Video games have been getting worse in terms of both gameplay and prices. The gaming industry always focuses on making their games look good instead of making the game play good. They always forget the game part in video games. And all they end up with is a pot of sludge with a pretty bow wrapped around it. We try to spend millions of dollars trying to get things to be photorealistic and having things such as realistic grass and reflective puddles. These factors might sound good on paper but in reality they drive the hardware into the ground. Take the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for example. Now that game does balance visuals with good gameplay, but it doesn’t get excused that even though the game looks pretty, some parts of the game can get really laggy from those visuals to the point where you have to adjust the game settings to make it not run like a toaster. Game companies struggle so desperately to make games “next gen,” which by the way doesn’t even exist.
Their solution to this settlement of making games look better is to remake it. But, try not to remake it like the Last of Us remakes where you do it where you can’t tell the difference from the last of them. I think that companies should put the budget of their game into the gameplay rather than the graphics. I mean, look at the Indie scene. There are so many games that are toppling over Triple AAA studios with big budget games. There’s Balatro, Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Deltarune. These games are destroying other companies in the game awards.But, All these games have one thing in common: and that’s a refined art style. An art style so iconic that it ages like fine wine. Games don’t have to look good to be good. In order for a game to be good, they have to have a good story, solid gameplay, and most importantly, they should have amazing and unique styles that make it stand out from the rest. But there is one other company that is making these insane prices. And that culprit is Nintendo.
Another factor of this nonsense is because of Nintendo. They are the company that sets the standard for games and prices. Let’s look at the first Switch console, for instance. It broke like a dozen records for being a handheld with mostly great exclusive games. However, it ran with duct tape and Elmer’s glue attached to it and a dream with constant frame rate drops in some games. So, Nintendo’s solution to this was to come out with another console that fixes the Switch One’s problems. But in return, the prices become way too expensive and this angers people even though it’s at the midpoint for most consoles. But in the end, they sell like a billion consoles because the pigs that eat their slop will continue to eat their slop. If Nintendo can sell a 500 dollar console with only an 80 dollar Mario Kart game by the millions, then these other companies have to up their game. They have to go with these insane price increases due to RAM being stolen by AI companies (who by the way are about to go bankrupt soon in 2026).
Now, the only way Triple AAA games could do better is by spending less on graphics and instead spend it on gameplay. If GTA 6 does come out, which might be never, it most likely will cost above 80 dollars. And if they release a collector’s edition, that will be even more expensive. So in conclusion, just lower the prices. Gamers can’t afford anything in 2026 considering the tariffs and the demand for RAM.
