Games are most likely to be mediocre or just decent at best these days and I don't know why. Just look at highly anticipated games that were years in the making like Avowed and Starfield among others end up being a massive letdown. Who knows how The Elder Scrolls 6 will turn out but I wouldn't be surprised if it flops and Todd Howard is a big liar by the way. We were incredibly lucky to get a game like Skyrim from him but it's very outdated now and the next gen ports were wasted potential. I lived in a time when video games were incredible but I don't know what in the world is going on with game developers in a time when we have superior dev kits, game engines, hardware, consoles, PCs, etc. but perhaps it could be a major lack of talent now. Ironically, Leslie Benzies was a big part of the Grand Theft Auto series and will be putting out a potentially crappy game being MindsEye. GTA 6 which is a huge exception will most likely still be extraordinary without him being involved.
People spend more time criticising games online than playing them these days, although I accept any opinion if it's well argued. I actually enjoy criticism when it's honest. That said, there have always been mediocre games, even anticipated ones. Is Tears of the Kingdom a masterpiece or a mediocre sequel? Is Breath of the Wild the masterpiece that so many people say, the best video game ever made? In my opinion is the worst Zelda 3D game and The Legend of Zelda is one of my favourite IPs ever, my favourite during my adolescence. Yet, Nintendo is the publisher I have noticed the drop in quality the most, but it's also the publisher I know the most, so wouldn't know about others as much.
People are divided when it comes to anticipated games, depending on their expectations and preferences. You can see this when a sequel tries something new and some people love it because of that and some people hate it because of the same. We can expect reactions like that with The Elder Scrolls VI, regardless of its quality. Some people will love it and some will hate it.
I played Skyrim last year on Series X and I loved it, but the first hours were very rough and I got into an almost impossible to avoid death because of my save files. I think that the first 10 hours of Starfield are supposed to be a tutorial, but they are utterly boring and the mechanics are very poorly explained, e.g., I didn't know I had to press A and then X to dock until a mission told me so, so I always hit the ships trying to dock in a clunky way. I almost gave Starfield up in this period, because it also shows its ugliest side in the first 10 hours, like what seems pointless exploration and the most boring characters you will probably encounter. The menus don't seem to have evolved much since Skyrim, either. Although I agree with some Bethesda fans that say that Starfield is more an adventure than a RPG, after those 10 hours I started caring about its worlds and enjoying the gameplay, finding another incredible experience that I won't forget, just like Skyrim. Starfield is flawed, yes, but just like Skyrim, one of the video games I have enjoyed the most, maybe because of its storytelling, level of immersion, sense of freedom, subtle humour and depth. Take your pick.
At the end of the day, with so many games, it's almost impossible to not find something that you can enjoy and, why not, you can also play old games that, after five minutes of brain adjustment, can be enjoyed as much or more as the latest hit.
Nothing happened to video games it's just this day and age people expect to much from a game. They put them on such a high pedalstool that they get disappointed by it. Just play the game and enjoy it.
RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.
There’s a lot of factors to consider. Big studios spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of 5-10 years to make one single game and if it underperforms even slightly mass layoffs happen. This is compounded worse when these projects only exist at all to chase trends (See concord) or if the devs are openly hostile to fan feedback (see Dragon Age and Avowed).
Nintendo love or hate them understand that you can’t survive on releasing 2-3 tentpole games per console generation and throw in 3-5 AA games each year to keep hype up and wallets open.
MS just announced today that they’re adding AI player assistance to some or most games and Sony has said they have similar plans. Fans have called this “journalist mode” or “just watch a movie at that point mode” because it ignores
The biggest problem they face which isn’t player retention it’s sales.
TL;DR Devs are wasting more and more money on games that nobody wants to play.
Fans of Rockstar literally spent 14 years telling the studio they didn’t want the SS game and just wanted more Batman.
I was in my late 20's when the Xbox 360 was released. Before then I had consoles but being a teen and early twenties it was all about the partying and working to afford to party. I think a big part of that era is that a lot of devs were close to that age too, and so the creative thinking over money was first at hand.
That era for most, was also the big online gaming aspect and that's where the money over creativity started to show up. Now most of these devs are late 40's to 50's who were around then and so probably moved more into the money side of the business or just got out completely. It's kind of like a bands first album near enough always being the best because it's that album that got them discovered and became a success. After that it becomes all about the money rather than creativity.
There is also the aspect that you can be a part of something for far too long. Even as gamers who have this as a hobby. At the end of the day you will eventually hit a wall with what you have seen and done, and like your favourite movies from years back, you tend to stop watching as you already seen the movie a few times.
Other than visuals, there isn't really much new that gaming can offer. Yes stories can be different, but the genres and gameplay and mechanics have already been done for years. Game controls pretty much nailed it by last gen, so now it's just eye candy they can really offer. There is definitely potential still out there, but again the money side of it has ruined it. Matt Damon was being interviewed about movies today compared to and up to the early 2000's. He mentioned back then you could make any movie and even if it didn't do too well at the cinema, a few months down the line the DVD's would be released and a new batch of cash would roll in. Many movies flopped at the cinema which then brought in serious cash come the release of the DVD. You take the gaming aspect from that and with it all going digital, the risks are lower, the originality is getting rarer and the money men in the business are constantly scared. I can't even see GTAVI being as financially successful as GTAV, as it has neither the amount of platforms to sell on due to it being built for this generation and likely the next, but even shark card or it's new variation will feel the impact. And again, the guys at Rockstar who have been their for years, are now most likely coming to the end of that creative career.
Sorry if that was drawn out. Not gamed for a while due to no consoles anymore and haven't had any gaming banter
Maybe by current AAA studios it is, as they always "play it safe" by making endless installments to popular franchises, live-service games, battle passes, etc. Then there are a host of indie / AA studios that come out with incredible games. There are very talented game devs out there.
Examples are Dark Souls / Elden Ring, Balatro, Vampire Survivors, Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice, A Plague Tale Innocence, Blue Prince, Pacific Drive, Animal Well, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, and the most recent example Expedition 33.
Nothing happened to video games. It's just that kids these days grow up entitled and nothing is good enough for them. You mentioned TES6 and how it's going to "flop". The game hasn't even been made yet and you've already decided that you're not going to enjoy it. Jeez.
I grew up in an age when the pinnacle of gaming was running from the left side of the screen to the right. These days, we are literally spoiled for choice. You need a break from an AAA game sometimes? I can understand that. Try an indie game. There are dozens released on Steam every week.
We have grand open world adventures these days where the developers literally sweat blood to bring you these experiences and yet they're "not good enough". They're "garbage".
I’ve just started ignoring hype and playing what looks fun to me instead. Going back to smaller or older games has really helped me enjoy things again.
To me, the quality in game releases has not fallen down, especially in the last years. Yes, many highly anticipated games have been dissapointing (ej. Starfield) but in the space of Indie and AA games it's been amazing. And even some AAA games like Death Stranding 2, KCD II, Split Fiction, DK Bananza, Astro Bot, Metaphor, etc, have been pretty good.
But I think part of why I have been seeing this feeling is mainly due to the hype, nostalgia for "better times", amount of games and expectations on a few handful of games. Something that have been helping me a lot is keeping an eye on a lot of games, even those that are not really my type. This has made that when a game that interests me does well, I get a bit excited and eager to play it. Of course, not everything can be winners and I have had my let-downs this year (FBC: Firebreak and to a T) but in general I still feel very excited for videogames.
So, my main forms to get excited in videogames are: Expand your horizons (not only in playing more indies, but also in genre and themes). Keep an eye on multiple games, big and small. Buy on sales. And don't be too harsh. Like with many things in life, it's better for the mind to not be overly critical of every part of every game. Yes, think critically, do not buy everything you see, but also put a limit on that and let yourself enjoy without thinking in ratings, price point or what happened in the past, that will just sour your experience and it's happening right now with Metroid Prime 4. A VERY good game with a handful of important problems, but for some people that is just enough to break the whole experience, even though the game is really good.
This year especifically there have been an inmense amount of games that range from "good to excellent" and I think there is always something for everyone, even if its not all of them. For myself, I'm completely exhausted of all the good games released in 2025, and 2026 with Tomodachi Life, Resident Evil Requiem, REPLACED and many more, I have not lost any amount of excitement and passion for this medium.
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Topic: What happened to video games?
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