Since my parents bought me a Gamecube when I was in middle school, I have been enthralled with video games.

I remember fondly the first game I had for my Gamecube was “Lego Star Wars.” I spent hours upon hours playing that game, sometimes with my dad and sometimes with my best friend. After three gaming consoles (and no I am not currently up to date with a next-gen machine) and dozens upon dozens of games, I feel that I have become fully entrenched in gaming culture throughout the years.

I know the ins and outs of everything you would need to know, from which games are actually good to the state of the industry itself. That is what I want to talk about here, the industry.

As a gamer, I’ve never really had an interest in the online multiplayer side of gaming. Sure, it's fun and I have played it before at friend’s houses, but it just never appealed to me in the same way that games with good stories have. I know this may sound strange to a great many modern gamers, as the industry has most definitely swung in favor of online multiplayer.

It is exactly this aspect that I take issue with.

With the prominence and popularity of online gaming, gaming studios have made sure to capitalize as much as they can on the competitive nature of the games and the gamers who play them. The dreaded microtransaction has dominated mainstream online gaming for years now, and the hold it has only seemed to tighten.

Industry titans such as Electronic Arts have developed a seemingly perfect formula to rake in as much profit as they can. The first step is to produce large quantities of hype for a new game’s release.

The game is usually part of an already established franchise or one that is safe enough that they know people will buy it. The next step is to release the base game with a $60+ price. This is where things get good, this is where the microtransactions take place.

Loot boxes, aesthetic skins, and experience point bonuses are all examples of what real-world cash can buy for gamers to use in-game. This accessory system started out harmless enough, people may want to buy a few extra things to make their character stand out from the rest during online play.

Now, however, the system has become basically a requirement if you want to actually either complete a game or realistically compete with players online who have purchased the more powerful accessories already. Two very recent examples are the “Shadow of War” game and “Star Wars Battlefront 2.” I should point out that both are also sequels.

This system of pay-to-play has not sat well with many players as could be predicted. There are many complaints, but people keep buying. As long as people keep paying, the companies are not going to change anything. It has gotten to the point where quantity has overrun quality (much like in Hollywood, but that is a discussion for a different day).

I yearn for the days of good old couch co-op, where a friend and I could be in the same room while playing the same game.

I feel sad when I see the state of single-player, story-driven games. The new seems to seriously pale in comparison to those made years ago.

In many cases, I found myself thinking that I would rather play a game made in the early 2000’s despite all of the obvious gameplay or technical issues, than playing one of these new games which have lost their hearts and souls.