[praptak]

So the cost to produce an AAA game approaches those of bridges and skyscrapers. This pulls the lever towards conservatism and reuse.

On the other hand, we want novelty from culture. Something's gotta give.

So what about the cheaper end of the spectrum? Indie games? Single dev games? In my armchair theory, they drop the cost, lose the polish but gain freedom to innovate.

Did the economy kill that too? The alternative hypothesis is that the author is not looking hard enough.

A maybe related note: I think I saw a novel gimmick in a fixed shooter recently. An in-flight entertainment game had the player's ship only take damage from the top. The sides were immune and could "sweep" bullets to gain energy for power shots. (Or maybe this is an old trick and I'm an ignorant old fart?)