25th June 2005, 10:57 AM
I think this post put it best.
Tellaerin Wrote:And there lies the crux of the matter. The real problem (at least for people like you and I) is that as gaming moves further and further into the mainstream, those of us who are interested in more imaginative titles are increasingly relegated to the status of a niche audience. The sad fact of the matter is, the average person just isn't terribly imaginative as a rule. That's why we're seeing an increasing number of games with 'realistic' themes that the mainstream can 'relate to' (military FPS's, urban-themed titles, etc.)
I'll confess that I liked things better when gaming was less mainstream, too. Not because there was any special cachet to being a gamer in a non-gaming world--the opposite, in fact--but because when gaming was mainly a 'geek thing', games were designed to appeal to geek sensibilities, which are by and large more open to imagination than the average person's. Unfortunately, there's no way to turn back the clock. The day when imaginative and offbeat titles dominated the market is at an end. We're living in the age of VelocityGirl, where gaming is all about spending $5 to trick out your character in a virtual Marc Ecko shirt. :p About all I can hope for is that developers will remain willing to cater to our particular niche with specialty titles as time goes on.