It’s kind of hard to believe that ten-plus years have already passed since we started Virtual Bastion (then “United We Game”) back in 2013. Our little space on the net isn’t quite what it was in the beginning, but I like to think that we haven’t changed all *that* much over the course of the site’s life so far. What *has* changed, though, is gaming and most likely our attitudes and ideas about it. So, what better way to kick off our 10 year anniversary celebration than with a look at how games (and our thoughts on them) have changed since we first started all those years ago?

Hatmonster

I think it’d be hard to tackle ALL the ways that gaming’s changed since 2013, so I think I’d like to focus on just a couple: the rise of Games as a Service (GaaS) and the ever-growing quality gap between AAA games and indie games. It might be hard to remember, but, back in 2013, it was still controversial to have things like online passes and little DLC packs. Loot boxes were still 2-3 years away from hitting mainstream gaming, and “seasons” as we understand them now were perhaps only to be found in a few MMOs.

Games at the AAA level still made most of their money from actually selling copies, and so there was still a lot of incentive to make them as good as possible. We still had schlock and garbage titles, and mega franchises were just as bland and stale then as they are now, but truly exciting and innovative games were still a pretty frequent occurrence in the AAA space, like more than just one or two in a given year. It must also be remembered that indie games, while gaining attention, were still on the periphery of gaming consciousness.

Now though? Now AAA games don’t have to be “good” to make money; they just have to be “good enough.” If they can get people hooked and get them to pour money in for cosmetics and seasonal content, then the developer/publisher will have achieved its goal. It’s even considered bad practice to deliver extra content and fun to the audience in AAA circles now; players having and expecting fun is bad business! What a shift!

Now, if you want something fun and different, you gotta go to the ever-growing indie space, the part of the business that has no problem at all with actively trying to deliver something that fun first and foremost. As you might guess from this little rant of mine, my allegiances have changed with the industry. Outside of some Nintendo stuff, I largely don’t care about AAA sector anymore. Indie is where the all the real quality and fun is found, and I expect that it’ll largely stay that way from now on.

The Duck of Indeed

Over the last 10 years, I have noticed two major changes in my own attitude towards gaming, which Hatm0nster has already covered pretty well.  For one thing, I used to be very offended by the idea of DLC.  Are you kidding me?  Games now cost $60 (oh, how I wish that’s all they cost these days), and now you want me to pay more?!  And yet, there have certainly been times in recent years where I hear about possible DLC being released, and I actually look forward to it.  Or I play a game and think, “I sure hope there’s DLC for this”.

And yet, I don’t think I’ve just given up and accepted what I still think is a rather shady practice.  And that is thanks to the rise in indie games, the second biggest change in my gaming habits over the last decade.  I can’t justify paying $60 per game nowadays (or $70, as is becoming the case), and the great thing about indie games is…I don’t have to.  There are very rare occasions that an expensive game from a major studio will be released that I’m actually interested in.  Most big games nowadays are just so boring and uninspired (that’s what’s happening in the movie industry, too, strangely enough).

But indie games are original and unique, they often don’t cost much, AND they frequently go on sale for huge discounts!  A few months ago, I got both Unravel games for a total of $6.  I got the whole Trine collection containing four games for $12.49.  A few years ago, I got Bastion, Transistor, Limbo, and Inside each for a couple dollars.  Why waste any time even thinking about another $60 AAA title that will never go down in price (especially if that game was made by Nintendo) when I can get literally ten indie games on sale for the same price?

And that is why I think I’m okay with DLC now because I’m paying a little extra for a game that didn’t cost much to begin with.  I mean, the Ruin DLC for FNAF: Security Breach was free, and the Echoes of the Eye DLC for Outer Wilds was $15, while the full game was $24.99, but as usual, I got it on sale.  Even before the sale, the game AND its DLC was much cheaper than one AAA game pre-DLC.

With indie games, you just get so much more for the money.  And speaking of indie games, 2024 marks the 10-year anniversary of one of the most successful indie franchises of all time, Five Nights at Freddy’s!

Cary

Some of my thoughts about how gaming has changed over the past decade echo those of Hatm0nster and The Duck. I’m also much more comfortable with paying for DLC than I once was, and the indie game landscape has seismically shifted in a very good way. By 2013, indie games were well on their way to challenging the norm; and unlike what’s happened with AAA games, generally speaking – they’ve plateaued – the caliber and scope of non-traditional titles has soared. If one is looking for a gaming experience unlike any other, or that feeds off 80s/90s/00s nostalgia, one need not look any further than the vast sea of indies.

Playing into that is the fact that it’s become so much easier for anyone, literally a-n-y-o-n-e, in the world to make a video game. No longer are the tools locked away behind paywalls, education, or abilities. Just download an engine of your choosing and get crackin! Alright, so maybe it’s not quite that easy, but the process of game-making has changed considerably – we see it every day as new games are released. Small games with big ideas. People having fun with concept and design. We’re at a stage now that, with the coming inclusion of AI, there’s no limit to what gaming can become.

So…what does that mean for your AAA studios? Well, it’s probably no coincidence that we’re currently seeing layoffs hit the industry. I mentioned that this side of the industry has seemingly plateaued. Just think about it. Even with the Xbox Series/PS5 generation, has anything yet come out from an AAA studio that’s truly broken new gaming ground since 2013? There have been loads of good games, great games, game-of-the-year/decade games, but has there been a game that’s been or become so influential that it makes one think: That is the future AAA gaming? In 2013, I might have voted for The Last of Us in that regard. Today, I could see Death Stranding as an option, though, there’s a question as to whether it’s considered AAA; but the upcoming Senua’s Sacrifice: Hellblade II strikes more strongly. But…it isn’t technically an AAA game, either!

To a degree, the AAA vs indie scheme defined the last decade in games, and it only makes sense that eventually those monikers will fade. What isn’t going anywhere anytime soon is something Hatm0nster mentioned, the wildfire spread of Games as a Service, and something we haven’t touched on yet, early access games. One wants your money, and the other wants your time. Both serve as ways for developers to improve and expand their games. And both demonstrate just how much of a “Big Business” gaming has become. The industry was well on its way there, but I’d argue that were it not for these two implementation tactics, gaming wouldn’t be the billion dollar industry that it is today.

I’m no graph wizard, but I’m willing to bet that plotting out the shape of gaming between 2013-2023 would result in an exponential curve. No matter one’s personal preferences, AAA or indie, RPG or FPS, Pac-Man or Call of Duty, people are playing video games now more than ever, and they are playing them everywhere. The past decade gave rise to unprecedented accessibility to so many different types of games that there’s something out there for nearly everyone. The players may not always agree with the ways games are developed, released, or maintained, but the means are there to keep us playing. The last decade was an amazing time to be a player, novice or seasoned, and there’s no sign that energy is slowing down.