Topic: The State of Video Games

Video games have never been as good as they are now. But at the same time, video games have also never been as uninteresting as they are now.

I can just imagine growing up in the 90s, playing 2D games and all of a sudden, games are now in 3D. Video games were still a new medium and constantly evolving. Developers took risks, crafted new experiences and were quite frankly more creative. Today, most games are just copies of what came before. People will happily make fun of companies like Ubisoft for creating the same type of games across its franchises. But take any game that has just come out and ask yourself: is this game any different from what came before it? The answer, for the most part, is: it really isn't. Whenever a new IP is announced, what is one of the first things people say about it? Something like this: "This looks like Assassin's Creed meets Devil May Cry meets The Legend of Zelda". It's either similar to something that came before it or a combination of numerous series.

So that got me wondering, is this it? Is this everything that video games have to offer? Will there never be any more revolutionary changes similar to going from 2D to 3D? Well, I believe there will be and we've already seen a glimpse of that last generation with Death Stranding. I'm talking about cloud-based video games, i.e. titles where the worlds are constantly changing even when you're not playing them. If I think back to the PS4 generation and go through all PS4 titles I've experienced, I won't find a more innovative game than Death Stranding. I still couldn't believe it when I played it. A road that I was building had suddenly been expanded over night with the support of other players. That to me was the most impressive thing I've ever experienced from that generation.

The full technology simply isn't there yet. But it will be in the future. Imagine playing a game where actions can actually permanently change the landscapes around us. That goes beyond our perceptions of what video games should be like. When we play a game, we expect the world to remain the same throughout our playthrough. But what if a natural disaster occurs that destroys parts of the world, or what if we gather enough resources to make a new building, all of which happen when we're not playing the game. I truly believe this is the next step for video games and this will definitely make for much more interesting experiences due to the higher level of unpredictability. Each time you play the game, you'll experience it differently. Not one playthrough will be the same (and not in the procedurally-generated kind of way). This prospect makes me very excited for the future of video games, even though it isn't looking that compelling for games right now in my opinion.

Share your thoughts on the state of video games.

Once a medium has matured, you don't really get those seismic shifts anymore, just gradual changes in design trends over time. Some types of products will become more popular and see more variety within certain subgenres. You'll also occasionally see innovative techniques crop up. But the form and fundamentals of the medium are largely settled.

the future looks real dim if that’s all there is to look forward to is improved dynamic weather, even though I always wanted games to have some tornadoes in them since they fascinate the hell out of me but, is that really it?

This always happens until it doesn’t. Media will always be forwarded in ways that are unexpected. When has the mainstream ever made meaningful steps that created seismic shifts? Whether that’s jazz coming out of nowhere and then rock and roll sweeping the world too, they always start on the outside and work their way into the mainstream. This is absolutely why new creators from as diverse backgrounds as possible are needed in any situation. You won’t get anything new from a tired viewpoint.