This may be the most dynamic era of gaming yet

[themistermanguy]

The seventh generation of gaming was very... Divisive among gamers. There were some amazing games last generation, plenty. But it didn't come without some problems. Game budgets exploded with the rise of HD development, so much so, that many developers went under because what was considered successful in generations past, wasn't enough to make back a budget today. New features like Downloadable Content and Software Updates were abused by publishers, looking to squeeze every cent out of their games as much as possible or cut corners to rush a product to market. But most notably, full retail games became more and more homogenized. There were still amazing experiences, BioShock, Dead Space, Bayonetta, Uncharted, InFamous, Last of Us, etc. But the aforementioned increasingly high game budgets ment that many games you see for the major consoles adopted similar tropes and aesthetics, even franchises we grew up with. This led to at best, limited game variety, and at worst some great franchises completely destroyed by being jammed into a box. Either way, whether you liked 7th gen or not, looking back, several of the foundations it established would eventually become blueprints for the current generation.

Personally, I think this generation in terms of games being made, has been the most refined and dynamic one yet. And that all starts with digital distribution. Digital distribution is not a new concept, it got it's start on consoles only last generation. At the time though, the format was seen as more of a novelty than a true revolution. Now, Platforms like Steam just keep growing in popularity, nearly every game on any major platform has a digital download option on their respective storefronts, and the two biggest mobile platforms for games (iOS and Android) don't even have physical Media at all. The rise in mainstream popularity of digital distribution also led to the current indie game boom. Indie games got their start last generation, but the none of the big 3 really knew how to create an environment that would reward them sufficiently, which led to most of them being PC only. Now? You'd be hard-pressed to find a major indie game on Steam that doesn't have a PS4, Xbox One, or even a Wii U release.

The rise of indie games, and mobile games gave developers more ways to get games out there, and the increasingly open nature of these platforms also allows game development to be more accessible. The popularity of indie games also seems to have an effect on playing habits of gamers. Minecraft, Rocket League, Shovel Knight, and Undertale have all become some of the biggest games this generation, possibly more than many of the homogenized AAA games of the past. Speaking of AAA games, the indie popularity has also seemed to affected them too. We're seeing a slow increase in AAA games that are more colorful and less trope ridden than the 7th generation, examples include Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Witcher III. The 2 biggest console shooters right now, have nothing to do with Space Marines or generic military stories. Instead, one is a kid-friendly game about humanoid squids shooting ink, and the other is a Pixar-esque super-hero game with not only an eccentric cast, but also managed to win Game of the Year this year.

So while there are still quite a few problems with gaming, I think this is the most mature and refined the medium has been in years.

 

[meiam]

I agree with your premise, but disagree with pretty much all your argument. Yes its the most dynamic era, but solely because the audience is the biggest it's ever been.

The indie boom has very little to do with diversity, indie game are just as stagnant as the AAA industry, for every minecraft there is, well, thousands of minecraft clone that barely work. So its easier than ever to publish, but most people who weren't able to publish before the digital age didn't have very interesting idea to begin with. Just look at the new release page of steam, every day you get two pages full of new release but there's maybe 1 that can be considered even remotely close to original. The mobile market is even worse, with most game either barely being game (cookie clicker) or just bad port of existing concept.

Of the example you've listed, minecraft and rocket league are the only example of originality, shovel knight is literally the opposite of originality and undertale is just a JRPG, of which there were shovel full during the SNES and PS1 era. Horizon zero dawn is extremely similar to most far cry and the witcher 3 is just another dark fantasy game. Splatton is hardly the biggest console shooter at the moment (I'd be surprised if it break the top 20 tbh) and overwatch is mostly just team fortress 2, not exactly originality incarnated. The biggest console shooter at the moment is almost certainly the last call of duty, which is literally about space marine, with another big shooter of the moment, titanfall 2, also being literally about space marine. Other big shooter include CS:go, a game that's decade old at this point.

The medium is going in a good direction, but it's not because of any large trend toward originality, there's just more money in the pot for people to share. More money means more game (whether they come from AAA or indie) and more game means more originality. But has a percentage of game release that could be considered original I'd imagine that its actually going in the opposite direction (i.e. 20 year ago 5% of game were original but today only 0.1% are, but because there's 1000 time more games being release the total number of original game is higher)

 

[themistermanguy]

I agree with your premise, but disagree with pretty much all your argument. Yes its the most dynamic era, but solely because the audience is the biggest it's ever been.

The indie boom has very little to do with diversity, indie game are just as stagnant as the AAA industry, for every minecraft there is, well, thousands of minecraft clone that barely work. So its easier than ever to publish, but most people who weren't able to publish before the digital age didn't have very interesting idea to begin with. Just look at the new release page of steam, every day you get two pages full of new release but there's maybe 1 that can be considered even remotely close to original. The mobile market is even worse, with most game either barely being game (cookie clicker) or just bad port of existing concept.

Of the example you've listed, minecraft and rocket league are the only example of originality, shovel knight is literally the opposite of originality and undertale is just a JRPG, of which there were shovel full during the SNES and PS1 era. Horizon zero dawn is extremely similar to most far cry and the witcher 3 is just another dark fantasy game. Splatton is hardly the biggest console shooter at the moment (I'd be surprised if it break the top 20 tbh) and overwatch is mostly just team fortress 2, not exactly originality incarnated. The biggest console shooter at the moment is almost certainly the last call of duty, which is literally about space marine, with another big shooter of the moment, titanfall 2, also being literally about space marine. Other big shooter include CS:go, a game that's decade old at this point.

The medium is going in a good direction, but it's not because of any large trend toward originality, there's just more money in the pot for people to share. More money means more game (whether they come from AAA or indie) and more game means more originality. But has a percentage of game release that could be considered original I'd imagine that its actually going in the opposite direction (i.e. 20 year ago 5% of game were original but today only 0.1% are, but because there's 1000 time more games being release the total number of original game is higher)

I never said this generation was perfect. As you mentioned, the perks of publishing and development for digital distribution does lead to a lot of half-assed clones (and I do mean A LOT). But I personally chalk that up to sturgeons law. 90% of everything is crap, and 10% is truly good. This is true for any medium, regardless of decade. Besides it's not like this hasn't always been the case. Remember all the Super Mario 64 clones in the late 90s? Or the Sonic the Hedgehog knock-offs in the 16-bit era? While I love innovation as much as the next guy, a game doesn't necessarily have to be the most original game to be good. Overwatch for example isn't something that one would consider the most innovative or revolutionary, but it is a damn good game. What I mean by more diverse is that the tired tropes and aesthetics of AAA games before are slowly becoming less abundant and saturated, and many of the genres and aesthetics that fell by the wayside in the HD era, are regaining popularity this generation. Thus, leading to a more diverse and less homogenized gaming environment as a whole. So while there could be a little more quality control on the indie and mobile scene, it's hard to deny their impact on gaming

I believe there's art, not just in innovation, but also in refinement. Taking concepts that existed before, and either putting a unique twist on them, or building upon them and refining them to perfection. Innovation and Originality is nice and all, but building on established foundations and perfecting them is just as important. Plus, if you do enough searching, there is still plenty of original and unique games that come out. The new release front page of Steam doesn't really do the platform justice IMO, though as I said, there could be a better search system and better quality control.

 

[WoJ]

I have mixed feelings on gaming currently. Some days I wake up and think "I'm done with gaming. I'm not buying another non-Nintendo console and just going to play through my backlog. Lord knows there's enough games there to last a lifetime." Then I browse Steam and fall in love with a handful of indie titles or pick up a modern game and am just wow'ed by it and the experience it offers.

I think for me, the best way to summarize how I feel about gaming is that modern games are capable of creating experiences I dreamed of as a kid. The Mass Effect games, while flawed, are literally the saga I wanted as a kid growing up. To be able to experience that in my lifetime feels unreal. Nothing has topped that gaming experience for me. What series like Uncharted and the Arkham games were able to create weren't at the level of Mass Effect for me, but they were damn close. The experiences we are getting today are so immersive and detailed that even when I am feeling cynical about gaming I have to take a step back and admit that I don't really want the PS4 to be my last console. I want to keep experiencing the highs of what gaming has to offer because in my opinion nothing can touch modern gaming when its at its peak.

The downside is generic open worlds, carbon copied games that are cash grabs, "games as a service" creeping in, increased development times, games released unfinished (See Final Fantasy XV) or broken (see any Bethesda game). These things suck. But my work around is to just buy most everything on a lag. I was going to have my wife get me Final Fantasy XV for Christmas. When Tabata came out today and basically said "Yeah we are going to patch in a bunch of new content over the next few months" I took that right off my list. I'll pick it up next year when it's a complete, or much closer to complete, product. That sucks because I feel like I am missing out on some of the discussion right now when the game is new, but I also have to respect my time. I don't have time to go back to a game 6 months later because the developers patched it and fixed it.

There's a lot to like in gaming right now. The experiences modern gaming can deliver are unparalleled and what I dreamed about as a kid. But there's a lot of BS that comes with it. I've found a way that works for me, it just means I miss some of the discussion when stuff comes out.