I’m a frequent YouTube watcher…anything involving gaming…the culture…community….theories, and opinions.

One of the channels I frequent is The Game Theorists, which got me into Gaijin Goombah….I eventually stumbled upon his “Stop Being A Gaming Victim” video, where he expressed some really passionate opinions regarding the gaming industry, AAA titles, game developers studios and publishers today.

I’ll throw his video in so you guys can hear what he has to say: 

He puts everyone on blast here, from the parties mentioned above to the consumers (you and I) and even game reviewers. To be honest have I agree!

There’s an epidemic of game releases that are…let’s say ‘sub-par’ by this I don’t mean graphics, soundtracks, or animation sequences…because a lot of these new games look and sound amazing!

But sadly, more often than not, that’s where it ends…and those shiny new graphics and sound gives way to repetitive or shallow game play…extremely short game duration…or in some cases, an incomplete main plot released later as DLC! (I’m looking at you Assassin’s Creed 2!)

This is definitely a problem, not with all games, but It’s still a problem. I can recall many occasions where I spend my hard-earned cash, only to be disappointed by the lack of longevity and depth of plot.

As much as this upsets me, I find it difficult to heed Gaijin’s advice and simply not buy into certain franchises, especially if I know they are going to be poor (I often end up watching LPs of such titles anyways). At the same time however, I find some of my favorite video games have suffered so many reboots, poor sequels, and rushed development phases,  that at times I want nothing more than to throw my hands up and say “That’s IT!”

Some may not agree, but gaming is an art form. It takes time and effort to not only create unique characters and story lines. It takes time to craft not just entertainment, but an experience that can be enjoyed by gamers around the globe. The programming and development of such games requires a lot of technical skill which I personally lack, and have nothing but respect and admiration for anyone who possess it, but due to increasingly shorter deadlines, these potential works of art are often rushed to be released and are far from ready to be played enjoyably, thus ruining the reputation of classic gaming IPs (Sonic ’06)

The root of the problem is simple…money. It’s all about generating revenue, even if it means disappointing hundreds, thousands, and millions of loyal gaming fans.

What’s the solution? I honestly cannot say for certain…but I think Gainjin was on the right track, it comes down to us as fans to stand up and say enough is enough by simply not buying into the hype of these AAA franchises…

Could this, however spell the demise of some of the gaming world’s most iconic characters and franchises? Or will it cause a ripple of change that make quality the priority of AAA gaming titles again?

Only time will tell…