I think if mainstream gaming went back to a standard that is more akin to Xbox 1 era graphics, then gameplay as a whole would be better on average than it is now.
So much money gets spent in the graphics department just to keep pushing the technology when really it's the gameplay that needs to advance.
Games have come so far in their POTENTIAL to be a legitimately artistic medium, but the games that actually come close to being art seem to be mostly far older games.
Silent Hill for example. Conventional game mechanics dictate that Silent Hill's combat mechanics are stodgy and a little broken. Art dictates that the main character is just some guy lost in a fuckin' DEMONIC TOWN trying to defend himself in whatever way he can.
We are still caught up in the idea of game mechanics for the sake of entertainment with very little beyond that to really dig our teeth into. It's an interactive medium that has so much left to explore but we're mainly re-treading the same tried and tested ground for entertainment purposes.
I may have thought Flower was a pretentious piece of shit, but it's a good example of what I'm talking about. An artistically inclined idea with a mechanic to back it up that may not necessarily be rule based but more based on giving you an experience, evoking a mood, atmosphere and emotion.
There's an infinite amount of possibilities when it comes to where "games" could go, but they're still busy being just that: games.
One day I am sure they will grow to become experiences in their own right that can tell us all sorts of interesting things about ourselves.
And like I said, if all this technological advancement chasing was abandoned somewhat in favour of crafting more detailed experiences, we'd probably get there quicker. I mean does God of War suddenly look shitty to people or something? I keep hearing about how World of Warcraft looks dated and I can't help but think it looks absolutely perfect and beautiful in every way. Art style transcends technological jargon like bump mapping and tesselation, etc. Which is why so many games from this console generation already look dated as hell. Technology over art style.
Ramble ramble ramble aimless etc etc
