You are unfortunately spot on. A coworker at my previous job was the embodiment of what I call “Current Game Syndrome.” He had a PS5 and would mentioned it often. Whenever a new game would come out he would talk about it and claim it was “GOATed.” If you asked him about that game 6 months later he was say “yeah it was great but new current game is GOATed.” I would talk to him about what I was playing from my backlog and he would say “that’s cool but you really need to buy a PS5, and get with the times.”
It’s unabashed consumerism. It reminds me of Comic readers who will buy shit comics for years because they have bought every X-Men comic since #372 and maybe it will get good and they don’t want a gap in their collection.
After Crysis pushed the graphics envelope forward in 2007, other aspects of artistic/design progress have plateaued. Or, at least those that excited enthusiasts, such as more sophisticated AI (non machine learning variety), more creative procedural generation, mechanical depth, emergent potential. Only control responsiveness and feedback has improved, and that ties to presentation and first impression. Because of Spolsky's Iceberg Principle, all the modern audience (excl. phones) want is presentation along with MBA spearheaded busy work.
A random YouTube positive AC: Mirage retrospective review's found the lack of mocap in cutscenes worse than janky parkour or other shortcomings! (I didn't play Mirage). I hate that the summer movie audience have eternal septembered the 80s/90s geeks. This is the audience partaking in the keeping up with the Jones/zeitgeist shit you described.
You are unfortunately spot on. A coworker at my previous job was the embodiment of what I call “Current Game Syndrome.” He had a PS5 and would mentioned it often. Whenever a new game would come out he would talk about it and claim it was “GOATed.” If you asked him about that game 6 months later he was say “yeah it was great but new current game is GOATed.” I would talk to him about what I was playing from my backlog and he would say “that’s cool but you really need to buy a PS5, and get with the times.”
It’s unabashed consumerism. It reminds me of Comic readers who will buy shit comics for years because they have bought every X-Men comic since #372 and maybe it will get good and they don’t want a gap in their collection.
After Crysis pushed the graphics envelope forward in 2007, other aspects of artistic/design progress have plateaued. Or, at least those that excited enthusiasts, such as more sophisticated AI (non machine learning variety), more creative procedural generation, mechanical depth, emergent potential. Only control responsiveness and feedback has improved, and that ties to presentation and first impression. Because of Spolsky's Iceberg Principle, all the modern audience (excl. phones) want is presentation along with MBA spearheaded busy work.
A random YouTube positive AC: Mirage retrospective review's found the lack of mocap in cutscenes worse than janky parkour or other shortcomings! (I didn't play Mirage). I hate that the summer movie audience have eternal septembered the 80s/90s geeks. This is the audience partaking in the keeping up with the Jones/zeitgeist shit you described.