Has gaming had its "Golden Age"?

[Greboth]

It's subjective on how you define 'golden age'.

Defining golden age as the rapid expansion and rise in popularity then yes. Gaming is still growing in popularity but the expansion isn't at the rate it once was.

Defining it as a period when great tasks were completed then no - we are still in the golden age. Gaming ideas still out strip hardware possibilities. VR and by extension AR are great but they're still in their relative infancy in gaming. Further to that the increasing core counts of CPU's, cloud computing or even things like Stadia could see a further step up in immersion to more massive, more in-depth, persistent worlds

Though that isn't to say the gaming industry is as good as it once was - Games rarely take risks (especially AAA) due to the financial investment and risk to them, there is a lot of copy paste of game styles and concepts, paid DLC and microtransactions are almost in every major release etc. So maybe we're still in the golden age but it's been left on the shelf for too long and got a bit dusty and a little tarnished but it's still gold.

 

[Greboth]

double post.

 

[Darujhistan]

No, according to the data it is getting bigger and better every year and if you look st the games, they are bigger, better and deeper too. Gaming passed out the movie industry for revenue a decade ago but unlike film which has plateaued, gaming continues to grow, who knows how far it will go with VR etc.

I am playing Red Dead Redemption 2 now and honestly, it is the most masterful gameworld I have ever seen, it is regularly breathtaking and I am nowhere near finished it 150-odd hours in. I haven't even played any missions in weeks, I am hunting and exploring and just loving so much about it. I too long for the memories of Half-life (or insert your first loved game here) but the human condition means that we remember those experiences through rose-tinted glasses - we remember how we felt then, when the experience of gaming itself was new and exciting to us, that's why when you go back to play those old games again, it is never quite the same is it?

Gaming is, evidently better in almost every conceivable way, now. You just may feel different about it, as you are older and have kids etc and have played a thousand games now.

Before that I played Witcher 3, probably the best game I have ever played (again!) and I can't wait for their next game. If Cyberpunk 2077 is the best game ever - again - I won't even be surprised, I will just enjoy it. I am not saying it is better than Half-life (or will make me feel better than I did the first time I played We've Got Hostiles or Surface Tension or whatever you first loved), I am just grateful for it all.

And when they make a sequel to Skyrim, guess what? Best game ever again probably! It's a hard life this post-Golden Age of Gaming

I'd agree with all of that except your comment about SKYRIM, this is EA/Bethesda we're talking about look at F76, they're a shambles right now. I'd be amazed if ES VI was anywhere close to what people will be hoping for.

 

[Alan1969]

I think that there are far too many shooters out there now.

 

[Drollic]

This one depends how old you are and what you've seen gaming wise over the years. Things seem to have progressed a little slower in recent years, as less risks seem to be taken. A bit like with film churning out stories that have been done numerous times before together with sequels. The jumps between generations also seem to be getting slightly less impressive, although that's partly down to pushing such high resolutions. Some would say it's barely off the ground with what's possible given how analogue the control interfaces are currently, together with the lack of ai creating a real sense of immersion.

 

[Alan1969]

there seems to be a move to put multiplayer things into everything. I am quite happy with single player games like Dragon age and mass effect. However with the last mass affect Andromeda there were multiplayer elements to it which I didn't use.

 

[aoaaron]

I mean

god of war
Botw
Rdr2
Divinity original sin 1
fire emblem

off the top of my head could all probably get in my all time favourites of games so no I think the golden age is still going on.

this is ignoring vr which has given me some phenomenal experiences
Super hot
Beatsaber
Re7 vr

etc etc

 

[Cosmic Schwung]

No way, there are so many indies out there putting out some fairly unique experiences. I guess you could make the argument that there are so many releases these days that you don't get to notice some of the more creative endeavours.

 

[Darujhistan]

In terms of accesibility and convinience things have never been better.

 

[at3k-]

I'm just glad I was born in 1987 so I could witness the jump from 2D to 3D on consoles, and then get my first pc just in time for Half-Life and Unreal which absolutely blew my little mind coming from a ps1.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

I'm just glad I was born in 1987 so I could witness the jump from 2D to 3D on consoles, and then get my first pc just in time for Half-Life and Unreal which absolutely blew my little mind coming from a ps1.

This. We were lucky to be on a journey of rapidly evolving technologies within games. Going from my Amiga to playing games like Jedi Knight, X Wing, Unreal, Half-Life and then the evolution that came after that with games like Morrowind and then Oblivion. GTA3 was another big leap that I remember well.

The drawback was needing to upgrade hardware with such frequency. I remember with Oblivion when HDR was all the rage and suddenly I needed a new GPU to do it.

 

[Semple]

The demands we have today for gaming are so extreme, the technology isn't available just yet.

I think this is always a big part of the problem, peoples expectations are unrealistic.

They want the best looking graphics, coupled with great gameplay/story etc, and to not cost the earth. It's just not really possible to have all three.

I very rarely purchase an AAA game on release, most of that is having been stung in the past where you part with your money before the game launches, to then be given an extremely buggy game. Whilst i completely accept that no game will launch with zero bugs, i do feel that a lot of the times the devs are in a rush to launch, and will just fix bugs later.

 

[Dano]

Absolutely not, not even close yet.

 

[233]

yes and no, and its all down to the cost to develop AAA titles these days,

devs cant afford a flop so always play it safe and wont take risks on titles that "might" be a hit

then you have companies like SI games who manage to eek out a new game over 5 releases milking money every year for a couple of minor changes or new features

 

[Panos]

This is not a "Pepperidge Farm Remembers" deal but genuinely, has gaming peaked?

It all seems so very "sterile" nowadays compared to the "wild west" anything goes approach from the 80's through to the early 2000's. Not saying things have not improved because they have, just look at basic game mechanics from the 90's compared to now, makes you wonder how you just accepted it.

Developers know what formulas they think work, so stick with them if they want to sell their game as to not upset the mainstream masses.

YES, there are some VERY creative indies out there doing some great stuff but it does feel a little "rinse and repeat" a lot of the time.

The lack of dedicated servers for me is a sad demise on many levels, sure, the devs/publishers are happy as they now have complete totalitarian control over when to "shut down" a game etc etc but that does not make it "better".

Gaming can never return to such a time as now it is enveloped into mainstream culture, it has surpassed pop culture, it will be gaming, but not as we know it.

Gaming will of course evolve but have we seen the Golden age?

Depends what you play. If you try to play mass produced annually re-skins of same games like COD, BF, etc appealing to teenagers then yes. Is very sterile.

1990s the games were great because they were more focused on imagination, story and less on eye candy graphics. No one forgets the thrill and stress when playing EOB1-3, Ravenloft 1-2. No one forgets the fantastic Adventure games that are gone these days. While Strikeforce & Tactical OPS mods of UT99 were superior to BF3-4-1-5 and all COD combined. (yes mods from Unreal Tournament 99 are still far superior than AAA shooter games 20y later).

If you don't look at "mainstream" though things are better. Grand Strategy games for example are thriving with great online communities. EU4 a great example. Stellaris is another one. Upcoming CK3 is also a great example how to take a 8y old game and you make is much better.
Look at the whole Paradox catalog and you will find some truly unique and amazing games.

X4 Foundations, is a great example how to take concepts like Privateer and Elite and make a better game with full 100% simulated economy where every single ship & station is fully simulated. Which ofc interaction with it (like blowing it up) creates ripples their outcome can appear immediately or after few hours.

For all it's faults, World of Tanks is also a great game if you are on "old school" FPS game, where you do not die from single hit. Assuming you aren't a noob standing in front of the guns of a Death Star or Chicken Shed (FV215 183 and FV4005 respectively). World of Warships if you are on naval battles.

Elder Scrolls Online is the epitome of fantasy RPG games. You can play solo 95% of the game, doing quests all different, fully actor voiced that aren't "go there kill 5 rats". Yet at same time you can just hop to Cyrodiil, participating in the alliance warfare (3 way PvP on a huge persistent map) with big sieges taking place. Or PVE group content in form of group dungeons & trials. FYI takes around 7-9 months to do all the solo content with a single character.

I can write down dozens of good games that aren't "AAA" annual re-skin copies for their genre.

 

[bigmike20vt]

I'm just glad I was born in 1987 so I could witness the jump from 2D to 3D on consoles, and then get my first pc just in time for Half-Life and Unreal which absolutely blew my little mind coming from a ps1.

(note i am just jealous)...... you are a late comer my friend..... 1976 vintage here and come from a time of the ZX81 (never had one of those myself my friends dad did) and my speccy which i got xmas 1982. its fair to say the evolution has been incredible and its been a hell of a ride and a joy to witness.

 

[NZXT30]

Not at all. There is an endless stream of quality games for any kind of taste.

 

[dazzerd]

Golden age was space harrier, outrun, double dragon, gradius 3 and golden axe

 

[chroniclard]

Golden age was space harrier, outrun, double dragon, gradius 3 and golden axe

lol no, you are forgetting 3D Monster Maze.

 

[ExRayTed]

In answer to the op - yes in my opinion. Games are now big business which I believe has cut the heart out of gaming. Too many derivative titles that try and wallet squeeze you with dlc and micro-transactions. There are lots of indie titles out there but you sometimes have to wade through mountains of rubbish or unfinished kickstarters to find the true gems.