[gumby]

It wasn't until I started buying Lego for myself (in my 20s) that I learned that Lego came with instructions. When I was a kid my parents would open the box and discard the instructions before giving it to me.

Back then (60s/70s) the sets were quite general and open ended. Modern day Lego has the thinking done ahead of time, and has too many specialised pieces.

[tspike]

This is definitely a “get off my lawn” comment. Creativity with Lego has never been more vibrant. I encourage you to visit your local Lego fan convention, or explore one of the many online forums where people share their “MOCs.”

Those “specialized” pieces are incredible fodder for sculpting. Check out newelementary.com to see some examples.

[grigri907]

Agreed - the constraints of a limited set of bricks really forced creativity.

However, there's been a huge paradigm shift in terms of what is "allowed" as far as odd brick placements so the realm of what's possible to build has expanded at least as much as the inventory of brick options.