Ivan Vodkov wrote:
Everyone has played it by now, probably, the hype was ridiculous.
There was a lot of praise from reviewers and the games media, but this game really didn't sell very well.
Anyways, big budget games have certainly gotten more "SERIOUS" in the last few years, but I don't think games like Spec Ops are the issue. If a game is trying to tell a dramatic story, I don't begrudge it for going for engagement in action over fun. Hell, that's what horror games are all about.
The issue as I see it is in games going serious for the sake of being serious, and seeming "mature." To often acting serious, grey and gritty is used essentially as an excuse not to tell a more engaging story, implying players should care simply because shit has gotten real, without providing the background to understand how previously the shit was only abstract.
While overly serious games aren't good, the real problem is just homogeneity in the market. I think we could do well to have a broader range of tone in the game market, allowing for more games to explore deeper and hopefully more engaging drama, and have more stuff that is allowed to be silly. We could afford to have more open silliness.