People Who Say Games Aren’t Good These Days Really Need To Come Out Of Their Comfort Zone

Man can never be content with what he has until he loses it. This is a principle that’s universally observed across most spheres of life, and gaming — just so it happens to be — is no stranger to it. I’ve seen too many a people rant and complain about how the industry needs to go back to the old ways, and while there is some truth to that sentiment, the inaccuracy in there cannot be swept under the rug that easily. 

Don’t go too far back; take 2024 as a straight-up example of the boundaries gaming has pushed this year alone. Astro Bot, Balatro, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Silent Hill 2—you know I could go on and on all day, but it still wouldn’t get the point across. With some people, it’s just impossible.  

People iterating that ‘there are no good games anymore’ genuinely need to look past the titles they’ve held onto and visualize the buffet of high-quality, novel projects before them.” 

In actuality, therefore, the age-old complaint of gaming losing its way does not make sense anymore, at least not to me. Here’s a better, more well-informed look at why this is so, and how gaming has only seen an upward growth over the course of the latter years. 

Gaming Has Never Been Better 

From Alan Wake 2’s musical sessions to Balatro’s impeccable deck-building mechanics that make it hard to believe that this is a regular card game you’re playing, I find it a struggle to pay heed to the “gaming is not the way it once was” nonsense. It’s beyond me, really. 

Anyone else just not finding good games anymore?
byu/Whitehammer2001 inxboxone

Take a close, hard look at Astro Bot, which is 2024’s unequivocal Game of the Year, and comment ahead whether you’ve played a platformer like that one before. The same statement follows through for last year’s Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Both of these ventures have redefined what is possible in the turn-based RPG and action-adventure spaces respectively, and there’s no arguing around it.

Oh, and it’s not just the AAA space that has seen this robust advancement—we have numerous examples of indie titles that have made it big in the industry, and rightfully so. Some premier instances that come to mind with regard to the “indie” filter are Sifu, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Hades, and The Pathless, with that last one being utterly remarkable in terms of design, gameplay, interface, and, of course, music. 

Sure, The Industry Itself Has Made Many Suffer 

All of the above goes without saying that the industry itself, as in matters pertaining to developer employment and game development, suffered a few rough — and I mean really rough — years.  Mass layoffs made headlines in both 2023 and 2024, with many of the major companies, such as Bungie, PlayStation, Embracer Group, and even Microsoft partaking in downsizing.

This has left a lot of talent without jobs, spreading fear and uncertainty for the rest of the workers in the industry. Another major factor that has influenced the gaming industry substantially over the recent years is the added expanse of microtransactions injected into games—something that wasn’t as prevalent in the old days in the gaming sphere.

Oh, and let’s not forget about trend-chasing and the live service curse that has plagued many publishers and game makers. There’s WB — the proud owner of the Batman: Arkham IP — trying to convert its biggest series’ into the live service format, along with PlayStation even, trying to establish a “tentpole” title in the name of Concord. Look how that turned out for the company, though. 

It must’ve pinched shutting an entire project down that cost north of $400 million and 8 years to make. I sure hope some lessons were learned on September 6, 2024—the date of Concord’s death. 

So, when I write this piece, I do not mean to ignore what’s wrong with the industry right now. It’s just that, whatever happens, the standard that gaming has established to date only keeps getting raised year in and year out despite what anyone says. Studios such as Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, Arrowhead Game Studios, and Larian Studios have stood on business after all these years. 

It’s Important To Take Unknown Steps, Even In Gaming

I’m a huge fan of the way some games handle themselves in the face of uncertainty. There is so much talent out there making fantastic titles that just don’t get enough recognition, period. Titles like Gris, Nine Sols, Sifu, and other like-minded ventures fail to get picked up by players as much as some of the bigger, high-class games out there, such as God of War Ragnarok, but why is that so? 

Where are there so many people saying gaming isn't fun anymore?
byu/CboyC95 ingaming

Because folks out there are afraid that they won’t be getting their money’s worth with the aforementioned titles, and they think that way because they decide to stick to their tastes and refuse to take on novel experiences. To each their own I guess, but the next time you decide to write a rant online about the current state of gaming, do take a good look around you first.