Gaming Isn't Fun Anymore

[@TheMartyODonnell]

You are correct

[@CiggySnake]

Thanks Marty, glad you enjoyed the vid. Also big fan of your work.

[@jurassicarkjordanisgreat1778]

yeah, When the grandfathers of the golden age of gaming are saying modern gaming is not fun, you know its right. "we just grew up" Is such a gaslight.

[@bofasofa9399]

@@CiggySnake your voice is horrible to listen to. Also, learn how to pronounce basic words like innovative

[@AnthonyJanz]

The real heroes of the gaming industry these days...are modders. They are the soul reason I still find enjoyment in older games. Thank you modders!

[@quirinoguy8665]

Yeah I salute them, and I am glad I am now walking in their footsteps, I too am beginning to mod a lot of the games I play, honestly, for how frustrating it is sometimes, the end product is worth it, I really feel like I am in a sandbox, the possibilities and potential is limitless.

[@EQOAnostalgia]

Fact, Left 4 Dead 2 VR for example.

[@UniDeathRaven]

Couldn't agree more. I am literally playing old games for YEARS thanks to modding.

[@Palexite]

Mods add so much to discover even in old games. Modding ability in general needs to be more common in games.

[@faizaholajide6913]

Including indie games creators

[@LazyGamerPerson]

This stagnation of modern gaming is what made me decide to play retro games I never, ever got to experience trying out as a kid. Honestly, best decision I ever made, for the first time in a looooong time, I'm enjoying games again.

[@CiggySnake]

Hey great to hear it man, retro titles are a ton of fun.

[@cdeepmusic]

@LazyGamerPerson my thoughts exactly mate - so much quality titles in the pervious generations. Two years into the current gen and we only have 2-3 games that’s really worth it ? What?

[@nekonomicon2983]

Yeah, man, I feel like retro games are the way to go. If only to experience games you have missed out on in the past.

[@buckroger6456]

Plus lots of really great retro games are super cheap or you can just download the roms.

[@CloudyMcCloud00]

I've been having a great time playing through old adventures: Monkey Island 1 & 2, Broken Sword 1, Leisure Suit Larry 7, Larry Reloaded, etc. I used to enjoy the GTA3 series, but have lost interest in newer games. And lots of these old games have had some really good "face lifts", increasing the appeal! And I never liked rushing through games, the way you always see in KZbin "play throughs". As Al Lowe says in the LSL Reloaded Tutorial, "take you're time ... or you'll miss all the fun." That sums it up for me: soak up the atmosphere, listen to some great music, and take time to think about the puzzles. Nothing better!

[@rossedwardmiller]

So many gaming KZbinrs have made vids like this. When everyone is making these vids, but all of them are still raking views, you know it’s a topic that’s struck a nerve with most gamers.

[@connordrake5713]

Because everything doesn't stay at the top, just like NOKIA, Yahoo or Internet Explorer, we will see it's demise sooner that we expected. Just like Google, something in Gaming Industry will appear and will makes Gaming Fun and Entertaining again.

[@omartaj7010]

Struck a nerve is an understatement my dude. I quit games for 10 years after I saw what was happening with games and the industry. I'm glad people are finally coming around to calling the devs and companies out.

[@tuelzalt]

@@omartaj7010 I really hope Development becomes easier in the future.... that's the only hope because it's too hard now for a indie to beat a AAA game. If somehow it was as easy as someone making a minecraft map or whatever in 20 years it would be the only chance we have

[@CiggySnake]

@@tuelzalt A lot of people in the comments here have brought up how AI may help streamline the process of making games. This would of course greatly benefit indie studios/individual developers, which would in turn help gaming as a whole. Time will tell but I think it's a reasonable prediction to make, and it's one thing I'm somewhat hopeful about regarding AI. In addition, while it may be difficult for an indie studio to beat a AAA studio on sheer scope and size, there have been numerous indie games that are more successful, entertaining, and influential than the copy paste AAA garbage as of late. It's not super common, I can't think of too many breakout indie bangers, but the fact they can be done means they will continue to be done.

[@tuelzalt]

@@CiggySnake one game that i see that may beat its AAA rival is Battlebit Remastered but thats only because BF2042 was so bad... if they make a good BF then Battlebit wont have a chance. I really hope your right about the AI because it would be crazy if indies can build games like AAA. Gaming is going to become crazy

[@CaffreyPlays]

The best chance we have going forward is supporting indie devs and community driven content

[@THAC0MANIC]

even then, Larian wasnt a indie like they claimed, and even if they where BG3 was a joke of a game but die hard fans do there best to defend curropt companys / games like BG3 and such. released unfinished lied about what it contained and wouldnt even have some of the basic features in said game.

[@amanraj3897]

@@THAC0MANIC It frustrates me to see people badmouthing BG3. It was a game like no other. There will be none like it for years to come. BG3, Darks souls, Elden Ring, Mass effect, etc and a few others are beyond good. They are awesome. If you can't see that then that's fine. Keep playing those trashy games like Starfield.

[@THAC0MANIC]

HOW? It Released UNFINSIED FACT it lied about being faithful to BG1-2 FACT it lied maniulated / exaderated about so many things where are the 17k ENDINGS ppl like you just claim 'NO ITS GREAT IT S SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME LIKE NO OTHER' but give like 0 proof to that or specifics its just hot air BG3 is a over-rated Game and thats a FACT hear let me compare BG3 to Solasta Crown of the magister BG3 in a nutshell when compared to Solasta at the top of my head these things come to mind BG3 Has Better Graphics BG3 Has Better Voice Acting BG3 Has better Visual Effects BG3 Released Unfinished (Act3) BG3 Lied about its Endings (No 17k endings) BG3 Lied about choices mattering on a large scale BG3 Lied about what BG3 would contain BG3 isnt even faithful to BG1-2 BG3 is unbalanced Shove 30 Feet Victory I win boss fight in 1 action / move BG3 glitches out quests far to easy just by talking to a NPC BG3 Glitches out by not resting enough BG3 Glitches out by resting to much BG3 Story / Writing is pretty shit Example - BG3 Kills Main Villian in Act 2 - BG3 Companions interaction is shit, Astorian will try to kill you when you first meet, none of your companions will try to help thats just the tip of the iceberg - BG3 Romance is shit, Legit that guy you never talk to in your game has aparently fallen in love with you and wants to marry you coz Reasons - Minthara (Act 1 main villian) Aparently cant follow the ONLY Road leading to the Druid grove to find the them ... - BG3 Companions all have super special awesome backgrounds that legit make 0 sence, why did mystra let gale travel around with a magic nuke bomb in his chest? coz shes jealous aparently and dosnt care for civ life at all realy! wow what a jerk not only that but gale legit threatens to suicide if you dont like his ken mash up doll love making scene - BG3 Follows the same story telling mechs as DoS1 and DoS2, DoS1 dosnt have a prologue and is only slightly differnt becouse of that, but otherwise they all start you off on a boat which gets attack which then crashes which then starts you off on a beach (DoS1 insert hear) which then has you fight though baddies to get to town which is under siege and has problems ... Lazy story writing Larian? BG3 Lacks Basic Gameplay Mechs such as ... - Lack of a Day Night Cycle - Lack of Dramatic Weather Effects - Lack of a Party Formation - Lack of infomation given to the party - shit control with moving the camera about (it gets stuck on random objects mind you) - shit control with inventory and marketing screen management. - shit AI Pathfinding - Shit Camera with it getting stuck on random objects. BG3 Lacks Wall walking or even Hovering in mid air or even flying and ending your turn in mid air unlike Solasta. BG3 Character creator is WAY Worse BG3 dosnt have a Custom Campaign Maker BG3 has a Toxic Fan Base community that will legit use 'it just works' as an excuise These things are just at the TOP of my head mind you@@amanraj3897

[@amanraj3897]

@@THAC0MANIC you really wrote a book. I never had any issues with gameplay. Even the things you mentioned it lacked it's gameplay was still top notch. I didn't like those gayish interactions though and I agree character interactions were bad. Especially the females were ugly as f**k. But the myriad of choices that it offered and branches where game could go was massive. No matter how much I explore it there is always something missing, and a curiosity to know what would have happened if I had chosen another choice. Integration of dnd mechanism was so well done. This game's mechanics although lacking things mentioned still had unique gameplay and I never encountered any glitch es. It doesn't need a day night cycle either. Arc 3 was rushed and I couldn't become a god in the game but the scope this game has no other game does. I also agree that storytelling could have been more mystical but still in almost every category you mentioned this game is much better than the s**t that's coming nowadays. Mirage was ridiculous, Starfield disappointed, diablo was shit, etc etc

[@THAC0MANIC]

I never had error 37/3006 when Diablo 3 came out, dosnt mean it didnt excist, just coz you didnt get issues dosnt mean others are not its gameplay is pretty lack luster compared to almost any other CRPG to this day, Prove its top notch i named out just SOME Specifics and compared it to just one other game that is considerd medicore over-all for the most part the problem is fan boys cant realy prove that the game is great they just give whats known as hot air arguements basicly IT JUST IS! IT JUST WORKS! ITS JUST SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME! you woulda known half of the things i talk about so far if you did basic reserch into the matter. dont get me wrong Starfield / D4 and others are bad games as well, whats your point? my point is that BG3 is a bad game, and thats FACT i named specific reasons and what knock i heard hot air arguements from the fans.@@amanraj3897

[@BorkBork94]

I've started playing older games again, and discovering their modding scenes. There's so much passion and creativity in mods, with complete overhauls or vanilla game extenders that it's just mindblowing. Finding a cool polished mod, kinda gives you that treasure hunt/great discovery feeling, and it's just made gaming exciting for me again.

[@heavenlanes5598]

I'm in my 20's and I also play games that I didn't have when I was growing up. I wish to have good old 2000's consoles and a library of complete games for myself after seeing how shit the current games are.

[@arthurgamerpro6585]

@@heavenlanes5598 nah

[@skycloud4802]

I like the widescreen hacks. Adds a new lease of life to them.

[@skycloud4802]

​@@heavenlanes5598emulation is your friend. Plenty of cheap Chinese handhelds or cheap hardware to play games on. Steam Deck is great option as well.

[@younezzz]

The sad thing is, It's not only gaming, but almost every form of art has had this happen to them in someway

[@cardedmaster5393]

With so much success any form will soon get taken over by greedy corporations will try milking it and will find a new way on milking it again

[@tomdadada]

F. e. Movies and "TV" (streaming); almost no more original-stories in the mainstream. Just (shitty) franchises, built to sell merchandise & more of the same.

[@Jondoe18702]

Couldn’t agree more, and I’d extend the definition of art to businesses that care about their product vs anything touched by PE sauce, it’s fine to expect a paycheque but when it turns to greed and exploiting it’s probably a net loss for our species . Would be interested to get views on where Breath of the wild and its sequel sit in the video’s discussion? Seems less cynical to me anyway

[@turtleanton6539]

Ofc

[@m23u23]

Very much feel this way about the music industry. Someone makes one original song and 30 suits plot how to market it and suck the creative juice dry, trend after trend, genre after genre

[@Diegobrinter]

After seeing my 7 year old nephew playing and talking about fortnite, I think I finally “undeerstood” modern gaming: today’s games are built for middle class children who are completely unaware of how gaming used to be back then. They are growing up in an age where predatory monetization is normal and expected. What to us is considered evil and absurd will be considered trivial by the next generation. The opinion of us “OGs” doesn’t matter anymore simply because we are no longer the target audience, and the actual target audience is too immature to grasp what’s happening

[@bobbob9821]

Most children nowadays have really low attention spans and are used to getting things right away instead of having to earn them. Microtransactions cater to this.

[@Diegobrinter]

@@bobbob9821 Absolutely.

[@blearbenin]

its not the monetization that makes these games bad, u just grew up. the games are being written and built by the same people that built them 20 yrs ago. sure the companies got comfortable releasing a game unfinished and fixing it later, but the quality hasn't dropped (to avoid saying it has improved a lot, cuz when I was a kid games were not as interactive)

[@A1stardan]

@@blearbenin nice try ubisoft

[@benco804]

It's even worse than that. If you don't buy the skins then you are seen as poor. So even if you could buy it and just don't want to you are seen as lesser than those who do pay the money. It's become a status symbol, just like every other material thing.

[@vexium5146]

AAA titles have hit the dark ages for me, which is no surprise. Companies will put quantity over quality if it makes them a quick buck. Indie games are what keep me playing, as well as replaying older titles. Plenty of these games have genuine effort put into them that make them endlessly replayable, at least for me. (Also hi Ciggy, good video as usual)

[@CiggySnake]

Basically my thoughts, and a common sentiment amongst my friends as well. (Hi Vexium :DD Thanks man)

[@custos3249]

If you say so. The indie scene has an issue with repetition and rehashes of what's effectively the same game. You don't need to go deeper than the hundreds of metroidvanias, and when one does something somewhat unique like Undertale, it's screamed over every communication channel and gets quickly ruined for anyone who didn't play it day 1.

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

@@custos3249 Yeah there is a lot of quantity for a good number of games but that has also lead to a good bit of quality. "Metroidvanias" how we think of them today barely existed in the past (Specifically Super Metroid, Zero mission, and like 3 Castlevania games. Now we have multiple contenders for "Gaming Icon" from them. And there was also a large amount of trashy over-saturation back in the day as well. How many crappy movie-tie-in 3D platformers were on the PS2? All the while the indie scene is also pumping out new genres. The auto-battler, stuff like Viscera Cleanup Detail/Powerwash Sim, the numerous "alchemy" titles, etc. Even smut games have gotten "massage sims" as something new. Death Stranding is the only AAA title I can think of that counts as a new genre released as of late.

[@serenity3157]

Since I take a break on RPGs for awhile, I'm having a blast with horizontal shot em up, Drainus. Really nostalgic like playing Gradius in the past.

[@thesquad2253]

Indie games suck too they look like somebody made them in their basement

[@taylorbates5669]

I picked up an n64 for less than $100, a sega Saturn for about $150 and an NES for pretty cheap too. The games are so fun. Panzer dragoon, nights into dreams, old Mario’s, the list is almost endless. My family was broke growing up so these old games I am discovering for the first time. Although there is no online element, having the boys over to play golden eye and drink a few is still incredible in my 30s lol.

[@turtleanton6539]

I had it all but always had to trade in games and systems

[@gendalfgray7889]

Playing on emulator games that i didn't had on my consoles, pure joy

[@gpl992]

I got my own nice set up of a SNES and A Genesis side by side complete with a CRTV!

[@Leaddevo]

There is a reason those knock-off Chinese Consoles sell so well. An all in one history of the last 50 years of gaming. If you didn't live through it there is a ridiculous amount of fun games to play.

[@sylviam6535]

You can use emulators for consoles that are that old.

[@weezer91101]

Gaming becoming popular was the worst thing that ever happened to gaming. More opportunity for revenue = more opportunity to water down a product and still make a profit. I look at my games list and I’m like, wtf it’s looked the same for 8 years. Same games rehashed and made worse.

[@aceofhearts573]

Gaming used to be it's own subculture. We had our own lingo, tv channel, demographic but once gaming became mainstream that all changed and everything got scaled back or dumb down. This was very clear to see in RPGs with games like Fallout and Dragon Age.

[@jacksmith4460]

@@aceofhearts573 Yeh to some extent but in the 90's it was already becoming huge, Street Fighter 2, Mario, Donkey Kong , Sonic etc all propelled Consoles and PCs in to the mainstream. Really the catalyst for the exponential growth ....was the internet. IMO , by the time Broad band connections became common, the game industry was growing at an insane speed. Also Sony and Microsoft have a huge part to play in all this as they both bully boy'd their way into the console Market almost killed Sega, and made Nintendo into a novelty system maker

[@sylviam6535]

It’s the same with everything. The Internet was a lot more fun when only the geeks were using it. As soon as the masses join, things inevitably decline.

[@coolioso808]

Low quality games becoming highly profitable is the worst thing to happen to gaming. That is a product of our negative, destructive, wasteful, unequal social system. The system is the Mega Boss we should try to defeat with a united avenging-type group of smart, talented, skilled and motivated people. If we want things to get better, we are going to need to find out the root cause, analyze it, learn about viable options and then take action. Maybe years down the road we can look back and see that we did something significant! We defeated the System Beast and we have amazing, wonderful games as well as amazing, wonderful lives - not without problems - but far better and healthier than we ever had before. And isn't that what are parents and grandparents want for us anyway? Better society and better lives than they had so they can feel like their struggles at least lead towards a better future!?

[@sylviam6535]

@@coolioso808 - Putting bad games down to bad social systems is a step too far. I do believe that gaming, like the media, has become more corporatized, and corporations suck the goodness out of everything, so maybe that’s what you mean.

[@BeatmasterAC]

we need a second Crash of the Video Game Industry, where all those corrupted and greedy Corpos go Bankrupt and vanish

[@CiggySnake]

Hard agree, though I feel a lot of these big companies are too big to fail. Pessimistic I know, but the numbers seemingly don't lie.

[@randyx007]

It would be nice but they may be too big to fail. That is how they get away with all this crap. Plus you have idiots, like in the joke about football games or Cod 35, where people will just purchase the same recycled crap over and over and love it.

[@R3TR0J4N]

Ain't going to happen seeing how accessible Chinese market titles are which they provided existance of live services

[@hoshi314]

1. Gaming as a whole is too large at this point, no way it's gonna happen or at least not as massive as the 1983 crash 2. for that to happen, the Indies needed to be also shit, the first crash was because of both "corpo" and "Indie" make an unhealthy amount of shit games with E.T being the trigger to make it all happen. I REPEAT, INDIE GAMES MUST ALSO BE UTTER SHIT FOR ANOTHER CRASH TO HAPPEN

[@Hypno_BPM]

what ? if there was a crash now the EA’s and Activisions of the industry would survive and so would mobile gaming smfh

[@SeemsLogical]

It's a dark age all around: Video Games, Movies, TV shows, Music and Culture at large. They have become businesses more focused on monetary gains rather than entertainment value. The combination of all those things failing at the same time is making a whole lot of restless, anxious and angry people in the world.

[@CiggySnake]

Yeah, it's a larger cultural rot. With videogames, and to a lesser extent music, indie devs and musicians can break into the mainstream and actually inject a modicum of passion into things. Not so much with television and film however, those mediums are basically unsalvageable.

[@SeemsLogical]

@@CiggySnake I forgot to add comedy onto that list. There's a lot of "mainstream comedy" that just isn't funny but they get the spotlight because it's agenda promotion. And there is a lot of push back in the comedy scene and probably the space where the cultural dark age is being fought the hardest. But your video is about video games so I won't detract the conversation further from that. There are passionate game developers out there who have some ground breaking ideas but it's an industry you do need to invest a considerable amount of money to even get things started. Kickstarter was a godsend to many of these indie game developers but there have been enough swindlers who exploited the kickstarter fund source to where potential donors are wary and less generous with their contributions. So we are seeing less and less successfully funded games attributed to kick starter. You may be able to do a future video on Kickstarter and it impacts on the video game community, where it began, what games benefited the most from it and what that scene is like now.

[@CiggySnake]

What I'll say is that kickstarter is not a hard necessity for game development. One of my favorite indie games to come out in recent memory was Axiom Verge. It's a really good metroidvania made entirely by one guy in his spare time and without any backer funding. That being said, funding and kickstarters are often a necessity or major benefit to smaller studios. Unfortunately, and as you said, kickstarter is a rather mixed bag nowadays due to it's misuse and countless failures. It's a topic I may investigate, thanks for the potential idea.

[@TedShatner10]

@@CiggySnake Let me guess, you believe in the supposed "woke agenda" and Disney supposedly ruinef everything (but not in the way you think).

[@CiggySnake]

@@TedShatner10 believe me, I don't. Disney sucks because they pay lip service to progressive/LGBT movements while simultaneously trimming out any non-heterosexual scenes from international markets. It's spineless and lame.

[@astonio7399]

This probably explains why I have no motivation to pick up the controller anymore, and when I do the enthusiasm burns out very quickly.

[@Ray.M.12345]

Same..

[@keepemclassic6791]

For me it’s when we were all kids we had absence of mystery and an urge to explore. Getting lost in a game you know nothing about. Also we had free time to fully get lost in these for hours making great memories by ourselves or with friends. Also micro transactions ruin any gaming experience. Now we’re all busy with work, school, family to not allow ourselves to get immersed. With us growing up we understand what video games are so it takes away the mystery that was once held behind them.

[@devilsoffspring5519]

Kids have imagination. Kids have curiosity. Adults have BURDEN. they have jobs and bills. It's not because the video games (or music, or motorcycles, or skateboarding) you loved when you were young sucks now. It's just that being an adult sucks and that's it. Video games themselves were never really that much fun, just distracting. They don't feel fun anymore because they never really were in the first place--but, you can't enjoy being distracted when you're an adult because of the pressing, all-consuming burden of the desperate need for money.

[@trev24or77]

@@devilsoffspring5519just because video games are a “distraction” doesn’t make them not fun. I still have fun playing games today , even with all the stresses in my life.

[@ToruKurosawa]

Don't agree with this at all... the games now compared to back then are way different... I think just because you are an adult doesn't mean you can't still enjoy games. Its just games now are made with greed in mind.

[@moonasha]

I disagree. While it's partially true, there certainly are games today that recapture that sense of mystery. Most games however, lack that feeling, because they lack any immersive gameplay elements that allow you to "enter" the game, if you will. Examples of this include, minimaps, quest marker overlays that tell you exactly where to go, and so on. For example, in 2004 WoW, you had to read quest text, and then go explore the world to find where to do a quest. In modern WoW (or any game really), you simply have to go to a marker on the minimap, completely disassociating you from the world, and at the same time, from the NPC giving the quest and their text. Games like Star Citizen which do away with minimaps in favor of signs deserve commendation. Despite its bugs, a game with minimal UI elements like SC allows you to get lost in the world. Minimaps and quest markers are the worst offenders, but there's far more things out there ruining immersion. Game developers add these features to reduce friction, but friction is what allows you to be immersed sometimes. If you aren't looking around the world for the correct way to go, you aren't IN it. If you're staring at a minimap 50% of the time, you aren't IN the world either. When we were kids it'd take us hours to do things that would take minutes today in a game, because there was nothing telling us exactly what to do. In conclusion, it's crap game design that has taken our sense of exploration and mystery away. You can still find games that create that feeling. Subnautica, Star Citizen, Farcry 2, etc. Resist the urge to look everything up on a wiki like a goober

[@sullychow4123]

Immersion and fun can still be hsd with features like minimaps. I think this is the point, it should be optional. Because plauers like me want it, most worlds dont have enough content to be ok with getting lost and immersed in it. Even Elden Ring i was happy tgere was a minimap, same with baldurs gate 3 that im currently playing. The "fun" is wanting to see parts of the map i dont need to and exploring. Thats enough immersion.

[@Thirteen31Music]

Sadly I think this happens with anything that is successful and has potential - business people see an opportunity and step in and proceed to rinse it for everything its worth. The goal shifts from making a quality/fun product that people like to just make as much money as possible and quality is irrelevant .

[@vulcanraven9701]

that is exactly what happened to movie industry

[@vulcanraven9701]

and college football

[@stewiedarkinvisibleid]

Wow. Your video is absolutely 100% accurate in all respects. As a 60 year old gamer that spent years working in the gaming industry (Sega, Spectrum Holobyte, Microprose, Hasbro Interactive, etc), I can confirm that today's gaming industry is quite a different beast, one that pales in comparison to the Golden Age. Younger gamers of today have allowed early access and whatnot to be the norm. Sad state we're in, and I agree that indy developers are so much better than today's AAA developers.

[@CiggySnake]

I certainly appreciate the kind words, doubly so given your personal experience on these matters. I wouldn't necessarily say younger gamers are the culprit here, but rather lazy gamers with low standards, the sort that are totally undiscerning and completely fine with this creeping mediocrity. If I may ask, what work did you specifically do in the games industry? Were you actually working on the games themselves or were you in management, promotion, sales, etc.?

[@stewiedarkinvisibleid]

@@CiggySnake Ah, good point; I correct by agreeing that "lazy" gamers have allowed early access as a norm. To answer your question, my most beloved gig was as an artist at Microprose, in Alameda CA. We had such a great group of dedicated talents that worked there, and I wish I was back in time working there, it was that good. I worked on Star Trek games there (among others), which being a Trekkie, was absolute heaven. Cheers for your excellent work here!

[@CiggySnake]

@@stewiedarkinvisibleid neat, love to hear the passion for your work and art, and thanks once again.

[@stewiedarkinvisibleid]

@@CiggySnake As an aside, imho, some of today's tabletop games like Gloomhaven, Arkham Horror the card game, and ISS Vanguard, have in a way, become better "games" than most of today's video game. And that industry has skyrocketed.

[@TheSektor13]

Early access and open betas should be forbidden by law.

[@Hypno_BPM]

the 90s was the best decade in gaming. Most of the devs were gamers and you could tell from their games and how fun they were to play. Also the 90s seemed like the most innovative , every company was trying to outdo others and themselves with each installment and weren’t scared to try something new. Innovation is basically almost gone now , it seems like the only thing that keeps getting better lately is just the graphics which doesn’t make the game fun just pretty to look at. Also it feels like back then every studio had their own engine and thus made each game have its own unique look while now adays most games look very similar and they all use like the same 3-4 game engines.

[@jermainejones1560]

Yeah thats what i was saying it just look good and thats about it 🙁

[@sylviam6535]

Agreed. The only thing that is improving are the graphics.

[@Pidalin]

I also liked time between 2000 and 2005.

[@Pidalin]

@@sylviam6535 But for what price? Today graphics is not that better than 10 years ago, but for 10 years old games, some GTX460 is enouth, today you need something like RTX3080 to play modern games if you are PC player, it's ridiculous, those games are so badly optimised and even with such crazy HW requirments, you are still finding things in those games which look like from 2004. But I see one positive trend - most of today games have FOV setting, which I really love, I just can't play game with 60° FOV as it was standard few years ago and moding all games was really annoying.

[@Hypno_BPM]

@@Pidalin true, there were many classics in that time frame. The Wii was also very innovative and successful. I just miss how big studios used to take risks with new IP’s

[@Unprotected1232]

Sometimes you gotta do things yourself. While the indie gaming scene isn't immune to controversy there's at least some hope to be found. Development tools are also becoming more streamlined and user-friendly.

[@CiggySnake]

Pretty much. Indie games are filling the gaps AAA studios refuse to. Also the increasing ease of making real, substantive games is great.

[@T1Oracle]

This is the answer. Indie games are awesome! Although there are plenty of good big name games out still. I'm loving Alien Isolation right now for example.

[@averyshepherd5902]

I think more people in general need to give indie games a chance. A lot of the best games I've played as of recent include indies.

[@aaronatkinson177]

@@CiggySnake yes even I say indie games are one of the saving graces of gaming

[@thefebo8987]

I think we shoud be more critical of Indie games. Many copy cats out there too.

[@ChieftainHawke]

this can also be applied to anime, comic books, film, sci fi. once it becomes main stream and corporate greed takes over, and they start pandering to modern agendas, it loses the magic.

[@VVayVVard]

Definitely noticed this with anime, but once in a couple years you do still see a new unique, well-written series come out. Like Promised Neverland and Dr Stone in 2019, or Attack on Titan in 2013. Great anime with fresh writing came out a bit more frequently in the 2000s, but I feel this is at least partly attributable to Japan having been more productive in that era, due to demographic factors. In that sense, loss of creativity may very well become more prevalent in the future, given that the demographics of developed countries (which are home to most game developers) trend toward the same direction.

[@erenesqandarrazor8706]

I don't think anime has Coperate agenda problem big as film or game...i think you misanalyzed it ....just because film and game which is more mainstream in west in decline doesn't mean entertainment in east are declining infact they are way booming ...even anime which is niche just 10 years ago are now so mainstream and again this useless woke nonesense and tell a very good story...you need to study more...and being less stupid

[@StarshipTr00per]

I've been gaming since the dawn of pc games. I was saying to a friend this week that I rarely find pleasure in games anymore and keep talking of old titles that trilled me so much. That was a very good explanation as to why I feel like that.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Mayyybe if they stopped launching unfinished online only micro transaction infested trash, we wouldn't feel like this? Just a thought lolz.

[@sportyeight7769]

@@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342 That and also when you get old, the novelty of gaming just wears off. Everything is better when you're a child. But also, yeah, they are complaining on a none issues, just this past 4 years i've been playing far better games than i did during my young years in the 90.

[@willm5032]

I'm just glad I'm not the only 30something that's jaded and miserable with gaming tbh.

[@MrEffinBest]

The older I get the more grateful I am for having been a child in the 1980's. I got to grow up alongside the industry and basically experience every amazing game released over the last 40 years. Sadly, I have to agree. The greatest games have all already been made. The AAA market is headed for a crash, its completely inevitable. Whenever you see products increase in price and diminish in quality on the scale like what is happening with modern gaming, the bottom WILL fall out. Just ask General Motors. The same thing will happen with other major media conglomerates as well, like Disney. When you try and monetize everything the consumer interacts with, and pump out shitloads of mediocre content you enter into this death spiral of increasing cost and diminishing returns, which spurs cheaper content, and more price increases which perpetuates the cycle. Eventually consumers just get bored and leave. Its not rocket science.

[@AdonanS]

You might be right, but the problem is these game companies are so large at this point that it'll be a slow decline rather than a full crash. In other words, it probably won't happen any time soon.

[@quintessenceSL]

I am reminded of when Steam and subscription services were coming on-line, the old guard were sound the alarm that this is going to be rife with abuse... to deaf ears. I actually don't blame the industry as much as the gamistas, proclaiming their mediocrity as revolutionary and willfully ignorant of how this current cultural milieu came to be. You brought this upon yourselves.

[@Pidalin]

I always say that I would better play good games made on 20 years old engines with outdated graphics, then today ridiculous games with online balast, stupid writting and bugs everywhere and also graphics is not that better compared to 10 years old games, but what HW you need today? You need literally RTX3080 to play modern games even when many of them are actually ugly. I played games from like 2001-2005 many times, but modern games released after 2008? I played most of them just once and I don't think I want to play it again, life is too short for that, in the past, some FPS game for like 6-10 hours, now you spend 10 hours just by learning how to play that and adult working person just has no time for that.

[@PEguinQuAcKers]

Nah this is kind of that older gamer mindset. Not to attack you bc I'm almost their with you but You forget VR is slowing rising too with certain people, not me bc I'm a lazy gamer. All I'm saying is if you think a crash will never happen your life time or even mine. We are seeing the birth of cyberpunk age and the lot of us don't want to admit it

[@swrutra]

What about Nintendo? I don't want to sound like a fanboy, but it seems to me that Nintendo so far hasn't given in to the predatory practices of EA and the like. Yes, there are DLC's in some Nintendo games, but overall Nintendo seems faithful to their tradition. Nintendo's DLC's are just extras which just spice up games that are already pretty decent without the extra purchase.

[@Jackerler20001]

I have been mainly focusing on playing indie games and older titles and I’ve been instantly having a better time in gaming.

[@Kivas_Fajo]

You should give Soldat a try. It's 2-D, free of charge and much fun. ^^ Written by one IT student in Poland looooong ago.

[@Starwarsfan1253]

Same.

[@damakuno]

@@Kivas_Fajo yea soldat was my childhood game

[@sportyeight7769]

They all play those live service and gatcha games and yell "games where better before" like there isn't the most incredible indie scene ever right now and also genuine great games releasing every day... But they prefer buying the same shit that everybody else and complain... it's like buy E.T from atari back in the day or any other movie licence games in the 90-2000. There where some bangers earlier, true, but for each banger there is 20-30 shitty games on the same console in the same era.

[@B_u_L_i]

That's why I love from software games, they always feel like they were crafted with love and passion.

[@CiggySnake]

Fully agree, though from soft is definitely an exception and not the rule.

[@R3TR0J4N]

...the jankyness of fromsoft games were excused due to being a "soulslike". Nevertheless ER is a culmination of fromsoft and amalgamation of openwold rpg

[@R3TR0J4N]

I people can accept soulslike being janky, then they should figure what's an *AA eurojank coop survival shooter that's is lore heavy* like darktide.

[@Digger-Nick]

Elden ring was a disappointment. Should never have been "open world"

[@Phantom_Zer0]

@@R3TR0J4N I've been a fan of fromsoftware since the day i played armored core 1, way before the souls trend was a thing, i bought demons souls japanese version because the game looked amazing, not because it was souls like.

[@FlipLifeNC]

I found this video out of the blue, and it echoes my exact thoughts. I remember 15 years ago there were so many choices of games on the shelves. Now the game sections are much smaller. One because digital is spreading but also there just aren’t as many titles being released like they used to be. I’m 45 and started when I was six. I’m always going to be a gamer, but I miss the passion that you mentioned that used to be in the space

[@roderickcortez138]

I'm 44 and the majority of my games are remasters. There just aren't many good games coming out now.

[@fr33kSh0w2012]

Same fucking shits me off to no end also I tend to avoid GOG and others today because they are too damn woke people on the forums there are insane and nasty it ain't the same as it was!

[@FlipLifeNC]

@@fr33kSh0w2012 TRUTH!

[@OrangeSunshine15]

100% agree with your comment, I'm 34 and have been playing since I was 5-6 years old, games now don't have that wow factor anymore. Still my fav game after all these years is half life. ✌️

[@sportyeight7769]

Have you guys just looked at the steam release ? or indie title release on the console shops ? there is literally triple maybe 4 times more games releasing right now than before, probably better but y'all fixed on the popular releases that scamme players with live service. Stop complaining and start playing better games.

[@TheogRahoomie]

I fill like the love of gaming is still alive in Nintendo. I had a blast playing Mario odyssey, Zelda BOTW, Luigi’s mansion 3, super Mario 3D world, pikmin 3 etc…

[@sullychow4123]

Nintendo is a vulture to its fans. Constantly suing and legally going after them. Not a good company. Also most of those franchises have a loooot of repeated features from previous games, not exactly innovative (except BOTW)

[@radicalcentrist4990]

Speaking of the golden age, I think 2007 in particular was in my opinion such a perfect year. The literal peak year of gaming if you ask me. Halo was at it's peak with Halo 3, Call Of Duty just exploded with COD 4, Valve released the Orange Box, WoW got The Burning Crusade which many still consider as it's best expansion, and it was also the birth of so many franchises that ended up becoming a big deal, Assassin's Creed was born, Uncharted was born, Mass Effect was born, Portal was born, Team Fortress 2 was born, Crysis was born, Bioshock was born. The AAA really knew what the fuck they were doing, you got hit after hit after hit that year.

[@IsuiGtz]

2007-2012 was the peak for me, not only for videogames but also for music ("alternative" music in particular). Everything went downhill from there.

[@mrskinszszs]

@Isui Gtz alternative was largely terrible around that time. The 90s to early 00s was easily better

[@tylerchristensen1484]

I think the first Witcher game also came out in 2007.

[@fabstems3388]

You focused primarily on Xbox 360 and ps3, which is very true, but in my opinion Nintendo had some of their greatest games released around 2007 as well, like super Mario galaxy, legend of Zelda twilight princess and Mario kart wii are some to name a few. Overall I agree with your sentiment, 2007 really does seem like one of the greatest years for gaming ever.

[@MrChristianDT]

There is still good music out there, in my opinion, but there's so much music put out on a yearly basis- especially in the major world languages, like English & Spanish- that there is so much crap to wade through to find the good stuff. Plus, music, in general, is so varied to begin with, the internet usually doesn't seem to really know how to effectively push it to people, beyond just shoving whatever is "in" at the moment down everyone's throats.

[@Tacet137]

With few exceptions I play mostly games that are more than 10 years old, 90% of newer stuff is pure garbage

[@CiggySnake]

Basically what I've been doing, actually just started up Super Mario Sunshine and am trying to 100% it. Having a fun time.

[@saiprimal98]

Can't blame you, I've recently started playing through Kirby return to Dreamland and honestly had a better experience than I've been having with most modern games.

[@lachemoilcul]

I've watched a good few videos on the downward spiral of AAA gaming but this one specifically hit the spot. I feel like the corporate greed behind all these studios and console manufacturers isn't being called out enough. I hope to see more content from you on this topic considering it's somethign you're clearly passionate about. Maybe something about indie games and their potential to save the industry.

[@CiggySnake]

Thank you, that's very kind of you. Coincidentally indies are the subject of my next video, so stay tuned for that.

[@ThisGuyHasName]

Goddamn you get an automatic kudos for featuring a soundtrack from SMT3 Nocturne, one of the greatest soundtracks of all time (Not just for video games, just soundtracks in general)

[@CiggySnake]

Fellow Nocturne Enjoyer 🤝 SMT3's OST is indeed amazing, and Shoji Meguro's work in the 00's was some of his best.

[@NobodyAsked-xh8cs]

>Plays the same game near continuously for 9 years >Game gets stale can’t believe gaming fell off so hard wtf

[@CiggySnake]

It's more that the games industry has been making the same game for a solid decade, but yeah 100% you have a solid third to half of gamers that are totally fine with total dross.

[@heatherharrison264]

I've seen a number of "gaming isn't fun anymore" videos lately. This is one of the best, as it goes through the recent history of the industry and clearly presents the problems. I have been playing video games since the late 1970s, and this isn't the first time I've seen the industry go through a dark age. Back in the early 1980s, shovelware was a huge problem. The Atari 2600 was an open system, and numerous fly-by-night indie developers were making horrible games for it. When the shovelware problem spread to the AAA developers, the industry was in trouble. Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 is terrible because the console doesn't have the technology to support a decent version of that game. (The Atari 400/800 version is perfectly fine.) Then, there was the infamous E.T., which was the straw that broke the camel's back, and the industry in the U.S. and Europe crashed. Ultimately, the crash turned out to be healthy, as it cleared a lot of garbage out of the industry and cleared the way for PC gaming and Nintendo to do well in the subsequent years. These days, predatory monetization, corporatization, and general laziness have wrecked the AAA segment of the industry, and mobile gaming has nearly always been a parade of suckage, but as stated in the video, the indie scene is a bright spot. Since the early days, the indie scene has always been plagued by shovelware, and it certainly still is today, but it is far easier to weed out the shovelware nowadays than it used to be. AAA gaming may be in a dark age, but certain niches within the indie space are in a golden age. I've been a big fan of city builders since the days of the original SimCity. After the wave of historical city builders in the early-mid 2000s died out and EA, the destroyer of franchises, demolished the once loved SimCity, that genre descended into a dark age. Nowadays, indie and AA developers have brought back the city builder genre and have augmented it with related types of simulation games. RimWorld and Factorio have been highly successful. Dawn of Man and Nebuchadnezzar have breathed some new life into the once-moribund historical city builder sub-genre. The Tropico series brings some light humor to the genre. There are some problems, however. Though Cities: Skylines and Surviving Mars are solid games at their core, Paradox has an unfortunate addiction to DLC spam, and when they update games to accommodate new DLC, bugs and software bloat are inevitably introduced. Still, Paradox's questionable DLC practices are nowhere near as bad as what is commonly encountered in AAA and mobile games. There might be some hope for the fancy big budget games that many gamers love. Though I won't play Elden Ring because I detest challenging action combat, I am encouraged that it released without too many bugs, it isn't loaded up with microtransactions, it is clearly the product of a passionate team of developers that, first and foremost, wanted to make a good game, and the corporate suits didn't get in the way. Baldur's Gate 3 is looking promising. Larian has a good track record, and hopefully, they can keep it up. I'll wait and see on Starfield. Bethesda seriously messed up with Fallout 76, but maybe there is some faint hope that they learned some lessons from that experience. I think the likelihood is high that Starfield will be a bug-filled, microtransaction-riddled mess shipped complete with Denuvo anti-tamper, but I certainly hope I'm wrong. I think Todd "It Just Works" Howard and his team still have passion for their games, but can they pull it off, and will the beancounters and investors get in their way?

[@CiggySnake]

Hey, I appreciate the kind words and your (lengthy) comment. One point you brush on, and one thing I really should have mentioned, is that the indie scene is fantastic for promoting and creating interesting niche genres. Factory sims are now a burgeoning genre thanks to Factorio (love that game btw). Cleaning sims like viscera cleanup detail and power wash simulator are now a thing and are very well liked. If I were you I'd keep your expectations lower than the Marianas Trench for Starfield. Bethesda obliterated any goodwill they had with Fallout 76, and this was after a rather mixed Fallout 4. I'd like to be wrong too, but the writings kinda on the wall imo.

[@ip5676]

I expect Starfield to follow Skyrim and F4's trend of being between mediocre and decent as a base game, but amazing with enough time and mods. It's a safe asumption Bethesda develops their single player games with the modders in mind. And as a new Stellaris and EU4 player, the comment on Paradox's DLC practices really hit hard. You buy their game and don't feel like you really own it, I have a love/hate relationship with them.

[@padnomnidprenon9672]

Hey, to you or anyone in your case. I was the same, I disliked challenging action games, because you know, life is already challenging and I prefer to keep my strengh for what matters. But I recently played games in the souls like/Nioh, FFSOP that were lighter with a no so grim environment. They put me on this path. And I find the difficulty rewarding and training something good in my brain : resilience in front of difficulty. The challenge is hard but fair. A very positive psychic loop I'd say

[@auntedna6376]

I don't think Bethesda can afford to screw up Starfield and I think they know it. Microsoft doesn't need Bethesda to make their games now, they let them make them. MS owns Fallout and if they want they can just have Obsidian make them. Somebody else can make elder scrolls too. Oh and I finished that damn E.T. game growing up.

[@larryblumerjr]

I wouldn't equate Atari Pac-Man to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. I remember the initial tinge of disappointment when I first saw and heard Atari Pac-Man. The flickering, the pixelated graphics, the bonk bonk bonk sounds. Ugh! But the playability was actually pretty good, I played the hell out of that game. Compared with other Atari games (and not the arcade version), the graphics were actually advanced. E.T. on the other hand was utterly unplayable. I suffered through it a handful of times in utter confusion and gave up on it, unheard of at the time.

[@Ares_gaming_117]

You're totally right. We need a new group of jaded cynics like Halo-Bungie to make games that we all actually wanna play.

[@ZombieOfun]

It's so depressing to see modern Bungie pull all the same mobile game-esc design with Destiny

[@GloomToon]

@@ZombieOfun it’s even more depressing to look at the state of halo. Oh how the mighty have fallen…

[@timit2thelimit]

What an insightful and nuanced video! You've so eloquently articulated my frustrations over the past (almost) decade, dude. Subbed

[@CiggySnake]

That's so very kind of you to say, thank you very much :)

[@Fazz321]

I was like... where did I heard this bgm? And then I looked in the description. It's always a pleasure to meet a cultured man.

[@CiggySnake]

Many thanks. Which song are you referring to if I may ask?

[@Fazz321]

@@CiggySnake The most cultured of them all, of course. The one at 12:40. Although I didn't like the game as much as others did, music from it is still in my playlist to this day.

[@CiggySnake]

@@Fazz321 Ah yes, a VN for those of high culture and refined tastes.

[@SCARLETDOT]

Underrated get this man to 100k . I do feel sad how gaming fell down so hard

[@RhubarbRehab]

Don’t confuse mismanagement for “laziness”. Game developers are not lazy, they are just rushed.

[@amargasaurus5337]

Well I've been having loads of fun on the indie scene I was forced into it by my condition as a 3rd worlder that can't afford a high end PC, and to be honest I'm thankful for it. Over the years I went from not being able to buy AAA games to actively staying away from them even if I could. The indie scene seems to be where the old passion ended up, and there's plenty to choose from!

[@CiggySnake]

Basically this, the indie scene is much more committed to the art of gaming, rather than simply using it as a vehicle to make money.

[@ferchotorrico8032]

Started playing Devil may cry 1 & 3 a few months ago. I could clearly see those games were built different, no bullsh1t and straight to the point action with challenging foes and gameplay. Having such an unmatched experience so far.

[@sportyeight7769]

Hi-fi rush, ultrakill, outer wilds, dead cells, NIER, Sekiro, hades. Hell even Devil may cry 5 is good. you'all should stop playing always online micro transaction intensive barely finish live service... and start playing good games. Not everything was better before. Matter of fact, Devil may cry 2 is god afwul.

[@ferchotorrico8032]

@@sportyeight7769 Haven't played DMC2 yet, i don't know what monstrous programming catastrophe will i be going to encounter.

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

While I agree with this video as a whole, Halo 5's req system isn't a good example of predatory microtransactions. You get an absurd amount of req cards by just playing the game, never needing to spend any money, and those req cars only affected warzone, a side mode. They were completely unused and totally irrelevant to the regular multiplayer. Halo 5 is solidly NOT pay to win. It's an issue that I still think was blown out of proportion and stopped people from focusing on Halo 5's real faults at launch like the lack of content and focusing too heavily on esports. These problems were eventually fixed for the record. Halo 5 multiplayer is the only truly REALLY good thing 343 has ever done, arguably being just as good as the original trilogy. If only I could say the same about the campaign.

[@CiggySnake]

Fair take. My issue was more that they introduced any sort of P2W elements at all, no matter how minor.

[@reyvynnightveil1706]

I felt this way for years until I finally outright quit games for the last 2 years, replacing them with real-life activities, like hiking, competitive shooting, art, and music... It wasn't until my wife bought some old retro games and consoles recently that I started slowly picking them up again and am semi-regularly gaming with a few dozen classic titles that made me love gaming to begin with. Modern games come with a set expiration date, usually about a year because there's just gonna be another one next year and support is going to drop off fir the current title very rapidly. And games that don't, often don't even resemble their former self after a year or two (see Destiny 2 and Fortnite)... there's just no incentive to buy into something that is going to not be the product you purchased in a short time frame, when classic games remain classics generation after generation.

[@christiandauz3742]

Buy indie games or unique ones like Mario + Rabbids!!!

[@Sir_Newkirk]

Video games are too popular, I know that sounds weird but I think it plays a role as to why modern AAA titles feel so watered down and factory produced. Mainly the broad appeal & easy money attitude from execs that came from its popularity, this is what lead to the uninspired, non risk taking games.

[@CiggySnake]

Basically this, the industry is too big to fail essentially.

[@Sir_Newkirk]

@@CiggySnake I think we need another crash like the "Video game crash of 1983"

[@r.d.6290]

@@CiggySnake it's more like games are made not just for nerds anymore, so they have to appeal to a sort of "common denominator" in terms of audience.

[@CiggySnake]

@@r.d.6290 oh 100%. The profitability of big game studios and publishers is based on growth, and you can't grow by servicing only a niche audience. Rather than respect the people that helped build the industry, they'd rather cast their interests aside and focus on the least impressive, least offensive product that can wrangle in as many mindless consumer-drones as possible.

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

@@CiggySnake There's plenty of good games still being made. Lol

[@Syphonix3]

With the indie developers hopefully we can weather this storm

[@SSIDNET]

there was also a point in time (maybe even currently) where games were in early access hell, and people would buy them being at v0.1 and the game would never really make it to v1

[@PP7Silenced]

Feels like that's totally where we are at now. Modern consoles are wine cellars. The new games need to age a couple years before they are worth popping the cork on without risk of getting the taste your playing a beta.

[@oOAjjOo]

I love that you're using SMT IV music early on.

[@TheGaymos]

Started growing out of gaming these past few years, I’m pretty sure the factors you mentioned also played a part. The fact I’m getting older also isn’t helping. It sucks but that’s life I guess.

[@CiggySnake]

Age comes for us all, but the active steps being made by the industry to gut itself for short-term profit are disappointing to say the least.

[@voltaris3008]

This sorta stuff is why I prefer indie games with no micro transactions, games like Hollow Knight, Mindustry, and even Ori to an extent, you can tell that the people who made them poured their hearts into their work, and the outcome is something that is more enjoyable than anything most of these big corporations have been crapping out.

[@CiggySnake]

100%, indie games carry the soul of the industry and you see it in their work.

[@barca227bc3]

Try kenshi it's great. Doesn't look very good but man it's an adventure

[@R3TR0J4N]

Don't forget AA titles

[@MilosCsrb]

its all cool, but those are still not AAA games

[@adammeyers5229]

To indie platformers I love are hell pie and bacon man an adventure. These two games are some of the funnest games I've ever played. The smaller company indie developers are the ones who make a variety of games instead of the repetitive same stuff

[@whitefibre841]

i could tell you were passionate about the topic even before you mentioned it the script, the editing, it all plays out like a passion project also please keep advancing our relationship with the subscribe button i'm ready to pop the question to it

[@CiggySnake]

You will propose to the subscribe button in my next video (A Japanese topic most likely)

[@EQOAnostalgia]

So essentially they took what made MMORPG's addicting, the monster flavored skinner boxes of EverQuest yore, and turned them into insta-gratification transactions? Pretty dang sinister.

[@CiggySnake]

The exploitation of human psychology just for profit and naked greed has been one of the worst developments of the 20th and 21st centuries.

[@aceofhearts573]

Basically MMOs went from being social games in which you had to join other people to single player mmos games in which you try to get the best loot and max stats. You dont even have to read the story, most people skip it.

[@OriginalBongoliath]

The crappiness of modern gaming has led me to appreciate traditional hobbies like model building that have gone by the wayside in the current era. Thank you modern gaming for being so crappy you have saved me from further wasting my time in virtual world.

[@JosephMelia]

This is the sad reality of modern gaming. I increasingly find myself playing older titles ,such as Half Life or SS2. There is the odd exception to the rule, but by and large, gaming needs a kick in the slats. There's always hope that things can improve I suppose.

[@Ozchuck]

Something important to consider is that the price of full games has not gone up with inflation. We've been paying 60usd forever. To get a developer paid what they used to be paid, games would need to be over 100usd which no-one wants to pay. So microtransations are unfortunately mandatory to get paid.

[@CiggySnake]

Well I feel there are fair and reasonable ways of going about MTX and paid content, see Rainbow 6 Siege for example. You pay up front for a full and competently made game, and microtransactions then keep up a solid profitable live service. This model is incredibly uncommon however. Nowadays you just end up with half baked games with more thought put into nickel and diming customers, rather than providing a solid game.

[@Ozchuck]

@@CiggySnake yep you're right I was just listing a factor often not mentioned

[@XFR18]

Mtx does not pay devs more, these games most likely profit and gaming became more mainstream so they have no issue gaining more sales than before.

[@therealjaystone2344]

N64 AAA games cost $70+

[@saturationstation1446]

just pay them all in royalties. salary is stupid for this kind of stuff

[@thatguy-dh1qh]

Remember when you'd go to the local game store, read the box art of a bunch of games before deciding what game you wanted to spend your birthday money on, then going home and playing the game, and forming your own opinions about it without the influence of the internet, then finishing the game without it feeling like a chore? Pepperidge Farm remembers...

[@diprosla592]

I miss being able to go buy games in some shopping mall/game stores, Nowdays its just all just: Buy ONLLINE only and thats it because some devs just don t even bother with putting their game on DVDs and they just put it on Steam / epic...

[@miriyoussefxx]

Yeah 😢 days

[@VelvetMagician]

You’re absolutely right on so many levels. Instead of going for AAA games now. Greed and plain apathy for consumers is just the overall reason for gaming today. We should go support indie developers that put way more love and effort in their games. (Well there are big companies that make good games such as Fromsoft etc, who still put effort and care in their products) Another point are modders, definitely the heroes in this dark age.

[@nounonaiyatsu]

Since you mentioned the indie space, I'd recommend Signalis (it's available on Xbox, PS4, Switch, and PC). This Steam review I found put it best: "It's like they took everything good from Resident Evil and everything good from Silent Hill and covered it in anime". If you're into cyberpunk and survival horror games you'll like this. Indie games are what really keeps me coming back to gaming.

[@ajente2o254]

Those are a lot of genders and gameplay styles... SOAB count me in!!!

[@LionKimbro]

Yeah, I don’t get his complaint. What the hell is he doing in the AAA’s? The Indy scene is AMAZING. It’s BEEN amazing. I have a backlog of games to carry me a lifetime, and every year great new Indy games are made. I honestly don’t get what this guy is complaining about. Just don’t play AAA! What is the attraction for him, even? I want to be clear- I don’t have any kind of political thing against AAA’s: I loved Death Stranding and several Final Fantasies (6 is my favorite) and Secret of Mana is my favorite game bar none. But most games I play just naturally end up being Indy games. It seems to me that the author of the video just has some kind of chip on his shoulder about deigning to play Indy games- the horror of trying a game and finding it wasn’t great? I don’t know. But it is a weird take on gaming to me, for sure. Gaming has never been, for me, about the AAA’s.

[@missitheachievementhuntres560]

Ty for mentioning indie games. That is where I find the passionate game makers.

[@terrancat]

I've seen mean memes that I can only assume were paid for by big corpos attacking indy games. Sad. I hope people don't fall for them.

[@ajente2o254]

@@terrancat why a person would atack indie developers in general? They are literally carrying the industry (Sorry for my bad english)

[@terrancat]

@@ajente2o254 I think it was done by big budget companies. But maybe because a lot of people like to be the worst human they can be.

[@Orangeco79]

The Golden Age of Gaming was the start of Gen 4 to the end of Gen 7 (or 1991-2012).

[@markusoreos.233]

Bold of you to include the xbox360 and ps3 gen in there.

[@taegotkash]

@@markusoreos.233 You mean the Wii’s gen. It outsold both of them.

[@isfren5482]

Probably one of the best things to do is to play and buy indie games

[@cardedmaster5393]

I only like few of them because some feel the same and never see something new

[@littleaussierippa]

Brilliantly said sir. I agree 100%. As a life-long fan of games (quite literally, my first console was an Atari 2600), It makes me feel not only incredibly sad but incredibly angry that the state of the games industry is what it is today. I rarely buy games anymore and if I do, I'll wait a year or 2 until the game is complete and fully functional. I can happily play my existing games library over and over again, but there inevitably comes a time when I wish for something new and different and with the exception of a good game here and there, they are few and far between nowadays. At 50 years of age, I sometimes wonder if I will ever in my lifetime see games return to the glory days of the industry that I've loved so dearly. I hope so. But somehow I doubt it.

[@CiggySnake]

Thanks for the comment, and I feel you. I'm not even half your age but I really feel I got into gaming just before it all went south. I just take solace in the fact we'll always have the quality titles of the golden age to pour over, along with truly impressive indies that continue to wow and innovate. The thing I'm most sad about is the fact that we're unlikely to experience another golden age, meaning future generations won't get to experience gaming as we once did. It'll just be another hyper-commodified source of "entertainment," ran than something actually fun.

[@damondowns8238]

Really great video!! I just got finished playing some MW2 and a couple of valorant matches and I realize that playing these games are more like a chore then actually entertaining to me. There really is no more incentive to create polish in games as long as companies make their money. Videogames used to be my main source of making friends and having fun and now I feel like it’s time to move on from them which is very disheartening to me and probably a lot of other people who grew up with them.

[@CiggySnake]

Thanks man, and I totally feel you on that one. Naturally as we get older our tastes change and responsibilities mount, but the general malaise surrounding gaming is undeniable. It's not all doom and gloom of course, there's always retro titles to go back to, and the modern indie scene is absolutely killing it (I also have a video discussing indies specifically if you haven't checked it out).

[@hurricane7727]

Call of Duty Black Ops is Fun to Play

[@EuphoricTincture]

When I was kid, the games I played had so much charm and vision. Like when I played Zelda: Ocarina of time, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil and Okami for the first time. Sadly, gaming began to lose its appeal right around 2012. But the 5th and 6th generation consoles were sublime and the experience often felt magical, like unearthing a rare gem. The current gaming industry, however, feels heartless and devoid of experimentation.

[@outloud_overthinking]

To me the future of gaming looks pretty bright, cause there are a lot of tools making it possible to produce a game on your own. I believe that indie games are, for sure, a future

[@kohank5938]

So you say that AAA games which takes a large part of gaming industry means nothing?

[@outloud_overthinking]

@@kohank5938 well, it all will come to an end soon, I think. They can't milk old series and microtransactions forever.

[@mikekonkola1231]

I started playing the gears of war franchise with my son. The Xbox 360 versions.i can't believe how good they were all the way down to the voice acting. We also play a lot of the older call of duty s and left for dead. I believe Gameing was fun because games were co op slit screen and good story's that kept you wanting to play.

[@0rnery0verwatch]

Glad you made the point you did in the beginning of the video. When I started gaming... you were a straight up outcast if people knew you played video games. You didn't talk about, you certainly didn't brag about it... it was almost like a drug you did in secret. Even though your family knew you played games, they didn't talk about it lol. I remember dating girls and never telling them that video games were a hobby of mine simply because it was seen as so nerdy at that time. Then in the early 2000's, I remember the people who would take pictures of themselves on myspace while holding an xbox controller to show their "gamer cred". Suddenly, being a "gamer" was the "in" thing, and everyone wanted to be a part of it, Fast forward 5-10yrs, and suddenly, gaming is passe. To say you're a gamer would be no different than saying "yeah I breathe to stay alive"... people went from treating you as an outcast because you gamed, to treating you as common and boring because it's what everyone does. It truly blew my mind.

[@cattysplat]

In the 90s there was even niche subcultures and bulling amongst gamers themselves. RPGs were for "antisocial nerds that repulsed women" until FF7/Pokemon made them mainstream. "Cool" guys only played sports/shooting games on the "cool" consoles and would bully you if you played other games. 2D platformers/Nintendo was for "dumb little kids." Anime/Japanese games were seen as weird stuff for weirdos. The prejudice was pretty strong back then, the internet helped break down those barriers.

[@Equ1no0x]

I couldn't have agreed more with you. Although I still play some AAA games that I still find enjoyment in, I've been mostly playing Indies or playing older games more for the past 3 years or so. Also, nice FitGirl reference at 15:39

[@DespinaValnir]

I have a friend that bought Redfall and said that they loved the studio that made it and said “it’ll be okay, they’ll fix it”. I honestly never felt so upset before because they don’t realize just how brainwashed they’re becoming with how modern gaming is. I miss the 90s and 2000s of gaming where we got quality and complete games, expansions and map packs to buy because it was actually fun and good (OG CoD and Halo). I want those days back. It’s hard to get excited about any games these days, unless they’re from credible studios that haven’t become corrupt yet.

[@CiggySnake]

Pessimistic as it may sound, if you aren't keeping your expectations low for any big ticket title in this day and age, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. Hype will do you more harm than good.

[@DespinaValnir]

@@CiggySnake oh no I’m keeping my expectations very low and even then I find that I’m still disappointed.

[@EAJohnson03]

I'm still having fun, I feel. Yes; admittedly, the games I play are old or indie. But, as long as modding/creativity in general exist, modern gaming still has potential in my opinion. This is really all about perspective. Do you feel games are bad now compared to how they were back even a year ago? Do you prefer AAA, AA, or A games? Are you getting older/interested in different hobbies?

[@deadlybasilisk74]

If I’m being completely honest, I’ve bought a bunch of “classic masterpieces” on steam which I’ve seen big KZbinrs play and I haven’t touched a single one of them. Also hi Ciggy 👋

[@CiggySnake]

Steam activity, also hi :))

[@n1njahawkssecondchannel84]

I remember the 2000s and under Being the best times of gaming and I was mega lucky to be in the 2000s I’ll never get sick of playing my favorite such as halo 2 gears of war 3 Mario kart Wii lego Indiana Jones and Last but not least Mario galaxy 1 & 2. I wish there was a way I could relive those days as in you know be in that time period again So I don’t have to be in this generation Well at least I can say I’ve been in the golden generation of video games, TV 📺 shows and movies 🎥 .

[@Tsukiiyo7]

You voiced everything ive been thinking for a while now almost to the letter. Hope as many people as possible get to see this video so that maybe people will stop handing over their money for a pile of broken garbage and maybe, just maybe studios will start putting in some effort to make good games again.

[@drummerdude0515]

Shout out to people that were on Xbox 360 live from 2007 to 2012ish, that in my mind was the absolute best era of games for me personally!!! Some of the best memories of my life were spent staying up all night playing modern warfare 2 with my friends!!

[@heyasimii9170]

damn this channel is super underrated, very nice video essay and i completely agree with you and have felt the same way about gaming. truly a shame what has happened

[@CiggySnake]

Thank you for the kind words. Yeah, it's a sad state of affairs.

[@Fhazo]

I dont care if most games nowadays are bad, since there will always be enough good games for me to play, old ones as well as newer titles.

[@CiggySnake]

Pretty much this. Most people don't really care about the modern games industry, I just wish the industry was in a better state.

[@cattysplat]

Patient gamers rise up.

[@viniciusserafim5550]

The KZbin algorithm is doing a great job on recommending me videos that have been helping me understand why, on my recent return to gaming, I started off two titles I had pending on my list simultaneously to "test the waters" and found myself bored to death with AC Unity's repetitive side quests and undead open world after just a few hours while I am constantly and madly grinding Celeste. Great video!

[@CiggySnake]

Celeste is one of the truly excellent games to come out in the past five years or so, good choice

[@KardboardKenny]

i quit modern gaming when the 1st dlc dropped. i'm not going back.

[@Illuminaughty1942]

There is a reason why I still run a 5 year old gfx card and not give a damn. No game has driven me to care

[@agroed]

This is really comprehensive and well-written. Excellent job. Only correction I have is that the Dreamcast was 6th generation.

[@CiggySnake]

That's very kind of you man, I appreciate it

[@donkeylips8252]

@@CiggySnake well i mostly disagree with this. There has always been good games and bad games from the start. i am more hooked on gaming now than ever. today we have the internet for reviews to decide which games to avoid and which are worth buying and just what interests me.

[@StarlightLancer01]

@@donkeylips8252 ^ This, ladies and gentlemen, is why the gaming industry is the way it is. Too much complacency and acceptance of mediocre products.

[@drkingslend]

YES, this is part of the reason the SNES will always be popular (kids born decades after it came out play it).

[@moonasha]

don't be sad that it's gone. Be happy you got to experience it.

[@CiggySnake]

While true, it's more I mourn that future generations won't be able to experience that golden age, just this modern quagmire of skinner boxes with a video game veneer. Also nice SMAC/SMAX pfp, mad respect.

[@jerodjohnson7240]

I'll make it simple and sweet or not so sweet. Gaming is like heroin or gambling, in the beginning it is amazing and thrilling, releasing dopamine at a high level of excitement. The more you play though, the more your brain is getting use to the high dose of dopamine and slowly , like Heroin and gambling the fun and excitement you use to have , is being replaced by addiction , Just like anything else done in excess , becomes an addiction. You are now Chasing the Gaming Dragon!

[@chrissmrx02]

I miss when video game developers were just as nerdy as I was

[@CiggySnake]

You see that mostly with indie devs in this day and age

[@steventechno]

This is a major reason on why Indie gaming is coming out on top. Undertale, A Hat in Time, Stardew Valley, Hyper Light Drifter, Factorio, Ara Fell and so many more. There are so many options of great games made by gamers with passion that prioritize RESPECT over profits. A dark age for AAA gaming for sure, but a renaissance for Indies. Especially for those who vote with their wallets.

[@stayingfitandfocused]

3:09 i was like 12-14 around this time. Man man man, there will never be an era of gaming like this anymore.

[@Jonathan-nn8fe]

I recently got tired of my ps4 games, and wanted to go a few generations back... now I find that I have installed a ps2 to my gaming setup, with hopes of reliving the "golden age" of gaming. You have made a very informative and revealing short video essay which i think deserves more attention. I applaud

[@CiggySnake]

Never played the PS2 when I was a kid (the GameCube was my childhood console), but now with the power of emulation I've also been able to enjoy the quality titles of past generations. Highly recommend God Hand for the PS2 if you haven't checked it out. Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it. This has been one of my best performing videos on my channel and I'm super happy for the reach its gotten. By all means though, feel free to share this vid around and give it even greater attention, it'd mean the world to me.

[@mistressminerva3382]

15:45 "There are more than enough excelent games new and old to play and enjoy" - I agree with most of what you said , and i personally am burned out on most modern AAA games. I get my gaming enjoyment from modding , or from playing old retro games i never played , by making challenge runs of older games that i still love , or from the ocassional non-AAA non-Indie game that releases in a good state.

[@Kraalipaali]

Your genuity will be your force for good. Keep doing what you're doing. Don't forget why you started this.

[@Ritz190]

The retro, indie, and modding community is the lighthouse in the dark void that is modern gaming.

[@dcbaars]

Yep stopped buying game consoles a after ps3. Simple reason… In app purchases, focus on addiction and money rather than fun, no passion, bad bang for your buck compared to the games back in the day. You bought a game for 60 euros knowing I would bring you hours and hours of fun. And even replay hours via vs mode. Nowadays the multiplayer is only online (we used to do game parties back in the day, have a beer and enjoy a game. Not asocially playing it online) The corporate investors have corrupted the game industry that used to be for nerds only. The say a business model and as they are they exploited it and destroyed all the passion for gamers, developers and nerds all together!! Even Candy crush (when switching from owner) has noticeably different mechanisms. I used to be able to pass a level based on skill. Nowadays its a game of the computer deciding if I have paid enough to progress. I have made it a principal motto spend any dime on games like candy crush etc that are an obvious cash crab.

[@bobsacamono4539]

I've been gaming since the late 1980s and was a teenager and young adult during the timeframe of this video. This video Brought back a lot of great memories and made me extremely sad . It won't ever be like it used to be.

[@lonelychameleon3595]

This is something I see in a lot of industries now: companies shell out inferior products/services because they know people will still use them, because these massive conglomerates are allowed to just buy out the competition and their shareholders always want costs lowered to increase profits. I also think in a way that modern technology is somewhat of a detriment to these games now. You mentioned the high barrier of entry for the gaming industry now, but also back then, companies HAD to make a complete game in the cartridge/disk because it was gonna be hard to add patches or improvements to them after launch. Hell back in the day you had to go in person to GameStop for a Pokemon distribution event that was physically downloaded onto your game cartridge, now you can just do it online anytime. This incentives companies to rush out an incomplete product that they can just improve later, but either way you're still paying for an incomplete product now.

[@discowolf25]

My guy, let me sum it up for you. Unchecked late stage capitalism. I’m not gonna attack you but, I do wanna ask this and, I’m being serious: Were you born before or after 1987? 83= cut off date for millennials were all aware but, I have a theory on the O/U here… lmk👊✌️🤙

[@CiggySnake]

Very true on all fronts. I should have mentioned the tendency for megacorps to just buy out their competition so they don't have to change, along with the downsides of digital distribution.

[@JimmyMcG33]

You're totally right. I don't think games are for "us" anymore, so why bother playing them? AAA is a fascinating black hole to peer into every now and again but by and large every creative person either left the industry or is being totally underutilized at Microactiblizzionsoft Solutions, Inc.

[@CiggySnake]

The current target demo for big games studios is a 15 year old white boy with frizzy hair who doesn't know what Metroid or crash bandicoot is.

[@Worldofdocumentary_now]

Remember the days when games are released COMPLETE as it is...without major crashes and announcement of upcoming worth $70 DLC's, back with the PS One days I enjoyed Vigilante 8 & Twisted Metal without having to worry that my savings ain't enough to buy the separate characters or items which the devs did on purpose to squeeze the juice outa you...I also enjoyed those days when we had to literally grind to achieve a certain level to unlock the amazing Characters or maps, and Remember the days when you also have to buy the "Tips & Tricks" magazine to enhance your skills.

[@V4624N7]

I still playing twisted metal 3 in 2023. Now with the steam deck i am replaying old games that are still fun. Also some indie games that are worth the time. There are still some new games that are good but not so many as before.

[@HopelessPhoenix]

Modders and indie games alongside old games are what i play nowadays. Mass Effect legendary edition is only good release in past few years i can think of

[@batsukamuro]

Indies is where it’s at 100%. I’m constantly discovering interesting new experiences from the indie scene. Recently games like Friends Vs Friends, Pocket Bravery, and the New Cycle demo are just a few that I’m having a great time with.

[@huh5950]

A couple days ago "HiFi Rush", a surprise annoucement that Tango and Bethesda shadow dropped came out and I am actually having real genuine fun like when I was a kid. Not "oh it looks great and has amazing specs" but genuinely just fun. No micro-transactions, no big marketing push, just fun, and that REALLY gave me hope

[@JinGalactica]

My entire family goes back to Halo 3 and Reach for solid multiplayer gaming. Heck, we even went back to the old Gears of War games for some fun horde fun. Right now I've been playing the first two Crackdown games over and over. The leveling up and fighting are so addicting. That tells you the devs made it so you don't need to buy DLC and wait for them to finish developing the game. With that being said, I don't think any of my family play any newer releases. I don't remember any of my siblings buying a new game. We all went back to playing older games. Sometimes 6 player Fortnite when we're feeling competitive. But other than that I, myself, don't even play anything new. Maybe the new Monster Hunter Rise game can be considered? But still, anything with micro-transactions is a big no-no for me.

[@B-LOCO83]

Golden age is definitely PS2, Xbox era

[@8Steady]

I recently decided to dive into video games again after having not played them for about 15 years. My first take on pc gaming has been that I'm really not into most of the hugely popular "free to play" games, in large part because they seem to be expressly geared towards garnering an enormous following for the sake of selling weapons and skins etc.and nothing else. Maybe that's part of what you're talking about. Still, I've been impressed at a lot of the content i've found so far. Breath of The Wild is an easy example, but others like Pentiment and It Takes Two and Ori and Dark KNight I thought showed a lot of originality and creativity. But I liked hearing your perspective. Kind of validates some of my disappointments and helps me understand what to avoid.

[@reaktorleak89]

One of the reasons my team is making MotorCubs RC is to recreate that golden era of gaming where all content was unlocked because you're actually good at the game. No microtransactions, no season pass. Just a fun racing game that isn't ripping you off.

[@pikminfan123_]

I wish we never had to get to this point. If I was the ruler of everything (childlike I know) I would ban all microtransactions, dlc, and advertisements in game. Sure they would lose a bunch of money but let's be honest the people that would lose the money deserve it and those that don't use these tactics would be unchanged and companies would be forced into making good games

[@CiggySnake]

I feel there definitely needs to be stronger regulations on the industry that heavily discourage, if not ban predatory MTX and lootbox systems. It just preys on the weak and young and burns through their wallet, it's gross