There are only two really big problems with the game industry today and they don't have a whole lot to do with losing sight of what made coin-operated arcade machines successful. The first problem is that big-budget games are getting samey and boring by playing it safe while they get more and more expensive to make. The second problem is that the independent market of interesting creative games worth playing is too flooded for many of them to be successful.
Now. That being said there are still some good games worth playing and all of those complaints are from someone who doesn't play enough of them, or is stuck in a comfort zone they know is stagnant and boring and yet they refuse to leave. I'm only going to go up against one of them because it's something I've been thinking about lately:
He hates the concept of saving, because it takes away the fear of dying. Lack of Game Overs(as well as lives), takes away the penalties and punishments of failure. There's no real reason to progress and gain anymore!
This is a lazy complaint. Because thinking there's only one best way to deal death in a game is lazy. A lazy game developer will just say "and when you run out of life you load your save" without considering what's best for the game. You need the player to want to avoid failure. But no one really likes doing the same thing over and over. Stop thinking about Super Mario Bros. 1 for a second and imagine dying in the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time because one of those stupid boulders wouldn't leave you alone. Then the game goes "**** off wimpy baby" and you're in Kokiri Forest again, no sword, no shield, no spiritual stones, no ocarina, no known songs, nothing, again.
If you want some insight on how games are made and real critical thinking about how to make them better,
here's Extra Credits. Also, I recommend Dark Souls.
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