I want to play good games, creative/artistic games, and games that were relevant to me in the past. Very often the more original and creative games are indie titles. I do find it generally true that games that focus on new and cutting edge graphics aren’t all that interesting or original; there are the exceptions, though.
I’d say about 20 years ago, once we hit the PS2 or Wii era, there was a shift to where devs stopped try to max out on the numbers on their games. Today, the vast majority of games aren’t all about energy-chugging graphics; and much of the time, those that do aren’t particularly good until years of updates are complete. And really, most people don’t care too much about high-end graphics unless it’s some kind of fanboy flex to try and intimidate or impress other fanboys; the type who are obsessed with being “hardcore” and not “casual”, because they think it will get them chicks or something.
Either way, the most highly demanded hardware isn’t focused on giant leaps in energy-chugging graphics, but the hardware that’s makes gaming more pleasant and ubiquitous.
I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
