@Atheist Jew: Can't argue with that. Those were a great 11 years. Looking Glass, LucasArts, Sierra, Origin, Westwood, New World, SSI, Microprose... the list goes on and on. So many great games from so many great (now largely defunct) studios. It's a testament that a lot of games are now only catching up to innovations introduced by titles that are decades old by now.

Anyone else think it's a coincidence that the decline of PC gaming roughly coincided with the death of Imagine Publishing's neutering (PCXL, Next Gen), the Ion Storm clusterfuck, and the arrival of Daikatana?

That's right. It's all John Romero's fault. I say it's time we grab our pitchforks and go a-huntin'.

JustThisGuy

No, this isn't even the bronze age. I feel as if this is the decline of video gaming into a casual basis. Story lines and game time are being cut out for gimmicky playing that you can do when you invite friends over. Single player is being killed, and so is decent story telling.

Kanoopy

@Atheist Jew: I somewhat agree. I personally think the golden age was 1991-1997. The SNES & Genesis generation of games has yet to be beat, IMO.

PhiCancri

Golden Age: Beast Rider?

tk.

@papero3: I completely agree. The industry's golden age is not the gamer's golden age.

Just as 99% (totally made up) of people owning TVs today compared with much fewer 50 years ago does not make the current cable programming better.

If anything, market saturation has killed the creative drive of developers. If you can spend two weeks making Carnival Games and sell a million copies, why put the effort into designing something like Okami or Shadow of the Colossus?

Business is, and always has been about the $$$$, but at least 10 years ago, it wasn't as transparent as it is today, with companies releasing half finished games and selling us the rest as DLC.

Kaji

Sorry, but I found nothing of any signifance within that keynote address.

And that's me being nice, I've been in the industry a while ...but the golden age? Not yet, my friend.

i_9

@papero3: I cant believe he referred to those people as just "passionate", more like rabid.

smuckers is good

Argh, they're not talking about the "golden age of gaming" in terms of the release of great games; they're talking about it as an accepted medium to society and the positive aspect it has in life, outside of bloody headshots and 30-man raids.

It's a level of consciousness built on the PS2's and Wii's success, where people know and care about Madden, play Wii Sports in old folks' homes, and create hundreds of casual games that waste time, make a political statement, or educate kids. It's a golden age because the social stigma behind gaming in the SNES/Genesis days is disappearing fast.

Not because we happened to play Bioshock, Halo, MGS4, and Mario Galaxy within the past year.

Datheron

@MantisDragon:
Something like 5 or 7 companies have left, and there's still (I think) 20+? Really, this is a lot of FUD. =(

StupidDufus

Its good to hear that games are starting to be looked on as the same level as movies and music. The whole tech/geek isolation stereotype so many people had since the introduction of personal computers in the 80's on is quickly disappearing. If anything, video games are a great social activity to communicate and interact with people who aren't exactly in the same room as you. I rarely talk to my school friends on the phone for example, we all would much rather talk and etc. while playing some Halo 3 or CoD4.

Quicksilver4648

Everytime I read "Gallagher" I just think of the watermelons :P

Viciouschan

The SNES and Genesis were widely accepted as part of the culture of my generation, who will supplant the generation shaking their collective fist at us darn lazy kids. In my opinion, the Golden Age of Gaming has long passed.

Kaji

WAIT how many special people did they need to use to get into a golden age.

Allcars

There are arguments for and against it.

For: There's been an unstoppable barrage of fantastic game from autumn 2007 to spring 2008.

Against: There seems to be few things left on the horizon, as shown by this E3.

Ashurahori

Yup, it's all downhill from here on. Countless bland sequels and more of the same with a little gem popping out from time to time is the future of video games. You know, after the summer comes autumn and then eventually winter.

Yobari

The golden age of gaming industry maybe.
I don't like where the gaming community is going. Im talking about "fanboyisms" and online trash talking. If these goes on, i wont be proud of calling myself a gamer anymore D:

papero3

@snakepliskin: Don't worry, dude, the time will come for the console market too. Everything goes through booms and busts and gaming is no different. While I wouldn't predict a crash as destructive as the Atari-implosion in the 80's, I do reckon the massive growth of late is not sustainable in the long term. We'll see...

freakout

What golden age? People rage more than ever over games. Console wars are the most bitter we've seen in ages, even surpassing the great wars of Nintendo v. Sega. Games, while pretty, are at the most uniform and generic quality we've seen since the gaming crash. We suffer from some of the most generic game designs, shortest games, amongst other things.

People cried over color in Diablo 3!

Wii v. 360 v. PS3 is not the golden age of gaming. It is, however, made of money and broken dreams.

Black-Dog-Howls

@Atheist Jew: Well i thought it would last forever and now im bitter.

snakepliskin

@snakepliskin:
The golden age of PC gaming has come and gone.

It lasted approximately between 1989 and 2000.

Atheist Jew

"No one rings a bell saying the world has changed."

Well, there was that one time that Nietzsche ran into the town square with a lantern and a bell yelling that God was dead. Oh man, those were good times.

I Think We're Property

Too bad us pc gamers are in the dark ages...

snakepliskin

Translation: "With so many companies leaving the ESA, they need to feel as if they are still important."

MantisDragon

The nostalgia is strong in this one.

ostartero

@Black-Dog-Howls:
That's a good way to describe this age. I do think it has more great games than even maybe the SNES/Genesis era, but the console wars rage hotter than ever.

If they are talking about it in terms of gaming entering the mainstream, then didn't that really start last generation. The numbers for PS2 sales eclipse everything this generation has, and I really don't think any of the 3 current consoles will match them. Maybe the DS will.

gamadaya

ow wait fighters are making a revival hehe

loempiavreter

@JustThisGuy:

We can blame those games for the lack of run & gun, beat'em up, fighters, shmups, lightgun shooters, rail shooters these days... :(

loempiavreter

So awesome...

Matt Schlicht

The gaming community... what the hell happened? It used to be awesome.

Matt Schlicht

Golden Age of gaming = we're making more money than ever before!!! lolololol

Gamers get casual games and the same shootan game with slightly different colour schemes. My gaming diet these day? TF2 and DwarfFortress.

Leanid

To me the golden age stopped when arcade's where slowly dissapearing.

loempiavreter

@wild homes: wild homes has shortened his name!!! What's up, dude?

JustThisGuy

@PhiCancri: I don't know, dude. I loved my SNES, but I don't think either the SNES or Genesis library can match titles like:

Wolf3D, Doom, Dune 2, Command and Conquer, Red Alert, Lands of Lore, the D&D Gold Box series, Wing Commander 1-4, X-Com, Thief 1&2, System Shock 1&2, Civ II, the Ultimas (including Underworld), the LucasArt adventure titles, Jedi Knight 1&2, Quake 1-3, Unreal and UT, Half Life, Homeworld, Darklands, Jagged Alliance 1-2, Freespace 1&2, X-Wing, Betrayal at Krondor, etc. etc. etc.

Really, I think AJ--although perhaps being slightly facetious--hit the nail right on the head. As far as content goes, you couldn't beat the PC scene from 89-00. Those titles defined the genres we're used to playing right now.

JustThisGuy

Wii Music is the pinnacle of gaming.

Firemane

During this period, video game company's farms produce more, video game company's mines produce more, everything will be increased in produciton. It lasts for 8 turns. It is started by the Taj Mahal wonder and by sacrificing 2 Great People.

gramblor

While I agree we're enjoying an unprecedented boom in this industry, Gallagher's a bit of a blowhard and his comments are worse than useless. Two years ago the ESA was fighting off lawmakers-- and they still are, today. States are still attempting to pass laws. Other states are still fighting the ESA. Minnesota, anyone? National politicians are still making noise about game control, whatever the result, and Perry is hardly the first governor, and Texas the first state, to try and woo developers to pitch shop. As I stated earlier, Massachusetts recently had a big push to encourage developers to move to Boston, with many of the same incentives Texas is advertising.

And with all due respect to Gallagher, but Sandra Day O'Conner isn't a politician at all. She's a political appointee, and her ability to affect the industry is limited to deciding the constitutionality of videogame control laws. So her status as an advocate for an educational title is nice, but it's hardly groundbreaking. Ultimately Gallagher's comments seem obvious and unnecessary. At worst they seem like measured speech intended to tie the industry's success to the bumbling ESA.

wild homes

This will truly be a golden age if Nintendo comes to its senses and starts making games for "core" (I HATE that term.) gamers as well as for "casual" players.

Altersparck

@Black-Dog-Howls:
It was an epiphany when I realized I wasn't bound to a side in the console war. This occurred when all three consoles were in my room at once. They were all played, and there were games I liked for all of them. As originally a Nintendo fanboy, I was so glad to finally realize that I like good games, not just good Nintendo games. I think the main realization happened when I thought about Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band. Two similar games, yet two completely different, yet great experiences. I didn't have to choose a side, for both games were good. I like Metroid Prime 3, I like Halo 3, I like MGS4. It is a great feeling to like good games. The problem now is that I only actually own one console. :/

But anyway, I agree with them, but it's a bit more personal. It is certainly the beginning of MY golden age of gaming, and it will be at its height when I finally scrape enough money to own all three systems and a decent computer. I don't want to miss out on the fun any longer. :)

Benjammn

@gamadaya: @Black-Dog-Howls: It internet and the anonymity it provides has basically turned the fanboy into a raving madman. It doesn't help that this current generation doesn't really have anything to fight about. The currently available games tend to show that both systems perform about the same, with no game so far showing a clear graphical or computational advantage on either system. Also, since most publishers have gone multiplatform, pretty much every highly anticipated title gets released on both systems. Now, most fanboy arguments tend to boil down to petty differences like price or the number of disc a game will have to be on, soon to be followed by namecalling...

psycoking

Has the ESA forgotten about the SNES and Sega Genesis?

Cause last I checked, THAT was the true golden age...

TuxBobble

@Black-Dog-Howls:
I don't think anyone could've said it better than what you wrote.

Gam3r

Video games really are better than they ever have been. Many people are tired of sequels and such but screw em I say. I want more of what I love.

Dalren

@Black-Dog-Howls: you can't seriously believe the only games that come out these days are bland sequels. in the last few years we've had shadow of the colossus, okami, portal, bioshock, metal gear solid 4, guitar hero and rock band to name a few. we have littlebigplanet and mirror's edge coming out later this year. every one of those games will be considered classics for years to come, just like many SNES/mega drive games are considered classics now. is it only me who remembers there were just as many (if not more) shitty games than good games on those consoles too?

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

@Matt Schlicht:
It's still the same as it's ever been.

Only it was much, much harder to see it when there was no such thing as the internet!

I any case, I kind of agree. Not that we are in some golden age (we need to see the end first, THEN we can pinpoint where it was best; it's stupid to claim that "now" is the best it will ever be), but that we are at a definite turning point.
I've been gaming as far back as I can remember, back when my age was still in the single digits and I was still not even in kindergarden (I still remember talking to my kindergarden buddies about games...and the name of my teacher!).

I think gaming has only been getting better.
Maybe it's because I have a different perspective, but still.

I mean, if you could go back to Miyamoto while he was making Mario, and tell him that in the future, we would be able to recreate entire worlds, entire battlefields, entire univrses, and with visuals realistic enough to be confused with video recordings, he would think you're balls-to-the-wall batshit crazy.

And yet, here we are, doing exactly such things, and only going forwards. PErhaps it's because I'm looking at it from a technical perspective.
Sure, we have the classics. Sonic, Comix Zone, Mario, Chrono Trigger. And yes, they are still amazing, even by today's standards. But you can't deny that a game like Crysis is not "better" (i.e. in terms of technology and industry progress-- not in terms of story) than Chrono Trigger.

Yeah, we are still nostalgic to the "fathers of the genres". But look how far we've come. To say that video gaming's best years are behind us is a silly statement, I think. It's undeniable that we've hit something. A gold mine, a turning point, a speed boost, anything.

Here we are, entering as a viable industry. The fact that gaming is always under scrutiny by the media proves it, we are impacting society.
The fact that companies risk millions proves it. Go back to when the Playstation was not numbered, and tell Microsoft that they would heavily invest in video games. I think they would have laughed. And here they are, spending millions upon millions . Tell Sony that billions would be made in the future from their games, they would have laughed. And yet, they are going toe-to-toe investing millions as well.
Even as a form of media, we are slowly emerging. The fact that people are arguing whether or not video games are an art form proves this as well. You think when the first movie was shown, people said "WoW, that's art!"?

Video gaming is only growing, and getting better. Yes, we have had our classics, and our memories are nostalgic of the beginnings. We have enjoyed the past, and have fond memories (and rightly so) of it.
But to claim that the best times are behind us? I think that's a little absurd.

Coquiton

IMO, the golden age ended a long time ago. Hell, I still have my Warcraft 2 jewel case (Pre-Battle.net edition) staring me in the face, those were the days...

Pezdispenser

This is the worst gen of gaming since the great crash of 83.

GrandfatherParadox

The gaming world as a community (gamers, developers, industry, and society) need to come a little farther before it is stated that the "Golden Age" has arrived. Modern day gaming has yet to decide on an identity and already the Golden Age has come?

Whatever... I'm just looking forward to seeing how this generation of consoles plays out; it's been the most interesting since Nintendo and Sega wrestled for gamer's hearts.

othello500

@neoepochx:

that's just the pink glasses of nostalgia; for me I'd say the n64 + ps1 + dreamcast era was the best, because that's the one I grew up in.

I'm sure in a few years we'll be seeing people believing the ps2, xbox and gamecube era was the best, and even later, our current console line up.

as a pc gamer all I can hope for is in the future, more devs will port to pc, and not just the microsoft and sony systems :(. I don't want to be forced to pick one of them up for the rest of eternity for those worthwhile titles that don't reach my rig.

Hisdon

I think that the SNES era was the golden era. Sure there were still the Nintendo vs. Sega fanboy fights, but everyone can agree that the best games came from that era.

neoepochx

Graphics are reaching a state where there isn't much room for improvement, and many devs are going for cartoony art directions anyway to steer clear of the uncanny valley. Once that emphasis on making things look realistic is gone, there's much more room for other factors: story telling, and game play (which can mean a lot of things; physics, controls, immersion, actual DEEP + INTELLECTUAL design choices, ect.)

So what if the emphasis now is on looking shiny? In the long run it'll just help reach this hurdle at a quicker rate.

Hisdon

...Uhhhh?

"Golden Age" usually refers to standards being created, and canons being formed, not rampant demographic catering and derivative game designs.

How many sequels came out this year again?

It's good that the industry is phasing out innovation for hype and console-nationalism though. I'm sure Final Fantasy Nomura and Alien Shooter 360 will be heralded as great gaming achievements akin to Titanic and Transformers.

MoaM

All we need to do is sacrifice two great gamers and we can start a golden age anytime we want.

....Ok fine, so I have been playing to much Civ IV lately

TurinTurambar

So called "Golden Ages" tend to be pretty interchangable from person to person, nine times out of ten.

I wouldn't say this is a Golden Age of anything myself, especially after this E3 though with the new technology and new audiences there's definitely the potential for one. But potential and what ends up coming to pass are two totally different things.

Can aspiring minds get the chance to make the stand-out-in-a-crowd greatness that it takes for a Golden Age to happen when games are as expensive to make as they are now (and thus, harder to get the green light for things)? I guess we'll see.

Kiyosuki

The Golden Age of gaming started with the NES and ended with the death of the Dreamcast. Now we're in a Silver Age, but it's starting to tarnish. In the 90's, every platform had tons of killer games. Now, PC gaming is dying, The Wii is more of a toy than a game system, and the PS3 and 360 have mostly the same 3rd party games.

Placentasaurus

Lies. The Golden Age was the early/mid-90s when Square was releasing for the SNES and Sonic was just meeting Knuckles. Can any who knew that era disagree? I can only see those bandwagoners who joined in the Playstation Tony Hawk rush or--gasp!--even more recently suggesting otherwise.

cyruspowers

The golden years came with the advent of cd-r media caught on and started being used for gaming. Much more content and variety of games were released. Developers were everywhere and fearless enough to take on this new technology. The result was that nintendo and sega was given serious competition. We had games from all different backrounds, demographic, and ages. American gaming started to really take hold. So many games and so much variety meant that the esrb had to be formed to monitor it all. That was golden. Gaming had become relevent. fast forward to now...Everybody only wants online game and online content. Every developer wants to be some cash cow style world of warcraft. no variety.no risk. this NOT golden. it may never be the same.

Xtreme_Hindu_Cow

As long as games like mass effect, oblivion, R6 vegas, and CoD4 keep coming out. I really don't care.

deathtastic

Sure, if you call crappy me-too sequels and unoriginal games the golden age of gaming. Although they probably mean that while the CEOs get fat 3+ million bonus checks while the grunts get laid off golden age of gaming. Yeah, I think that's it.

CecilTheDarkKnight

@Black-Dog-Howls:

There are 'fanboys' in movies, tvs, and films.

Does that mean the film industry is not at it's best?

I was reading the forums on RT and people were screaming obscenities over the difference between Ledger's Joker and Jack's Joker.

Sorry. But i don't think the game industry is bad for having "fanboys"

Vecha

i wish this golden age of gaming included more high quality console rpgs.

sohpi

More money =/= Golden age. Unless you're a suit.

All these years and my SNES has always been at least a power adapter's plug in away from playing.

Slust

@JustThisGuy: I'm trying to find a worthy successor!

wild homes

yea were enterin it........if the fanboys can let us through

ejpal

"He likened today's video game industry to a movie multiplex, featuring a broad range of entertainment choices that appeal to a diverse customer base."

You know what, he's absolutely right. That's why I have Netflix.

boopadoo

I actually thought this console generation sucked :(

Waka in Japan

The 16-bit era was the golden age of gaming.

This is merely the golden age of consoles-turned-media centers.

evslin

Being in the golden age isn't necessarily a good thing.

I would say this period is most akin to the Golden Age of cinema. We are currently enjoying our (equivalents of) Humphrey Bogarts and our Hammer Dracula films and our Marilyn Monroes.

The 16-bit era was more like silent films. And you know what, the analogy works, because they really were silent games, except for some music and sound effects...

SicariusIV

I almost had a tear in my eye reading that, and then I read the comments and you guys are so....upsetting! Lol. Most of what you're saying is totally valid (like Kaji, above) and I'd have to agree that gaming overall is on a downwards spiral.

But there are always gonna be good games and bad games (even the old days had E.T.-shovelware) - being a dedicated gamer means researching your games before you buy them and making sure you're not just eating PR bull. You need to be a smart consumer as well as a smart gamer so you don't contribute/encourage to the growing rise of developer laziness.

In short, with games like The World End With You (which is by far, the most awesome game I've ever played) in existence, I haven't totally lost hope. :)

-Age

Ageman20XX

Everyone has their own golden age. This isn't mine, I think the 32 bit era was.

insaneo

"No one rings a bell saying the world has changed."

The British are coming...

Grifflame

Given what Sony and Microsoft have announced, I am a bit bemused by this.

With the big emphasis on delivering TV/video through the boxes surely when they are being used to watch TV and movies they aren't being used to play games. Which reduces game-playing time, which reduces the market for games ...

Can't work out where the sense is in that.

phisheep