Medal of honor Pacific on my fat ps2. Have some ps1 and ps2 titles on my ps3 as well. Technically they are new to me since I grew up poor and couldn't play a lot of games. The rare visit to blockbuster was nirvana for a young me back in the day. Command and Conquer Red Alert 2 was my first big strategy game and the game I got on my Emachine back in the day. Hope they remaster Red Alert 2 next. Tiberium wars would be good too.
Literally had this conversation with my friend. I believe, like the music industry, gaming has become more business driven and pragmatic than fresh innovative/ground breaking.
And like a Music industry, there is a crash and reinvention coming. It's just a question of time when the majority of consumers will be fed up finally.
I feel like i grew up. I played loads of video games as a kid especially in high school but it slowly felt repetitive and draining. Ive switched to tabletop gaming since then and i find it more enjoyable as the time spent building and painting the miniatures is more relaxing and rewarding and you also get to meet new people in person when you meetup to battle
It sounds like the SOCIAL aspect of gaming is much worse in modern games has drained your interest in gaming in general. The Internet and multiplayer games in general are a lot more toxic, cheat ridden and riddled with other problem aspects. Though I'd imagine making a physical table top world and paining figurines would feel rewarding and give you more real world transferable skills. Rather than table top game, I went into retro gaming. Back to the games of my childhood and teenage years.
The social aspect is huge, remember when we were kids we could go to school and be social about the game. As we age that is much harder to accomplish and many AAA games leave out couch co-op and other social aspects.
The older i get the more i realize how i liked the simplicity in games. The games became too complex nowadays, with very detailed graphics which makes eye hurting and tired, and there's way too much text inside of the game interfaces like with leveling up systems, upgrading menus, pause menus and such.
I can't agree more. Every time I start a sim game, it's just never ending text i have to read before playing. :| seems like it's just easier to add a pile of text rather than making tutorial entertaining.
I agree. Today, games are more like long movie, full of insane useless graphical details with lots of repetitive missions, upgrade this, upgrade that, listen half an hours of dialogues then you get five minutes of actions unlike old games which were more fun, full of action rather than useless things.
What you said reminded me of something I realized not so long ago. I believe that the design style of the past can be considered as "simple complexity". For example you could have a jrpg that featured complex magic/equipment systems and a deep story, but the way you played it was relaxed and uncompromising. You could also be playing an action/exploration game that had a lot of ground to cover and lacked obvious cues for what you needed to do, but you went through it with a smile on your face because you never felt like the game was pulling or pushing you in a certain direction. I'm still trying to figure out a way to effectively explain it, but those examples I mentioned are kind of the basis of it.
I'd like to ad 1 game that literally reignited my childhood curiosity and love of gaming all over again and that's Subnautica. The lore, the discovery, gameplay and also not to mention the way the game makes you feel real terror and even made me cry a little at the end is a game I think is definitely worth talking about 🙂
Gaming isnt dying you're just growing out of them. I went through a phase in life where I didn't and couldn't even stand playing games in general then later came back and found others I enjoyed.
In the mid 2010s I went back to school and worked fulltime, so I basically stopped gaming and felt that I would never return to it. I also unjustifiable blamed gaming for being stagnant in life as I hit my 30s and worked a dead end job. But after getting my shit together I've come back in full force and stick to discounted games haha
In my experience, a game worthy of my attention comes out maybe once every 6 or 7 years, but the "growing up" part is I can never sink 8 or 9 hours in it at once for immersion like I used to because adult life requires constant distractions. Take that element away and I'd still have all the wonder and joy as my child self did
Very well put together video. I’ve always been more of a multiplayer gamer but for the past year I’ve been trying out single player games and have been enjoying gaming a lot again. Ghost of Tsushima, Both spider man, and TLOU2 was amazing. I also hate when people say games are a waste of time then spend hours watching tv shows.
I thought I was the only one, man. I didn't have the best childhood, and aside from gaming and anime, very little piqued my interest. When I finally got the game I wanted, it was incredible; putting the game on my console and then being transported to another world was out of this world, and you had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what was going on in the plot of some story-based games, but it didn't matter because I enjoyed going through the missions and seeing what was next. Now, very few games do that, with the only game I've recently enjoyed playing being red dead redemption 2. I assumed it was because I was maturing and beginning to prefer the real world over the virtual, but I don't believe that's the case. Most companies' games are now very predictable, and I believe this is due to the gaming industry becoming more mainstream than it once was, and most people settling for mediocrity rather than demanding more. I hope things improve and games become more interesting again, but if things continue as they are, I may not buy another gaming PC and may give up on games entirely.
Do you still watch anime? I also grew up on gaming and anime. However, anime is the only one of the two I continue to consistently enjoy. I doubt growing older on its own makes you bored of 'non-economically productive' entertainment because of "maturity". Plenty of adults around me binge movies, TV shows, sports stations and whatever, and I binge anime. I think what makes gaming different is that it requires active participation. It's a lot easier to start and skip passive entertainment, while I find it almost hard to launch a new game since it might be a boring waste of effort; by waste, I mean not contributing to my having fun. I think this can come about from the responsibilities of getting older. Being a grad student, I usually come home drained. I'll daydream about gaming when I get home, then end up just watching an anime because it's easier. However, I think a stagnant industry is more to blame. l still will find something that I like, i.e. Elden Ring, only to finish it, search hopelessly for something else, only to go back to daydreaming about games. I hope things improve as well.
I think for me I find it hard to game as much now that I'm an adult because I'm realizing that life is finite. I still enjoy spending some time on these games still and it's a blast but I have full time work and other important responsibilities as well
When people talk about various sequels from the 2010s as their classics, I realize how novelty is shaped so much around our age and lack of knowledge. The mainstream push of gaming and push towards profits is a definite part of what has hurt the release of new games in recent years. I also genuinely believe the speed of information and overall attitude that being efficient with time and gameplay has hurt enjoyment as well, whether that comes from an adult mindset from growing up or if this age is one of efficiency over all else. Being able to distance yourself from the idea that all time you have must be productive will help let you enjoy the time you spend with games, no matter the kind of game.
Efficiency killed MMOs for me. I always used to play solo and still do, but in recent years I started to struggle with loneliness and started seeing online games as a possible way out of that. The only problem is that I like old MMOs. I felt rushed to skip to the current expansion content which wrecked the immersion of creating a character and going on adventures that are supposed to span months if not years, slowly over time. I can't even log into these games without being reminded of how far I've been left behind by my peers; the game itself is just a reminder of that.
For me, gaming has always been about the story and worldbuilding, the exploration and characters. Honestly, I think that as I've gotten older I've learned how to appreciate my favorite genera's, the RPG/JRPG, Metroidvania and Turn Based Strategy even more as my understanding has evolved. As I mature, and as I learn more about the world, I become more critical of the media I consume. And that is why I appreciate Indie games that are creative or the few Double/Triple A game studios that create games with deep thought provoking narratives and rich worlds. Studios like Nihon Falcom and Monolithsoft as well as Triple A developers like Satoru Iwata (Rest In Peace), Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma and Masahiro Sakurai and their teams. Studios and Developers who battle to be creative in the larger industry instead of just conforming to the creation of coockie cutter experiences like Microsoft and Sony. Or the outright predatory practices that are integrated by EA, Ubisoft, Activision and their contemporaries.
@@audie-cashstack-uk4881 Why can't we have both? I love it when games find ways to intertwine the narrative and gameplay aspects, or find ways to use the game mechanics themselves to inform the narrative. There are plenty of games out there that have both great narratives and great gameplay. However, it really does depend on what kind of games that you prefer to play.
Games like red dead redemption 2 or the elder scrolls series are incredible as you get an immersive narrative while you have so much fun with the gameplay. I’ve cried and laughed with these games, as you should
Rekindling the gaming spark may be as simple as playing a different genre than you're accustomed to. I recently got into a super realistic roller coaster simulator/designer called NoLimits 2. I found myself so engaged in designing every little aspect of a roller coaster that I'd sink hours at a time.
I gave Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle a chance thinking I'd spend a couple of hours in it then put it away. I spent 50+ hours in the game and finished the campaign and DLC. I then played Mutant: Year Zero and later on the next Mario Rabbids. I realized I really like turn based tactical shooters if there's enough charm to it to keep it from feeling stale.
We grow up. Busy. Having fun in other things in life. But I think we are lucky that we have so many games and variety now. From small scale to big AAA scale. Singleplayer, multiplayer no lack of content. I think 1 hour of gaming is enough for me.
I think as we get older we become more critical of things as well as less accepting of certain things. As kids you don’t notice the bad mechanics or bad controls or level design .
I’ve been gaming since I was a kid; im 30 now. I think the other big problem at least with me is phone addiction. Even when watching shows I’ve noticed I get bored extremely fast if it doesn’t catch my attention. Same w games. If the game feels like something I’ve played before, I get bored. I blame this on social media and the instant gratification we get from swiping and likes. And it sucks because I love games, I just can’t help but get bored.
I agree, look at movies on Netflix, so many subpar movies compared to the 1980s where movies was creative and just better overall. I don't agree that everything sucks, its just you have fewer gems compared to the golden era of gaming (PS2/GC/1st Xbox).
The problem is that you’re playing modern games. Renaissance period of gaming isn’t 2010-2015. It’s before online gaming. Try playing Final Fantasy 7, Crash Bandicoot, Twisted Metal, Contra 3, Pokémon blue/red, NBA Showtime, etc.
This really resonated with me. I have an addiction to games but rarely find enjoyment in them. I often spend hours looking for something that might keep my focus as they did in the classic era.
It's not because of the games tho, partly, maybe. The truth is you've grown, hopefully, you've grown out of needing to escape by playing wow 12 hours a day and feeling empty when you don't.. You're at a stage of growing up and out of needing to escape every hour of the day.
I buy games to them end up just looking at them on my shelf. Not even sure why I do it. I'll play for maybe an hour or so and then move on to the next new game. This is why I liked pirating games. If they sucked, then u lost nothing but data. If I liked it that much I would then buy it to play official.
You can't help but notice the guy says the heyday of gaming coincides with his upbringing. At 25 myself it'd be hard to say 2010-2015 was the apex of gaming when I grew up on Midway's Mortal Kombat, RE4 and the original Halo Trilogy.
@@tobiramasenju6290 Those games had so much soul. I wont say anything about modern gaming. I'm tired of arguing with the modern audience and they shill to companies giving these soulless games.
I've actually been enjoying games more than ever recently. As I've become more critical of them, I've also been able to understand them more, and so they can communicate more things to me. Like jokes consisting only of gameplay, which previously I would not have noticed, but now are hilarious.
Personally I find myself branching out into multiple genres. Don't limit yourself just because you grew up playing FPS games. Remember, Mario was one of the inspiration for DOOM XD
I'm in a weird state, like I don't find myself enjoy playing some of the newer titles but when I do, I can immerse myself to hundreds of hours on the experience. And surprisingly, that is not that rare although the frequency is greatly lowered down. Like, maybe I could only find a game like that every once in a few months but that makes the experience much, much more incredible because of exactly the thing you mentioned and due to how less frequent I experience that sensation.
It's funny how young players remember gaming evolution much differently than us older players. I remember the 1st game I ever played was called Wolf 3D and that was before Windows 95 was a thing. Very few (if any) games managed to beat some of its game mechanics and ideas. If there ever was anything I consider being a revolution in gaming then it definitely wasn't GTA V but half-life. Half-life deathmatch and some months later mod called counter strike (25 years ago believe it or not) Another revolution in gaming was definitely the 1st Assassins Creed game and more or less GTA 3. But another thing I remember all too well are those prices we paid. We used to pay 60 bucks for a game on CD and that was always the reason behind that price.
I always see this question proposed. Gaming isn't dying, it's just that the AAA industry has run stagnant. Too many execs trying to copy off each other without realizing why things that work actually work. The innovation in gaming is happening at the indie level and sometimes AA games but never AAA because they deem it too risky. We're just having a change in power. Current AAA companies will vacate the throne as newcomers battle for the spot with creativity.
Indeed I Agreee. Hopefully we get some great games from everyone but for some of these AAA companies to continue on how they are they need to start putting some skin in the game and putting out some great content. Not all but some.
"Current AAA companies will vacate the throne as newcomers battle for the spot with creativity." you just described how every industry works. However established companies usually keep themselves in business longer by buying up said innovative newcomers. It only works as long as the innovation is allowed in, of course.
@@angeleyes2c Publishing monopolies haven't been doing too well in comparison to a few years back and a big reason for that is their micromanaging in things they know nothing about.
@@angeleyes2c sad to tell this but cuphead or hollow knight will not surpass RDR2, GTA V, DOOM, UNCHARTED, MARIO, TLOU, CSGO, TF2.
those "innovative" indie games at most are 90s arcade level and they wont carry the industry for long
@@kinghades3356 yes they will because they are better all aaa games are garbage, thats just a fact.
I feel like the gaming industry had mirrored the film industry in the sense that everything has become very copy paste but every now and then you can find hidden gems
Yeah that is how I see it a lot if the time. It’s sad but I also think it’s a lot of the time because everything is just being made for the mass audience over a specific type of people
At least movies Don't have bugs & glitches
blame sony and their movie games like god of war and uncharted
@@epicgamer-iz4ok movies have plots that shouldn't have been deleted and scenes that shouldn't have been deleted and sometimes incomplete CGI because of scheduling and poor rewrites because of scheduling. Those are the equivalent to bugs and glitches
I'd say it's more coming up with new ideas for new ip, at a point it's just you do a plot that's already been done but with a few changes, because there comes a point where you can't keep 1 uping the previous game
I feel like I’m at a point where I like watching videos about video games more than I like playing video games and that sucks
holy shit this just hit me at my core bruh same here😪
Luckily it's vice versa for me. I used to play a lot of comp games and watched a shit ton of content about them. Nowadays I play more story focused games and the videos I watch are more about why games are like they are.
If you want to have that fun, you used to have as a kid then literally touch grass and don't think about games for a little while and when you play it will feel fun again thats what I've been doing
Same here, feels like a chore picking up a controller nowadays
I like long plays and cutscenes so I don't have to physically deal with the button mashing labor and mental stress for no reason. So it's like a win to me 😂. I get to eat Doritos and laze around. It's like watching TV except for video games.
Lies of P, Baldurs Gate 3, and various Indie titles like Vampire Survivors and Astlibra have proven to me that even in this somewhat gaming dystopia, true passion and dedication to the art still exists in gaming
seconding vampire survivors!
I also notice my younger sisters and brother taking an interest in older games more than they do the new ones. I think the gaming industry has changed the most. We just want what we had when we were kids; Not microtransactions, not deals, not pay to win. Just gaming in its purest form, which is why I believe Elden Ring did so well. It didnt need a compelling story or the best built world, but instead just needed to be a pure game and not a moneymaking scheme disguised as an 'interactive online experience'.
Yeah. Every once in a while I see a Mobile game that actually peeks interest (most are completely ignorable trash imo, even at a glance), but of course I can't just buy it for 5 or 10 bucks or whatever, it's "free to play" (which means it's designed to try and suck up an unlimited amount of cash if it can, and at the expense of everything else in the design), AND it requires permissions to spy on basically everything on my phone that's none of their business, so I just nope out.
I also don't tend to care so much for the big named AAA games shoveled out that often isn't really even a game but a busy work task list with nice graphics, not to mention more Spyware and often terrible releases punishing those dumb enough to pre-order.
No cap bruh, my sister likes gta san Andreas way more than gta 5
Microtransactions arent the problem if the game is good to begin with. No game out there is nowhere close the worth of that.
@@outlander234 nah, its not fun being suggested to pay more money when I already got the game. We can agree to disagree on that
You're on point except ER don't have a compelling story and well built world.There are many reasons why lore channels such as vaatividya have such a huge following
one major annoying thing about games these days is not getting the full game that you paid for.. with all the DLC or “road maps and seasons”, all the bugs and all micro- transactions.. back in the day companies had to release everything onto a disc / cartridge 😂
Yeah I would say It annoys me that games aren't finished when they release but I'm fine with road maps to keep the game alive if its a multiplayer game for example or if it is single player then it gives you a reason to jump back in!
Isn't it against the law, sue-able to sell an unfinished product? Gamers are being ripped off by crooks.
or that the DLC or "free items" you get in games nowadays wouldve originally have just been part of the base game.
Some DLC/Roadmaps make absolute sense, Monster Hunter for example.
@@azureascendant994 no because there is this little thing you "AGREE" to before you start a game, well that means if you actually read every single word in the Terms and conditions
I’ve learned that having a productive day before gaming has caused me to appreciate gaming more. It is more fulfilling after you’ve spent your day well.
Agreed honestly nothing beats coming home after a long day at work and just unwinding playing a game for little bit
Yes I agree. Something so much more fulfilling if you feel you've earned it.
I’m the opposite haha. If I work too hard then I have no energy to play anything. Plus if I’m really into a game, I don’t like short sessions. It killed me whenever I only had less than two hours at the end of the day for Elden Ring.
As a 42 year gamer running an LLC, I can attest, this is eventually the only way to be successful in life and continue enjoying video games. Years ago I was actually addicted to Halo 2 and smoking weed. 😂
@@kode-man23 it’s working for you tho . You’re so busy you’re too tired to play the game (same boat here) but when you wake up with nothing to do the most rewarding feeling is getting on the game and not even realizing the sun went down .
The industry right now sucks, but I'll admit part of it is "growing up." I got bored of gaming right after high school and I think it's because as an adult, it's a lot harder to get all your friends on at the same time. The more I think about it, gaming was a very social thing for me. I RARELY played without friends except when I was younger and the novelty of any game as a child was enough.
You should get 3 friends when y’all are free and play Baldur’s Gate 3 it’s a sick game if you ain’t got it already 😎🤙🏼
But you're referring to a specific type of game then, and actually not even talking about video games at all. It would be like saying you only like alcohol when you go out with the guys, and in reality, always prefer coffee when you're by yourself. Or hiking only in a group, and actually prefer not to be outside.
Games are equivalent to movies and books. If you liked movies as a kid, you probably still like them as an adult, even though your taste might change. But you don't just stop liking movies because you're grown. That's why the 'it's just part of growing up' thing falls so flat imo.
I don’t think this video is for you bro LOL
For me even with individual games, I’m like man it’s nice to relax a bit but I could use this time to learn more skills and increase my real money/xp
@@joecoolberry911I felt this way too and ended up in a job that sucks the soul out of me. These single player RPGs help, even though it’s tough some days to prolong screen time.
The PS2 era is still the greatest era of gaming to me, I'm so happy to be old enough to have thoroughly experienced gamings golden age.
The 6th gen was just incredible. Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube and Xbox. Four systems, and all four were so different from each other.
I have a fully backwards compatible ps3 and I have had a lot of fun playing games from each of the first three generations of playstation. I think a lot of the games have aged really well and I don't really have a desire to upgrade to a modern console anytime soon.
I’d say the SNES era leading into the PlayStation era that lead into the PlayStation 2 era was collectively the greatest time in gaming history. So this is a time span of roughly 16 years (1990-2006) that pretty much set the stage and built the foundation that modern day gaming stands upon today.
It is not a coincidence to me that the majority of the most successful game consoles of all time, and the majority of the most successful video game franchises of all time found their origins and spawned during this time frame.
I agree. So many games and most of them were great!
Can’t beat the Atari 2600.
ET will make you hate life!
I also have a perspective that could help: when you're younger there's not really much that you can do to improve your life so you can just sit for hours at a time playing because really it doesn't matter to you. As I got older, I realized that while technically I could just play games all day, I'd feel really guilty because I know I should be studying. It's not that I don't game anymore, but it's hardly a priority with all the stuff I have to do to get to my goals.
Nowadays, there’s many ways to do in real life what we can do in videogames and get paid for it. It’s more rewarding financially, emotionally, physically, mentally, and for your social life when you go out in the real world and build skills.
I play DriftCarX because I don’t have the time and money to build a cool car and get good at drifting. Not to mention take vacation days to go to all the locations I can go to in the game.
I feel the same way. What a depressing reality. I miss fully immersing and enjoying a game, now I cant really get sucked in anymore because Im stuck thinking about whats actually going on in my life.
@@planetxtk7567 exactly, now I use gaming as a escape from the real world such as drift X as you mentioned because I don’t have time to get good at a game
Yup, and when you start a family it becomes even more strained.
I agree, I sort of feel like a loser sitting playing games for more than an hour these days. No matter how good the game is I always have this thought in the back of mind like "Really, this is what my life has come to". To be fair though I get the same feeling watching T.V. Lately i've gotten into some of the virtual fitness games on Quest. I have a feeling as vr headsets get more popular and lighter that will start to eat more and more into the traditional flat screen couch gaming. They fill my appetite to play a competitive game and am able to spend my biological energy at the same time.
With the quality reduce of released games and decreasing trust of game devs through series of disappointments, anticipation becomes less and less attractive for everyone
Indeed. I feel like because of the recent games coming out with awful push behind them we now will start to see a bit less of the terrible releases. Hopefully
I think when we were younger, companies that created games were basically some "nerds" that wanted to make something fun to play with friends, money was the second objective. Now we have big corporations that only care is the money.
Not with Capcom.
Unless you follow star citizen
This Video is the exact reason why i absolutly love Indie gaming, every game from a small dev studio is just so much different from any AAA Game that the Big Publisher not even thinking about making for a minute.
For me indie games are the best. That is why I play on PC because that is we’re all the indie games are.
I think it's exactly it. AAA games don't take risks anymore because they can't afford it. It's too expensive. It's time to look at what's next to the AAA track . The AA and indie world. These still push innovations, art and gameplay.
I would rather enjoy a small-cost/free indie games over high-cost dlcs from a AAA title.
Amen to that!
@@johnperea3360bro dlc now is just skin packs
Maybe you only just started observing it around 2013, but the years you outlined were actually the beginning of a slow trend towards today. Games before this time were a lot more experimental, even without technical advancements games were finding ways to innovate.
By around 2013, gaming became big enough that companies knew what would be successful and so started to only make that.
To be fair you outlined how nostalgia influenced your opinion in the video and I respect that.
Atleast the games were good
Definitely agree with you, it felt like games of of 90's and early 2000's always pushed their engines to the limit in terms of the stuff they'd try to let the player do. Now engines are so complicated and big that it seems impossible to do that now
Ps1 and ps2 era is where the most innovation existed in gaming
Ur completely rite! I was just abt to comment abt how Fortnite wasn't even the real turning point since it had was a trend riding game in development hell way b4 the battle royale pivot. The 2013 era is more like a goldilocks zone where the money was good enough for games to be big, but the medium wasnt taken as serious enough to form fit every game the way they are now.
@@mike04574 Eh, lets not get too rose tinted. Experimental stuff wasn't always good.
But a lot of it was 'interesting' if that makes sense.
Recently, I tried out this old PS2 game called 'Way of the Samurai'. It's an interesting sword fighting experience and one of the few games where your choices actually DO matter . . .
Because it only takes place over a couple of days in a small village. A play through should take about two hours, all death are permanent, and you're encouraged to try to experiment.
I found it very interesting.
I remember the first time I heard this entire argument around 1999. It's kind of refreshing to see that some things never change. Remember when Blizzard and Bungie were the innovative new kids on the block? I wonder whatever happened to those guys?
Now they ruin games people put their hearts into. I.E Diablo and Overwatch. I wont ever be able to play overwatch 1 again....why are they taking away my game.
@@LemmeCheckMark not all the time, destiny 2 has got so much better especially story-wise. We have an actual story arc instead of the exo stranger telling us 'I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain'
@@LemmeCheckMark sadly I'm pretty sure they outline why they can take away the game in the EULA. By saying that it's not yours, you just lease the software as long as they allow it.
As a user that's always sucked. As a software engineer, it's how I got paid.
@@wrecklass except that contract is unenforceable legally... but they dont need it to be, because they can just bury you in legal fees before an outcome can ever be reached.
@@spicyhands9551 yeah except bungie just ignores half the community but I guess there’s a little bit of a story now
It hits every gaming generation at some point. It’s the business that kills the art. But every now and then someone breaks the routine and we start it all over again. Been gaming since games were black and white.
off topic - black and white 1 and 2 were excellent games, still not been reproduced to this day.
The solution is pretty simple, just play old games. Either through emulation, old hardware or just games that are compatible on modern system. I got bored of modern games, and returned to my favorites growing up, like BFME 2, rfactor 2, WRC Rally Evolved, Richard Burns Rally, Dragon Age Origins, GTR 2 etc. Those games are so much better than the modern stuff. Not to mention those are GAMES, unlike modern "games" that are casinos disguised as video games.
I miss when you started the game and entered a cool, clean and atmospheric title screen taht screamed passion in its product. These older games have that soul that modern games are missing, and it really shows. I don't care about graphics, its pointless anyway so I returned to my favorites games and I have officially quit looking for modern games, it always disappoints.
Besides, you can play old gems for the rest of your life, considering how many great games that have been accumulated over the years, no need to look for new stuff.
@@Skumtomten1 Agreed, this is what I've been doing. This is exactly why gaming could never die as well, as long as there's inspiration & passion & soul in the hobby we love. ULTRAKILL, DUSK, and AMID EVIL are just a handful of boomer shooters that have hit the market & they are just the beginning of a return to the "Good ol' days".
You touched on some really good points in this video. I'm 31 and I have watched the gaming industry slowly get worse over the course of my life. When the gaming industry became heavily corporatized, the art and creativity went out the window. Live service games are a blight on the industry, but they produce insane amounts of profit for shareholders and so they will never go away. I remember the early days of Steam and how games were cheaper to download from Steam because you didn't get a case, box art, manual or poster. Now there is no difference in price from the physical copy and technically, on a lot of download platforms, you don't even own the game anymore. I think the big lesson here is that once big money and corporations get involved in something, it dies.
and don't forget, "micro transactions" ... but seriously they've been making Call of Duty games for 20 years. It's funny hearing Gen Z talking like they're the first generation that grew up with games or grew up gaming. Since the 80's (Nintendo) kids have been growing up gaming.
@@malikon6953 Since 70's (Atari) kids have grown up playing games
@@malikon6953 To be fair, gaming definitely wasn't as widespread back then as it is now. Lots of mobile games are around the same levels of quality as NES games (in terms of system complexity and content - graphics obviously superior) and everyone plays them, whereas console and PC games are a lot more diverse and higher quality.
This is especially true in the eastern block, where gaming was largely inaccessible pre-90s, followed by economic turmoil before people could afford consoles.
You should just span the genres, Howard.
@@santinopaone-hoyland I often do, they call me "the genre spanner" :)
its odd to hear this coming from someone probably half my age.
ive felt the same way about gaming but a decade removed, my favourite era was the late 90s early 2000s because it was so easy to innovate, every new thing that came out was a step forward and you didnt know what to expect from a game, every title was filled with possibilities that youd projected into it just from looking at the screenshots.
Yeah for me I have a load of friends who find this as the current state of games which some people just say is cynical but really for us it’s just we’ve had such bad quantity games or just general lies and promise being broken that it’s left a bad mark on everything
Wow. It make sense from the 90s perspective. Ac 1 to 2 wasnt really improved much if u compare it to nintendo pixelated asscreed on old console to ass creed 1.
Haha bro when you said “half of my age” I checked for how old is your account and well 15 years..that’s bigger then fortnite bois..I totally agree with your with your comment now it’s more of cash grabbing and “normal enjoyment” not like you can think this was gonna be good or that one..all they got now micro transactions and done...
Idk may be I do lose interest with time but I didn’t play any game full from 2018...things have change a lot..companies create hype with game but It didn’t go as planned.
I don’t find any games these days which I can say “take my money” I used to like batman Arkham series I bought it...I like Lara Croft tomb raider till the “underworld” I bought it after that things are just....okay I’m growing and now 21 and I think companies are now looking for younger age audience attention
I'm a few years away of being 40 and I have to completely agree with the video and how things work. Real life pressure has become so much that playing games become a real luxury and no longer a pass time. I used to play the crap out of any game I could, but this year was a defining time when I realized I just wasn't having as much fun anymore and that reality beckoned through every moment of gameplay.
@@CJFreeza you realise in late 30s here I’m 21 and when I play games the stress of “staying behind” and do all the task or thoughts keep going which makes me play for just 30mins most often :’)
I can honestly relate so much to when I was younger, I could play games like Minecraft from sunrise to sunset. Although now I can barely play a game for more than two hours without it feeling like I just wasted my time
Well is a same waste of time like with watching movies. Is just a hobby. As a kid we do not have much else to do except to go outside or to school. As an adults we have way more responsibilities and things to take care of so playing games can feel this way.
@@LukiGames0 I disagree. I love gaming but you seriously can't say that watching 50hrs of various different movies (with different stories, values, acting styles, thought provoking ideas) is on the same level as spending 50hrs in Minecraft. There are certain game genres with stories, yes, and I'd argue that playing those isn't a waste of time (because it has the same advantages as watching movie or stageplay), but if I ever have kids, I'd never allow them to play mindless games that go on repeat for hours upon hours (Minecraft, FPS games, Car racing games, Arcade games). I don't even remotely remember what happened in the 100+hrs I put into Tekken, Smash Bros, etc while I very well remember every JRPG I played and major plot elements, values, and lore it taught me.
Exactly what i have been experiencing... in my case i broke 50 and NOTHING seems fun anymore.
@@LukiGames0 Yeh but movies dont give you the same feeling. I know many people who can watch a movie without feeling guilty or wasting time but the same people play a game and feel guilty. I have also experienced this.
@@NoctLightCloud I Agree with you compeletely however with Minecraft I think it really depends on what your children are doing in Minecraft because Minecraft can be a very creative game and if they are using it to improve their creative abilities through ingame building and what not then I think that's okay as opposed to just running around mining and killing stuff for 50 hours if they are creating new builds, their own designs or even following design instructions from UA-cam that is all very educational for a child. I would assume anyway?
You know what? I think newer games tend to require more work and effort just to get into them, and not always the fun kind of work. Something I’ve been thinking about more and more is that when I was younger (or anyone that was playing games from the early 2010’s or before that) is that games used to leave A LOT more to our imaginations. As technology gets better and better, it’s almost by design that developers are filling in all the blanks so that we don’t have to use our imaginations at all. When I first played Skyrim, I didn’t mind that towns felt tiny. Hell, Whiterun felt huge. Going back to it now after playing newer games, it feels quaint. But at the time it was glorious, not because it was a fully realized and realistic city, I didn’t expect it to be that. But it had just enough to give my imagination fuel to get excited about all the mysteries that could be waiting for me around any corner. Now with a gigantic, realistic city, it can be blandly overwhelming. I can wander around aimlessly for a long time without engaging at all with anything of substance or purpose. I can even get lost and potentially waste an hour of play time. Bigger, more detailed worlds that don’t inspire your imagination are MORE WORK to play, and honestly feel more empty, no matter how much more detailed they are. A game like Elden Ring or Breath of the Wild are good examples of ways around that. They have just enough ambiguity and variety to keep your imagination engaged.
This. My favorite games are isometric RPG games from Spiderweb Software... with super terrible graphics XD. There is just a ton of space for imagination.
@@Olivia-W Absolutely, I love all the Avernum games, especially Avernum 1-3 (1998-2001), I could imagine all kinds of things happening, how the Tower of Magi was blown, the Vahnatai etc. Modern games leave very little for imagination & too much going on at the same time to be fun & immersive.
I had similar sentiments. Avoided online games like CoD until eventually bought into MW2019 due to covid and peer pressure. Was good enough with the game that I was able to unlock the obsidian skin.
And then Cold War came out and to my horror, have to go through another set of farming again and I noped put.
This is why text based games can still actually be superior to graphical ones in some respect, if you find an actual good one like Akanbar in among the oversaturated basket of very similar text games which use the same codebases/skins etc (so the same thing that happened with graphical games losing their innovation actually happened before with the text ones that preceded them). Like books, they can stimulate your imagination in a way that a graphical one rarely can.
I both agree and disagree with you.
Imagination plays a big factor to the longevity of its shelf life.
I play GTA V a lot. I created two characters, gave them both storylines. I play differently with each character, own different weapons, vehicles, houses.
And I have fun. What ruins it is there is no individuality in games.
Everyone else flies around on the same oppressor, and kills me without trying. Where is the fun in using the best vehicle, the best weapons?
Or any game? Everyone looks up the best build online and everyone copies that. Everyone uses the best/strongest/fastest characters.
And then says it isn’t fun…
I can’t imagine why.
I can still drive around and get lost in San Andreas, go to places I’ve never been and that games been out forever.
Sometimes I wonder if it's just me growing old and starting to go full boomer but I actually get hyped and enjoy new indie games with much simpler mechanics than AAA games. Teens these days seem to get bored and sick of games way faster than I even did as a teen so it's most definitely an industry problem.
I think it is also because of the overconsumption of media in this time. I remember showing all kinds of games to kids from my family. I mean they are fucking 5/6 years old and already on ticktock with their own phones and shit. At that age was building fortresses with wooden blocks, and building things in the forest. I veryvividly remember playing Minecraft for the first time I was completly engrossed in that game. I could plays for weeks straight, it was like that with all games.
Same. As an adult with a mortgage and kids I own hundreds of games. But the only titles I get "hyped" for anymore are almost all indie titles.
the issue is that boomers don't play games the same way any longer.
we play real life that way now.
it's why crypto is such a ridiculous industry.
I used to follow this issue but I have now settled down with games I like and definitely don’t see any use of recycling them for a while.
It's partly an industry problem. But it's also partly a cultural problem. Our culture has just shifted in such a negative way the last few decades and it shows in both the gaming industry and in our youth of today.
Gaming is in a poor state. I’m unashamedly a gen 1 gamer, it’s in my dna. My son is a gamer too & I’ve never witnessed such a poor turnout of broken games in my life.
This has happened because games are made for profit first, creation last. Devs used to put heart, soul & imagination in their games. Now they can’t do that when the head board is telling them what to make instead.
Don't lose hope, you're looking at it wrong. Ignore the big players, the Indie Game studios are where it's at
I was thinking similar things to you until I saw fire emblem engage got announced and I nearly jizzed in my pants. Also Rachet and Clank rift apart gave me hope too for modern day gaming. That was probably the best game ever made in my opinion
@@cd4playa1245 Is it really that good? Last R&C game I played through was Tools of Destruction. I can't imagine it topping Up Your Arsenal (for its time).
This is why i only play soulsborne now and a few other games like cod games are dropping hard recently
What is a gen 1 gamer?
This really resonated with me. I was born in 1995, and I grew up playing PS1, N64, and then of course ps2, 360, and PS4 into my early adulthood. My love for gaming hasn't gone away but these days it really takes something special to hold my attention like it used to. Red Dead 2 is one of the great examples of a game that pushed the envelope enough for me personally to draw me in. I can't wait for the next game that inspires imagination like so many used to.
I agree. The N64 and PS4 was the hay day of gaming. Everything was so new and bold
I feel you, I've been playing .hack on the PS2 lately.
Try final fantasy
@@stk_n_chill those consoles came out at very different times m8
@@stk_n_chill L
I'm 39 years old and I've had several quiet "era's" regarding gaming, where I just don't have interest for it all that much. But it has always come back eventually. I don't know if it's the industry, age or just fatigue for gaming that demands a break for it to feel fun again, or a mixture of all 3, but now that I've noticed how that fluctuates, I no longer have that worry that my gaming hobby would somehow die out.
First time it happened, I think I had very similar thoughts that you go through in this video and - I don't know if you can relate, but a part of it was kinda a huge bummer when I thought I'm losing interest to gaming entirely. It felt like not wanting to let go despite not being that into it.
Then something came along like the new God of War, or Valheim that me and a friend played for something like 30 hours on the first 3 days of owning it and I noticed it's all still there once the interest sparks up and I have free time for it.
It does however reaally suck how the industry has changed towards mass production of similar games, the greedy anti-consumer antics being so rampant, unpolished titles when publishers decide they've sold so many pre-orders (with their pre-order incentives playing into FOMO etc.) they don't have to care about the release state all that much and can just fix it later, maybe...
But there is absolutely no way I'm running out of things to play.
Right now playing Remnant: From the Ashes with that same also-39-year-old friend and we're very much hooked, playing on Nightmare difficulty and cursing at bosses until we beat em haha. Sure, it's not all the same where I could play until I go to sleep and start playing when I get up in my day to day life, but every now and then when a good game release and a vacation lines up, it's still about as glorious as before. Elden Ring was one of those as my first FromSoft game and it was incredible.
* flashbacks of trying to beat Malenia for 2 days straight until I finally did it *
Still, good video, a lot of food for thought!
Gaming will always hold a special place in my heart.
Same I started with Pong and love Elden Ring now.
yeahh man couldn't relate more
me too)
One thing you have to consider is how we the players have changed due to social media and other technology that offers instant gratification. Our attention spans are the shortest they’ve ever been. There’s never been a more difficult time being a developer and engaging people. especially when your audience can only hold their attention for 30 seconds. Then they move on to the next thing.
It's much more complex than that. After all, the human brain has remained relatively unchanged for tens of thousands of years.
@@ominous-omnipresent-they The human brain changes and adapts to it's surroundings. What you are saying is implying that we cannot get addicted or form bad habits around modern concepts because those didn't exist 10000 years ago.
@@FelixErikson That's not what I said at all, now is it? Perhaps you should work on your reading comprehension skills.
@@ominous-omnipresent-they Why did you say the brain had gone realtively unchanged for tens of thousands of years then? What was your point? Also how about you working on your reading comprehension instead? I only said what your words would imply by logic, not what you literally said.
@@FelixErikson
I was referring to how little the human brain has evolved in the last tens of thousands of years.
late 2006-2011 to me was the plateau. You had the HUGE jump between ps2 graphics and Xbox 360. You had gears of war come out which blew everybody away. Still to this day my favorite multiplayer game I ever played, latency problems and all! You had COD 4 in 2007 and mass effect, assassins creed, bioshock. 08 had Metal Gear Solid 4, GTA4. 09 had Arkham asylum, Assassins creed 2, 2010 mass 2, bioshock 2, red dead, God of War 3. 2011 Was skyrim, portal 2, Arkham city. It hasn't got any better from here.
I’m not saying it was the craziest year for games ever but 2017 saw some really influential releases that shook up the video game world as we knew it: Persona 5 (Worldwide Release), Breath of the Wild, Cuphead, Mario Odyssey, Resident Evil 7, Fortnite, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Injustice 2, Hollow Knight, NieR Automata, and Horizon Zero Dawn. That’s an extremely stacked lineup!
2011- dark souls, dead space 2, gears 3, rage, resistance 3, killzone 3, fear 3, mass effect 2, bulletstorm, crisis 2, witcher 2, la noire, arkham city, dead island, uncharted 3, modern warfare 3, battlefield 3, saints row 3, dues ex, bodycount, 40k space marine . 2011 was packed and amazing, I spent so much money that year and liked more games that year than I have any year before or since
I'd never have the time or money for that many. A couple of massive rpgs per year is enough for me
Don't forget the Wii, which came out in 2006. It sent waves throughout the entire world!
ua-cam.com/video/OqO1ViYFa4s/v-deo.html mass effect ad that always stuck with me
The social aspect is huge. Even games with no thought put into the social elements benefit from kids going to school everyday, that was a place to talk about games.
Now as we age having that social circle is much harder, and many AAA games leave out things that could help this aspect like couch co-op.
Games that bring us together again succeed, Pokemon Go, Overcooked, Diablo, etc.
Been feeling this a ton in 2022. I literally spend more time looking through my library than I do playing the game I finally settle on. I just feel like I’ve seen it all at this point. Haven’t felt that magic in a long time (Tunic came closest this year)
Currently stuck in this loop where I get on, see no game that interests me so I buy a new one on sale and play it for like 3 days then get bored or just go back to the same 2 games I only play. I have bought nearly 200 games now😅
Same
@karmicbacklash played Tunic on Xbox and looking to enjoy it on the go with the Switch. You’re absolutely right… Tunic was just about the only thing worth looking into this year. Sad
Big facts
@yello too much actually
No it’s lack of effort or the creativity we had back then, gaming was a new frontier and people threw their lives into it games were epic and thought through. The stories were creative and immersive, everything was inspired and we could enjoy it without shelling out our wallets
I remember thinking " If the games are this good now imagine how great the games will be in future" .....
Oh how they’ve amazing managed to go backwards
I think that could be because the future never came. VR was the lost future of the 90s though no real celebration took place when the actuality of it manifested years later. There is no real future so to speak. We have diminishing, incremental strives towards something but that’s seems to be about it.
If I was still playing a NES when PS1 came out I would have been laughed at. Now retro is cutting edge and 8 bit games occupy as much digital real estate if not more than triple A games. It seems to me we are not only going backwards but literally back to the future.
@@diggielixx i like that idea
There are lots of great games coming out, it's the industry that's become rotten.
@@diggielixx
The problem is that in the 90s virtual reality was a tech company thing and not a gaming thing. Virtual reality was an Apple thing or (ironically)a Microsoft thing back then and not a Sega or Sony or Nintendo thing.
We were still impressed by the PS1’s horrible 3D graphics until the very end of the 90s because Sony was the closest thing the hardcore gamer had to a big tech company making games.
It's kind of funny when Gen Z kids talk about their golden era of games...I played games in the 90s/00s so my golden era is totally different and I felt the same way he feels now during what he considered the best days of his gaming.
I totally agree. I'm starting to think it's all really perspective and how you accepted gaming during your formative years more so than it is about gaming in general
100% agree. I think what everyone considers amazing is based of what they have in there informative years growing up.
I remember playing super mario 64 and goldeneye those were great fun and couch coop and screen peeping were the best. The biggest jump in graphics and story were from the 5th generation to sixth generation of consoles. Back then every week had a banger of some sort or another releasing and it was absolute bliss. There are gems still out there I really enjoyed Amnesia The Dark Descent, Minecraft, Doom (2016), Forza and many others. I have to admit though 5th to 6th generation were popping out classics like crazy.
If it keeps getting worse this trend will continue
I personally played the most games from 2004 to 2013 and that was the true golden age of gaming. Resident Evil 4 reignited my love for gaming and from there it was a down hill spiral. Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, VTM: Bloodlines, Half Life 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect series I could go on. Even before that I was a gamer, but I dipped out of it a bit between 2000 and 2003. The occasional Unreal Tournament games with friends were there. Fun times.
I grew up playing games from pretty much all eras so when people look at a list of my favorite games they probably can't tell if I'm 19 or 39
I think getting older is a big aspect in why the experience changed. Its hareder to get immersed as you age, you have more "adult" things lingering on your mind. Financial, work, family, health..all things you dont worry about at young age.
We're just growing up and noticing there's much more to life than gaming. Quality games are always coming out. I'm 32 and still having loads of fun with gaming.
I reckon the indie revolution is coming. Engines and more powerful tech will empower small teams to make indie games at scales we consider AAA. If AAA stays where it is, it'll get lapped within the decade.
Yeah I feel that
And then triple a publishers would purchase them indie devs to get ahold of their IPs and ruin them.
@@kongman536 EA in a nutshell.
@@kongman536 you stop that, let us have this sliver of hope
@@kongman536 can't buy something that doesn't want to be sold.
If an Indie dev team is happy with their capacity to produce, and truly wish to maintain what they have and make - I'm all for it.
"Sometimes selling out, is giving up."
As a gamer I definitely notice im changing alot in how I enjoy gaming. I hardly have the patience to sit and play a game for more than a few hours before I start to get uncomfortable from sitting in one spot too long and I used to always play games on hard and enjoyed a challenge but now I usually just play everything on easy now because I'm more interested in just experiencing the story rather than repeating a fight several times. I know this isn't necessarily related to the topic but its something I've noticed about myself as of late
I have been feeling the same. You aren't alone in that feeling. As soon as I see a massive grind ahead of me or get to a really difficult part, I quickly lose interest.
@@Drstrange3000 yeah the only grinding I enjoy is like obline GTA or Red because because that's basically you building your own empire brick by brick everutime you level up or gain another big sum of money but when it comes to collectibles in stories or having to search a map for something instead of the game just telling me I get bored right away. I see games more as a way to tell a story almost like im binging a show. Also games like AC valhalla are so much better on easy. I've always hated the combat in AC origins. Odyssey and valhalla its so boring and not satisfying like the older assassins creed games and I've never been able to finish any of those 3 while I've beaten the other games several times each. However when I switched those games to easy the combat felt good all of a sudden and the attacks I did actually packed a punch. That doesn't make those 3 games much better story and ganeooay wise but it improves at least one aspect.
I am the same exact way. I find I enjoy Rocket League very much due to the quick matches & having the choice of either fun or getting seriously competitive
Yea i found myself doin the same thing i think the reason is so many games have the same type of storyline you played a few u played them all so i just wanna see how the story goes without having to do to much myself
i feel like this but im 19. should i be worried lmao
One of the biggest changes is that making games stopped being about passion and more about corporate greed. In the past games where made and published by people that genuinely wanted to improve gaming. See examples as Assassin's Creed or Crusader Kings 2. Now games are developed to be as mainstream as possible with the risk of losing the heart of your game and the true reason they where made for in the first place.
I still play games today that give me the same magical feeling as video games did as a kid, i think a huge reason has been the introduction of micro-transactions, sacrificing a game being released in a buggy state just to meet a deadline they announced way too early, and vice versa with games not being released with enough content and just adding more later.
A way I found to keep things new is to play older games I didn’t get the chance to play as a kid. This goes along with the price of games. As a kid, your parents only bought you so many games each year. Now I’ve been going back to each of those games!
I agree, though I also kind of had some kind of sad feeling playing older games, because it gave me a sense of feeling like I missed the train to talk about it with my friends when it was hot.
ive been doing the exact same thing, i love it, most fun ive had on video games in a while.
yeah, that's why I've been emulating recently
@@brandonriggle3860 so accurate
Emulators!
My problem with gaming and this is more of a personal problem is that I start a game and fall in love with it for a week or two and then about halfway through I lose interest. It’s not even about them being a new experience, cause I literally restart games make it to the same point then burn out. I think I’m just in love with the idea of having a fresh start
Gaming burnout
Yeah it’s very common for games not to keep up the interest. Some games I just can’t stop playing, but most just get boring after a while, too much repetition and the story isn’t good enough to keep you interested.
@@pressrepeat2000 yea it's annoying because even FALEN ORDER IS GREAT but ugh
I think you should play shorter games. Many games these days are much longer than what fit
I have the same problem. I'll play a game for weeks and then burn out and not play it again for another 6 months. This is becoming more common too and it's why games as a service is turning people off.
The problem with modern gaming that nobody wants to admit is that originally games were made by groups of nerdy guys who wanted to create art and share their ideas and stories with the world. Then gaming became more moderated and those nerdy guys were pushed out in favor of "equality" with people who don't care about creating their own story but instead create whatever the big wigs tell them to create.
Don't believe me? Bungie, Neversoft, Maxis even R* and many many others were originally made up of just nerdy guys.
They didn't have "diversity" and that was OK. They made art. And that Era is gone now.
Definitely a new age. Good games exist in the corners that no one cares to check. There are still some good AAA games(Elden Ring being the first that comes to mind), imo, but 90% of the games that are good are indie titles.
And mods ..millions of mods and total conversions and mobile games Like TOTAL CHAOS ,ASHES 2067,ASHES AFTERSHOCK , POLYFIELD ,ATOM RPG , BATTLEFRON 2 PSP V9 and so on .. on my main channel androidferret I show a lot of those
@@marklehmann6971 cringe
@@marklehmann6971 You had me until you started with the mobile games. Some are good, sure, but they are so much worse than AAA
90% of the games that are good are indies, but 90% of indies aren't.
uhhhm ER isnt good... it could actually perfectly be used to illustrate what is wrong with gaming today...
I would say it's abit of both. Back when I was a kid, I enjoyed many a game that I've come to realise now we're actually crappy games. Reason I enjoyed them was coz due to lack of funds, I would have to "find" the fun in whatever games I could get my hands on. Also it's alot easier to enjoy gaming when you don't have any responsibilities as a kid... BUT on the other hand the gaming industry has obviously regressed in a way. In as much as we are spoilt with powerful gaming machines, stunning graphics, epic worlds, etc game quality had definitely taken a knock. Back then before the evil mega corporations got too involved with the finer details of video games, the games were spear headed by passionate and creative game developers who weren't in it for the money per say but we're in it for the love. Now most games feel sterile, empty, soulless, rushed and half realised because they are made by hundreds of "robots" in these so called development companies... being led and pushed by accountants and boards of directors who are out of touch with gamers, and are only interested in the money there is to be made
Yeah I think everything plays a part
I think it's most likely a biological thing and not necessarily the games themselves. We, the complainers, are generally older gamers with developed brains. We care less and less about fun and more about fulfillment and contentment whereas children look for fun. And let's face it, in the end games just aren't fulfilling. That's precisely why we are enjoying games less and less, not to mention that you become more critical around age 22.
I don’t know about Gaming itself But gaming channels are definitely a thing of the past.
There was only so much gaming Mark Felix and Seán could do before they reached insane and unpredictable heights of UA-cam fame to the point where they’re much of their content had to be changed and edited. It used to just be funny teens playing scary games, now they’re almost 30 and how many of the 3 have changed drastically? All Three.
Gaming only gets worse because of developers choosing to make games for consoles instead of consoles for games anymore. My ps2 from childhood runs better than my 2nd Xbox one for longer, it only takes 15 mins for the Xbox one to start whirring and “overheating.”
"Back then before the evil mega corporations got too involved with the finer details of video games, the games were spear headed by passionate and creative game developers who weren't in it for the money per say but we're in it for the love." Really, can you remember E.T.?
With gane pass I've played more older ganes than new games right now. Dead Space, far cry 2, condemned, etc.
I started playing computer and console games in the late 90’s when I was in my thirties. It was something my son, my husband and I did together as a family. We had so much fun playing games like Diablo 2, Age of Empires and many others. There are so many great memories from so many different games we shared as a family. From my perspective, gaming is indeed changing. The audience is growing up and has gotten wise to the predatory practices of most of the current day AAA companies. Change is in the air. I’m excited to see where we go next!
Your family should have been at a park getting air and learning competitive skills that actually matter and don't involve how fast can I kill and how many.
bro is in his 60’s and is watching youtube “is gaming dying? or are we entering a new age?”
@fymgio yes because it’s cool🙂
@@theberetdepression8217 Of course I don’t play video games anymore! Everyone knows they round us all up when we reach the old fart age and wipe all the cool, fun stuff out of us. 😂
@fymgio i never said it was a bad thing. what i was trying to get across is that this guy is an obvious top g
I’m 34 and have been playing video games since the Super Nintendo. Times have changed for the worse. I don’t wanna work 50 hours a week just to come home to “grind” or pay my way to win a game. It’s don’t wanna spend half of my experience searching for loot boxes/chests.
I got bored of modern games, and returned to my favorites growing up, like BFME 2, rfactor 2, WRC Rally Evolved, Richard Burns Rally, Dragon Age Origins, GTR 2 etc. Those games are so much better than the modern stuff. Not to mention those are GAMES, unlike modern "games" that are casinos disguised as video games.
I miss when you started the game and entered a cool, clean and atmospheric title screen taht screamed passion in its product. These older games have that soul that modern games are missing, and it really shows. I don't care about graphics, its pointless anyway so I returned to my favorites games and I have officially quit looking for modern games, it always disappoints.
Besides, you can play old gems for the rest of your life, considering how many great games that have been accumulated over the years, no need to look for new stuff.
The gaming industry used to be much smaller, the medium was newer and more experimental, entire new game genres were invented and blended together. Nowadays, the game industry is worth over a billion dollars and games now are played by a larger group of people. So the pressure is on developers to create a widely accessible game with mass appeal, instead of an experimental game to discover new niches, or create highly tailored games for a smaller market. The games of today look better and play better. We get amazing voice acting, smooth mechanics, animation and cinematics, but rarely do we see a game do something unusual or bizarre. Most modern games all seem to have an open world, a crafting system, equipment and upgrades, dialogue choices, quests and sidequests. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it shows the tendency for larger studios to go with the 'tried and true' formulaic approach rather than be bold and risky. There was a time where open world games were never a thing in gaming then came along Gran Theft Auto. There was a time where there was no such thing as bullet time, and then came Max Payne. There was a time when online first person shooters were not a thing on consoles then came Halo. The first few Assassin's Creed games are a good example of Franchise/IP milking and fatigue. The developers of the first few Assassin's Creed games had total free creative control. They had tons of money available as investment to create a brand new complete revolutionary game engine, could take risks and had the passion to create something that would be great. But as a general rule, investors prefer to give go ahead to established titles than risking something new. This way we get sequels, trilogies, remakes, and now nearly all high budget products are rehashing of what was there years ago. Games that stand out for me are the games that don't just do something well, they do something new. I think I'm always going to believe that things from my time are better, but I think I have solid arguments about why modern games aren't as good. You know, the usual stuff, microtransactions, companies playing it too safe with never ending sequels, publishers having too much power over developers, budget going on graphics and marketing rather than gameplay, etc, etc. That for me might be the reason I gravitate towards older games. I think it's less about nostalgia and more about the state of the industry...
The console and PC gaming isnt much bigger(if any) today. PS2 sold for 150 million. Its the mobile gaming that disrupted the market. Thats one reason for the decline of the AAA games market, talent has gone to small indie studios. Second its the inherent greed and corruption that comes with big money. As I said during PS2 era it was already huge and some studios that got really rich by then already started to collapse in the end of that cycle. Capcom,Square and Konami to name few. They are but a shadow of what they were during PS1, PS2. Third is the stagnation of the CPU side of hardware coupled with less competent programmers. It hasnt risen much since PS3 era. Considering thats where the gameplay gets to run on its a big deal. Programmers have to be really skilled(and willing) to really tap into some extra horsepower(which isnt that great tbh compared to PS3/Xbox 360 era that already had multicore 3+ Ghz processors). Jonathan Blow goes on about this at lengths.
I agree and I would go further back but I’m 40 years old. You sound like you’re maybe 30(?) (that’s not an insult)
Even Nintendo (NES) had so many games of great variety. The 16 bit games saw a large expanse of ideas as well.
The more powerful the systems got, the more innovation we saw, up until about 5 years ago, right when the industry got to big for its own good.
I 100 percent agree.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy modern games.
I only love the ones that innovate and give me a new experience.
Unfortunately there’s not a lot of them in AAA and most of them tend to be indies.
Dude this was extremely well put 🤘
Not reading all of that lol
Honestly any time I can get 2-3+ people to all play at the same time I get that feeling of nostalgia when I was younger. It seems so hard to get 2-3 people on at the same time. Especially the same people too. I remember when I was younger and there was a game (not always new) that we’d like we’d all get it together but now that doesn’t really ever happen anymore . A group of friends to play with is always really nostalgic . Especially when it’s a group of friends you knew when you were young
Was just talking to a few friends about this. Gaming feels stale at times because when we were younger, it wasn't about competition ALL THE TIME. You had some, but it was really about single player and then teaming up to play through a game for fun.
@@Aitchfactor like there’s nights where I get a random invite for csgo . One homie just randomly invites all the homies at a stupid ass time like 2 am and we got like a 4-5 man going on and it’s so hella fun. We all gamin , it’s 2 am it’s not like we care or trying (plus it’s csgo I don’t even care about comp in that game anymore ) and every time, I get nostalgia because it reminds me of back in the golden days of just invite , hop on, fun . Nothing else to worry about
Yeah man it sucks. Then when you do play with some random, no one talks so it's a bunch of mute people playing together... Oh what fun.
@@Aitchfactor bruh I hate it when people don’t talk or they play like robots. Any time I try to have fun people just mute or kick you 💀
@@VexingWeeb yeah that’s probably because mostly the new generation is anti social.
AAA studios are dying. Gaming is very much alive. Nobody trusts corporate execs to make good decisions anymore its all about the investors and fast profit
I am hitting 30 soon and I just don't have much interest in games anymore. I feel like I am witnessing the same tropes and stories over and over for the most part.
I think creating games, like any creative endeavor, can't easily survive going corporate. Passion, creativity, the willingness to pursue crazy ideas - all that gets homogenized into a shadow of itself when spreadsheets and lawyers get involved. Yes, we all grew up, but unfortunately the gaming industry did too - into a lawyer.
Nostalgia simp much?
@@ItsAmateurHour101 not as much as you troll
@@MotherMantiss was that supposed to be an insult?🤣🤣🤣🤣 try harder simp
@@ItsAmateurHour101 lol
This week I got myself scrolling through stream services and steam, looking at movies, series, new games, and I felt like all these industries stopped to try and make good art to instead make anything that can grab my attention. The lack of originality is really showing in all forms of entertainment, feels like all sorts of new media are a copy/paste of something that has already been done. I know it's impossible to always innovate, but they don't seem to be even trying. With so much content avaliable to us, the ammount of time we spend looking for something actually good and entertaining sometimes is bigger than the time we spend playing or watching something.
Well said
I feel like gaming, and game making, was still an artistic thing back in the 90s. However, as the market has gotten bigger and bigger over the past few decades, and that has drawn in all the typical corporate vultures.
Also, if I could lay the blame for the current gaming environment at the feet of just two games, they'd be Candy Crush and World of Warcraft. Candy Crush for showing how popular the "pay for convenience" style of mobile gaming could be, and WoW for paving the way for "games as a service". Yeah, I know WoW isn't the first MMO, but it's the first one that really got CEOs eyes popping out of their heads with how much money it was making.
@@seanwilliams7655 I don't know if you can really place the blame on any game. These systems were going to happen one way or another. The blame is where it always is, the consumer, if people stopped paying 5 dollars for their coins in candy crush or whatever it would have never gotten as big as it has. Now these companies have taken on more of publishing/parent company role. Most big companies hardly make games, they either buy up smaller companies or own the engine they are using and get a % of profits. Personally I don't play games much anymore anyway so it's not a big deal for me.
@@devinkipp4344 you're right. I didn't mean blame in the literal sense. More that it was those games that caught the attention of publishers because they were making so much money. As you said, if it wasn't those two, it would have been something else.
Personally, I don't mind MTX in a free to play mobile game. I understand that developers have to make money. I don't think it should be pay to win, but some minor cosmetics or convenience items I have no problem with. Where my issue comes in is when they have that stuff in full priced AAA games. And what REALLY grinds my gears is that, from the moment Bethesda introduced horse armor, people were saying things would turn out EXACTLY like they have.
I still play games quite a bit, but I hardly ever buy anything brand new or at full price. It's usually getting older games on Steam that I missed back in the day, or using emulation.
@@seanwilliams7655 I'm in the same boat as you. "This game is the best game of the decade you HAVE to play it." Ok I'll wait four years when it goes on a steam sale for 90% with all dlc/extras included. I bought Witcher 3 and all expansions for like 5 bucks I think. That being said I did buy cyberpunk day 1 but I really enjoyed it.
I agree that there shouldn't really be MTX in AAA single player games but it's here now. Personally I don't think I've ever bought a game that has MTX in it but I'd have to double check.
It's crazy how much I relate to what you're saying about your relationship with gaming nowadays - I feel like I'm watching a video I made in an alternate universe. The industry of greed, my adulthood, potential addiction, games being worse, nostalgia bait, inefficiency when giving time to my current games, the stagnation of innovation and creativity. It's all spot on.
bro yes!!!!
Literally how i feel as well. This video met with all my thoughts.
You proved that growing up is the issue. Your Golden Age was when I started to fall out of love with gaming 2000-2010 was my golden age of gaming
“Gaming didn’t die, it was MURDERED!”
-Painful memories
I feel like I heard that from somewhere?
@@all_out_tripp7220 cleanpricegaming
For me, my loss of interest in games is because of how every game has to be a service that needs to be downloaded and updated and is stuffed with microtransactions and add ons. When I was young, I just popped in the disc and the GameCube would play what’s on the disc.
Now buy indie games. They're cheaper, anyway.
Ditch multiplayer games. Some might get some kind of patch every now and then, but for the most part, the strings attached to “online only” games just aren’t there
This video hit home for me. I’m 24 and grew up playing halo 3 customs, CoD, and Gears but I’m at the beginning of my adulting. I still love and game for a bit ever so often but that spark for gaming isn’t quite there anymore.
I’ve played mainly competitive fps games but found myself enjoying MMOs or single player games that I can start and stop when I want. The fun social aspect of games has been pretty much cast aside. I feel like there’s other things that are much more productive. It’s just us growing up and gaming being a cash grab in todays world. It’s really sad to see but I’ll take any chance to play with the boys for an hour or two here and there that I can✊
Same age as you. Sadly, I think it's just part of growing up. I don't think anything is going to capture again the sense of wonder and amazement I had when I played minecraft or destiny for the first time. I have so much more life experience now, so much more knowledge of games, and not enough time to truly enjoy them. I loved opening up the new Spiderman games pc port, but I downloaded it over a month ago and I've only had time to play it once since then.
Literally exact same bro. Crazy. Sometimes I go back and Play Halo 3 on MCC, feels good still. Just a shame most games don’t come close
Its funny because I was 24 (shit, my childhood was Super Nintendo) when all those games were released. I used to think the late 90's-2000's were the golden age of gaming but really it is just a constantly evolving industry full of dynamic genre, similar to the music industry. Just gotta know where to look these days, I still regularly come across games that blow me away.
I think you hit the nail on the head concerning AAA. The law of diminishing returns is grating away at their stale approach to games, I think people are finally getting burnt out on their rehashed offerings.
I’m 53 and I’m a Tier8 Tetrinaut on Tetris Effect Connected. Also started playing The Eternal Cylinder
@@patricklloyd1797 exactly, this video is for us 24 year olds. Man I don’t wanna grow up😓😓
I think you described a period of my life when I started playing less and less and ended up doing a long break. There was nothing that appealed much to me at the time. Then I started slowly playing some pc games in my very old laptop, got a console and then Elden Ring rolled around. I now can say I play a lot, almost as much as when I was a student. The advantage of long breaks is that when you come back you have an enormous roster to explore and that keeps things fresh. Thank you for the video!
This happened to me in my early late teens/ early 20s - I skipped the whole PS3 generation. It wasn't until I finished my degree, had a career, and had my own place that life started slowing down where playing a video game felt appropriate in the evening. Coming back in at the PS4 generation felt rewarding. The games had well thought out story lines that were deeply engaging. Graphically I was awestruck. Moreover I could afford them - and buying a game wasn't about it I could, it was about if I should.
What surprised me the most was that I've had some genuine - "I feel like I'm 11 years old on Christmas Day" experiences. Breath of The Wild is a game that I wish I could experience for the first time all over again. Being in your 30s and realizing something can captivate your imagination in a way you only experienced as a child -- that is a truly powerful and comforting feeling.
@@andrewszabo1552 Same story for me! I loved multiplayer games as a kid. Had a long break (7-8 year) in my early 20s. Then got back into it slowly over the last 5 years. I have given up on multiplayer titles and am loving gaming more than ever! I pretty much only play indie titles and switch up genres often. I also prefer to play games that have already stood the test of time and are well received. I don't have time to risk it with new releases these days.
I pointed this out a few times already, but when I played ark 3 years ago, I felt like a kid again. It all has to do with lack of novel experiences available in the gaming industry, but also many of our lack of willingness to try something new and bold when it is presented
In the list of 2010-15 great games, most you mentioned there were sequels or made by already beloved studios. Now, I'm talking completely out of my ass here, but I'm starting to see more and more new games from unknown companies (mostly Indies) that people are enjoying, so what I think is happening is we're going through the early stages again where new companies and franchises gain a footing in the industry, and one day people will be able to enjoy the long awaited sequels for these titles as the series' that we've come to love fall behind
Oh sweet summer child. Back in my day NES was really popular and we spent time playing megaman and super mario together with friends. What you are describing is basically the experience every generation had with their games. From my point of view PS1 and PS2 era was the peak of gaming. Still they are releasing good games all the time even to this day: Phoenix Point (2019), Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga (2022), Creeper World 4 (2020), Loop Hero (2021), Mount & Blade 2 (2020). Just gotta look outside the AAA titles.
Zelda TOTK had me reliving my childhood in the most glorious of ways, so that means that a game just has to be sufficiently good. I honestly thought experiencing a game in the way I did this one, was behind me.
Totk has been the first game i truly play in over 3 years.
Nintendo is hitting it out of the ball park. They just showed a promo of a Mario RPG re-master and a Princess Peach game, etc. Quite a few bits they showed had me super interested.
I remember playing Mario RPG with an ex-GF. She really liked the game. Now the game is going to get an awesome modern take on it released soon :)
@@ReinMixTape Yeah, I am looking forward to all of the new Mario games. Wonder looks fantastic.
Oh another open world with chores to do. How revolutionary
@@fayelis yeah I just cannot get into open world games like that - they take take way too much time to really get into and enjoy. 38 year old me just doesn’t have that patience or time ..
I can still get into simply platformers though for short bursts
I was born in 1980, and my first experience gaming was on an Atari that was older than me. The gaming landscape is evolving as it always does. As someone who loved FPS during the 90s and early 2000s, it felt like Halo and COD would be the end. All that happened was that it was the next evolution in FPS games. It's the same with all genres and platforms.
FPS are all the same. cant believe its still the same even more prevalent after 20 years !!
Im 29 and this video is fascinating. Because the era you describe starting with AC3 to me was the era where games started 'dying' to me. Not because gaming was dying but because that naivety started dying in me. I hear you describe a golden age and i remember a period where my enthusiasm was actually decreasing...
This is so interesting to hear. Really sounds like a natural human progression where I guess the games naturally don't engage our brains as they much too. I am 22 so I entered this phase just before Fortnite came out. I rejected Fortnite and loads of other new games.
Even though I feel the past 12 years have flown by, I was speaking to my partners nephew saying I played Minecraft... which is now apparently for "Old People"
@matyohaha yeah ik that's the reality. But I mean the fact that a child thought minecraft is an "old person's game" shows time is getting on
(I wasn't saying its an old person's game)
@@GamerBoyRobby I'm 22 and Fortnite in 2018-19 was my favourite time in gaming, even after having so many amazing memories already. As in 2019 I finally got to live my dream of competing in games at a professional level full-time. I think there is a small percent of people that just genuinely love games and it will remain a big part of their lives. Sure I wish would love to go back to previous 'peaks' but I still really enjoy games and almost certainly always will.
@@Shadow--- I definitely do love games but I'm not as much of an all around gamer as I used to be. I still play games a lot but usually the same games, don't get anything new often, apart from when I got an oculus recently but that's about it. I have to admit though, the next couple of years might really spark my gaming again. Looking forward to KSP 2, Starfield and a few others. Not sure why I never liked Fortnite though... not that I dislike anything in particular but I get bored a lot. Congrats on the games comp stuff btw, i defo wouldnt do well in any comps today haha. I was going to get into games development but after an apprenticeship popped up, I got my degree in software engineering and working in that field now recently graduated. Might look back into games dev in the future, really fun.
I was going to comment this too, I think it really is an age thing and it's not that when you get older you don't enjoy games as much, you're just more aware of what you're playing and your time is more constricted so you're focussed on trying to get as much fun in as short amount of time. Overall I think thre are still a tonne of amazing games coming out now. Elden Ring and the souls games in general are some of the best games I've ever played.
As a 40 year old It's kinda hard to get immersed into a games anymore like it was when I was a kid, but VR fixed that for me ;)
Still don't game a lot but for a few hours during the weekend it's fun to be transported into a another world and actually feel like your there.
After 2 years Half Life Alyx still rocks. Some many mods coming out that I can't keep up.
Vr is the perfect gateway into gaming. The controls are simple enough that you don’t have to spend a lot of time learning them. The gameplay is easy for newer players as well since it’s close to navigating the real world. There’s less barriers to entry of gaming through Vr compared to controller or mouse and keyboard gaming
I agree. I just think the UA-cam generation has grown up so now they feel like ppl our age do. Life happened so gaming took a back seat
People have been saying this on and off for decades. I think it's partially cyclical (designs fall into a groove until some innovative new game shakes things up and then the rest of the industry iterates on its formula), and partially like you said, that adulting changes our perception. I remember playing an online game as an adult a few years back and thinking I just wasn't interested in most of the new games at the time, but then I met this younger kid online who had the same enthusiasm for modern games that I had growing up, and it made me realize gaming wasn't necessarily better or worse, just that my tastes and requirements had changed over time.
One of the big problems that I have noticed in gaming as someone who has been gaming since the first Nintendo, is that there is no more mystery. Every game that comes out now has been in Early Access, revealed all of their development, or has so many let's plays on UA-cam that all of the surprise and awe is gone by the time you get into a game. It's also becoming more and more difficult to be into gaming without having things spoiled. 😅
It isn’t exclusive to gaming either.
I think in one way or another, all media seems to leak to the masses with the intent to show off various accomplishments, all without thinking it’ll ruin what surprise it’ll have.
The last film I saw without any real context of what to expect was Grand Budapest Hotel, which was a surprise.
Me and my buddies were just saying this yesterday. Totally agree
@@BackLash1039 Yeah, I try my hardest to not get spoilers but I'm involved in so many gaming groups it's almost impossible at this point. Sometimes wish companies would just highlight some new game at a convention then be like, oh, it's also available tomorrow. No context, nothing. Just BOOM, new game. Lol
@Joshua haha I totally agree bro. Part of the kid magic was the mystery for sure. Now everyone can solve anything in any game in 2 seconds with a simple Google or UA-cam search. You aren't ever surprised by the villains anymore. You know the ending etc. Super lame
I think those things r pretty easy too avoid.
I took an 8 years break from gaming. Used to be hardcore since I was like 7, and seen all gens. But I skipped most of gen 3 and half of gen4. I was too busy with my career and kinda burned out anyway. I got back at the end of the Ps4 to play FF games and now ps5. The break renewed my love for gaming because I look back and only play masterpieces that really are unique. Going forward I am excited especially for indies, more than AAA games.
That’s totally the way to do it. Skip the schlock and play the standouts.
Same here. Always kept a couple things on my PC like a flight sim and maybe Civilization but those were getting tiring. Put them on the back burner for a while and I know when I come back to them, they'll seem fresh again. For me it was getting a new XBox. Some of the games like Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order and Assassin's Creed (both Origins and Odyssey) have reawakened that gaming spirit. I'm now just into console games but burn out is sure to happen eventually.
Can you count and please stop doing a EA AND STATING GENERATION 8S BASED ON PLAYSTATION IT ISNT 8TS BASED ON NINTENDO AND PS4 IS GEN 8
What ate this gen3 gen4?
Can someone please explain?
I have a similar experience, maybe not as hard-core player as some but I played on everything from Commodore 64 all the way up to ps3 and then almost nothing for 10-12 years. But now when I got myself a ps4 it blew my mind just how good some of the stuff out there is, with my absolute favorites being Witcher 3 and last God of War. Only thing I do miss from way back when is single player RTS games, always loved those.
Just stop playing AAA. If people didn't play AAA and ignored the news about it - only buying, playing and engaging in the indie and AA space, then they wouldn't think gaming is dying. Indie games are stepping into a new golden Era, it makes me sad that people don't see that.
Rock and Stone!
1:05 This is the problem with so many modern games. They shove information down your throat. You can barely see Conner because of the words on the screen. Playing a game like BioShock or Skyrim feels so natural in comparison. Sure, there are things on the screen, but not more than you need. Dead Space delivered information without clutter better than almost any game.
Why do developers design these amazing worlds, and then take you out of them with text and markers and icons all over the screen?
They don't trust the average player anymore. Old school games used to be difficult and expected a lot of the player (sometimes too much). Modern games have swung too far in the other direction and appeal to the lowest common denominator for the sake of "accessibility". Think of the male Karens who leave bad reviews on products because they couldn't figure out how to make them work. Those are the people they're designing for now.
And you can turn off hud in most games...problem solved.
Skyrim is so awesome because it’s just simple and fun
My housemate bought that walking simulator game (forgot the name but you have back pack and deliver things and the guy falls over) it’s got concepts like DB’s or was it BC’s , alien concepts that make no sense and you’re supposed to just get it!? Might be a Kojima game.
I do have gripe with Skyrim and that’s who’re the forsworn and why? Farkas sends me to wipe them out and I haven’t been to markarth yet to discover them. (I don’t read the books, they’re too much of a chore)
It’s the expectancy on the player to just know.
@@christinaedwards5084 lol I have played that game so much and only once been to markarth lol
When you touched the money aspect it ringed a bell with me. There is this issue where they seem to be assuming the world's minimum wage is the same as the US. There needs to be regional pricing because 70$ is expensive for US standards but for the rest of the world is outrageously high.
For this I wonder if regional pricing is decided by the game publisher or the store because I swear I got Elden Ring for $40 at release on steam but game like God of war who had been released year ago still cost $60
I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I play and finish ER and only pay almost half the price of most AAA games
@@sho9585 There used to be international agreements that caused the Argentina situation for example where 60$ games were like 10$ over there. But since the end of last year that is over.
For what I hear Now steam gives publishers a suggestion for regional prices but it's up to them how much they charge.
@@sho9585 actually god of war ragnarok cane out in november so thats only 4 months
@@skuash here it's 600 USD and they really think anyone can buy those shiny 70 euro games brand new..... We painfully need regional pricing there is very little way to get games otherwise
I still remember when I first played the Silent Cartographer on the Halo PC demo. That was when gaming really clicked for me. Halo was so special.
I can't imagine the popularity Halo would've gained had they considered the PC as well for the whole trilogy.
I played the shit out of that demo. Got the full game a few years later. Best campaign ever
It truly was a legendary game, ahead of it's time
Yup... Legendary campaign and game. Even with the repetitive levels later on, this game, and the whole trilogy, has a feel that can never be duplicated. The music, the 2-weapon gameplay, the dialogue, the marines, the enemies, the story, characters like MC, Arby and Johnson...
@@spuriusscapula4829 agreed
You awesome guys are really making me miss halo! Do you have any other suggestions of other good campaigns like that one? I will play whatever you all suggest. I played halo 3 and didn’t like the story as much. Atmosphere just didn’t feel as amazing to me. Halo infinite was just average to me. Good gun play but didn’t like the repetitive level design.
I can 100% relate almost 30 and starting to learn about living in the real world 10 months ago I had lost the first job I had ever had and tomorrow I start a new one I feel hopeful for the future
this is what I needed to hear
I am 40 and what is currently happening with gaming happens with everything music,movies, art it's the same pattern. A creative industry will find something run with it until it gets wack and suddenly new IDEAS,technology or styling will come out and the industry will be revitalized. As you get older you get used to this cycle
I think getting married or having a kid(especially) really kills gaming in your life. When other priorities begin to demand your attention the amount of time you can put into gaming becomes limited and sporadic. With that many genres of games become almost impossible to play, games that might have been fun when you had more time become a chore because they now take too much time and you give up playing them altogether. Some people used to just grow out of gaming as kids when they decided socializing as a teen or young adult became more important. But others who have had the games change and grow with them have held on longer. I don't think i'd have played games as long as I did if I was still using a NES only.
my dad now in retirement got me ps5 but since i have my post graduate he is the only one using it. children do indeed ruin your gaming life but after the child becomes an independed adult you have the freedom to do whatever hobby u wish
I don't know if I'd use the word "ruin" or "kill" - I definitely feel more fulfilled and fun playing something like Yoshi's Crafted World with my young kids for an hour here or there than thinking back to college and high school me who would play Elder Scrolls anywhere from 3 to 12 hours a day. I think general brain development is an unspoken piece of it here. At 25, the "executive center" of our brain finally is fully developed (seriously, most violent crime and antisocial illegal behavior occurs between ages 18 and 25) - with that said, our priorities change just because our brains change. At 19, we'd laugh off and joke about spending more hours gaming than sleeping. If we did that now as adults, we'd feel sick, physically and psychologically.
I see this with my brother who is a bachelor. He games way more than I do, but it's a couple hours a day. Dude still has a job. He's developed other hobbies, some much more enriching than gaming. And our bodies don't let us stay up until 3 am and go to work at 8 without consequences.
(Though I'll admit when Elden Ring came out and a month later, my hometown was expecting a blizzard that would bury us in the house for a week, I bought it and played the heck out of it! There's still circumstances the young gamer can come out.)
but for aspergers people with some limited interests there is either a healthy balance or more attention focused on the genre(s) of interest.
Well, depends on your mindset, I'd say. As an introvert and a bit of an asshole, I cut off all my friends. But playing lbp with my son when he was younger, then diablo, now cod, is a great fun
Great insight
Your frame of reference for nostalgia is based on your own childhood perspective of gaming. I grew up when Zelda OOT was game changing. Halo was another big game changer for me.
So I actually did things a bit different... in highschool I gamed a lot, but I didn't ever play RPGs or open world games much at all. Took a few years off gaming after highschool, got into RDR2 for a year or two, took another year or two off, and now I'm back on PS3 playing Oblivion for the first time. I found that same enjoyment from back in the day, and I play it every weekend for a few hours each day. Perfect, for me, to walk that line between burning myself out, digging real deep into the game, and living my adult life with all the responsibilities I have.
Finding your balance in everything you do is great
One thing I've enjoyed alot as an older gamer is going back to the retro scene. Playing old games to me is easy to do and fun, this week I was playing multiplayer on red alert, loved it
Right. I played red alert remastered its really a cool game.
well said. couldn't agree more
i agree i constantly return to the old Halos, CODS, Assassins Creed, GTA, sly cooper, just older titles i would play and it’s just much more fun
Playing classic ff7, having a blast!
been playing Medal of honor Pacific on my fat ps2. Have some ps1 and ps2 titles on my ps3 as well. Technically they are new to me since I grew up poor and couldn't play a lot of games. The rare visit to blockbuster was nirvana for a young me back in the day. Command and Conquer Red Alert 2 was my first big strategy game and the game I got on my Emachine back in the day. Hope they remaster Red Alert 2 next. Tiberium wars would be good too.
Literally had this conversation with my friend. I believe, like the music industry, gaming has become more business driven and pragmatic than fresh innovative/ground breaking.
And like a Music industry, there is a crash and reinvention coming. It's just a question of time when the majority of consumers will be fed up finally.
@@MrMozkoZrout hopefully. But majority of consumers are still consuming hip hop and pop music.
@@MrMozkoZrout
The Switch 2 will prevent the crash.
@@westonmeyer3110 you mean that obscure underpowered and proprietary gaming console with expensive games ? How ?
@@MrMozkoZrout
No, I mean the successor to the Switch.
I feel like i grew up. I played loads of video games as a kid especially in high school but it slowly felt repetitive and draining. Ive switched to tabletop gaming since then and i find it more enjoyable as the time spent building and painting the miniatures is more relaxing and rewarding and you also get to meet new people in person when you meetup to battle
This is EXACTLY how I felt and I switched to table top gaming with my family.
It sounds like the SOCIAL aspect of gaming is much worse in modern games has drained your interest in gaming in general. The Internet and multiplayer games in general are a lot more toxic, cheat ridden and riddled with other problem aspects.
Though I'd imagine making a physical table top world and paining figurines would feel rewarding and give you more real world transferable skills.
Rather than table top game, I went into retro gaming. Back to the games of my childhood and teenage years.
Gayyy
i dont know if that constitutes growing up, switching from one mode to another is more lateral than it is, up-down(?)
The social aspect is huge, remember when we were kids we could go to school and be social about the game. As we age that is much harder to accomplish and many AAA games leave out couch co-op and other social aspects.
Quitting gaming for a bit helped me enjoy it more and have a healthier relationship with it
The older i get the more i realize how i liked the simplicity in games. The games became too complex nowadays, with very detailed graphics which makes eye hurting and tired, and there's way too much text inside of the game interfaces like with leveling up systems, upgrading menus, pause menus and such.
I can't agree more. Every time I start a sim game, it's just never ending text i have to read before playing. :| seems like it's just easier to add a pile of text rather than making tutorial entertaining.
I agree. Today, games are more like long movie, full of insane useless graphical details with lots of repetitive missions, upgrade this, upgrade that, listen half an hours of dialogues then you get five minutes of actions unlike old games which were more fun, full of action rather than useless things.
What you said reminded me of something I realized not so long ago. I believe that the design style of the past can be considered as "simple complexity". For example you could have a jrpg that featured complex magic/equipment systems and a deep story, but the way you played it was relaxed and uncompromising. You could also be playing an action/exploration game that had a lot of ground to cover and lacked obvious cues for what you needed to do, but you went through it with a smile on your face because you never felt like the game was pulling or pushing you in a certain direction. I'm still trying to figure out a way to effectively explain it, but those examples I mentioned are kind of the basis of it.
2D side scrollers FTW!! - random “old head” gamer 😅
Since UA-cam doesn't have section with liked comments, I am just going to leave a comment to save the comment
I'd like to ad 1 game that literally reignited my childhood curiosity and love of gaming all over again and that's Subnautica. The lore, the discovery, gameplay and also not to mention the way the game makes you feel real terror and even made me cry a little at the end is a game I think is definitely worth talking about 🙂
Yeah anyone who hasn't been able to play indie titles are missing out.
For me once I played it in VR, I just couldn’t play it regular again!!!
Gaming isnt dying you're just growing out of them. I went through a phase in life where I didn't and couldn't even stand playing games in general then later came back and found others I enjoyed.
In the mid 2010s I went back to school and worked fulltime, so I basically stopped gaming and felt that I would never return to it. I also unjustifiable blamed gaming for being stagnant in life as I hit my 30s and worked a dead end job. But after getting my shit together I've come back in full force and stick to discounted games haha
In my experience, a game worthy of my attention comes out maybe once every 6 or 7 years, but the "growing up" part is I can never sink 8 or 9 hours in it at once for immersion like I used to because adult life requires constant distractions.
Take that element away and I'd still have all the wonder and joy as my child self did
Very well put together video. I’ve always been more of a multiplayer gamer but for the past year I’ve been trying out single player games and have been enjoying gaming a lot again. Ghost of Tsushima, Both spider man, and TLOU2 was amazing.
I also hate when people say games are a waste of time then spend hours watching tv shows.
I thought I was the only one, man. I didn't have the best childhood, and aside from gaming and anime, very little piqued my interest. When I finally got the game I wanted, it was incredible; putting the game on my console and then being transported to another world was out of this world, and you had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what was going on in the plot of some story-based games, but it didn't matter because I enjoyed going through the missions and seeing what was next. Now, very few games do that, with the only game I've recently enjoyed playing being red dead redemption 2. I assumed it was because I was maturing and beginning to prefer the real world over the virtual, but I don't believe that's the case. Most companies' games are now very predictable, and I believe this is due to the gaming industry becoming more mainstream than it once was, and most people settling for mediocrity rather than demanding more. I hope things improve and games become more interesting again, but if things continue as they are, I may not buy another gaming PC and may give up on games entirely.
Do you still watch anime? I also grew up on gaming and anime. However, anime is the only one of the two I continue to consistently enjoy. I doubt growing older on its own makes you bored of 'non-economically productive' entertainment because of "maturity". Plenty of adults around me binge movies, TV shows, sports stations and whatever, and I binge anime. I think what makes gaming different is that it requires active participation. It's a lot easier to start and skip passive entertainment, while I find it almost hard to launch a new game since it might be a boring waste of effort; by waste, I mean not contributing to my having fun.
I think this can come about from the responsibilities of getting older. Being a grad student, I usually come home drained. I'll daydream about gaming when I get home, then end up just watching an anime because it's easier. However, I think a stagnant industry is more to blame. l still will find something that I like, i.e. Elden Ring, only to finish it, search hopelessly for something else, only to go back to daydreaming about games. I hope things improve as well.
This is something I expect to see more often as discussion as our age group gets older.
I think for me I find it hard to game as much now that I'm an adult because I'm realizing that life is finite. I still enjoy spending some time on these games still and it's a blast but I have full time work and other important responsibilities as well
When people talk about various sequels from the 2010s as their classics, I realize how novelty is shaped so much around our age and lack of knowledge.
The mainstream push of gaming and push towards profits is a definite part of what has hurt the release of new games in recent years. I also genuinely believe the speed of information and overall attitude that being efficient with time and gameplay has hurt enjoyment as well, whether that comes from an adult mindset from growing up or if this age is one of efficiency over all else.
Being able to distance yourself from the idea that all time you have must be productive will help let you enjoy the time you spend with games, no matter the kind of game.
Efficiency killed MMOs for me. I always used to play solo and still do, but in recent years I started to struggle with loneliness and started seeing online games as a possible way out of that. The only problem is that I like old MMOs. I felt rushed to skip to the current expansion content which wrecked the immersion of creating a character and going on adventures that are supposed to span months if not years, slowly over time. I can't even log into these games without being reminded of how far I've been left behind by my peers; the game itself is just a reminder of that.
For me, gaming has always been about the story and worldbuilding, the exploration and characters. Honestly, I think that as I've gotten older I've learned how to appreciate my favorite genera's, the RPG/JRPG, Metroidvania and Turn Based Strategy even more as my understanding has evolved.
As I mature, and as I learn more about the world, I become more critical of the media I consume. And that is why I appreciate Indie games that are creative or the few Double/Triple A game studios that create games with deep thought provoking narratives and rich worlds. Studios like Nihon Falcom and Monolithsoft as well as Triple A developers like Satoru Iwata (Rest In Peace), Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma and Masahiro Sakurai and their teams.
Studios and Developers who battle to be creative in the larger industry instead of just conforming to the creation of coockie cutter experiences like Microsoft and Sony. Or the outright predatory practices that are integrated by EA, Ubisoft, Activision and their contemporaries.
*genres
Call me stupid but I game for GAMEPLAY WANT STORY GO WATCH CUT SCENES
@@audie-cashstack-uk4881 Why can't we have both? I love it when games find ways to intertwine the narrative and gameplay aspects, or find ways to use the game mechanics themselves to inform the narrative.
There are plenty of games out there that have both great narratives and great gameplay. However, it really does depend on what kind of games that you prefer to play.
Games like red dead redemption 2 or the elder scrolls series are incredible as you get an immersive narrative while you have so much fun with the gameplay. I’ve cried and laughed with these games, as you should
Based Nihon Falcom.
Rekindling the gaming spark may be as simple as playing a different genre than you're accustomed to. I recently got into a super realistic roller coaster simulator/designer called NoLimits 2. I found myself so engaged in designing every little aspect of a roller coaster that I'd sink hours at a time.
I gave Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle a chance thinking I'd spend a couple of hours in it then put it away. I spent 50+ hours in the game and finished the campaign and DLC. I then played Mutant: Year Zero and later on the next Mario Rabbids. I realized I really like turn based tactical shooters if there's enough charm to it to keep it from feeling stale.
Just like you have to cycle a cat's toys. Switch throughout the genres, I agree.
We grow up. Busy. Having fun in other things in life. But I think we are lucky that we have so many games and variety now. From small scale to big AAA scale.
Singleplayer, multiplayer no lack of content. I think 1 hour of gaming is enough for me.
I think as we get older we become more critical of things as well as less accepting of certain things. As kids you don’t notice the bad mechanics or bad controls or level design .
I’ve been gaming since I was a kid; im 30 now. I think the other big problem at least with me is phone addiction. Even when watching shows I’ve noticed I get bored extremely fast if it doesn’t catch my attention. Same w games. If the game feels like something I’ve played before, I get bored. I blame this on social media and the instant gratification we get from swiping and likes. And it sucks because I love games, I just can’t help but get bored.
You gotta unplug for a while, friend.
I'm the same. I can't get into any games and most of the time, I prefer to scroll endlessly on my phone.
Its not just games its everything, its films and all forms of media, society seems to have staganted honestly. It feels like we are in the end times.
Dude if everything is shit to you...i think you might have depression...people woth depression seem to feel empty and/or spiteful of everything
I agree, look at movies on Netflix, so many subpar movies compared to the 1980s where movies was creative and just better overall. I don't agree that everything sucks, its just you have fewer gems compared to the golden era of gaming (PS2/GC/1st Xbox).
Yep,you are very right
@@gojizard704 Dude if you don't see what he's talking about maybe it's you who have issues. (worst even)
@@gojizard704 everyone's depressed it's even in modern music lyrics. Open ears and eyes dude.
The problem is that you’re playing modern games. Renaissance period of gaming isn’t 2010-2015. It’s before online gaming. Try playing Final Fantasy 7, Crash Bandicoot, Twisted Metal, Contra 3, Pokémon blue/red, NBA Showtime, etc.
This really resonated with me. I have an addiction to games but rarely find enjoyment in them. I often spend hours looking for something that might keep my focus as they did in the classic era.
It's not because of the games tho, partly, maybe. The truth is you've grown, hopefully, you've grown out of needing to escape by playing wow 12 hours a day and feeling empty when you don't.. You're at a stage of growing up and out of needing to escape every hour of the day.
Keep my focus means escape the horror of being in the present moment...
@Doppelganger D don't foget old ones
I buy games to them end up just looking at them on my shelf. Not even sure why I do it. I'll play for maybe an hour or so and then move on to the next new game. This is why I liked pirating games. If they sucked, then u lost nothing but data. If I liked it that much I would then buy it to play official.
Bro same had to go back to my ps2 cause this new era ass
As a 24 year old I just look back on my gaming days and cherish them.
You can't help but notice the guy says the heyday of gaming coincides with his upbringing. At 25 myself it'd be hard to say 2010-2015 was the apex of gaming when I grew up on Midway's Mortal Kombat, RE4 and the original Halo Trilogy.
@@tobiramasenju6290 Those games had so much soul. I wont say anything about modern gaming. I'm tired of arguing with the modern audience and they shill to companies giving these soulless games.
Same here I’m 27 I look back at my gamer years between 2008 and 2015 and the one off year because of covid hahaha
I've actually been enjoying games more than ever recently. As I've become more critical of them, I've also been able to understand them more, and so they can communicate more things to me. Like jokes consisting only of gameplay, which previously I would not have noticed, but now are hilarious.
Personally I find myself branching out into multiple genres. Don't limit yourself just because you grew up playing FPS games. Remember, Mario was one of the inspiration for DOOM XD
Now that I’m a adult I always think “how tf did I get stuck on this as a kid”
I'm in a weird state, like I don't find myself enjoy playing some of the newer titles but when I do, I can immerse myself to hundreds of hours on the experience. And surprisingly, that is not that rare although the frequency is greatly lowered down. Like, maybe I could only find a game like that every once in a few months but that makes the experience much, much more incredible because of exactly the thing you mentioned and due to how less frequent I experience that sensation.
@@Bustermachine I actually grew up with platformers, and only got really into first person shooters around 2020.
How old are you thoe ?
It's funny how young players remember gaming evolution much differently than us older players. I remember the 1st game I ever played was called Wolf 3D and that was before Windows 95 was a thing. Very few (if any) games managed to beat some of its game mechanics and ideas. If there ever was anything I consider being a revolution in gaming then it definitely wasn't GTA V but half-life. Half-life deathmatch and some months later mod called counter strike (25 years ago believe it or not)
Another revolution in gaming was definitely the 1st Assassins Creed game and more or less GTA 3.
But another thing I remember all too well are those prices we paid. We used to pay 60 bucks for a game on CD and that was always the reason behind that price.