The Games Industry is Losing Heart
Memory card icons. Manuals. E3. Magazines. Strategy guides. Actually cool pre-order bonuses. Cheat codes.
There were a lot of things about playing video games that were exciting and fun, aside from the actual games themselves. It was hard not getting pulled into the world of gaming when everything surrounding it seemed so full of life and energy. I remember buying the strategy guide for Kingdom Hearts II and reading it at school, getting lost in the pictures and descriptions of things in-game. Every year we had the Scholastic Book Fair, and I would buy those small chunky cheat code books trying to find codes for the games I had. Even until this very day, I love popping in a game I haven’t played before into my PS2 and seeing what icon will represent it. Themes on PlayStation 4 were possibly the last echo of something akin to this.
There was a reason why even as a teenager I was excited for E3. Because you never knew when a moment like the iconic Twilight Princess reveal would happen again. There was a time when it didn’t feel like fans were having a new culture war every month over an upcoming game. There was a time when it didn’t feel like developers were trying to nickel and dime their fans. A time when both fans and developers seemed to have an infinite supply of love for video games.
With the recent shutdown of Game Informer, it feels another nail in the coffin of those days has been hammered down. I couldn’t be bothered to read as a teenager because school had taken that joy away from me- but I would make an exception for Game Informer every now and then. I’ll never forget the Skyrim issue, and being blown away by what the game seemed to promise. The Arhkam City cover was iconic too!
Now whenever it comes to conversations like this, I try my hardest not to lean too into nostalgia. I’m sure a huge part of the reason gaming seemed so exciting to me back when I was a kid is because I was a kid. Everything was new to me at one point. There was a time when things like Elder Scrolls and Mario hadn’t even entered my awareness. And when they did, it was like- holy crap this is the best thing ever. But frankly, there’s a lot of games from those days we hold on a pedestal that have elements or gameplay mechanics that aged like milk. In terms of how most games play and feel, I think we’re at an excellent point in time. But its everything surrounding the gaming culture that is starting to feel a bit soulless.
As unfortunate it is to say, I understand why Game Informer was axed. I didn’t read it, and I don’t know anybody who did. Things like Game Informer and Strategy Guides were made obsolete by the instantaneous sharing of information through social media and the internet. I get the latest gaming news the second it breaks on Twitter. It makes sense from a pure use factor. Even a video review for a game is objectively more useful than a text one, because you can watch gameplay at the same time you’re learning information on the game. But I’m talking more specifically about things that didn’t need to really go. Why did cheat codes disappear? For no other reason than to turn them into paid DLC. Why did manuals which once served as a gateway to our beloved digital worlds disappear? To save money. Why do games constantly ship out in imperfect buggy form? To appease the shareholders.
Back in the 90’s, video games were the punk rock of culture. Movies, TV and film already made their mark. Video games were the goofy little thing seen for kids. But that punk energy kept evolving into things like DOOM, Sonic, Grand Theft Auto, and Resident Evil 4. And here we are two decades later: videos games make far more money than TV and movies. And guess what happened?
That punk rock energy has become suit and tie corporate colorlessness.
Every publisher wants a Fortnite. Every game is from an existing IP or attempting to establish a longterm IP. The exciting and revolutionary ideas are left to independent developers nowadays.
I really don’t mean to sound like the grumpy old man talking about how good things were when he was a child. In fact, I love many games that come out these days. I have a list of almost ten games I’m super excited for during the rest of 2024. I’ll leave you with a simple food-related metaphor as I get ready to cook my dinner. Gaming used to be a steakhouse with the best drinks, bread, appetizers, steaks, sides and desserts ever. Now that steakhouse offers you nothing but the steak. Not even a glass of water- just the steak. But hey, at the steaks are still pretty good.
Until they’re cooked by AI.
