⇌ Author's Note: Please note that this is not a personal attack of any kind. It is merely a respectful counter argument. Thank you. ⇋
It's not an uncommon opinion that the quality of video games today is declining and there have been a plethora of theories as to why and how. I've heard some people claim that developers would rather try to impress you with a cinematic blockbuster hit with little to zero replay value. Most people claim that gameplay is not given nearly as much attention as the story and others say the same but claim the graphics get all the attention. Personally, I feel that all of these are legitimate and logical factors.
In a blog recently posted by one of my peers, the decline of quality in video games is outlined through disappointment, in regards to the lack of the crucial fun factor. Some A-list titles did not live up to his expectations and that is a perfectly acceptable reason to feel that video game quality is declining...that is of course, if the reasons for the disappointment are not horrendously biased, for lack of a better term. Of course, everyone has their opinions when it comes to...well, everything; that, however should not breed the extravagant remark of video game quality declination. Note that this was a generalisation - not to be confused with being direct with another member's opinions.
It is not logical to feel like the quality of video games overall is declining because you find A-list titles (BioShock Infinite, Borderlands, Battlefield, etc.) to be a disappointment, as many of my friends themselves have done. If one wants to determine the quality of video games in general, one must look at video games as a whole and see what areas are focused on most today. Is more attention given to story over gameplay or audio over visuals? You can't just say, "I didn't like a game that thousands of others love, so the quality of video games must be declining." It's ludicrous.
I did not much care for BioShock Infinite. I wasn't disappointed by it whatsoever, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. As is the case with a lot of games that are more popular amongst the gaming community like Call of Duty and Gears of War. Gamers themselves need to find their niche - what genre appeals most to you? Discover it and build your nest. In other words, don't go for a game in a genre you don't like and be surprised when it disappoints or annoys you. I don't like fighting games, so I steer clear of Mortal Kombat, Injustice and games of that nature. I'm not going to waste money on a game I know I won't like and save myself disappointment and aggravation.
I am a fan of some racing, stealth, adventure, role-playing and the rare first and third person shooter (aside from Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row which are automatic must-haves.) I stick to games in those genres and I find it hard to be disappointed. You need to know and understand what you like, what you look for and what you'd be interested in giving a go. Understand and know yourself as a gamer.
Do I feel that the quality of video games is declining? Absolutely not. Look around you - there are plenty of games out there where it is blatantly obvious that a lot of thought and hard work went into them and it shows quite well.
• Elder Scrolls (even though the bugs on the PS3 version cause most people to ignore the overall quality of the game and hate it as a whole.)
• Grand Theft Auto
• Tomb Raider
• BioShock
• Heavy Rain
• Fallout
• L.A. Noire
• Far Cry 3
• Max Payne 3
You should also take into account upcoming games that we've seen demonstrations of that have caught the eyes of many gamers, in which the quality is undeniable: Watch Dogs, The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, Grand Theft Auto V and Until Dawn to name a few.
Don't lose faith in video games just because a few have disappointed you, friends. There are millions of video games out there and with anything, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. I'm constantly discovering games that I enjoy by spending time researching missed gems and browsing the shelves at GameStop. You'd be amazed, truly, at what's out there that you might've missed.
On a final note, allow me to restate my counter-claim: the overall quality of video games is not declining. There are still developers out there releasing games worth their weight in money. The problem lies in developers' lack of focus on crucial aspects. You could have the most graphically advanced game of the generation, but that doesn't excuse a 5 hour campaign with little to zero replayability, with a $60 price tag.
Charging for early access has started to become a regular practice in several AAA games, and the gaming community should not tolerate this.
Don’t uh… don’t pay for it then? 🤷♂️ It’s 3 days early, let people who can’t wait pony up to pay for early access. I’d hope people have more control over themselves if they don’t want to pay extra. I personally, do not see an issue with the option. If I’m hyped for a game and they give you early access, I’ll pay. If it’s something I can wait to play on “actual release” I won’t pay extra. It’s as simple as that.
Except your entirely mistaken if you think it's "early access"
Theyre just charging you extra to play it on release. So gullible.
It's not early access...it's playing on release...early access is when the game isn't finished and needs a little more time...you also get it months in advance.
Let's not get confused here..
Microsoft has been doing premium edition early access for awhile(Forza and Starfield recently) ...so why is it an issue now when Ubisoft does it?
It can't be the gamepass excuse as Ubisoft has day one subscriptions as well.
“Although some aspects haven't aged well, I'm very happy that Class of Heroes: Anniversary Edition is here as it reminded me of some great times that I had when I originally played it for PSP way back in the day. It may not be top of its class but it still deserves a B.” - A.J. Maciejewski from Video Chums.
SoulGame Studio’s inaugural game is a brilliant mix of genres that will delight you to no end.
Games are all increasing in terms of quality.Games evolve over time and quality does increase. It takes at least a hundred people to make a decent game these days. So, technically, quality in games have been increasing. Every game has been raising the bar in some aspect, may it be graphically or with content. Budget and man power doesn't automatically mean better though. Heavy Rain looked amazing, but I thought that game was stupid and boring. Xenoblade is a wii game and looks muddy, but it's an amazing RPG.
I guess quality comes from care and love from the developers. Take Injustice for instance. The game looks alright graphically, but the content offered is pretty HQ, imo. MVC3 looked amazing and was flashy, but was a bare-bones fighter at the end of the day.
How we see quality is subjective though. Is quality defined by the game's budget or love from the developers? We all have different opinions on a game's worth, which also taps into our sense of what a high quality game is.
Anyway, nice rebuttal.
I never implied that the quality of games is declining based on my disappointments. Those disappointments are the result of something I touched upon at the end of my blog: the lack of fun. Infinite was a good example of this, because I felt like I was being held back, comparing it to Bioshock. This limit on what I could do made the game less fun for me.
That right there is why I asked myself the question whether or not the quality of games is declining. Of course there have been great games in the past years. I clearly mentioned there were still games that grabbed me by the balls. Personally, I've had tons of fun with several Nintendo titles on the Wii and 3DS, games like Portal 2, The Witcher 2 and more.
If I boot up an SNES game right now I will be sitting here with a smile on my face for hours. Why? Fun, fun and fun.
Thank you for the rebuttal. I always enjoy a good discussion.
"Do I feel that the quality of video games is declining? Absolutely not."
Listing "Elder Scrolls" after saying that didn't help your case much I'm afraid.
This time I totally agree with you and I want to quote this because is pretty nice :
Do I feel that the quality of video games is declining? Absolutely not. Look around you - there are plenty of games out there where it is blatantly obvious that a lot of thought and hard work went into them and it shows quite well.
You should also take into account upcoming games that we've seen demonstrations of that have caught the eyes of many gamers, in which the quality is undeniable: Watch Dogs, The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, Grand Theft Auto V and Until Dawn to name a few.
Good read.
First of all are not my words ... It's copyright of Valenka, I just quoted.
Then all that games are big name and for sure the developer will deliver high quality games. Its like to go and watch a new movie from Christopher Nolan ... you already know that movie will be a great movie, even if you have only saw a short trailer.