The Dark Side of Modern Video Gaming

[MadMAUL]

But they had no internet to rely on after release. It had to be as ready as they could make it. A finished product. Any bugs would become an unintentional part of the game for good or bad. I don't remember any game breaking bugs pre internet but games weren't as big & complex & I wasn't a heavy gamer then. Now days, internet reliance is maxed. I mean, it's understandable to a certain degree but is the current level really acceptable? It didn't have to be this way.

I'll add another to the dark side.
- Freaking huge downloads & patches.
Just an annoyance for some but what about those with data caps?

[King_Nothing]

Double edged sword, you used to get games and if they had a bug it could never be fixed on consoles, now you get games with bugs from the start which can hopefully be fixed (unless you’re Bethesda then they never get fixed until by a third party mod/patch). With games companies pushing deadlines to the absolute limits instead of delaying games like they should be doing, massive day one patches are just going to become even more commonplace.

[MadMAUL]

Just to argue from another perspective & to make some points off of both of your comments. It's really hard to make a great film & probably harder to make a great game. Everything is derivative.
Film is a collaborative art & games are too. They are made to make money but in that process we still get a gem produced occasionally where "magic" happens & enough things come together to form a satisfying whole.
Movie Studios "interfere" with films & directors but that is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it is beneficial & after all, it is their product being made. Can't the same be said about publishers?

[MadMAUL]

I haven't preordered a game in a long time. I don't see any point unless I really like the developer & that's a rare thing now days. I really wouldn't mind paying $70 for a game & I really don't mind DLC when it's done properly. Paying $70 & then I see loot crates & MTs all in the game would be a huge turn off.

[fenrif]

The main thing that kills me is that so many of these games, nearly all the AAA ones at any rate, are made with no artistry in the gameplay design. Sure there are artists who work on these games, making cutscenes and textures and scores and all sorts of tangental art that goes into the game. But the actual design of gameplay is far far too reserved. It's like modern movies. The stuff that doesn't matter gets constantly improved. The CGI gets better. The stunts get more exciting. The action scenes are more brutal. But the plotlines are derivative to the nth degree. The acting is cookie-cutter. The dialogue is predictable. Games have gone the same way.

Especially with third person shooters. I think Previously Recorded said that third person shooter is the "who cares" of genres. I feel like this is the pitch meeting for every third person shooter game:

"We have a cool idea for a story, it's a really great story. So many characters to meet. Things to do. This story will blow your mind!"

"Ok, but what do you do in the game?"

"Oh... Erm... I dunno. We haven't really thought about it. Third person shooter I guess?"

[Cyruss]

It's true gaming in general is in a bad place with publishers ruining companies with high demands on profits. This is opening the door wide open for indie teams to push their products through for an acceptable cost while offering an acceptable amount of content.

The whole get profits quick scheme of "ship it now, fix it later" is ruining games and consumers aren't helping. We used to preorder to reserve out copy at the store, then we preordered to show support and get bonus content, and how we are so beaten down we preorder just to test the game for them. You'd think it couldn't get any worse but people are also taking dangerously low paying jobs for these companies just to make the game for them all out of the passion for the hobby.

Publishers need to go, and more of the casual/trendy gaming population needs to step down and not support terrible practices. As far as cost, well some states are now including "entertainment" taxes and AAA isn't going bite that bullet they'll pass those costs right along to us where it will hurt the console market the worse and we are going to the times of paying $70+ for a single game, that's not even finished, that locks off content demanding micro transactions, while telling you that you wont' get the complete experience unless you pay for the season pass.