Is anyone else having trouble seeing a future for this hobby?

[PlanetSmasher]

I don't even really know what I'm getting at right now, or if I'm even making sense. I'm just so utterly discouraged by the direction the industry is heading on the whole. Basically every franchise I really care about is either dead, has been warped beyond comprehension, or is on a hiatus so long it might as well not even exist. Nothing new seems conceptually exciting because virtually every game is targeting the exact same kinds of demographics and gameplay styles. Monetization is rampant, live services secrete out of every orifice, and entire genres and playstyles are being swept off the board to make room for more of the same homogenized, gray nothingness.

I just need to know that I'm not the only person who has literally nothing to look forward to anymore. I feel like I'm in Tartarus - it's like everyone around me has something to play or look forward to and I can't even zero in on a single game that appeals to me moving forward. Is this what it feels like to be completely left behind by your primary hobby? I'm just extremely unhappy at the moment and having your main hobby basically do an about-face and walk straight away from you when you need something to drag you out of the pit is really extra painful.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

I kinda don't, no

Next Mass Effect will save us all 🥲

 

[entremet]

Not really. Not being flippant. But I never am at a lost at things that interest me in modern gaming. I'm also talking about new games every year, not catalog games.

Seems you should try indies and maybe Nintendo stuff.

I love fighters and am feasting rn.

 

[digitalrelic]

"Nothing new seems conceptually exciting because virtually every game is targeting the exact same kinds of demographics and gameplay styles. Monetization is rampant, live services secrete out of every orifice, and entire genres and playstyles are being swept off the board to make room for more of the same homogenized, gray nothingness."

I just don't know how you can actually believe this. There's more variety in videogames than there's ever been. There's literally something for everyone.

Just looking at some of the games I finished this year, and It Takes Two is dramatically different than Unpacking, which is dramatically different than Life is Strange: True Colors, which is dramatically different than RE2/3/7/Village, which are dramatically different than Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, which is dramatically different than A Short Hike, which is dramatically different than Quantum Break, which is dramatically different than LEGO Star Wars, which is dramatically different than Kirby and the Forgottten Land, etc... etc.. etc...

You get the point.

Is monetization rampant? Sure. But I've completed like 25 games this year and I haven't had to worry about monetization in any of them. Just look at my examples above. You don't need to worry about monetization in any of those games. It just depends on what games you decide to play.

 

[Deleted member 93062]

I do.

I guess it's more my personal taste but I just don't see much more for me in gaming outside of the few big Fortnite/Apex/Warzone type games that I can play with my buddies popping up randomly.

 

[Deleted member 2595]

Sounds like someone needs a long and healthy stint of high quality indie games

Hundreds of great ones on GamePass and PS+ Premium (etc) that will likely change your mind.

 

[demi]

Isn't this just a repost of the previous thread where someone lost their passion or something

 

[krat0zs]

Play older games
Look at smaller studios and indie games
There are still great games coming out

 

[RailWays]

Yeah, the homogenization in some genres is definitely noticeable and some genres get no love anymore from established publishers. Indie games have largely saved my enjoyment of this medium for this reason.

Though I feel things have gotten a bit better in terms of retro revivals lately

 

[EvilBoris]

I think the thing that I find hardest when I separate out /discount a whole load of stuff that is all quite similar is that trying to discover the things that will hit just the right note is really hard.

 

[SketchDog]

Honestly - no. It seems like the gaming industry is better than ever...lots of good new IPs, big interest and effort in reviving old IPs with remakes/remasters/reboots, trying new directions with existing series etc.

 

[entremet]

Isn't this just a repost of the previous thread where someone lost their passion or something

Click to shrink...

The other person just lost interest. Planetsmasher has been very vocal over the years of the big publishers not catering him.

I honestly don't see it, even with the type of games he likes. JRPGs are everywhere now. Far cry from the begging to localize days of SNES.

But I'm not him, so whateves lol.

 

[Indy in the Fridge]

I love video games but this seems like needless hand-wringing. I buy maybe 1 or 2 new games a year. Otherwise I stick to what is comfortable for me and I have an immense backlog that doesn't perpetuate the issues that you're concerned about.

You could also consider stepping away from this for a minute and recalibrate. Ultimately you have to understand that video games are a thriving business and these game companies aren't in a position to develop passion projects if shareholders don't think their is adequate ROI. You want to be upset at someone? Be upset at the corporate boards that mandate this for-profit era of gaming.

 

[Neutron]

Try to develop other interests.

Mass-produced entertainment should never have that sort of power over you.

 

[th1nk]

I mean… Metroid is back, Sony First Party is on fire, Elden Ring was maybe the best game ever created… I am happy with my single player games for the most part.

If the AAA and AAAA games suck in the future, I will just play indies then. I am not worried about gaming, I am worried about the rest of the world.

 

[OrakioRob]

There's more diversity than ever in games today. Maybe it's not the current state of gaming, but you being tired of games?

I say that because I went through a similar phase a few years ago where I wasn't interested in any games. It felt really weird, as I've been gaming since I was 4yo (I'm 43 now) and the idea of having free time and not wanting to play ANYTHING was super weird to me.

I eventually stopped playing and started focusing on other stuff. Books, movies, etc. Four months later... I was cured! ^_^

 

[dancingphlower]

There's never been a better time to love and play video games.

 

[Knight in Shining Armani]

I don't really think about it. I'll either rekindle my love for it some day or it'll completely fizzle out. Forcing it did the opposite for me.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Nothing new seems conceptually exciting because virtually every game is targeting the exact same kinds of demographics and gameplay styles.

Click to shrink...

You genuinely need to break your habit of immediately saying "no" whenever people on this website recommend you games because gaming has literally never been more diverse at any other point in its history than it is today. And that includes targeted demographics.

 

[Xeonidus]

Just take a break from games. It's hard to accept but if there's literally nothing you have to look forward to, it might be time to step away for a bit or replay old games. Gaming is more diverse than its ever been. You might also try something completely different and see how that goes.

 

[Mesoian]

I play fighting games. I will never care about the demographic argument.

 

[EinBear]

I honestly think you're over-thinking it. There's always some stupid trend that games are chasing after - a few years back everyone was sticking dumb phone app integration in their games, then before that it was them shoving co-op into everything, and before that it was making everything dark and gritty.

There's always been a lot of stupid, bad games out there, and there's always been a lot of fun, great games too. I'd suggest spending less time online really, online discourse around gaming is always trying to whip everyone into a frenzy about the latest controversy, but I don't think things are really any better or worse than they ever have been.

 

[BGBW]

I see a future and it's wonderful.

It's called Haruka Amami from the iDOLM@STER being added to the next Smash.

 

[CielYoshi]

Not really, I kinda feel the opposite: that there's so much I want to play and too little time for it all between AAA and indie spaces

 

[Blade30]

Not quite. As far as new games go, there isn't that much I look forward to but I've got a big backlog of games I can fall back to or revisit older games, so it doesn't matter much to me at the moment.
If you're feeling like there is nothing to play or look forward to then maybe just take a break for now and focus on other hobbies.

 

[Urðr]

I used to like 6-7 games from every year back in the PS360 era. Right now, I've found 3 new releases to be interesting in 3 years. So yeah.

 

[StarPhlox]

The future of games is really bright imo. Yeah of course you're going to see garbage NFT stuff and despicable monetization but there are always going to be high quality games out there. I just think the doomsaying is unfounded. Also, if games straight up stopped coming out tomorrow we have like 40 years of games available

 

[werezompire]

No, I'm excited about Xenoblade 3 and Splatoon 3. I'm really excited for Soul Hackers 2 (liked Soul Hackers 1, and I'm excited for what looks like TMS#FE 2 minus the baggage of being stuck with FE references). I like random indies coming out of nowhere and giving me stuff I never knew I wanted. And there's a ton of stuff that's already out that I haven't gotten around to yet.

 

[TubaZef]

Nope, quite the contrary. Game making is more accessible than ever allowing small and medium sized devs to make interesting stuff. Older stuff that we thought would stay locked in Japan forever are getting localized. It seems like you are just looking at the wrong place.

If anything, I'm having more trouble seeing a future for humanity...

 

[RpgN]

What kind of games are you into OP? It makes me wonder if there are certain genres that are unrepresented that you are into?

As for me, it's never a problem to find something to play. What DOES tire me out is the monetisation around games, the expensive prices and the next scummy decisions publishers come up with.

This made me go to PC gaming where I can focus on older games that have less monetisation bullshit. The prices are often chapter, you have more ownership over your games and you can customise games to your liking.

I'm still new to the whole PC gaming and trying to learn modding old games that need it at the moment.

Edit:

Maybe my wording is not very clear, I'm not only focusing on old games. Indie games are awesome on PC too. And I'm happy that almost every publisher is active except for Nintendo. All of this combined helped make this decision for me.

 

[Jamrock User]

Does something have to be new and conceptually exciting to be good?

Can't a game just be good? I recently played bugsnax a game so good that I went on to watch people talk about it on YouTube now all my recommendations are bugsnax.

Try new things.

 

[Ouroboros]

Looks bright to me. Personally, though, I'm having a hard time investing time now that we have two kids. Finding time (and energy) after bedtime is tough.

 

[Kalor]

Not really. Gaming is more diverse than ever in terms of the variety of experiences being created and the audiences that are being served. There's always goings to be trends like always but there's more room for more games to exist.

 

[nightstalker962]

I've swung back to watching TV shows and movies instead of playing games regularly. I'm that miffed by the direction the industry has taken regarding GaaS. I feel you.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

"Nothing new seems conceptually exciting because virtually every game is targeting the exact same kinds of demographics and gameplay styles. Monetization is rampant, live services secrete out of every orifice, and entire genres and playstyles are being swept off the board to make room for more of the same homogenized, gray nothingness."

I just don't know how you can actually believe this. There's more variety in videogames than there's ever been. There's literally something for everyone.

Just looking at some of the games I finished this year, and It Takes Two is dramatically different than Unpacking, which is dramatically different than Life is Strange: True Colors, which is dramatically different than RE2/3/7/Village, which are dramatically different than Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, which is dramatically different than A Short Hike, which is dramatically different than Quantum Break, which is dramatically different than LEGO Star Wars, which is dramatically different than Kirby and the Forgottten Land, etc... etc.. etc...

You get the point.

Is monetization rampant? Sure. But I've completed like 25 games this year and I haven't had to worry about monetization in any of them. Just look at my examples above. You don't need to worry about monetization in any of those games. It just depends on what games you decide to play.

Click to shrink...

And that's that.

 

[Feign]

I don't even really know what I'm getting at right now, or if I'm even making sense. I'm just so utterly discouraged by the direction the industry is heading on the whole. Basically every franchise I really care about is either dead, has been warped beyond comprehension, or is on a hiatus so long it might as well not even exist. Nothing new seems conceptually exciting because virtually every game is targeting the exact same kinds of demographics and gameplay styles. Monetization is rampant, live services secrete out of every orifice, and entire genres and playstyles are being swept off the board to make room for more of the same homogenized, gray nothingness.

I just need to know that I'm not the only person who has literally nothing to look forward to anymore. I feel like I'm in Tartarus - it's like everyone around me has something to play or look forward to and I can't even zero in on a single game that appeals to me moving forward. Is this what it feels like to be completely left behind by your primary hobby? I'm just extremely unhappy at the moment and having your main hobby basically do an about-face and walk straight away from you when you need something to drag you out of the pit is really extra painful.

Click to shrink...

I don't have time to elaborate, but give me a few hours and I will. I'll say this: I don't feel this right now, but I did. And in a not too dissimilar way, I believe. Just almost a decade ago.

 

[--R]

Not really. There are still dozens and dozens and dozens of games that are announced and released every year that are extremely interesting and fun to me.

I really think gaming hasn't been as diverse as it is right now. There are so many games that are doing completely new stuff that hasn't been done before, and existing IPs are being used and renovated across the board.

Like, man, I don't know. Take a break for a couple years and come back refreshed. I think the worst part is the negativity that permeates every video game discussion, and that ends up influencing people. You've seen it yourself with how people have treated extremely cool games like Stranger of Paradise.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

It's not that dramatic.

 

[Rowsdower]

As long as there are engaging single-player games I will still be gaming. It's more difficult now with a lot of focus on multi stuff, but there are are still some great titles coming out.

Plus the horror genre is booming. Horror games of all shapes and sizes are coming out, so I'm good there too.

 

[Serule]

Not really, I kinda feel the opposite: that there's so much I want to play and too little time for it all between AAA and indie spaces

Click to shrink...

Yeah even if I restrict myself to buying games on just one gaming platform (PS5 currently) it still feels like an endless deluge of games coming out. Might be different if you game more than I do, but I average a respectable 2 hours a day

I see some of OP's complaints but there are so many titles being released that it's not hard to avoid the ones I don't like.

 

[NazzyQ]

I think you're making a very broad sweeping generalisation of the industry. Those problems you mentioned definitely can't be dismissed, but there's more choice and variety than ever if you look beyond the traditional AAA space. I just started Neon White this weekend, and was surprised by how much it hooked me.

 

[Deleted member 2752]

I was much more pessimistic during the PS360 era when it felt like the amount of viable genres was getting smaller and smaller, everyone was betting on mobile/ultracasual and Facebook games and Japan had trouble adapting to HD and western tastes.

Now it's almost the opposite. We've seen that every type of game, of any scale or genre, can have its place and audience. The biggest problem today is actually getting noticed, because there's too much coming out.

 

[Deleted member 104622]

Try to develop other interests.

Click to shrink...

This, but also the answer to your initial question is no.

The landscape may change (i.e. become more "underground" and zine-y) but there will always be people who love making games enough that there will be stuff to play. It just might not have that AAA feel (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

It's like how people say "today's music is all garbage"- that isn't remotely true. You can find gobs of talented musicians doing incredible work, but they're probably not going to be making headlines. You find them digging around in Bandcamp or recommended by a friend. You can find lots of developers making fun and quirky games, too!

 

[AllChan7]

I'm the type who buys games day one and play them throughout the year. The last game that truly disappointed me was CP2077. Other than that, I've been more than satisfied by the games I've experienced each year. Next year looks stellar too as more games are moving to current gen only.

Honestly if you're feeling burnt out either expand your tastes or give the hobby a break. But the future of the industry has never been brighter especially with all 3 publishers in a great spot right now

 

[Hektor]

No you're just ridiculously close minded beyond believe

 

[Rocketz]

The options you have in today's gaming world are enormous. I guess if you were only into a certain type of game and that's it sure.

 

[elenarie]

I'm just so utterly discouraged by the direction the industry is heading on the whole

Click to shrink...

Has never been in a better place, but okay.

 

[Sinah]

Honestly don't just focus on AAA games and get used to indies.
The video game industry is (or has already) become the film industry.
The big money guys don't want to take risks. They want guaranteed return on investment. They want a formula to make money through making games or films.
So they make tiny, incremental changes to things that worked in the past.
The ones making interesting games are the ones willing to take risks. Which means the ones doing it out of their own passion, usually with little money.

 

[Aaron D.]

Nope, quite the contrary. Game making is more accessible than ever allowing small and medium sized devs to make interesting stuff.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the ease of access to dev tools & distribution methods has created an explosion of both content & creativity within the space.

Can't think of a another time when we've had more innovation & choice. And I've been in the game since Atari 2600.

 

[Capra]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6j0zKSXAFE

Please watch this and tell me this hobby is devoid of creativity