Why Gaming Sucks Now

A Simpsons meme about the gaming industry taken from r/Memes.

Cory Doctorow, science fiction author and all-around tech nerd, popularized the term “enshittification” in November 2022 to describe the decline in the quality of online services over time. I won’t use Doctorow’s own words here, simply because I think my readers want to know what I believe as opposed to what someone else does. If you want to know what Doctorow thinks about enshittification, you should read his blog, not mine.

We’ve all been acquainted with this concept in recent years. After Elon Musk purchased Twitter and made it virtually unusable for anyone who’s not a wannabe fascist, the platform has been upheld as an example of decay. In many cases, of course, the enshittification is more gradual than this, but it’s still a big problem. 

It’s not just limited to social media either. These days, whenever you ask a question on Google, there’s an AI search overview for your very question. That’s right: As AI cooks the planet, you’ll receive whatever some higher-up at Google thinks you should see. This really takes the wind out of smaller websites like mine. And sometimes the AI overview isn’t even factually correct! 

Possibly the most infuriating thing about this Google AI is that nobody really asked for it. That being said, you can turn it off with this extension called “Bye-Bye, Google AI”. And no, I’m not sponsored by the developers - I just love their extension.

However, today’s article is not about the Internet, but rather about a medium that’s increasingly tethered to the Internet - video games. It’s been said before, but I’ve come to the inescapable conclusion that video games are getting worse. 

Let’s go back to the good old days, the bygone ancient time period we know as the 1980s. Back then, you’d go to the store, find an NES cartridge that looked appealing, and fork over however much money it cost. And the best part? Once you handed over the green stuff, you were done spending money. You just got to enjoy the game.

Nowadays, it’s different. Games have found new ways to get your cash. They’ll make you fork over small pockets of dough at first for a new Fortnite skin, and you’ll think: It’s not so bad, I’m only paying $5 for my character to look like Sonic the Hedgehog. But then you just keep spending, and before long you’ve given them enough dough to start a bakery. Here’s a humorous yet infuriating video about microtransactions.

And that’s before we even talk about DLC! I swear, developers these days have realized they can make more moolah just by releasing the initial game in a half-finished state. On launch day, all too many long-anticipated AAA titles are plagued by numerous glitches and generally don’t work. In the words of Kyle Justin, “they rip you off and don’t care one bit!”

Another aspect of enshittification in the gaming industry is the lack of innovation with new titles. Now, part of that isn’t the fault of developers. At a certain point, there are only so many ideas that can be experimented with, and graphics can’t get more realistic than real life. (Personally, I don’t think a game has to look realistic to have “good graphics” - there’s a reason Okami is considered one of the best games ever made. But that’s just me.)

But I think it speaks to the modern economy that nobody wants to take risks anymore. If a AAA developer has determined that it’s more profitable to pump out endless cookie-cutter titles each year as opposed to coming up with a fresh idea, then they’re going to select the option that nets them more currency. Companies want to make money. In other news, water is wet and the Pope is Catholic.

Anyway, I literally had to search Google (with my AI-disabling extension) for how many Call of Doody: Brown Plops games there were! And guess what? There are six. SIX! And that’s not even counting Modern Garbage. Garbage in, garbage out - that’s the story of the mainstream gaming industry these days.

If the current era of AAA gaming is the Great Depression, indie titles are the New Deal. There’s a reason why so many of the most beloved games of the last decade, like Deltarune, were made without the support of giant, greedy studios. Because small developers have less to lose, they’re willing to take risks and experiment, giving us masterpieces. But the indie scene is struggling in the current economy, and even when it succeeds, there’s plenty of trash. You’ve just gotta find a few gold coins amid the hundreds of Call of Doody: Brown Plops titles - did you really think I was done making fun of that franchise?

Finally, let’s talk about the format of modern games. I want to be clear that not all current games are like this; there are still plenty of story-driven titles being released to critical acclaim. However, let’s be real: ESports scholarships are not going out to players who speedrun games like Okami that have actual plots. 

Instead, today’s biggest hitters include Fortnite, League of Legends, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, Hell Divers, and of course Minecraft. None of these games have any story whatsoever. Very often, you’ll need a Battle Pass in order to actually play them, which costs you additional greenbacks. And don’t forget the microtransactions!

A Toy Story meme about microtransactions, taken from the Vulcan Post.

Most games that are widely played by my friends on Discord are online games, matching strangers up against one another based on some Elo system. They’re highly competitive, and I’m not even saying that competition is inherently bad, but some kids take it way too far. I remember being ten years old and getting very frustrated trying to stay above 7,500 VR on Mario Kart Wii, to the point where it was affecting my mental health. I’d either be relieved or frustrated upon finishing a match, and in the latter case all I’d want to do is play again to regain points (or potentially lose more). 

But here’s the striking thing about it: Even if you are massively successful in the game and attain a Platinum rating, nobody cares.

That’s it. Being a master at League of Legends isn’t going to gratify you if you have no friends in real life (COVID and maybe bird flu pandemics notwithstanding), if you don’t read books, and if you don’t take care of your physical and mental well-being. You’re not accomplishing much in the real world other than bragging rights, and nobody who doesn’t play the same mind-numbing online game as you will set any store by it. They likely won’t even know what you’re talking about.

I’m not a particularly religious person, but one thing I’m pretty confident about is that humans were not put on this Earth to sit in front of screens all day raging at some Fortnite griefer from halfway around the world. We’re meant to produce art. We’re meant to connect with people in real life. We’re meant to have real experiences instead of crafting intricate worlds to avoid reality.

I rarely play video games these days. Simply put, it feels like a chore now, and upon spending some time in the StopGaming community on Reddit, I’ve learned even more how addictive it can be. Excessive gaming can destroy lives, in some cases literally, but many people simply can’t play in moderation. 

 I’m not going to say I don’t have my own vices - we all do - but after reading the story of one Cam Adair, I’m very glad I don’t game for hours on end anymore. It just isn’t as fun as it used to be, and there are so many better things I could be doing with my time. You only get so much time on this planet, after all. 

This post was admittedly all over the place at times, but if even one person reads this and decides that they’ll put down the controller, at least for a brief time, and think of something more productive to do (even for just 30 minutes), it’s worth it to me.