If you are reading this article, we are more than sure that you have experienced a situation like: “I look forward to a new game, everyone talks about it well, I buy it, I play with it for a few hours but it can’t win me over, I don’t play it anymore”. Following this sad skit, a feeling of meloncholy it pervades you and throws you X years ago when you spent the afternoons with your favorite video game on old consoles. At this point, a sentence echoes in your mind: “Eh, there are no more video games than they used to be!”. But is it really so? The video game market in 2022 has truly reached a stalemate no longer being able to excite the 8-bit hearts of gamers?
Let’s talk about.
Video games in 2022: gamer psychology
Feeling a certain disappointment with the current situation by far preferring that of the “good old days” is physiological and natural, not only for gamers but for everyone. To work like this (good or bad, hard to say) it is our brain that comes back from past experiences, preserves them over time, especially if they are positive experiences. The memory of us curled up on the sofa playing Crash Bandicoot or Super Mario while it’s raining outside, triggers a series of psychological processes that lull you into the certainties of what has been. We are sure?
This phenomenon can give rise to what is called “Selective abstraction of information“, An automatic process of the brain that tends to” omit some negative elements of our experiences. About that, you will surely have lived the experience of replaying your favorite videogame after years and be somewhat disappointed by the so-called “aging”.
This is obviously also due to the fact that we have grown, we have gained experience, tried many new titles and possibly developed our tastes. Add to this technology that has made great strides in a very short time and that has accustomed our gamer mind to crazy scenarios, gameplay and graphics. Going back is very difficult.
The doubts of the present and the future
While the power of a hardware or the technological progress mentioned above are objective elements that we are able to ascertain, the same cannot be said for emotions. In addition to being subjective, our emotions are slaves to the rules of the time: while the ones we have tried in the past are there, firm and certain, the ones we are trying or will try while playing a video game are at least unpredictable and this can scare us.
Playing a new game for a few hours and deciding whether or not it excites us cannot compare with 20 years spent remembering the emotions of a game of Spyro. This is why the second chapter of a film or a game will hardly be able to surpass the original, as our judgment is “marred” by past experiences. This is of course natural as well as fair. Observing the world with the eyes of experience can undoubtedly make us see new things, but we cannot allow nostalgia to hold us back 20 years ago. On the contrary, we should use experience not as a brake on new discoveries but as a means of arriving prepared for what they might (or might not) give us.
The solution (?)
Stopping such a deep-rooted psychological process is impossible, it is part of our nature and it is what makes our grandparents say: “in my day …”. To avoid getting stuck in those famous times, however, we can start some simple processes to counter everything abwe just read.
- Understanding the target audience: the starting point is certainly one of the most difficult and pushes you to understand well which games are designed for you and which are best suited to your tastes. Don’t be fooled by the hype or the community but follow your instincts, you will avoid spending money, being disappointed or complaining about the success of Fortnite when it is clearly not a game designed for us
- Past and present can coexist: by fully understanding this point, you will be able to relive the memories of the past and create new ones without mumbling about modern times and the mechanics it brings. Everyone annoys in-app purchases, but thank goodness we still have free will, like so many years ago
- Not all games are meant to upset us: just as not all the people we meet will become our friends forever, some titles will have a marginal impact on us and that’s fine. We can’t stop simply for not finding the right one
- Emotions are not born in 2 hours: except in particular cases, to truly enjoy a video game it takes more than a few minutes before requesting a refund. Give your purchase a chance to become one of the games to add to your personal Pantheon. Who knows how many we made escape!
The world of video games of 2022 is not the rosiest
That said, there is no doubt that there has been a slowdown in the world of video games in recent years. Lockdown, smartworking or whoever for them have held back the development of new titles leading to a stalemate characterized by a general modesty of games releasedexcept in special cases.
This however should not distract you, because although the so-called Killer Applications have decreased, the developers have never stopped and dozens and dozens of valid titles are and will be published despite the difficulties. Added to this is the number of gamers in constant growth which amounts to about 3 billion worldwide.
The world of video games in 2022 still has a lot to tell, just know how to listen and understand that it is possible to treasure memories by continuing to explore the new wonders that this world has to offer.