Game Quality Diminishing?

Is it just me or does it feel like the games of today are complete crap? Not all of them, but the majority that get churned out are just mediocre at best. And if they aren't complete crap then they simply feel like retreads of games we've already played a million times before only now with prettier graphics? When you plop down $65 bones do you ever feel like the joke's on you and that you've just become the punchline of some big wig executive's joke? I do. Which is why I don't do it anymore. I don't know if I'm just getting jaded or if games today really do lack that certain spark that used to well up inside me in years past.

I've been noticing a drastic change in my attitude recently towards video games and the direction the industry as a whole is going: Namely today's games don't get me excited like they used to. I'm not talking about graphics since I think those are phenomenal, but graphics don't make a game. And the more and more I play the less and less impressed I seem to get.

I actually remember only last gen getting really excited about a new game coming out. That feeling has all but disappeared this gen. So I ask myself is it just me, or do other people also feel this sense of monotony in games today as well. Combine that lack of enthusiasm with console systems that are becoming more complicated and trying to do everything in addition to playing games when they really only have to perform one function: Playing games. Not surfing the 'Net, not updating your Twitter feed and not posting on Facebook. Believe it or not there is still beauty in simplicity.

I think developers are just plain lazy today what with the ability (read: luxury) to patch broken or buggy games. Sure, I can see the benefits of that but that's also my point: Back in the day they didn't have a chance to "fix" a game, and the work they put into a game was the definitive version. If they screwed up they suffered for it so it behooved them to get it right the first time. Not so in today's world where now if they screw up they figure it's no big deal because they can just "patch it" and everyone is happy.

DLC and microtransactions are the BANE of this industry. Please, don't try to justify greed. Just don't. I don't believe these developers when they say they didn't have time to include additional material, or there wasn't enough space, etc. There is plenty of space and they have plenty of time; they simply don't want to. They'd rather nickel and dime us further by slowly releasing content that, again, back in the day would have been included on the disc from the start. If you think that DLC and microtranasctions are somehow the best thing that's happened to this industry you're just foolish. You wouldn't get excited if they pulled that crap in other industries so why should it be anymore justified with video games? Would you buy a book that charged you per chapter? How about a CD that charged you per song AFTER you bought the entire thing? No, I didn't think so. Yet video games somehow get a free pass in this area and everyone seems to think it's the bee's knees.

Add to that fact firmware updates, security threats to online servers, obnoxious, cheating, loud mouthed bigots that play online and think it's cool to harass you because they sit comfortably with the security of anonymity and it's becoming increasingly clear to me that this generation is going to be my last. It's just becoming too much of an ordeal and literally I can't afford it anymore. If I'm going to plunk down $600+ on something I'm going to apply that to buying gold, silver or some other asset that appreciates in value over time and doesn't depreciate like video games/systems. How much do you think next gen systems are going to cost if this current gen is any example to go by: $600 for a PS3? $400-$500 for a 360? Jesus Almighty. It's too much. It almost feels as if they base the price not on what the system does, but what it can do in the future except you pay that cost up front now.

Technology -- Or the "Dumbing Down" of America

Technology is both exciting and frightening at the same time. Last night I bought and downloaded my first music album completely through my phone from Amazon.com. And while that action may not sound particularly unusual, it is when you take into account that I'm one of those holdouts that still buys the occasional CD and enjoys having a physical copy of the thing that I bought. Hell, I even still own a few cassette tapes (yet oddly enough not a cassette player). But I have to admit the idea appealed to me especially since this particular album I probably couldn't find in a brick and mortar store, not to mention the expense of gas traveling to said store if I could find it.

If you didn't already know Amazon has a cloud storage feature set up on their site where you're able to down/upload MP3s for free, as well as being able to stream those files directly from that storage. This feature also automatically transfers any new MP3s to your iTunes or Windows Media Player where you can then transfer them to a mobile device to take with you.

Am I the only one that is still amazed by this? I remember when the most you could do on a cell phone was change the date and time and THAT WAS IT! Not to mention the monochromatic color scheme and Tetris-sytle fonts. And this wasn't that long ago; we're only talking roughly fifteen or sixteen years. Now you can literally run a small business through your phone, not to mention all the extra-curricular activities you can do.

Some times I wonder if technology isn't moving too fast for its own good. Think about it: We have access to information 24/7. We have Internet enabled "smart" phones that allow us to instantaneously find the answer to a question if we don't know it; all you have to do is "Google it" and in less than two seconds you can find what you need. This ability to find out anything you want on the fly never ceases to amaze me, and the ease with which you can get an answer to a question is scary. Even writing this blog is an amazing feat because I'm able to address people that I would otherwise never even know existed if I didn't have the Internet to connect with them.

I'm surprised libraries still exist. Does anyone remember how to use the Dewey Decimal system; that is to say if you even know what the Dewey Decimal system is. It's been a while since I've been in school, but when I was I clearly remember being taught those things. What are kids being taught today now that they have the world in the palms of their hands?

Is the teaching profession becoming unnecessary? Will there be a day when schools are abolished in favor of students learning in the comfort of their own home strictly through computers and A.I. programs? You may scoff at this notion and say no way that could ever happen, but the scary part is it already is happening.

Where? College. As more and more people get connected online colleges are offering more online classes for students. What's the difference between learning in a classroom and learning through a computer at your house barring the social aspect? Nothing. So what's to prevent this practice from further descending to the lower ranks of the education system? Computers are already an integral part of many schools today, and the duties of teachers is slowly being phased out as they are not actively engaging in teaching as much as they once were. In some cases it's so bad that a teacher's role has been reduced to simply maintaining order in the classroom and to clarify instructions. Beyond that it is left up to the student to figure things out relegating the role of teacher to that of a mere observer. And while I don't think the teaching profession will ever be "officially" removed as much as their duties and responsibilities as facilitators of learning will be drastically reduced in light of more do-it-yourself approaches which, when you think about it, basically exist already in schools.

My point is all this dependence on technology should be tempered with caution. Sure it's all well and good when it works, but what happens when the power shuts off? And I'm not just talking about a few hours but more like years. Do you realize if we were hit by a massive solar flare it would knock out our electrical grids for good, and it would take a long time to get everything back up and running just for basic systems. Think about how much we depend on electricity in just one day. You probably don't even realize how dependent we are until it's gone.

"Poppycock," I hear you say. "That'll never happen!"

Yeah, well, they also thought the Titanic couldn't sink either.

Technology needs to be respected and not taken for granted. And it doesn't hurt if you know how to do things that don't include plugging something in or waiting for something to download. Just because everything is kosher now doesn't mean it will always be that way. We shouldn't blindly put our faith into all these gadgets and gizmos that are all around us. They're certainly nice to have, and they make life convenient, but too much dependence is a terrible mistake that we should be aware of and not allow ourselves to be swept away by complacency.