Gaming is dying

There's no denying it anymore, is there? With the rise of phones and tablets, the fast approaching menace that is the cloud (all digital), and all these new technologies like VR, traditional gaming is going to die off sooner rather than later.

I hope not, but this really worries me.

Anyone else irked by this? Is this truly the last console generation?

No, maybe the last generation here we see these dedicated game boxes. Some analysts said we'll be using our phones for all that stuff in 10 yrs.

I'm denying it. Gaming is fine, let's wait for the future to come before panicking about it.

I'm more worried about the increasing frequency of day one DLC and micro-transactions in 60 dollar games (70 where I live, which is even worse). I don't think gaming is dying though.

we're all DOOMED!!!!

Gaming isn't dying. Don't be ridiculous.

IT'S ALREADY DEAD! EVERYONE PANIC!

Lol what is with people using the word "irked" on here so much?

No it's not dying, it's thriving. Yeah companies are using shitty practices more and more, year by year, but games still sell well, there are still new and interesting things being done and people like us will always exist, no matter what.

Fads come and go, but gaming is forever, bro.

I agree. Gaming is not dying.

@pinner458: I take full credit for popularizing that word recently.

Time for hacky sacks to shine!

Btw consoles will never stop existing. If you hear a headline like "last generation for consoles" it's a website trying to get your clicks. If anything everything is trying to be a console now. My headline: You'll have ten billion consoles in the future.

Oh my god! You're right! Oh, lordy lordy, why you gotta take away my vidja games!? My life is over now! Over!!!!! And you all! You all need to get outta here while there's still time! Save yourselves! Video games are fucking over!

It's not dying, it's changing. It has always been doing that and will continue to do so.

Also:

You remember back when? You know, way back when everything was better? Back in the day? Everything was great then. You know, way back then.

I don't know exactly what you mean by "traditional gaming", but recently, indie devs in particular have really brought back the 80s and 90s aesthetic, almost to a fault. If anything, "traditional" gaming is stronger than ever.

This reminds me of those who said 3D gaming was the end of 2D games back in the late 90s. It might have been true briefly when every developer and his dog was making 3D games, but 2D has seen quite the renaissance lately.

Some of those phone and tablet games aren't so bad either.

Meaning...?

Gaming died when consoles replaced arcades maaaaan.

It's evolving. This isn't "death" by any standard except the nostalgic one.

I don't think so

I bet that during the advent of polygonal games (such as Mario 64) there were people who thought that "traditional gaming" was dying then, too.

It's just changing.

I'm going to go off topic because I want too, but are any Wii U fans upset? That Nintendo decided to skipped out this years E3 again? I know their doing the Nintendo direct, but come on.

Gaming is everywhere. How can it be dying?

Can I answer? I'm a 3ds owner.

After seeing trailers for Tomagachi(I spelled that wrong, I know it) Life and Robo Reggie, if it means the direct is just more of that craziness... I potentially love it... but it's probably going to be awful.

I see where you are coming from and it can certainly feel gloomy, but I think that feeling has more to do with what kind of games are being made rather than the bottom-line longevity of video games. There may be a smaller percentage of games being made today intended to appeal to a person who frequents this site, but this leads to a more diverse offering for a more diverse group of people. How is that not a good thing for games?

Gaming has nor ever will "die" just like film hasn't died. There's no reason different mediums, art forms, or movements can't coexist and be revived just because progress appears to move forward in a linear way. This is easiest time in human history to experience all these forms of entertainment; you may never like a new game/movie/book/album made from this point onward and you'd still never run out of things to experience. Different points in history also come with certain economic situations and these obviously have an effect on how things are made and distributed. Who knows how the games industry will evolve? I think a more interesting question is what will be the new thing kids are doing 10-20 years from now that people who grew up with games are baffled by?

Yeah, you're right. It's over. Pack it up guys, lets get off the Video Game Train, it's clearly doomed to crash and burn.....

I don't really think gaming's dying, but rather diversifying. Things are expanding in new and different ways, and that's healthy for any new bustling industry. No matter how many VR headsets or phone tablets come out, there will always be a place for good ol' controller on a couch gaming. And as far as the digital future's concerned, yeah we're eventually going to get there, but that's a ways off. The infrastructure, at least in America, just isn't there yet. Physical copies of games aren't going anywhere right now.

Also, didn't we just hear about the Ps4 selling 5 million units or something? Doesn't sound very dead to me.

Everything I've read has indicated that consoles are selling at-or-near all time highs, with software sales continuing to break records.

Guys, I'm really worried that coin-op arcades might be dying out. I mean, with the rise of new technologies like CD-ROM and the world wide web, traditional gaming is going to die off sooner rather than later. And as we all know, if arcades disappear it's goodbye video games forever.

Yeah, that tablet market is really killing the PS4 and Xbox One sales figures. I bet Sony and Microsoft only have a few weeks left.

Gaming is gaming.

Truer words have never been typed.

Why does this happen every few years? People are always saying that "Gaming is dying! Just look at *insert reason*" The only thing that ever got close to killing gaming was Atari. Things like mobile gaming aren't something that are going to kill tradition video games, they can coexist at the same time without harming each other.

RIP

Is gaming dying? No.

Should gaming die? Yes.

The last time I ran the numbers I discovered that I spend $800/year on gaming. People gaming on their phone or tablet don't care about gaming enough to drop that kind of coin year after year. And the quality of the product doesn't demand it, so that's not going to change. People will tire of games telling them they can't play any more unless they pay up.

We are all dying.

Everything on Earth is dying.

The entire universe and all that is known is dying.

One day in the distant future, gaming and everything else in existence shall be dead.

Why would VR be such a influence? It's been around over 20 years, and it's still not affordable for mass consumers. And even facebooks intentions are "to help educational research."

Sounds like your behind on a big conspiracy gaming is dying and sounds a lot like "Motion gaming is killing gaming" rant from 6 years ago.

We live in a world where Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is amazing and yet people Patrick couldn't find the time for it because way too many games came out in February and March and that's not even getting into the time hole that Hearthstone is. Gaming is doing as it's always done. On the whole getting better year over year.

Gaming seems to be doing fine for others. But the past couple of years sure been slow for me personally. A few Big releases I liked, one or so in the middle, and a slew on the bottom. Doesn't equal to 3-4 years ago. But I am glad there are indie games to fill in.

Right now if it wasn't for Diablo 3 and Dark Souls 2.... but I can always bury myself in the past, lots of great games to re-play.

THERE! I just made the appropriate changes to your response!

Like grains of sand in a hourglass, so are days of our lives.

Pretty damn sure this is just a weird spam post, guys. In fact, I vaguely recall something exactly like this popping up not too long ago.

Yeah, I'm just waiting for it to post again with a "Oh wait guise, I found this awesome game that restored my faith into the industry afterall! You can download it right now from www.definetlynotascamsite.org" type o' post.

• Gamin is dying!
• Nintendo is doomed!
• Giantbomb's content is disappearing!
• The Vita failed!
• Xone is broken!
• Sony lied!
• These are not the graphics I was promised!
• Misogynist!
• Stop forcing me to buy your micro-transactions!

You're dying. Faster than gaming is, that is.

Stellar first post. I applaud the part where you really thought outside the box in order to make a truly bold statement.

"Gaming is dying" is a statement not a question. Sorry I'm such an asshole.

I would argue it's splintering not necessarily dying. Interactive entertainment is always evolving because it's a profitable multibillion dollar industry. VR certainly isn't for me. I can't just disappear for hours. But if it gets you wet or hard then go for it.

There is the trend of making games for YouTubers (Goat Simulator and Daylight) that makes me super uncomfortable. I'm never going to buy those games. But people who do I hope they have fun.

When I think about it, it's a lot like books. Their are millions of options and you can't read them all. You have to find what you enjoy and let people who enjoy something else have their own fun.

It's a business and as long as there is a demand there will always be a supplier.

Come on GiantBomb Community, you're better than this. Almost a page of people all saying effectively the same thing in response to an obvious troll-post from a 1-post account.