• Over monetization and price of cosmetic and other items. its obvious that a lot of developers are overcharging for simple cosmetic items why is a horse mount more that most DLC...
• Lootboxes
• Cutting already completed or nearly completed content in order to sell it back as a separate DLC purchase( looking at you Destiny and Bungie)
• Games that are released in an unfinished state just to make money with the "it can be patched later" attitude ( just about every game that came out in 2018 needed some type of day one or two patch just for the game to work or look right.
• The slowly but brutal SJW nonsense that has infiltrated gaming and entertainment can't play a game, watch a show or movie without some overt political message. (see Battlefield V)

Davor wrote: »

Thoragaal wrote: »

It's worse for someone like me. I've been playing online for 22 years.
The companies aren't making games aimed at the same specific type of crowd as it was back then. It's more money involved now than it was back then. It's more people over all playing, sure, but when it's a difference between (let's say) 1mil players and 10mil players, you don't really notice the difference anyway as a consumer.
The ones noticing it are the companies which aim their products to a broader potential audiance.

While I was joking about having Fallout 76 as a low why games are worse, what you said is actually I believe a great thing at least with Bethesda until Fallout 76.

When I first started to play, I started with The Elder Scrolls: Arena. A true role playing game for someone who wanted first person in a fantasy setting. To me that set the bar or standard. Best graphics for it's time and open world in what you can do? MY god, that was great. Then Daggerfall just improved that great game so much more. Again set the bar. Best graphics and improved Arena in every way.

Then we got Morrowind. Again, set the bar. Best graphics for it's time. This is where the "simplicity" started to kick in or "dumbing down" started. Only thing that was "dumbed down" was character creation. I can't remember why it was done. I guess it was for more people to be able to START playing and not worrying about creating the perfect character. It turned into a masterpiece.

Then Oblivion came out. The game was "dumbed down". Yes even Bethesda said it was so they can get the "common gamer" to play. That means more sales. While upset at first, Oblivion turned out to be a great awesome game as well. Another masterpiece for it's time. Set the bar again of what games should be. After a while Bethesda didn't want to insult the "common gamer" so they stopped using the word "dumbed down" and started to use "streamlined". Fair enough, if it gets more TES games, who am I to argue?

Then Skyrim came out. Another great game. This time it set no bar sadly. Not even the best graphics. Thing is, it proved good graphics with great game play can make a masterpiece as well.

Now after reading your post, something hit me. Maybe it's because Bethesda "conditioned" me, or "dumbed me down" in their "streamlined" games, but the reason I would say games are better (except Fallout 76) is because at least ME, but maybe WE are also getting older.

By that I mean, when we were young, we loved the complexity. We had all the time in the world. Now as we grew older, we work longer, we work harder, we have more responsibilities, we have families and the one thing we have less of is time. So maybe I have been wrong all this time with Bethesda and Todd Howard when I said "dumbing down" their games.

In one way they have, in another way, they still made games that we could play for 1000s of hours and not get burned out because we didn't have to worry about the complexity. Am I wrong thinking all these years as I have? In a part yes, Todd is a GENIUS in that regard. BUT also not EXPLAINING to make us realize as to WHY we think the way we do.

So in part, being almost 50 now, I just don't have the staminia, or strength, or the mental strength to play the games of old. The games have "grew" as we grow older. I guess being young like my son, it's a different story, but then again, he never did like the complexity I did when I was younger. So I guess times have changed as well.

Just like you can't make music or movies or TV shows from 20 or 15 years ago, you need to adapt to the times, I would say that games at least for my generation "grew" with us, in that we can still spend 100s or 1000s of hours in a game and not be burned out.

Even if The Elder Scrolls Arena or Daggerfall or even my beloved Morrowind had the best graphics today, I just don't think I could spend 1000's of hours on those games now like I did back then because they are just to "complex" for an old fart like me. Again, maybe I am older, or just too use to Bethesda conditioning me to play simpler games.

Either we are older now and or times have changed and we really can't just play games like we use to. At least games adapted or at least Bethesda use to adapt to us as we grew. If Elder Scrolls Online had the complexity of Arena, or Daggerfall, or the slow movement mechanics and to hit numbers like Morrowind I don't think we would all be here still playing ESO for as long as we have. I tried to play Morrowind again and at first, GAH graphics. Then I go past that, but MY GOD, I couldn't STAND walking so freaking slow! That is where "streamling" became great for more time to play"

So yes, games have become better over they years, BUT the way to make money from video games, have become worse over the years. Before it was to make money, you make a great video game, just like Bethesda has done. Now sadly companies like EA, Activision/Blizzard/Ubisoft/Bethesda etc, not make money to make great video games, but sadly just make a video game to make money.

MartiniDaniels wrote: »

Welkynar wrote: »

10 years ago, I was a little kid who played MW2, Halo 3, Pokémon Heartgold, and WoW's Wrath of the Lich King. Those were masterpieces and it's easy to get nostalgic, but it's obvious a lot of games today are still fun and also technologically more advanced and visually appealing. Also the stories are better imo, like TW3, RDR2, Last of Us, etc. Multiplayer games today like Battlefield 4/1/V, Halo 5, Destiny 1/2, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, etc. receive some hate but imo they're really fun to play and they offer gaming experiences never seen 10 years ago, with 4K, 60 FPS, and HDR as bonuses. ESO, to me, seems stuck in the past and doesn't feel like a new gaming experience but it's still fun and one of the main games I play.

Last of Us is 2013 game, TW3 is 2015.. this games were created in previous era. RDR2 is amazing but no better then GTA5..