Why are games so boring now-a-days?

[TheWPCTraveler]

Well, I'm tempted by the fact that the Law of Decreasing (and) Marginal Returns exists, but this post sums up quite a lot, really:

DarthMetalliCube said:

My theories, as a gamer of 25 or so years:

- More time, money, and effort deticated to cinematics, horsepower, story, and other non-gaming fluff

- More laziness from developers, especially those that know many deticated fans and easilly impressional gamers out there will buy their already established franchise regardless - see Madden, Call of Duty, Halo, GT, MGS, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, (though the last two have changed somewhat lately)

- More linearity in games (sort of relates to the first point because linearity generally is created to allow for more horsepower and flashy effects in games)

- Increasing pressure and conformity from the industry, which is taking on more of a souless machine - like quality (pressure from publishers to conform and make games a certain way, increasing development costs, deadlines, etc..)

- Hipster and artsy-fartsy type devs who feel that games are more "art" than well, "games" and thus use games as a meduim to convey messages, creativity, and other artistic qualities as opposed to the technicallities of simply making a fun and engaging game.

I have found that many modern games feel like more of a chore than a fun experience. There was a time when I use to just force myself to plow through them, because I felt they would get better, or I felt as a deticated gamer I *should* like said game. But I finally realized - maybe because I've grown older and less patient - that there's no point in playing a game that I don't find very fun. Now I simply toss the game aside and sell it back if I don't like it. I don't kid myself anymore. This way I can continue to cycle through games until I find the ones I actually enjoy, and stick with them. There are very few these days, but it's great when it happens.. Now I mostly just stick with retro games I've always enjoyed, or online multiplayer. Most modern single player games don't do it for me these days, the few that I like tend to be very open world sandbox type games, particularly those that cut the cutscene/tutorial/dialouge fluff that has contributed in making games more boring.

Then, I realize that I've only actively gotten back into gaming this year...