Fallout 76, Redfall, Overwatch 2 and Warcraft III Reforged are not the brightest examples of modern gaming. But what about games in general? Are they getting better or has the gaming industry lost its focus?
Games have changed
The games we have today are not the games we had in the 80’s. Not only have the graphics changed a lot since then but the gameplay itself did too. Games used to be about beating the final level or getting the highest score when you played with friends on the same device. These days games are a lot easier. With the introduction of difficulties and cleared objectives it is no longer an achievement to complete a game. Some games now have stories and play more like movies. You don’t play it for the achievement anymore but you want to know the ending.
And multiplayer no longer confines people to a single device, instead we can now play with people around the world trough the Internet. There are even things like Esports now.
Quality
Games used to be cheaper but does this mean we now pay more because the games are better? You could say yes because the games are much bigger and have more work put into them. On the other hand our technologie also improved so that can’t be the reason games cost more these days. That games used to be cheaper is understandable because back then you had no multiplayer servers to maintain, no or at least less voice acting, and we now have music instead of some high beep sounds. But even then games should be around $50,- instead of $70,-.
The nerds are no longer in charge
Back in the day a group of tech nerds made the games. Today there are entire companies build around that and a financial department and that is where the problem is. Overwatch 2 is the perfect example of a game that was not made by a group of nerds for fun but instead it is all about making profit. The old nerds are still there but they are no longer in charge. Overwatch 2 is not made for players to enjoy but for player to pay for. And that is a trend the we see more lately.
Were old games better?
If you look at the game itself they were not. Newer games have better gameplay and graphics. What was better was the quality and respect companies had for their games. Blizzard Entertainment is a shadow of itself these days and Overwatch 2 proves that. Compare Starcraft 2 (when it came out) to Overwatch 2 and you know what i mean. And they are not the only one. Most gaming companies these days are overruled by financial departments.
But not all of the companies are like this. For example Paradox Interactive made a lot of good games that were not that profitable for them but gave the developers enough money for a decent living and the games they make are top Quality, this is why they obliterated Simcity with City Skylines. And even Studio Wildcard, while their games lack some quality they at least don’t let you pay for every single thing. When you buy ARK you get the full game and the only extra pay is for a expansion that is big enough to ask money for.