I’ve been thinking about the state of games after getting into some GOGs, reminiscing, and comparing with modern games, and I’ve just realised something that’s made me feel a bit better about it all. Looking at some of the classics on GOG, it’s easy to think games have been “dumbed down” for consoles, etc., etc., etc. I’m an offender in that regard myself. But the economics of it has suddenly dawned on me, and now I’ve learned to stop worrying.
OK, so games like DA2 and ME2 are good games, no doubt about it, but they’re not great CRPGs in the same tradition as DA:O and ME. Likewise, Oblivion is more streamlined than Morrowind, which was more streamlined than Daggerfall. Likewise, Bioshock is more streamlined than System Shock 2, which was more streamlined than System Shock.
It’s like all games are converging on the lowest common denominator - i.e. a sort of “grey goo” of streamlined, smoothly playing jack-of-all-trades type of mixed action/rpg/story game that everyone likes, pretty much. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, after all it means that good games (i.e. games that most people will find pretty much entertaining and worth the money) will still be made.
[B]What’s happening is that there’s more money in the industry, but it’s not going towards making more of the deeper, exceptional, risky types of games (as enthusiasts might have hoped), it’s going towards making more of the lowest common denominator type of game, so that type of game is ubiquitous, more visible, has its head above the parapet, so to speak.
But at the same time, exceptional, risky or deeper (or to put it pejoratively, but still somewhat accurately, “less dumbed down”) games are still being made, and will continue to be made - and probably at about the same rate as they were in the past. [/B]
(Also bear in mind that for every Baldur’s Gate, there were loads more shit games made at that same time. Perhaps more varied, but still shit. Whereas nowadays games are less varied, but have a slightly more consistent quality overall.)
This occurred to me when I realised that DA:O was probably being conceived at roundabout the time when I was worrying about the “dumbing down” from Morrowind to Oblivion. I’d thought the “classic” CRPG had died, and then along came DA:O. And there will be comparable surprises in the future. Nothing is actually wrong. It’s all relative, and there are plusses and minuses.
I’m less angry about the state of games now, having thought that out. Economics is sometimes counter-intuitive.
