@pezen: yes exactly, the average/regular human being is neither strong nor dependent but that doesn't mean that s/he have to be weak and independent. Because we have too many characteristics between these extremes and this is where the average human lies.

When a developer have a no-no list of completely normal portrayals because some people are too sensitive towards them and feel offended by having them in the game then its a limitation.

Weak and independent people exist and i really don't want it to be limited to males, for no reason .

• Broken games and beta versions of games being launched, and fixed after being sold to its consumer audience

This is definitely a real problem, especially with annualized releases. It's hurting reviews and early adopters in a way that is simply unacceptable. More pressure needs to be placed on developers to have games in working order without a huge day 1 patch or have it busted for days or weeks before becoming decent for most players. It doesn't have to be this way.

• A larger focus given to DLC;

While potentially problematic, I wouldn't consider this a significant problem in and of itself. Personally, I haven't found many new games to feel like they're lacking in content. DLC is a new way to extend the life of many games, and if anything, it's allowing full titles to be enjoyed even longer. Obviously, it's not always handled well(like in pre-order DLC and on-disc DLC), but in general, DLC can exist as something positive when the base is strong enough on its own.

• Microtransactions;

Yeah, microtransactions and energy bars are ridiculous. I think this is a fad which many developers will eventually realize doesn't really work out as planned. Though, greater pressure from gamers to get rid of this nickel and diming might help, as well.

• Peripheral issues challenging creativity: the portrayal of sex, feminism;

I'm glad you decided to mention a growing positive in this list of negatives, as many others have discussed. A breath of fresh air. ;)

• Sequels instead of new original intelectual properties.

To some extent this is true, but it's also something relatively true of the early time of new generations. Getting in that latest version of the hit franchise, and with the new tech, releasing a remastered "better" version of an older title. This is relatively easy for many devs to pursue; though, it's debatable whether it is inherently a problem. These releases tend to be easy money which can help fund new original titles. It's rather common to go with what works and then use that success to try for something new.

It's a bit of a bummer at the moment, no doubt, but it may end up helping us see some original titles in the next two years or so as the current gen really gets underway. It isn't really a new trend in gaming as much as part of the cycle of gaming, and part of gaming just happens to be on the lower end of that cycle. Though, I would argue that if you like handheld gaming, the 3DS and Vita have been around long enough that they're actually getting more quality titles, as well, and with their install bases, more risks on original titles are being taken. 2015 could be quite the year in that regard.

So, absolutely some challenges to face, but overall, not worse than gaming has been in the past. Parts are concerning, like releasing downright broken big games on a semi-regular basis and a fascination with microtransactions, but they're manageable. I'm pretty happy with just how many cool games are available for me to play at the moment, but gaming can still be even better. :)

I don't get that. Are you saying the press don't give developers any shit for the crap they pull or just not enough shit?

Because it seems like there are a lot of folks nowadays complaining that developers are getting too much criticism from press and critics, not too little. In recent years, it seems like more people in the press and industry are actually willing to call publishers and developers on mistakes and deceptions than ever before.

Could they apply pressure and hold them even more accountable? Probably so. But considering how far we've come from even just a decade or so ago where most of what we saw was simply the press as publisher mouthpieces and hype men, it would be ridiculous not to give credit where credit is due. I do think outlets need to get even tougher and more opinionated on some things, but I can appreciate the work many outlets, writers, and critics already do to call a lot the gaming industry out on things that they feel could be improved.

Broken ass games a definitely a problem. Though I am willing to chalk them up to early generation games this year, were still not that many major releases into this generation.

As far as the peripheral "issues" don't assume that writers and creators are being forced into doing things they don't want to do. Maybe they are maybe there not, maybe they overlooked something in the previous game and wanted to correct it. There is no real way of knowing without being there when the story is penned. And if you don't like the way they portray something you can do this little thing called "not buying the game". Crazy I know

Something I hope won't be a problem again but fear that it will is yet again stressing graphics over gameplay. Especially on consoles. There was this short period of time where I thought more developers would go for at least 60fps but recent titles have shown that this isn't the case. It seems like even a stable 30fps is sacrificed to to achieve a higher resolution (Dragon Age Inquisition being a good recent example of this). This is a bad trend and I do not want to see it continue.

It's happening in the gaming community at large and I never said that social critique should be kept out of games. I actually specifically said the opposite. I'm saying that the people pushing these issues, games writers and their lackeys, are proving that they aren't qualified and don't know what they're doing. They're making it a war. Obviously, I repeat, obviously pushing for a more inclusive environment is a good thing but I believe that is the opposite of what is going on around games and, more broadly, the media. People are more split than ever and it's driven by contempt for opposing views. Feminism is a completely acceptable worldview but it shouldn't be stamping out what others believe and visa versa.

Social critique is extremely tricky because it is built on alienating someone or others beliefs. It's bound to happen but you need to learn to soften the blow. The people that are good at it are educated and trained in the subject and know that you need to be very careful about not making it into a fight. I'd say that, judging by gamergate and the medias response to gamergate, it is absolutely 100% considered a fight. It's the wrong way to go about it. It breeds the wrong mentality.

Well being a regular person, to me at least, is someone who is capable of being strong and independent, but it is also vulnerable and naive. Like giant_gamer said delving into the many layers humans can and usually exhibit. Not making it a poster child for strong and independent females, because like giant_gamer said also, sticking to one type of character will in the long run ruin part of the enjoyment of the games they are featured in.

Well Bioware's RPGs are known to have multiple possibilities for partners, with different demeanours, thus limiting the set of characters itself in its games is unusual for Bioware.

Come back at the end of 2015/Q1 2016. Also, don't forget that lots of original IPS are now indie games, whereas before they would've had to bring their ideas to a big publisher.

A lot of folks say the press are too hard on developers? That's a new one on me.

'Big' games are coming out borderline broken - yet if it's from a big publisher who spends a lot on advertising then that game isn't metacriting below a 75, it's as simple as that. You get the odd dissenting voice, but as a whole the games press act as little more than the marketing department for the industry. I would strongly disagree that the situation has improved over the last decade.

Yeah, it's pretty crazy to me, too. But I've heard quite a bit as of late from people who think many in the press and critics dislike publishers and devs and "hurt" them with being too critical, focusing too much on their mistakes, and speaking out too much with opinions on how they could do better. "Let the devs make the games and just report on it!"

I'd actually lean more on your end though, because I think press and critics could be plenty rougher. I personally think the 75 or above part of it is indicative of how misleading review scores are. We're finally starting to see some outlets get away from review scores, but they do continue to encourage a misguided view of what reviews are. And unfortunately, many gamers' identification with game series they like also means reviewers are pressured to not be "too critical" or "too opinionated" when it comes to coverage and reviews. For some new games, rating them under a 9 means you're basically an inhuman monster picking on a game a lot of people are hyped about, and if you give a game a 7 or below and -anyone- likes it, you're obviously letting your opinion sway it too much and part of some vast conspiracy to hate on good games and those who enjoy them. It's nonsense.

To me, I've seen a greater desire in recent years to actually question that uniformity, but they have been met with much of the gaming audience pressuring them to stick to saying every big new game is "good for those who like that kind of game". Anyone that strays from the norm is called an attention whore or hater, and anyone that likes a game too much is called a paid off shill. Most of what they see is not gamer appreciation for difference, but an insistence that difference is an aberration. And as long as that remains the case, the straight talk and tougher reviews will continue to be an uphill battle for many press and critics in gaming today.

Hoo boy, this paragraph is a classic example of burying your lede.

NoT sure how you can blame the media for forming an opinion on how to make gaming more inclusive. You seem to be suggesting the media and their "lackeys" have an agenda here, unless I'm mistaken. What qualifications does one need to talk about, say, adding playable female characters in AssCreed or have better representation of trans people in GTA? Don't want to get in a whole GG debate, but if anyone's making an aggressive stance against changing the status quo, it's GG and those that support its tenets.

Pre order bonuses and dlc are 2 of the worst things to ever happen to gaming. Unfortunately people bought into both and now they are expected. People pre ordering games is the worst and makes 0 sense.

I'll add preorder bonuses to the list. Because it is really abnoxious, specially when the content given is extra-missions.