At 49, a long-term gamer who has been playing since he could reach an arcade joystick has decided to abandon modern gaming, citing a generational divide and corporate greed. Writing in a Reader's Feature for GameCentral, the reader, known as Bristol Pete, expresses exhaustion with the current state of the industry, pointing to cynical trends like the recently revealed Horizon Hunters Gathering, which he describes as a Fortnite-chasing clone.
The Generational Divide in Gaming
The reader argues that there is a massive chasm between older gamers who remember when games had "intent, soul, and creative spark" and younger players who have been "indoctrinated by a manufactured ecosystem." He recalls the Capcom standard of the 1990s and early 2000s, when developers like those behind Street Fighter 2 and the original Monster Hunter were writing the rules rather than chasing trends. Games were complete, fully featured experiences that required skill to master.
According to the reader, the decline began around the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 era, with the infamous horse armour DLC marking the start of a slide into live service models, microtransactions, and loot boxes. He laments that younger generations see games as digital storefronts that penalise them for not logging in daily, and they don't question why titles ship half-finished or demand extra cash for basic features.
Rising Costs and Diminishing Returns
The reader cites eye-watering hardware costs as a key reason for stepping away, including the newly released Steam Machine and the looming prospect of a PlayStation 6 and whatever Microsoft has planned. He states, "I am simply noping out of it all. It is just too expensive, and frankly, I am not the target audience anymore." He notes that leaps in photorealism are delivering diminishing returns, making the investment unjustifiable.
Instead, older players like him are turning to retro gaming, embracing the return of the Neo Geo and investing in physical media that they actually own. They seek self-contained experiences they can finish and put on a shelf, free from server handshakes.
A Celebration of Gaming's Past
Despite the doom and gloom, the reader encourages looking backwards to an era of joy, creativity, and genuine art. He concludes, "We don't have to follow the corporate machine into the dark; we can choose to turn around and celebrate the masterpieces that are already waiting for us."
The reader's feature does not represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. Readers can submit their own 500- to 600-word features for publication.
