By: Jesus Mirabal and Jacob Insley

In recent years, the quantity of video games has reached peaks higher than ever recorded. However, does this correlate with the production quality? As time progresses, games from the past seem to attract more players than some modern titles. Is modern gaming slowly taking the back burner to older classics? To determine this, first, students were asked what their favorite modern video games were. The Call of Duty series and sports games were by far the majority of the input. Secondly, students were asked what their favorite games were, regardless of age.

This is where answers started to differ. “I gotta go with Minecraft as my favorite ever. In its prime, I’d get on every day and play for hours,” junior Grant Scollick explains. As Scollick said, nostalgia seems to play a big role in favoritism; however, student opinion goes even deeper than that. Students believe that recently, video games have become overpriced, especially those developed by bigger companies that involve too many microtransactions and or DLCs (down-loadable content) to enjoy the game.

“Studio-priced games are out of hand, and honestly, they’re not even the highest quality most of the time. Often it’s just the common slope. Nintendo just raised their game pricing to $80, and it might mark the start of a more expensive video game market,” senior Dean Semper shares.

The rise in pricing would play a role in why most people prefer older, cheaper titles, as they are widely seen as the more logical way for students to game, as it is more accessible. Even without the factor of price, depth plays a role in gaming, and students tend to look for a good story to pay attention to during their off hours. Upon questioning, students mention the lack of character depth and development.

“My favorite game has to be Red Dead Redemption 2. I like how easily immersed I get into the story. It’s funny to think that a game from 2018 holds up so well still,” junior David Shepelov states.

As time goes on, it’s expected that plot, graphics, and overall production will increase. However, the sudden drop in audiences suggests that the exact opposite is happening; this is even further reaffirmed by student opinions in the school. So what’s known to be lacking in games around the halls of MRHS? Well, the price is a big one.

“I have felt sick every time I’m on the brink of buying a game to the point where I don’t even want to play anymore”, Carter Scollick shares.

There is hope, though, not every game retails at a crisp $70. Smaller Indie companies have been on the rise. Most recently, Hollow Knight: Silk Song has made a massive break-
through within the gaming industry due to its economic pricing as well as massive numbers on both the Steam and Nintendo Store: Selling more than 500,000 copies within 24 hours
and crashing online marketplaces. With only three core members on the team, Silksong proves that not all video games that are enjoyable need to be expensive.