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The thread title and your statements are somewhat contradictory. I've seen this before in similar discussions about games or other art forms (movie/music/literature):

Complaints about the mainstream taste slowly taking over a industry - which is a wrong statement imo as the mainstream taste always dictates the general direction by default/from the beginning, but it's the mainstream taste which is constantly changing over time - are just used to illustrate the actual statement, which usually is: I play the more original games than the mainstream and other people should play more original games as well, i.e. "my taste is better than yours".

You'll find plenty of originality in any art form if you search for it, and it's always based on personal taste of course. Little King's Stoy, Okami, Muramasa, Katamari Damacy, LittleBigPlanet, Patapon, LocoRoco, Scribblenauts, Machinarium, AudioSurf, The Whispered World, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout, World of Goo, Braid, Darwinia are just a few games from recent years (or even this year) which I think are very original.

Games which do not represent the mainstream will always exist and they will become part of the mainstream over time. If they are good they will even become influential. The Secret of Monkey Island was original in 1991, today it's mainstream and at least 50% of today's p&c adventure games are heavily influenced by it (and other LucsaArts adventure games from the early 90s). Same with many other classic games such as Lemmings. They were new and original yesterday, they are mainstream and (sometimes) influential today.

@mai: Art actually describes the product of creative process. If someone draws a picture and calls it art, then it is art.
If someone makes a carbon copy of the picture, that isn't art, only a copy of art, because it lacks the creative process.

If someone says the original picture isn't art, the someone is using only ones personal preferences about liking or not liking it to downplay the actual art.

Basically when someone talks about artistic videogames, the someone is talking about creative videogames.

first of all, nice post. i liked it and i like you already

i think that there has been a huge influx of really crappy games, particularly on the Wii and DS (people don't hate on me, im not flaming - i have both and i like them). i worry that there are so many games being churned out willy-nilly to sell a fast buck, that "gaming" aint what is used to be.

but no worries, because fantastic games are still being made AS WELL. as long as you can still go pick up a good or even great game, you can just ignore the rest of them. there's just a much bigger market than there used to be, its a lot less of an exclusive club of "geeks and losers", and most people will end up playing games at some point, if not be at least familiar with the console names.

i think its a mixed bag, really. i do agree with what you're saying, but i dont think we need to worry just yet

Summary of the OP:

"Blah blah blah. Whine whine. Bitch bitch."

The Wii has two of the most artistic games in recent memory on it, Mad World and Okami, and you still take the time to complain about that system more than others. Then you complain because a lot of games are for the wasting of time which is what EVERY art form has existed for since the begining of time.

You're unhappy because devs won't make games that are utter failures. Too bad. Quit crying and go make your own game if it bothers you that much. As much as I just could not give a care for 95% of the games made I appreciate the other 5% I like and I move on. Do the same or stop gaming, but don't complain because you can't get on board with the mainstream.

trashleg said: first of all, nice post. i liked it and i like you already i think that there has been a huge influx of really crappy games, particularly on the Wii and DS (people don't hate on me, im not flaming - i have both and i like them). i worry that there are so many games being churned out willy-nilly to sell a fast buck, that "gaming" aint what is used to be. but no worries, because fantastic games are still being made AS WELL. as long as you can still go pick up a good or even great game, you can just ignore the rest of them. there's just a much bigger market than there used to be, its a lot less of an exclusive club of "geeks and losers", and most people will end up playing games at some point, if not be at least familiar with the console names. i think its a mixed bag, really. i do agree with what you're saying, but i dont think we need to worry just yet

How old were you when the NES came out?  The comment of yours I bolded sounds absolutely absurd to me because I've never, NEVER, seen a console that wasn't filled tot he brim with games that were made for the quick buck.  I've had an Atari, an Nes, and almost every system worth mentioning since and they are all loaded with rubbish games regardless of how good or bad they are. It's good that you realize you can just pick the good ones and leave the bad ones behind, but there's absolutely nothing different about the gaming market today than what it was like when I was a kid.  The vast majority of games will always be poor in quality relative to their "peers," and this generation is no different than the rest.

Art is subjective. That's all I have to say on the matter.

ChichiriMuyo said: trashleg said: first of all, nice post. i liked it and i like you already i think that there has been a huge influx of really crappy games, particularly on the Wii and DS (people don't hate on me, im not flaming - i have both and i like them). i worry that there are so many games being churned out willy-nilly to sell a fast buck, that "gaming" aint what is used to be. but no worries, because fantastic games are still being made AS WELL. as long as you can still go pick up a good or even great game, you can just ignore the rest of them. there's just a much bigger market than there used to be, its a lot less of an exclusive club of "geeks and losers", and most people will end up playing games at some point, if not be at least familiar with the console names. i think its a mixed bag, really. i do agree with what you're saying, but i dont think we need to worry just yet How old were you when the NES came out?  The comment of yours I bolded sounds absolutely absurd to me because I've never, NEVER, seen a console that wasn't filled tot he brim with games that were made for the quick buck.  I've had an Atari, an Nes, and almost every system worth mentioning since and they are all loaded with rubbish games regardless of how good or bad they are. It's good that you realize you can just pick the good ones and leave the bad ones behind, but there's absolutely nothing different about the gaming market today than what it was like when I was a kid.  The vast majority of games will always be poor in quality relative to their "peers," and this generation is no different than the rest.

NES may have had those games, but also had more artistic games than the PS3+Xbox360+wii combined

you have a different opinion so be it, but dont decide what other people shold think.

Good, art games are overated. I played Okami, which is one of the more artistic games out there and it was also one of the more boring of games I've bought so far. The quicker this "art" notion dies and the faster the "fun" notion comes back to gaming the better.

You are quite wrong about Nintendo though. Nintendo is heading in the right direction and opening doors to more developers than any of the other platforms do, however, very few devs are taking advantage of it. We see games like Madworld, Little King's Story, Muramasa, and others which never would have been produced on the HD consoles due to the excessive costs but they are available to buy on the Wii. They haven't sold millions, but most the devs are happy with the sales (too lazy to find links). Only Sven from Capcom has been disappointed with Wii sales, but only after corporate confirms they are happy with them. You can't blame Nintendo for everyone else failure to produce "arty" games. Nintendo has never really produced "arty" games, they produce "fun" games for everyone. Nintendo is like the Pixar of video games. Great games that are good for kids, but everyone can enjoy them.

ChichiriMuyo said: trashleg said: first of all, nice post. i liked it and i like you already i think that there has been a huge influx of really crappy games, particularly on the Wii and DS (people don't hate on me, im not flaming - i have both and i like them). i worry that there are so many games being churned out willy-nilly to sell a fast buck, that "gaming" aint what is used to be. but no worries, because fantastic games are still being made AS WELL. as long as you can still go pick up a good or even great game, you can just ignore the rest of them. there's just a much bigger market than there used to be, its a lot less of an exclusive club of "geeks and losers", and most people will end up playing games at some point, if not be at least familiar with the console names. i think its a mixed bag, really. i do agree with what you're saying, but i dont think we need to worry just yet How old were you when the NES came out?  The comment of yours I bolded sounds absolutely absurd to me because I've never, NEVER, seen a console that wasn't filled tot he brim with games that were made for the quick buck.  I've had an Atari, an Nes, and almost every system worth mentioning since and they are all loaded with rubbish games regardless of how good or bad they are. It's good that you realize you can just pick the good ones and leave the bad ones behind, but there's absolutely nothing different about the gaming market today than what it was like when I was a kid.  The vast majority of games will always be poor in quality relative to their "peers," and this generation is no different than the rest.

please dont shout at me i was born in 89, didnt have a NES tho..

maybe when i was younger i just got lucky in that my parents bought me games i just happened to really enjoy? i've been gaming since i was old enough to understand moving images on a TV screen, thank you very much.

but you can't possibly be arguing that the Wii and DS don't have the most awful non-games out on them? the entire "Imagine" range, for a start.

bolded: don't speak to me like i'm a fucking retard. kthx.

To prove that there were more horrid games before the Wii/DS all I have to do is show you 1 game.

http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=23585&region=All

^^^ now that is art. No one ever made a game like that before. No rehashing, 100% original.