When I see commercials for games like Gears 5, I get a bit emotional. Games made with love and care, featuring relatable characters, dramatic storylines and affordable prices are a thing of the past.
Unfortunately, the video game industry has taken a turn for the worse. Greed has permanently damaged a once pure field. The relationship between creators and consumers are deteriorating rapidly, and every beautiful element of the video game industry is slowly disappearing.
On the Microsoft Store unofficial list of the top 10 most played games on Xbox, the majority of the games were online-based. I would define online-based games as games based around online competition or play instead of storylines.
This is a dramatic shift from the games that I grew up with, which centered around a compelling narrative and an engaging storyline. As time went on, games developed, online mode became more popular, but the primary focus was still the campaign.
Now, games have abandoned original stories and mostly embraced online play.
There is no question that online modes are extremely profitable. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild require years of production, so it only makes sense that so many publishers are pivoting toward cheaper, easier models of video game production because so much goes into releasing these masterpieces.
I’ve noticed a trend where games duplicate the entire gameplay, design and details from previous games and then resell them as brand-new, forcing fans to ask, “Why should I waste $60?” Games like Call of Duty and NBA 2K20 have been criticized for their lack of originality. But the profits speak themselves.
Since I started playing video games, the three major video game consoles were represented by iconic characters. Mario is Nintendo’s mascot, Kratos is the face of PlayStation and Master Chief is Xbox’s icon.
These characters became cherished figures because fans can easily identify with them. But with the rise of online play, the demise of relatable characters was inevitable.
Who are the stars of the latest console generations? If you struggle as I do, there is a reason for that. In the past, players were more attached to characters for two reasons: Fans witnessed the character’s rise from relative loser to hero, and they were responsible for developing the character’s attributes or skills.
With online play, however, a person’s backstory is irrelevant; players are instead strongly encouraged to purchase weapons and add-ons to boost their play. There goes the strong attachment to their characters.
In addition, downloadable content (DLCs), boost and other additional fees have made the video game experience expensive. Xbox Live charges around $10 a month for online play; Nintendo Switch Online charges around $3 a month.
Extra characters and maps can range from $5 to $10 dollars a piece, and other in-game purchases, such as clothing, music and other items, can easily bring the total amount of money spent on one game up to more than $100 dollars. The average fan cannot afford these additional charges, so they must choose to either not fully experience the game or spending money he or she doesn’t have.
“Online-based games are a way to get kids into games and a way to sell pieces of the product by buying loot boxes or online gaming currency,” Donald Squires, a student at the Clarkston campus and avid gamer, said. “I feel the games make gaming better, but the extra prices make it worse and kind of a scam. Traditional story[-based] games will be mainly for adults and will always be appreciated by those who pay close attention to details.”
Online-based games expanded the world of video games and provided gamers with the opportunity to compete with other players across the world. They are also extremely profitable, and that money is reinvested into future projects. Online tournaments have risen, and gaming conventions have seen a rapid increase in attendance.
The gaming world is drastically different. I don’t know if the common fan views these changes as good or bad, but I am personally struggling to adapt. I hope my nearly two decades of gaming doesn’t come to an end, but it seems inevitable.
