A long-term gamer, writing for GameCentral's Reader's Feature, has announced he is abandoning modern gaming, citing corporate greed, spiralling costs, and a loss of creative soul. The reader, who has been playing since childhood and is now 49, says he is 'noping out' of the current generation, joining a growing number of veteran players turning to retro gaming.
The generational divide in gaming
The reader argues there is a 'massive generational chasm' opening up in gaming. He recalls an era when games had 'intent, soul, and a bit of creative spark' – citing Capcom's 1990s and early 2000s output, including Street Fighter 2 and the first Monster Hunter. 'You bought a cartridge or a disc, and that was it – a complete, fully featured experience,' he writes.
He blames the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 era for the decline, pointing to the infamous horse armour DLC as the start of a slide into 'live service models, microtransactions, and endless loot boxes.' The reader says younger gamers, raised on tablets, have been 'indoctrinated by a manufactured ecosystem' where games are digital storefronts that penalise players for not logging in daily.
Cost and diminishing returns drive exodus
The reader highlights the 'eye-watering price' of the newly released Steam Machine and the looming prospect of PlayStation 6 and Microsoft's next console, pushing hardware costs to 'absurd heights.' He states: 'It is just too expensive, and frankly, I am not the target audience anymore.' As photorealism delivers diminishing returns, he says older players are 'walking away' to embrace retro gaming, including the return of the Neo Geo and physical media that 'actually belongs to us.'
The reader concludes by urging gamers to look backwards at an 'era overflowing with joy, boundless creativity, and genuine art,' rather than following the 'corporate machine into the dark.' He notes: '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 feature, submitted by reader Bristol Pete, does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
