Any of you feel like we’ve become so fixated on graphics and perfomance to the point where the actual game part of a video game is often overlooked, or at least underemphasized? I don’t know about the rest of you, but all I come across on social media regarding gaming is about resolution, ray tracing, DLSS/FSR, frame rates, frame time, CPU and GPU untilization, and all of that stuff, and I’m honestly sick of it! I mean performance markers have always been discussed when it comes to PC gaming, but now even console gaming is getting this treatment! Don’t you miss the days when you just installed the game and just played it? I know I do. What do you think?

93 points

To me it sounds more like the social media algorithms put you into the “gaming tech” corner so that’s all you see. Indie gaming is huge and not at all about graphics. Look at the currently popular games on Steam and a ton of them are technologically very basic.

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19 points

Also don’t forget retro games.

Even new games can be run on midrange hardware if you don’t crank up the settings.

People want big numbers and companies watch to sell the latest stuff. No one gives a platform for advocating low budgets, cheaper hardware and patient gaming.

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12 points

Exactly. My feeling is more the opposite of what OP is saying. Gameplay and innovation is king. Just not in AAA games.

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5 points

This is the answer. Lots of great stuff going in games right now.

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48 points
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I definitely think you’re in a bubble of AAA games. This is literally the middle of an indie game renaissance.

Get off of consoles, and get a midrange gaming PC.

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30 points

That’s just triple A games, I think. Indie games are varied and don’t necessarily focus on graphics

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29 points

Valheim was one of the best selling games and is still a huge success. Indies are getting better and more popular to the point that even big companies like Nexon are indiewashing their studio and pretending that Dave the Diver is an indie game with pixel art instead of a work of one of the biggest publishers there is. In my experience most of the gamers nowadays are people that grew up on minecraft, terraria or probably more likely today - roblox.

So basically no, I don’t think so. Maybe big studios want you to believe that and it might be true for a casual FIFA or CoD gamer but for anyone else, there are more options than ever and the supply of good smaller simpler games is just overwhelming, the days are too short to even keep track of them anymore.

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7 points

I didn’t actually know about Dave the Driver being a big publisher until just now. I felt that game was kinda under-developed for how hyper it was and now I’m even more disappointed.

It only has like 6 major areas and the levels didn’t have that much variety. Plus the side content is fairly under polished. I enjoyed it for the first 60ish percent but was kinda forcing myself to finish it by the end.

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4 points

That’s pretty telling when a big company can’t even make a convincing imitation of a low budget game.

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25 points

Nothing happened. It is the same as always. There was no time, when graphics (and audio) weren’t the hottest shit to talk about. We did that in the 90s in ads, game magazines and in the schoolyard. And the people before us did the same. The buzzwords back then were different but that’s all.

Maybe stop watching youtubers, if that annoys you? Idk.

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