“Are Video Games Getting Worse?” The Answer is Not Yes or No

Are video games getting worse? That is the question that many are asking due to the quality of games. Gamers are saying that the quality of games is decreasing. The half-baked games that we see being released constantly are supporting this claim. However, the answer to that question is not a simple yes or no. There are so many aspects to consider while answering this question. If we look at some of the half-baked video games then the question is yes. Despite the low quality of video games in recent years, I wouldn’t say that video games are getting worse. In fact, the demands of players are so high now, that nothing can make them happy.

Technology is rapidly evolving and such evolution is presenting different types of entertainment mediums. The rise of the internet had made accessibility to different content easier. In the year 2020, there are too many options when it comes to entertainment. Content creators are coming up with different ideas but most of these ideas take inspiration from other content. The nostalgic feeling of this inspiration is making many disappointed when they watch something or play a video game. Many would say yes to the question “Are video games getting worse? In reality, the expectations of players are quickly getting high and the quality of video games can’t catch up to it.

[bctt tweet=”As players, our demands are higher than ever before and even good games are considered trash.” username=”PlayLudos”]

Why Are Video Games Getting worse?

Video Games are getting worse but not all only some are getting worse. We as players can’t blame all video games for the low quality of some video games. There are specific practices in video games that are making video games worse. These greedy practices are not limited to video games but rather spans across all types of mediums. Different developers are using somewhat similar tactics to extract money from players. Unethical microtransactions are one such practice that is plaguing the industry for quite some time. The backlash from the community has forced many developers to change tactic but unethical practices are still prevalent.

If a person looks at sports games then ask the question “Are Video Games Getting worse?” the answer is yes. Not only sports games but many live service games would also make yes answer more relevant. When players purchase a sports game or any other live service game they know what they should expect from such a game. The structure of a live service game revolves around microtransaction. Live service games are services so they are developed while keeping microtransactions in mind.

A sports game is released each year because it’s the same game with little improvements. The extra stuff that a sports game offers is less than DLC of most games. Developers of sports games know that a specific audience would buy their game no matter how it is and a live service game is the same to some extent. The audience knows what to expect from a live service game or a sports game so there is no pint in complaining. However, the pay-to-win functionality of some pay-to-play live service games and sports games is ridiculous, to say the least.

Microtransactions and Bugs Are Making Games Worse

Before the rise of digital stores games were sold on cartridges or discs only. Once a game was out, then fixing it was very hard. There was no internet so delivering updates was a headache. There were no convenient means available to fix a game so developers would only release full games but sometimes bugs would slip by. Developers had to send a copy of the game to players or stores and many won’t receive their updated copy.

Steam was the first store that made it easier for developers to send updates to players. After Steam, different stores started popping up and the practice of updates began. Now developers didn’t have to worry about updates because they could just send it through the internet. Until the 8^th gen console, the number of unfished games was low. With the rise of live service games, the situation is getting worse. Now, most live service games are released unfished.

There is a reason that EA is considered a bad publisher. EA turned FIFA into a pay-to-win game in 2010. Even though there were other pay-to-win games available before FIFA but there were no loot boxes in any game at that time. EA is the inventor of loot boxes that are still plaguing the industry. After EA, many developers started using loot boxes in their games. Now if I ask you “Are video games getting worse?” then you will say yes but there is more to it.

[bctt tweet=”EA games invented the concept of loot boxes and others started following them.” username=”PlayLudos”]

Release of Unfinished Games

Fortnite was the first game to successfully implement the idea of a live service game. After Fortnite, free-to-play and pay-to-play live service games started appearing. Some of these live service games are unplayable. Others can become better or worse with time such as The Division 2. Some games are buggy from the beginning and it almost makes them unplayable. I do agree that developers should not do it. Some DLCs are not even worth a dollar let alone $20 to $30. If a game is so buggy that it is unplayable then it’s not a good game despite how good it is. Why release day one patch if you already know what the problems were? Some games such as Anthem are eternally broken it is not fixed even though it’s more than a year old.

Consumers Want Better and Better

If a developer makes a good game or even stays true to the promise of the game then it deserves our applause, not wrath. A developer that stays true to the promises made during promotion almost always delivers a good game. Even though, The Last of Us Part 2 was delivered exactly as promised many are still hating it. Now players want to see how much content a game offers instead of the quality of games.

Destiny 2 was a good game from the start and players knew that the series depends on DLCs to add content. Despite knowing it players were expecting a much better game than Destiny not just better. It’s a good thing but at the same time, it reminds us we expect too much as consumers. We want the game as we see fit which is impossible even for the best game. Are video games getting worse? Consider different games and then try to answer this question.

It’s not Just Video Games, Other forms of Entertainment Also Suffers From Such Dilemma

With so many sources of entertainment, people expect the best from each. Streaming services are getting popular for the past few years. Netflix was the first subscription-based service and it is still dominating the streaming service market. Hulu was the only competition it was facing but now every company is launching or trying to launch its own streaming service.

The tactic is not only damaging Netflix but every streaming platform. Even HBO has a subscription service despite having nothing to offer other than Game of Thrones and upcoming The Last of Us series. Such a wide verity of entertainment sources increases cost without much to offer. Consumers are already fed up with content and multiple services are making the matters even worse. No matter how many streaming services there are, consumers would only watch content that they like. For the past couple of years, such content is getting lower. To top it all off, consumers have to subscribe to different services to watch only one of their quality content. This leads to the rise of piracy that impacts all forms of entertainment.

The quality of content is indeed decreasing just take a look at some of the superhero movies. They don’t offer any good story but only flashy cinematics. Then compare it to Anthem and you will see how similar they are. When video games try to follow movies people complain. When video games are developed with classic style and modern mechanics people still complain. For some games the answer to the question Are video games getting worse? Is yes but not for most. The quality of a few bad games does not represent all. It’s just that our demands as consumers are getting higher.

Constant Release of Games And Demands of Players

The frequency of game release is getting higher with each passing year. There are more developers developing games than ever before. Such a large amount of developers are constantly releasing games and making games for modern hardware is more time-consuming. Developers have to work overtime without extra pay in most cases. The practice is commonly known as crunch time. In the era of the internet and social media, a delay in the release of a game can result in trolling. The issues could go as far as leaks. We have seen that The Last of Us Part 2 suffered from such a situation. Another example of such trolling is Cyberpunk 2077.

The demands of players force developers into crunch time which leads to further complications. In most cases, developers don’t even have a choice as publishers would force them to release the game as soon as possible due to the demand. Such a rash decision leads to the release of unfinished games. Some games such as Anthem are the fault of both developers and publishers but not all. Are video games getting worse? Or are players becoming more demanding?

[bctt tweet=”Consumers want to get their hands on games as quickly as possible. Delays can result in memes or even trolling.” username=”PlayLudos”]

Some Games Deserve Criticism but Not Hate Unless it’s Microtransactions Trap

Players want to keep playing games so that they don’t run out of new experiences. Developers are releasing games regularly and it takes a minimum of two to three years to develop a game. Most of the games are good unless they are severely buggy or have no content at all such as Fallout 76. A single-player game delivers everything in one attempt but even that is not satisfying for some. What players like and don’t like is their own choice but calling games trash and saying that they are getting worse is not the way it should be. I am not trying to stay on the high moral ground because I am like most players that never gets satisfied. The reason that we are getting high-quality games is due to criticism.

Microtransactions are good as long as they are only related to cosmetics. For a pay-to-play game, very few cosmetics should depend on microtransactions only. All other cosmetics should be accessible to everyone. These cosmetics should available in-game stores and for players who don’t want to wait. Lately, the pay-to-win functionality in games is back but this time it’s indirect. Call of Duty: Warzone and The Division 2: Warlords of New York are such examples. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is one of the latest game that is full of microtransactions. The inclusion of season pass in pay-to-play live service games is ridiculous.

Verdict

For the past few years, people have been complaining about the quality of the games. Some are saying that the developers are not making good games anymore. Players are saying that games are not improving anymore but instead they are going backward. For sports and live service games that is true to some extent but not for all games. As consumers, our expectations regarding the quality of games are getting higher. In some cases, It doesn’t matter how good the game is because some are going to hate it regardless. It’s a choice of a person’s what they like but they shouldn’t blindly bash a game. If a game is filled with unfair microtransactions then it should be held responsible but developers can’t just carter to everyone’s demands.

Now let’s answer the question “Are video games getting worse?” For some games that’s true. However, people are blaming all games for the mistake of some. The quality of games is the same and it has even improved. Despite improvements, the quality of games can’t catch up to our demands. As consumers, we want better and better because there are so many options available. Most games are not getting worse but rather players have become more demanding.

[bctt tweet=”With so many sources of entertainment and large amounts of game libraries, the expectations of consumers are higher than ever before.” username=”PlayLudos”]