What I mean is that we're all super jaded and think that the industry is going to hell and not taking any reasonable view of the damn thing. Yes things are going mainstream and yes some genres are dying out but there's new stuff popping up that's also good and people seem way too keen on forgetting the good and bemoaning the bad.
...k, I see what you're saying.
but then the problem is "you," and not the gaming industry.
right?
if you're "perpetually disappointed," then your expectations are off base.
if games are just another medium for escapism entertainment (such as books, movies, and TV shows) then the gaming industry is at least par for the course.
there's hundreds of new movies each year.
thousands of new books.
numerous new TV shows.
most of them suck.
because why? because they want to sell.
in order to sell as many units as possible, you've gotta' appeal to the widest base which often means catering to the lowest common denominator.
but you wouldn't expect that every book you read is going to be THE BEST you've ever read.
you certainly wouldn't expect every movie you saw to be as good as THE BEST movie you've ever seen.
and you have to know by now that the gaming industry has come full circle.
it's big business. there's big, BIG bucks at stake here.
you've gotta' know that like movies, video games are going to compete using the corporate model of franchising (Halo's, COD's, GoW's, etc). most of them are going to fall victim to the plague of generalization.
so just the same, you've gotta' know that in spite of this reality, there are still extremely fine gems to be dug out of the dirt. yes, the majority of video games released each year are going to be rather droll. and if you keep expecting that to change then you will forever be let down.
but for every cheap summer blockbuster, there's going to be a groundbreaking hit. for everything that makes you yawn, there's going to be one that captivates you. you might have to rake the muck, but they'll be there. there's always diamonds in the rough and you won't know which is which until you've got your hands on them.
just be patient and keep your expectations in check.