Controversial opinion time! Gaming is ruined . . . or at least right on the edge of the cliff.

I’ve been playing video games since playing my grandfather’s Atari at age 3 and buying my first console, the original Nintendo, at age 4. I’ve owned multiple consoles (SNES, N64, Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, XBOX, X360) and have built many personal PCs over my life. My entire career is all in thanks due to video games, as it made me interested in computers in the first place! Building my first custom gaming PC lead to my interest in System Administration; I’m actually celebrating 15 years in the field this year. It’s safe to say that video games have a special place in my heart. Many hours have been spent both alone and with friends, having fun, and having something as an “escape”.

But in the last few years, video games have really gone down hill in many ways. Sure, there is the aspect that I’m getting older (yelling at more clouds) and many games just don’t appeal to me anymore like they used to, but let’s be honest, quality is a rare characteristic of many games these days.

Here are a few ramblings about videos games and the industry.

  1. Most DLC is just a bad idea and should be included in the first place. It’s super rare for me to find a DLC or expansion pack that is worth the money. One of my favorite games, Doom Eternal, had 2 DLCs for the Single Player campaign and they were barely worth the price tag; the story, to me, was not very good and the extra levels could have been squeezed into the main game. Honestly, I’d rather have spent the extra $40 on a copy of the soundtrack . . . that I STILL don’t have! Thanks ID and Mick Gordon, whoevers fault it is.

  2. On the same note, single player expansions should just be included in the main game, even if it delays the game by 6-12 months. I find that most game devs and publishers now are so focused on deadlines that they make half of a game and sell it as a full game, then finish it years later, only to double dip on you as the consumer. I know that companies have to make money at some point (or most companies are just greedy these days), but I choose to wait until a “GOTY” edition is released with all content, ready to play immediately (and for a better price too). I refuse to pay for something that isn’t finished or working at the time of purchase.

  3. Paid cosmetics for a game are just dumb and the time and effort that go into them should have been put into the game itself in the first place. If they are to be in a game, they should be something that you earn in the game by accomplishing specific tasks/feat. Cosmetics are neat and fun (if that’s your thing), but I think that you should have to earn them instead of paying for them. Doom Eternal did a great job in allowing you to complete challenges for skins as a reward. It didn’t force you to get them, but games like CS:GO that make you pay for any chance at a cosmetic is just silly.

  4. Quality > Quantity. Being spoiled by playing on the PC for years, I have some standards that I just don’t want to bend on. Framerate is probably the biggest dealbreaker for me. If game devs can’t create a game that has a solid framerate (at least 50 FPS minimum), then why bother? Game controls and immersion get so messed up when the framerate is bad or all over the place; it just makes the experience bad . . and the devs should feel bad.

  5. Graphics aren’t everything. What about framerate, controls, and sound? An experience is not just one thing, it’s many. What good is a game with realistic graphics when everything else is trash?

  6. Stop with remakes and the nostalgia factor. Can no one come up with an original idea anymore? Not every game needs a remake or remaster. I was so excited to hear that Final Fantasy 7 was getting a remake, but was very disappointed in no ATB system and that it was going to be a 3-4 episodic release over (probably) 20 years, not to mention Epic Store exclusivity and a $70 price tag. Even though it’s been out for a while, I don’t know if I will ever buy it. I’m not a fan of incomplete things and having to wait for years on the rest of the product. I think I’ll stick to the original version via PS1 emulator or the Switch release for now.

  7. Maybe not a gripe so much, but the prices of games is almost insane for what you get. As I mentioned earlier, a lot of games feel like you spend $60 for half of a game, only to have to pay extra for the rest of it. This can be easily avoidable if you are simply patient, even for just 6 months, but what about first-party games from Nintendo? They NEVER go on sale! The good news there is that you can buy a game pre-owned via eBay for at least $20-$25 off if you are willing to hunt it down.

  8. STOP PRE-ORDERING! There is literally no need to preorder games anymore in this day and age. I’m not even a fan of review sites, reviewers or even user reviews, but at least they can give you an insight on whether or not the game sucks on release. If you are a PC gamer and don’t want performance issues ruining your experience, you should be able to check out a quick review once the review embargo lifts and THEN buy it once the game is released. Again, you are buying something that isn’t even finished yet! Why?!

I don’t like to post negative things but I’m pretty passionate about gaming and have been most of my life. It just sucks to see one of my favorite hobbies get worse and worse each year. It also sucks that the majority of gamers just simply don’t care enough to “vote with their wallet” and do something about the garbage that is being sold today.

Sure, there are good indie titles that come out and surprise me, but it’s very rare any more. I’m currently enjoying games like Zelda Breath of the Wild right now and I did actually buy the DLC since it was on sale. The next few games I’ll play will be on the Switch as I’m just catching up on some older titles.

So to wrap this up, I don’t think that I’m getting out of gaming so much as I’m just honing in on specific types of games and ignoring all the rest of the garbage coming out these days. I just really wish that people would group together and do something about it before this hobby/industry is completely ruined.

This is day 7 for #100DaysToOffload.