Has the Videogame Industry Traded In Gameplay For Graphics and Politics?

With the latest generation of consoles and PC games, it feels like we are getting the same games re-skinned and sold back to us, with a different title, the same handful of developers, and somewhat flashier graphics. In a word, the industry has become stagnant, and only focuses on what they perceive will generate the most profit. Videogames have become, for lack of a better word, “cinematic” and to be frank, that’s problematic…

Games of the 6th and 7th generation of consoles seemed to actually be more enjoyable than the current generation. You may say I have nostalgia goggles, or that I’m simply a “boomer”, and that’s fine, I’m only offering my opinion. But to tell the truth, I believe there is a correspondence between the quality of gameplay, and the quality of graphics. Companies seem to focus so much on improving the engines to display the highest resolution, framerate, and the latest fancy graphics fad, that they forget to make an actual game… and when the time comes to release a game, they shove in as many meaningless side-quests and padding they can to make it look like an actual game instead of just a tech engine demo. I was astounded at the difference between Yakuza 5 and Yakuza 6, and this game is a core example of what went wrong with the videogames industry.

Yakuza 5 had so much love and soul put into the gameplay, that the story and narrative didn’t really matter. Sure the graphics were average, and the controls and camera were abit clunky, but the gameplay had so many variables to play with. You had different kinds of weapons, armor, minigames, skills, and food to explore along with 5 playable characters and 4 different cities to explore! With Yakuza 6 it was just Kiryu… who never seems to age… in the flashy new Dragon Engine. Sure it has impressive graphics, but the gameplay left alot to be desired when compared to Yakuza 5. They removed weapons, and you could only play as Kiryu, and could only go to Hiroshima, and Kamurocho(again). The game has zero replay value compared to its predecessor, its a prime example of a cinematic experience.

Other recent AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War(2018), The Last Of Us, The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and the upcoming Death Stranding and The Last Of Us 2, have become more movie than game. Long segments of horseback riding, or casual slow walks with unfolding narratives are all too common. Many gamers are asking, “Where’s the game?…”

These titles(and many more), all seem to suffer from the same generic 3rd-person shooter mold, with 5 minutes of “gameplay” inbetween cut-scenes, casualized shooting mechanics, and barebones pseudo-RPG experiences, that involve fetch quests, with more narrative than gameplay or challenge. There is very little innovation anymore, and many new titles just feel like the same old game with a different skin.

The sad truth is, the industry seems to care more about “‘showing and telling” narrative experiences, from a socially liberal perspective, than providing a “fun” experience for everyone to enjoy. This has become increasingly clear since 2013, and even more violently since the 2016 election. The Last Of Us 2 is a prime example of this.

In an interview Naughty Dog CEO and Director Neil Druckmann told the interviewer:

“For us, with The Last of Us specifically (Uncharted is a little different in our creative approaches), we don’t use the word ‘fun,'” Druckmann told Buzzfeed when asked if the team ever tries to make the combat less serious. “We say ‘engaging,’ and it might seem like a minor distinction, but it’s an important one for us.”

“We believe that if we’re invested in the character and the relationships they’re in and their goal, then we’re gonna go along on their journey with them and maybe even commit acts that make us uncomfortable across our moral lines and maybe get us to ask questions about where we stand on righteousness and pursuing justice at ever-escalating costs.” — Neil Druckmann in an interview about The Last Of Us 2

Druckmann has also stated before that ‘diversity is just as important as gameplay…’

In what universe? Fun should always come before any sort of social “justice” agenda, and games should be games, not movies.

So this begs a question, if you’re so interested in making a movie, why are you still in the videogames industry? If you’re so interested in pushing your social agenda, why not become a politician?

People play videogames to have fun and escape, not to focus on real life problems.