>>21313554They were games made by people that wanted others to play and enjoy. Significantly more risk-taking due to the environment not being overly critical, like having investors over their shoulders and pressuring them.
Now days it's just businesses min/maxing for profits, which is why you see the "amusement park" GaaS format being used the past decade or so. Many teams can't even produce a well-rounded single-player game, and settle for multiplayer-only games.
vibes/energy reminds me of 2006-2008 early Youtubers vs Youtubers today. the latter are mostly here for a paycheck, and carry themselves and their "business" like a 16 year-old at a fast-food joint, asking for likes/subs. Souless, no passion, just mindlessly chasing trends, etc etc.
