About ten years ago, I would have been all-too-eager to say that in the video game industry, unlike in movies and television, the biggest names in the industry produce the best titles. Names like Capcom, Squaresoft, Bungie, Blizzard, Electronic Arts were synonymous with quality. Despite broader opportunities through more advanced technology, today's industry is in creative decay- a dark age of DLC, DRM and casualization. In this respect, one of the only remaining colossi is Nintendo, an ancient reminder of brighter days.
There are a number of reasons behind this shift, the first being the expansion of the market, and the pursuit to appeal to the lowest common denominator. The pursuit is not negative in itself, universal appeal is universal appeal. However, it appears that it is far too easy to err on the side of over-casualization rather than innovation in the pursuit of popularity, and this is where there is a conceptual divide between video games and other modern media.
A videogame is more like a book than a movie. The consumer interacts with the product (or, better yet, the viewer interacts with the piece) for a long period of time. The time period of engagement grants the opportunity to create meaning through experience, rather than solely through story, visuals and sound. This is what makes the medium stand on its own, rather than being just a complicated toy or an extension of former outlets. Despite this opportunity, far too many modern games rely on the latter rather than the former. The "creative forces" behind AAA development are fundamentally misguided if the purpose is to create meaning through experience. To add insult to injury, the business models behind these are abhorrent (refer to Sim City, Xbox One DRM, etc.) Fuck design based around salesmanship, whether the pandering is in a creative or a financial sense.
In contrast, one can examine Super Mario Brothers 3, Age of Empires 2, Megaman and MMX, Pokemon, Dwarf Fortress, Defense of the Ancients, Dark Souls, etc. All these incite passion from the player without relying on snappy one liners to repeat online, in-game cultural references and hand-holding gameplay or constant notifications reassuring the player of progress to create a sense of achievement. Even today, it takes more than a few months of playing to understand DotA, which is why this single, community created map has spawned an entire multi-million dollar genre. This is what I mean by experience, and there is no other way to achieve this experience without respecting the player's intelligence and providing a digital space with choice and consequence. Design should be focused within these boundaries, not just in presentation.
I've had entire days ruined from playing Dark Souls, and I have also had entire days made from playing it--I still get shivers when I hear The Lord of Cinder's theme. I've strained friendships over fighting games. My neck hurts sometimes when I play DotA because I get so involved, and I've been playing for seven years. That pain is love, and that can't be bought or sold.
