Every so often, I'm struck with the satisfying feeling that gaming really has matured as an art form — and the thing that drives this home more than anything else is that in any given week, I can be playing things from 40 years ago and things from this week, and they're all still enjoyable in one way or another. Okay, your mileage may vary somewhat when it comes to the really retro stuff — pre-NES for most people — but certainly speaking for myself, I love gaming from all eras.
The fact that I'm so thoroughly captivated with Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, which is about 15 years old at this point, is testament to this fact. While there are certain aspects of the game that we don't really "do" any more — most notably the isometric perspective built from 2D art in exploration sequences — the game as a whole still feels fresh and relevant, and very much its own distinct thing compared to its peers that are ostensibly in the same genre.
Or how about the Psikyo shooters I've just started exploring? Those mostly date back to the late '90s, yet likewise these remain highly enjoyable even today; in fact, some might argue the Switch ports are a better way to experience these than their original incarnations thanks to their customisability and tweaks to the interface.
Gaming is so incredibly rich and diverse — and has been for decades at this point — that it makes me a bit sad when anyone says that they are "bored" of it. At this point, we have more than 40 years of history to explore at any given moment, with much of it easily accessible by anyone with an Internet connection and a modest computer — and modern developers continuing to experiment, push boundaries and refine established formulae in new and creative ways.
Given all that, if you still can't find something to entertain you, I can't help but feel a bit sorry for you!
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