u/StevemacQ

While the internet is more common now, it's still not universal because most ones in rural areas can't physically get landline broadband, with wi-fi being the only option but the time and use of it makes downloading anything, especially games, a slog.

Another reason is that whatever audience the industry hopes to gain will find something new, and I'm not talking about us (the hardcore users) but the broad casual audience because that's happened to Nintendo during their Wii U days. The Wii was immensely popular and affordable among non-gamers but the marketing for the then-next console was so confusing for casuals, and the smartphones were in vogue, so they quickly moved on, with the Wii U only getting support from its most dedicated fans. Nintendo endured and thrived again with the Switch but any other company would've called it quits and dissolved.

It's not that an-all digital future will drive people away, it's that something new and unexpected will gain their attention instead, with only a small hardcore fanbase left to support it but that's not growth, and I doubt even we will stick around this time.

I don't know what will come and overtake the game industry but it'll be something the suits in charge could never conceive.

I know protagonists can serve as an audience surrogate by asking questions and responding the way a reader/viewer/player responds, but I can't stand the type of protagonists who are so boring and ugly compared to the more diverse cast of supporting characters with unique designs.

When I look at an anime or VN and see the main character as a generic nobody, I say to myself "Oh FFS!" and lose interest, wishing the protagonist was kicked out of the story altogether. What's also annoying is that they never respond the way we would if we were suppose insert ourselves into them. They don't feel relatable, so I judge always judge them on their own merits.

It's worse in a game if you can't customize your character or if you can't choose what they can say.

We're at the point where the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii are considered retro and so many people will discover or rediscover. There a lot of problems because of DLC and patches being lost, as well as games that required servers to stay online and are no longer playable (unless you count private servers and modding). FFXIII is the last game I know that has no need for patches or installation at all.

How will the likes of GTA6 and other games be looked at in the future if they're no longer available to play and can't be tracked when digital storefronts are no longer accessible? Older games from the 80s to 2000s can be run on emulation but ones that come after are more difficult.