[NikolaNovak]

It depends on the game.

Not facetious - for me it's all about whether you build memories,and whether you'll regret time later.

Mass effect, deus ex, back in the day Another World or Sierra's space quest and Rama etc - these are important memories and experiences to me.

Overwatch (nearest call of duty analog I played, maybe), let alone all the phone games, are just time killers in the sense I do them to pass the time. They are games I actively regret playing moments, not even years after I'm done.

[progman32]

Precisely this. Mass Effect in particular triggered some deep introspection that measurably improved my life. I suppose it's just like other forms of media. Some books are just time wasters, while others are deeply meaningful to their readers. And there's overlap in those groups.

[earth_walker]

I don't have much time for gaming these days, and so when I do I want it to be good. So I browse the local buy-and-sell and pick up the classics every now and then.

This winter I picked up all three Mass Effects and played the first two through for the first time. Loved them, and will definitely get to the third when the snows come around again.

I think Deus Ex is one of those games every gamer should play through - it's like reading a classic - so what if the graphics and gameplay are a bit outdated, the philosophical debates with psychotic AI alone are worth it!

[kromem]

Just wait until the philosophical debates in games are with real AI.

The next 20 years are going to be quite the wild ride, even in contrast to the past 20.

[earth_walker]

I think that really depends on who has access to the AI, and what it will be used for. I've been playing computer games for 40 years, and have seen some highs and lows. But with all the technical advances over those years, the storytelling / character interactivity has generally stagnated or gotten worse.

Sure we've had a few gems here and there, but in general it's much more profitable for a company to cap any novel, exploratory gameplay or story at 10 hours, so that after a day of play it just becomes another online interactive generating subscription and DLC purchases.

Will AI be significant in improving game story quality and play-ability? Provide us with worlds we cannot even imagine, infinite explorations?

Or will AI be used as an excuse to avoid employing expensive and risky human imagination? Instead push everything to a bland middle-ground, lowest common denominator based on the safest and most profitable options determined from the training set...

We're already there, considering most games people play are some kind of optimized hyper-addictive candy crush with guns.

Sure, I can imagine a new Elder Scrolls installment where each npc was actually unique, with meaningful interactivity possible with every contact. Where every side quest is challenging, interesting, and fills out the story universe with depth.

But will we actually get that? Technology tends to be used to increase breadth rather than depth. Quantity, rather than quality. What we'll get is more of the same, Skyrims with ever bigger and more realistic (but not deeper) worlds, optimized to find the cheapest and easiest way to keep you subscribing.

[broodbucket]

Agree with this, though it's not necessarily about the game and it's more about what you put in and get out.

If you worked hard to improve at Overwatch and your goal was to make it to top 500 on the ladder, or join an amateur team and play in tournaments, etc - it's no longer the same time waster, you have goals to work towards.

Does any of that matter once you stop playing and do something else? Not really, but you can be proud of yourself, or thankful that you learned something about yourself, etc. I suppose it's about being active vs passive.