Josh Ling @ Adopt Me!

I agree, they can... Maybe it’s just my experience but games have never had stories powerful enough, or characters interesting enough to resonate. Pressing buttons to release dopamine in my head doesn’t qualify for me.

Games stopped being just that at least 20 years ago. Plenty of powerful, emotive experiences with a focus on story and characters now, some enhanced by the medium’s innate interactivity.

Bestsellers of all time includes: Tetris, Mario, Wii Sports, Mario Kart, Minecraft, Pokemon, Mario Bros... Best selling Films includes Gone with the Wind, Jaws, E.T, Titanic, Star Wars, Sound of music... Characters vs Bright lights and dopamine...

All of those are accessible to a wider net of people, and all of those have been bundled in with game consoles which count towards their sales figure. Games are allowed to just be fun, but there are tons with strong characters/stories. It’s not the 80s anymore, mate.

There are niches in every art form, and as a critic you don’t experience the form like the average joe because you consume it all. Maybe mass produced games will get there one day, but right now, it’s a joke to compare bright lights & buttons with complex characters & emotions.

The sorts of games you’re saying don’t exist are some of the best selling of all time. The Last of Us 2 is the most hyped game of the year; you’d be stupid for saying the first isn’t revolved around its story/characters. I assure you that you don’t know what you’re talking about

I understand your anger, you’re clearly passionate about games, I’m not so fussed. The Last of Us was a great game, I really enjoyed it, but to imply it’s anything other than an interactive copy of George A Romero’s best work is to be wilfully blind.