So every game i seem to play across every almost every genre has the same terrible pathing and ui stupidity. We've been stuck with the same problems with almost every game since the mid 90's. I dont understand how the industry standard is to pump all your resources into making games look pretty, but make every unit or npc etc be dumb as a brick and these linear or small map sizes and restrictions.

Games just seem shorter then ever before and buggier with no consequence. Ai becomes more and more automated for the user and usually the ai for the cpu remains predictable and shallow. The only way manufactures in almost every game have challenged the player is by giving the ai resource upgrades and numbers bonus's. Theres almost never any real stratadgy involved and when they do get around behind you, most of the time they spawn there.

Multiplayer games used to be the end all be all in the industry, but today the multiplayer community is in the saddest state imaginable as far as player skill required. MMO's dont seem to be improving and all follow the same business model of catering to noobs and children despite the pc industry being comprised of more adults who have been playing for years, and old style multiplayer games cant seem to compete. There just arent that many being produced comapred to years past, and they seem half hearted and most times incomplete.

This all comes back to one point in history. The moment where wall street realized that the video game industry was bigger then the movie industry. Imo this was the begining of the end. Big companies still think they can follow a mass production formula and get art as a result. They all try and please everyone and end up pleasing very few with heavy handed balancing and simplified character classes and gameplay.

Great games were made by smaller companies with vision. Most of those old brand names have almost all sold out and become shadows of there former selves with the brand name being the only thing remaining from its past. Add to this the current economic downfall and now you can see much of the industry consuming each other.

I say let them. Video games need to get back to small groups of people working with yesterdays graphics engines and making great storylines and gameplay. There are currently many older engines out there that still look great and have alot of coding already completed for them.

This change cant come from some bloated gready corporation whose only concern is profit. Sure they might get lucky from time to time, but once they do they will gaurenteed exploit thier buyers and future titles in the genre to get more profit. Big business has proven time after time it is not to be trusted. The only morality is money and this means they will get away with whatever we let them, and we've become very undemanding in years past as consumers.

These are dark times. Support the lil guys and boycott the big fish. They dont deserve the wealth they have aqcuired, and there are many other fish in the sea that deserve their shot. There used to be a time in this industry where there was more then just fps's and sports games. These smaller fish can bring us back in style for lower costs with better games and fresh ideas. Do you want a mass produced canned game following the same corporate model every time or do you want artisan craft work made by a group of individuals who were legitimately inspired by their own ideas and vision for a game?

Just say no to juggernauts. They ruin everything. Look at any other big industry and the examples are always the same.