In times like this, where the video game industry is depressing, what do you do to keep your spirits up?

[Jon God]

The main thing for me is the consolidation of the industry, I hate it, it makes me nervous to check the gaming news every day.

Then you have the fact that so much of the industry just harbors horrible practices, like abuse of their workers, making content that is sexist, or politically disparaging (Six Days in Fallujah, etc.), or now-a-days, lots of companies are getting into NFTs.

Finally, as a huge preservationist, seeing what appears to be the death of video game preservation on our doorstep, and to see people actively not care, or cheer for it, is highly depressing.

So with all this going on, how do you find ways to keep yourself from being depressed about the things you love?

 

[RoastBeeph]

Tons of great games have been released in the past six months. I don't get the gloom. Great games will continued to get released. I don't care whose name is on the game.

We are absolutely spoiled with gaming options.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

I give up and let the gloom win 🥲


join me in the despair

 

[Renna Hazel]

I realize that most of this wont effect Nintendo and just be happy about that. Consolidation also wont effect me for a while either.

 

[Sheepinator]

There are so many good games everywhere. I don't understand the gloom and doom.

As for preservation, I grew up with arcade games and physical only games, which are preserved now, so I'm really not worried about current digital games being preserved in the future.

 

[Khanimus]

There's a lot of videogames out there. Plenty of ones that aren't at the mercy of corporate malpractice or imperialist pandering.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

 

[Strings]

 

[Darknight]

Don't get that emotionally wrapped up with what goes on in the video game industry and realize there's so much content already out there to last you your lifetime. If the gaming industry were to stop releasing new games today, I would still have way more than enough games to play for the rest of my life to work through.

 

[RadioJoNES]

I get all of the consoles 🤷🏻‍♂️

(Well, a PC might as well be an Xbox)

 

[TooBusyLookinGud]

To be honest, to me it's a hobby and not my life. I don't let this bother me because I have more important things to worry about. The gaming industry, like many others, has problems that need to be addressed.

Also, let me add, there are great games to be played on any system you have. Consolidation was bound to happen. The gaming industry is not insulated from capitalism.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

I love games because it's so easy to find satisfying distractions underneath the massive business decisions. Those distractions serve to numb me to my general human experience too.

I guess the key is just trying to enjoy the moment, really. Stop and think too hard and it becomes just as easy to be cynical as my life outside of video games. It's easy to look at the business trajectory of the massive titans of this industry and get concerned about what might be at stake, or to lament lost styles of expression from the past. I just focus on what's here and now, and for my tastes, which have been formed over the past 30 years, there's never been a wider gamut of good choices.

 

[SunshinePuppies]

I can't relate at all, I'm invested but not to such an emotional level that I get anxiety. At the end of the day it's video games, at least for me. I hope you feel better OP

 

[Masterspeed]

I play FTL

 

[jedinagol]

I play and pay attention to games that give me joy, and focus on the positive things that happens in the industry as much as I can.

 

[Brrandon]

Nothing i can do to change anything about the industry, so theres no need for me to get worried. Whatever happens happens, not worth getting upset about possibilities until they become reality.

 

[Ryuelli]

I play Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

[daegan]

if you genuinely think the industry is consolidating go spend a few months on itch.io

seriously: the places absorbing each other right now are, for the most part, not where the most interesting new ideas are going to come from

also there are more people working more seriously on various means of preservation - and not just the games themselves, but the magazines, fanzines, websites, internal documents and esoterica surrounding them - than ever before. it's no longer the domain of private collectors trying to use it to justify their hoarding. our past has not always been in the best hands but people are TRYING and supporting them any way you can is the best thing you can do.

finally: every company of a certain size and above has tons of skeletons. most you'll never know. i'm not saying this to justify it, far from it; but the reporting of this age gives us for the first time a chance to be on the front lines to really push to change things. the ABK strike fund was around $400k last i checked and hopefully it continues to grow. we might see the first US union in AAA games.

and on top of all that, it's just a kickass time for games. there are no light years anymore. there are games to appeal to everyone, if you look.

 

[steviestar3]

AAA market has been largely complete garbage for over a decade now so the recent news (while shitty) doesn't really change anything. Still plenty of great games out there to play, both old and new, from a variety of creators.

 

[cyrribrae]

Just embrace it. It'll be ok...

But really, there are always things in any hobby that any one of us may not like it or may even strongly hate. It's definitely always ok to take a step away and find the little corner that just brings you joy. A specific game or a group of friends.. or even just stepping away for a while. Burning out on a hobby is a bad state of affairs.

 

[Rhaknar]

i play videogames. those are fun.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

The video game industry isn't depressing to me (other than its overwhelming cishet male whiteness) and I honestly don't have the privilege to be depressed over such trivial fucking things.

Just laughing at the thought that I, as a gay black dude, would be worried over the gaming industry when my voting rights and ability to exist is under constant threat. Priorities.

 

[Betty]

Eh, it's going through changes like always but I wouldn't call it depressing.

What these machines can do now is nothing short of miraculous.

Streaming music services, tv and movies, youtube, online multiplayer, full free games that constantly get updated, it's such a humbling realisation how advanced things have become.

I do wish we had more backwards compatible emphasis though. I want all the previous gen's games available in their respective marketplaces.

 

[Dolce]

play game

The video game industry isn't depressing to me (other than its overwhelming cishet male whiteness) and I honestly don't have the privilege to be depressed over such trivial fucking things.

Just laughing at the thought that I, as a gay black dude, would be worried over the gaming industry when my voting rights and ability to exist is under constant threat. Priorities.

Click to shrink...

Lots of people look to hobbies and other things to escape the oppressive neglect of life. It's not just about privilege. Some people focus on other things as not to kill themselves from the despair of their situation. So, sometimes those escapes, when they become so bad, can hurt even worse than the things you're escaping from, that you try to push away.

No one is lesser because they have avenues of escape in life, no one is trivializing the issues of the world.

 

[TripleBee]

This is trivial stuff. A couple games might go exclusive. There's thousands of other studios. I honestly think you're making it into something bigger than it needs to be. Maybe take a bit of time off of gaming forums.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

It's not depressing to me. I have actual shit going on to be depressed about. If anything, it's helping me to not feel that way.

 

[AstronaughtE]

It seems like you want to express some kind of control over this now massive and unwieldy behemoth. Preserve what you can. Buy a used system if you feel like you must play everything. Don't lose sight at the positives! It's easier than ever to buy games and play them with friends than ever.

Don't worry about things out of your control. You can't stop acquisitions any more than you can stop the tide. Same goes for shitty practices. Stay aware, vote with your wallet when you feel it appropriate, express disapproval, but it's up to the men and women in the company to clean up their act.

"...You can't actually plan your future. You know there's no guarantees in this world. As long as the people I love are a part of my life I will be just fine." -Gerry Gergich

 

[Indelible]

Go back and play retro games, my Saturn and Dreamcast are getting more play time than my PS5 right now.

 

[dralla]

I play Deep Rock Galactic

 

[Deleted member 93062]

The game industry is depressing? So many awesome games coming out this year and more coming in the future. Sony and Microsoft getting really competitive and providing better value to me through subscription services. Nintendo is crushing it. I love the game industry right now. Better than the first few years of last generation that were just boring and didn't really have anything to offer. This year I'm excited for BoTW2, Starfield, Horizon Forbidden West, Kirby, Splatoon 3, Modern Warfare 2 just to name a few!

 

[yogurt]

The only thing that really registers for me in terms of sadness or outrage is employee abuse, but honestly? I think that's always been going on, so I feel strangely grateful that it's finally getting noticed and called out.

Preservation is a pickle but, well, I think pirates will help us preserve almost everything. And I accepted AAA games leaving my tastes behind years ago, but for every AAA developer that got boring two indie developers popped up to carry the baton.

Once you step away from AAA MTX bullshit there is a sort of golden age going on in terms of the sheer number and variety of great games to play.

 

[GamerJM]

Play old games baybee

 

[jroc74]

Play more games?

Its that simple for me. I was doing that when both of the latest acquisitions were announced. And the debates that followed, I just continued to play more, post less.

For the rest, just hope it gets better.

 

[Scruffy8642]

You're catastrophising and spend too much time on gaming forums from the sound of it. There will always be some good happening with the bad. Play more, read less. Just load up a game and start enjoying it, you can't do anything about the future of the industry, no point worrying about it. Worst case if the big players go down the shitter you still have an entire history of retro games and indies to play 🤷.

 

[chrominance]

Compared to everything else that's going on in the world, video games are great. Like, sure, the things you mention are problems, but thinking about the state of video games doesn't inflict the all-encompassing dread I get when I think about literally almost anything else.

 

[Pancracio17]

I would simply not care about mergers and aquisitions, or look at the bright side at minimum. For example, the blizzard aquisition will probably be great news for the actual quality of their games and the cultures at their studios.

In the end, youre probably just spending too much time doomposting or reading doomposts.

 

[BossAttack]

Click to shrink...

.

 

[lemmykoopah]

I think you have to chill bro.

 

[slothrop]

Which companies are independent vs subsidiaries of other companies genuinely has no effect on my mental state whatsoever.

 

[mute]

MiSTer never disappoints me

 

[Quade]

I play Deep Rock Galactic

Click to shrink...

Rock and stone brother!

 

[Pyro]

Play more old games. I just started Lost Odyssey and everything about the game is not only pretty cool, it's also nostalgic of the X360 era. Before that I was emulating Ridge Racer V and it had the same effect but for PS2.

 

[Wrench]

Abuse of workers is a concern that I hope sees considerable reform. Outside of that I am loving this period of gaming; almost hasn't been better at any other time. PC gaming is in a spot I never thought I would see and all 3 major consoles are thriving. Exciting times!

 

[BloodRayne]

At least we're not slave labor force for console companies. Our joysticks are drenched with blood regardless. Most people choose to not think too much about it.

 

[BringBackSonics]

It's not depressing to me, but if I was depressed about the gaming industry, I'd go and play games that I love.

Full disclosure I own all three consoles abs have a PC, so the industry consolidation does not bother me. If I did not have a certain console, it would depend on how badly I want the game.


Basically it does not bother me, I just in this for the games

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Lots of people look to hobbies and other things to escape the oppressive neglect of life. It's not just about privilege. Some people focus on other things as not to kill themselves from the despair of their situation. So, sometimes those escapes, when they become so bad, can hurt even worse than the things you're escaping from, that you try to push away.

No one is lesser because they have avenues of escape in life, no one is trivializing the issues of the world.

Click to shrink...

Yes, the key term here being oppressive. The consolidation of an industry, on its surface, occupies none of my mindshare because capitalistic practices that have been part of the industry for decades are trivial compared to the workplace harassment and discrimination, poor quality of life and living standards that are transpiring with-in it and represent much more pressing issues as a larger whole. They're the same issues that people try to temporarily escape from in the real world and find themselves facing in this very industry. The intersectionality can't be ignored when so much of it is systemically embedded in every aspect of our society.

Nobody is saying people can't have escapes and nobody is saying that anybody is lesser for having them, but yes, I would argue that worrying about mergers and acquisitions and feeling emotionally impacted by them (something which is largely subjected to abstract and vague biased reactions) compared to the things that are endemically destructive and exclusionary with-in the industry isn't at all relatable to me. Perhaps that comes off as judgmental but it's just something that, personally, I can't empathize with because of my lived experiences.

 

[Ocean]

Depressing? We've got easier access to more gaming history than ever, while also expecting amazing games to come out soon. It's the best time ever to be a gamer dude.

 

[Atom]

There are so many great games in the world that if the industry ceased to be tomorrow, as a consumer I'd be fine for the rest of my life.

Regardless of where the industry goes, as a consumer there will always be something effectively new for you, unless you only want to play new games for new games' sake, in which case I guess it's a problem.

 

[SlayerSaint]

Because gaming is just one of my many hobbies and if I could never play a game again I'd be just fine.

 

[DC5remy]

Click to shrink...

You have a heart of gold.