Topic: What happened to video games?

@nitraM I'm keen for the Lord of The Rings game they're developing!

To go back to a previous point, I'm a bit disappointed in the ageism present in some of the attitudes of gamers.

There are pros and cons to being an older developer and being a younger one. In the sea of games everywhere you look, there's going to be a huge variety of ideas and concepts, varying quality, varying design, varying stories. It's good to have a unique idea, which is hard to come by especially one that stands out or gets attention. It's also hard to come by experience.

We're entering a time where people are seeking to maximise their productivity rather than venture through a potentially taxing creative process, both for business and attitude reasons. I sympathise with all creators in that regard. This makes apprenticeship really hard to do. We can't afford to be crap at something for a while while we develop marketable skills.

It brings to mind all kinds of philosophical questions about art and how you can balance keeping a roof over your head and doing something you love, or something that brings you satisfaction.

In my mind, art isn't just visual media. Art can be present in all aspects of skill. Driving, bricklaying, communication, bicycle repair... the possibility for artful skill is present everywhere, but many people are too taxed and too dejected to apply that, for perfectly understandable reasons.

In short, it's totally fair to be disappointed in "big titles". I have that lack of enthusiasm regarding many games myself, and for other media that I used to get really excited about - movies, TV shows, books etc. Is it a sign of the times or something within ourselves that we have lost?

Structures designed to farm us for all our dopamine are maybe taking their toll.