Are games beginning to grow stale?

[Banthare]

I've been playing games since the 90's and have started to notice that there are less games that "wow" me and interest me. I never was one of the shooter obsessed types but noticed that there are less rpgs,adventure games and just shooters that sell well or games that are marketed so heavily that once I purchase the game I usually realize that it is not that great. I'm not somebody that gets hyped but games just feel less imaginative and seem to have plateaued since 2007 or so. Does anybody else feel the same? :/

[Vellus]

I've been playing games since the 90's and have started to notice that there are less games that "wow" me and interest me. I never was one of the shooter obsessed types but noticed that there are less rpgs,adventure games and just shooters that sell well or games that are marketed so heavily that once I purchase the game I usually realize that it is not that great. I'm not somebody that gets hyped but games just feel less imaginative and seem to have plateaued since 2007 or so. Does anybody else feel the same? :/

What you're noticing is the fact games aren't made for longevity. They're made to be played through and forgotten about, with enormous amounts of marketing to incite circle jerks on forums until it's released and people move on. Quality games still exist, but the market is bloated with crap

[Talsar]

Maybe they are, maybe we are just growing old and cynical. it's hard to tell tbh.

[apples]

beginning to?

man, to be young

[Halicia]

Quality games still exist, but the market is bloated with crap

To be fair, you can have a "quality game" that's fun for 2-8 hours, and disposable afterwards. Tales from the Borderlands is a shining example of that. Completely enjoyable ride, but no replay value.

If you want a game with replay value though, I think thats a shrinking market, because the demand isn't there from the consumers, and that means a lack of profit for developers. Why sell 1 car that will last the person their whole life, if they can sell them a new one every other year ?

[Banthare]

What you're noticing is the fact games aren't made for longevity. They're made to be played through and forgotten about, with enormous amounts of marketing to incite circle jerks on forums until it's released and people move on. Quality games still exist, but the market is bloated with crap

That's the problem, I miss games like Dragon Quest 8 where I would play it for weeks and barely make progress, nowadays everything seems so short. I recently played Shovel Knight and was pretty mad when I had realized it only took 6 hours or so to complete

- - - Updated - - -

Maybe they are, maybe we are just growing old and cynical. it's hard to tell tbh.

Seems like games now are just heavily marketed to overhype consumers then end up being a 10 hour experience that usually lacks any sort of replay value.

[Talsar]

To be fair, you can have a "quality game" that's fun for 2-8 hours, and disposable afterwards. Tales from the Borderlands is a shining example of that. Completely enjoyable ride, but no replay value.

If you want a game with replay value though, I think thats a shrinking market, because the demand isn't there from the consumers, and that means a lack of profit for developers. Why sell 1 car that will last the person their whole life, if they can sell them a new one every other year ?

Very much this. You see it in a lot of markets these days, phones as a perfect example. IMO even worse than that is the markets obsession with presales, using preorder exclusives and marketing fueled hype trains to sell a product before it is finished (if it even ever gets finished to the standard that is advertised). Day one DLCs where companies somehow get away with selling people an incomplete product then making you pay again to get the rest of it. Paid entry "beta tests" which are really excuses for a company to sell an unfinished, buggy product under the guise of a test so that they can get paid now and hand-wave away all the problems with "it's in beta". Might even get out of beta in a year or so when the hype has died down and everyone who wanted to play it already has.

[Cæli]

The golden era of video games had its peak around 1998. Since then video games became a colossal market.
Companies stick to what people like and take less risks than before where 3d video games were created.
Also I think that it's more and more difficult to be creative and do good things that are unique. I mean, good luck creating a new Mario, a new Zelda, or a new Warcraft. It might be possible, but I think the aging generation gave pretty much all their ideas.
The fact that companies take less risk and stick to easy money and random apps games doesn't help. What I'm wondering is if the younger generation can have actual taste. I hope so, because I think we should never underestimate a younger generation, but when I see what's working game wise I'm a bit worried.

There is still extremely good games fortunately. But it tends to be somewhat similar to what was already done. Still worth it. I don't regret games like Skyrim, Dark Souls, Journey, Witcher, Bioshock, Telltale's Walking Dead, Red Dead Redemption (honestly I doubt there's more than 5 more games to add to this).

[Socialhealer]

Also I think that it's more and more difficult to be creative and do good things that are unique. I mean, good luck creating a new Mario, a new Zelda, or a new Warcraft. It might be possible, but I think the aging generation gave pretty much all their ideas.
The fact that companies take less risk and stick to easy money and random apps games doesn't help. What I'm wondering is if the younger generation can have actual taste. I hope so, because I think we should never underestimate a younger generation, but when I see what's working game wise I'm a bit worried.

yup these days it's all app games where you would have to buy your pieces of heart, or wait 28 days to get a bow and arrow so you could progress the first dungeon lol, and the worst part? people pay, so you just create 1000's of games where all progression is behind a paywall and it's talentless faceroll easymode pay 2 win games making millions, best part you can knock out 100's of these pay 2 win games by the time a new zelda is ready or the next wow xpac or the next mario etc.

[HuntingtheWill]

Yeah, I sort of feel this way sometimes.
I feel less and less interested in games that come out nowadays. The only exceptions were Resident Evil Revelations 2 and Metal Gear Solid V since those 2 are my favorite game series, I actually bought a PlayStation 4 just to play those latest installments.
In general, I liked them, but MGSV left me feeling a bit disappointed.
As a 90's kid, I sometimes miss those days where 3D gaming was starting to exist and was truly leaving everyone (Including me, of course) impressed. Games back then had much more creativity and replay value. The Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 1 back then were kings, and even today, they're still a lot of fun to play. The graphics aged, but not the gameplay.
There are other things that I miss about gaming in the 90's. First of all, I miss back in school when people began to talk about rumors about unlocking a secret character, or finding a secret item, or capturing Mew, or those kinds of urban legends. Back then, since the Internet was still a "baby", there was no way to know for sure if what those kids at school were saying was true, you had no choice but to believe them and find out for yourself. Point is, I kind of miss those days when there was a certain aura of mystery and secrets present in certain kinds of games, it just made them much more interesting and appealing.
Nowadays, anyone can look up on Google any secret or easter egg that games have, if they even still do them at all. In fact, I think that in some games, you have to purchase them. That just takes away the mysterious feel to it.
Another thing is that most games nowadays have DLC instead of just being the whole complete game.
The point is, most recent games just aren't that appealing to me anymore.

[dope_danny]

They are, and its a lot more obvious than you would expect. I forget which it is but superbunnyhop has a video about how games have homogenised so badly all "AAA" games play basically the same. I think he compared the last of us, watch dogs, gears or war and the division. While they had their own gimmicks like active reload in gears, sneaking from blind enemies in TLOU and so on at its core they were all cover shooters with identical controls to do things like aim, throw grenades and so on. Not just identical gameplay but identical button placement at default.

When its reached the point games are so expensive to make devs just imitate because its too risky to innovate you get this situation where everything is stale and nothing stands out anymore. Like texture packs to the same shit different day.

Its why things like dark souls get popular when they are really just a 3d iteration of the castlevania games on the NES and SNES. Because they arent technically offering something new, they offer something very old. But its not the same shit like 90% of the games on the market.

[Cæli]

There are other things that I miss about gaming in the 90's. First of all, I miss back in school when people began to talk about rumors about unlocking a secret character, or finding a secret item, or capturing Mew, or those kinds of urban legends. Back then, since the Internet was still a "baby", there was no way to know for sure if what those kids at school were saying was true, you had no choice but to believe them and find out for yourself. Point is, I kind of miss those days when there was a certain aura of mystery and secrets present in certain kinds of games, it just made them much more interesting and appealing.
Nowadays, anyone can look up on Google any secret or easter egg that games have, if they even still do them at all. In fact, I think that in some games, you have to purchase them. That just takes away the mysterious feel to it.
Another thing is that most games nowadays have DLC instead of just being the whole complete game.
The point is, most recent games just aren't that appealing to me anymore.

I thought like you before but overall I'm not sure the Internet is the problem. The problem might be the actual games:
-Take FF9 for instance, a new sidequest was recently found.
-There is a lot of things found in OOT as well (even though it's not intended I suppose).
-Everquest did not had wowhead like db at launch as far as I know, there were this kind of mysteries around games at launch. But for huge games like this, I assume it's because the game was new. In every new games, there is the potential to feel this kind of mysteries, but such games are not released anymore.
-Also, there is often some rumors on games, especially for Ocarina of Time back then, you know the temple of sky thing, or getting the triforce. There was hardly any way to find if that was true outside of trying to find yourself. Years have passed since then so it's different now.

It could still be the case if developers are willing to create this feel of secret/mysteries. Now, it's mostly about streamlined experience, I even wonder if they realize it's good to have huge mysteries for a game. I think some games still have this feel, but less than before.

[Fencers]

I've been playing video games since the 1970s. I even made games at one point.

I still have a lot of engagement with newer games.

[Nyoken]

You need to go on a vacation!

[I Push Buttons]

They are, and its a lot more obvious than you would expect. I forget which it is but superbunnyhop has a video about how games have homogenised so badly all "AAA" games play basically the same. I think he compared the last of us, watch dogs, gears or war and the division. While they had their own gimmicks like active reload in gears, sneaking from blind enemies in TLOU and so on at its core they were all cover shooters with identical controls to do things like aim, throw grenades and so on. Not just identical gameplay but identical button placement at default.

When its reached the point games are so expensive to make devs just imitate because its too risky to imitate you get this situation where everything is stale and nothing stands out anymore. Like texture packs to the same shit different day.

Its why things like dark souls get popular when they are really just a 3d iteration of the castlevania games on the NES and SNES. Because they arent technically offering something new, they offer something very old. But its not the same shit like 90% of the games on the market.

Yeah games in the past weren't at all homogenized... *Looks at all the games of the mid 80s to the mid 90s that were Donkey Kong/Metroid/Zelda/Final Fantasy ripoffs...*

Literally every game for like two full gaming generations was a clone of those successful games. LITERALLY.

[Banthare]

You need to go on a vacation!

I have been, I used to game share with a friend of mine on Xbox one but he only had the dark soul series and a bunch of fps's that he continuously says are all good but I just cannot find most of them appealing aside from a select few. My Wii U is pretty much done since I've played the hell out of it and now I'm finally buying a ps4 but noticed there are so few games I would like which sparked the idea of posting this topic on the forums. I'm really hoping e3 will come with many new Ips and announcements, I played FF7 before twice through and could care less about the remake but Last Guardian,Recore, and Zelda NX all do interest me highly aside from a few other upcoming games.

[Edge-]

Not for me. I have far too many interesting games in my backlog to play as it is, and that's ignoring the countless ones that I haven't purchased or haven't released yet.

[apples]

I thought like you before but overall I'm not sure the Internet is the problem. The problem might be the actual games:
-Take FF9 for instance, a new sidequest was recently found.
-There is a lot of things found in OOT as well (even though it's not intended I suppose).
-Everquest did not had wowhead like db at launch as far as I know, there were this kind of mysteries around games at launch. But for huge games like this, I assume it's because the game was new. In every new games, there is the potential to feel this kind of mysteries, but such games are not released anymore.
-Also, there is often some rumors on games, especially for Ocarina of Time back then, you know the temple of sky thing, or getting the triforce. There was hardly any way to find if that was true outside of trying to find yourself. Years have passed since then so it's different now.

It could still be the case if developers are willing to create this feel of secret/mysteries. Now, it's mostly about streamlined experience, I even wonder if they realize it's good to have huge mysteries for a game. I think some games still have this feel, but less than before.

everquest had allakhazam

it was exactly like wowhead

[Gadzooks]

I've been playing games since the 90's and have started to notice that there are less games that "wow" me and interest me. I never was one of the shooter obsessed types but noticed that there are less rpgs,adventure games and just shooters that sell well or games that are marketed so heavily that once I purchase the game I usually realize that it is not that great. I'm not somebody that gets hyped but games just feel less imaginative and seem to have plateaued since 2007 or so. Does anybody else feel the same? :/

Every industry goes through lulls, and periods where their output isn't going to match your interest. Might be a good time to find a new hobby until things change, if it's not that interesting to you.

For the record, i go through this with books, music, and movies. There are times when there's too much I want to see, or hear, or read, and times when there's nothing that interests me.(It's especially bad with books, as my favorite authors keep dying..) It happens. Just wait out, find something else to do in the meantime, so when things do change, you really come back fresh.

[Iamanerd]

It really comes down to the games you like to play and what you play them for, for me I enjoy anything from an RPG to a Shooter to 4X games to ARPG's. I feel plenty of games have as much longevity today as ones of the past do, and I think a big part in why some may think games have less longevity is the experience one has in that genre. Take Halo for example, I've played it since it first came out and still play it today, I'll play online tournaments and so forth for Halo and still sink a ton of hours into it. For me I primarily crave getting better at something, I love to compete and it's primarily why I love shooters but I still sink hours into MMO's or PoE or Overwatch or Dark Souls 3. To me it's about variety while having a core game that I play through out it all.