- The transition of games from GTA IV to GTA V and Watch Dogs to Watch Dogs 2 are a few examples of this.
- Using a dark & gritty plot and atmosphere is essential because it adds depth to the game and its characters.
- Shifting to fun appeals to a younger audience as they are huge customers of the gaming industry.
Dark & gritty games have been missing in the gaming industry. The games that are still present are still appreciated for their serious plot. But why do games do this? Let’s find out.
Common Examples
People often admire the dark and broody atmosphere in games because it represents depression, a catastrophe, or something negative. This effect is the same in games as it is in movies.
However, games are transitioning to fun and vibrant colors with a playful and lighthearted tone instead of a dark and gritty atmosphere with a serious plot. This transition is removing the element of darkness and seriousness from most games, which is creating a void.
GTA IV To GTA V
Some common examples are the transition from GTA IV to GTA V and the upcoming GTA VI. We can clearly see how gritty GTA IV was with its dull, desaturated colors, dark, twisted plot, and serious protagonist.
Compared to GTA V, which uses vibrant colors and depicts a fun, playful, and lighthearted plot most of the time, This seems to be the same case for the upcoming GTA VI, as we can judge from the trailer how colorful and playful the game will be.
Watch Dogs To Watch Dogs 2
Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 are also victims of this transition. Watch Dogs has a pensive and serious protagonist who is in constant pain throughout the game because he has lost his niece, who was killed.
The protagonist has flashbacks at particular locations where the murder of her niece took place. This dark plot is reinforced by the somewhat gritty colors and earthy tones used in the game, which are missing in Watch Dogs 2.
Watch Dogs 2 took a completely different approach. The protagonist is an unsure teen with no spine who uses humor to appeal to a younger audience. The game also added much saturation and color to depict a playful atmosphere.
Compare this to Watch Dogs Legion which lacked proper anotogonist and felt like a clutter which became a reason for the downfall of the franchise.
What Do Fans Prefer?
In the two examples, we still see that Watch Dogs 1 and GTA IV are more appreciated even though they were released 10 and 16 years ago, respectively.
People enjoyed both games’ serious plots and gritty atmospheres, especially GTA IV, because they brought depth to the characters. Yes, the newer releases have perfect physics, graphics, textures, and other things, but they lack grit.
But Why Do Games Do This?
Using dark & gritty colors means there should be elements of darkness involved in the narrative. Most often dark games reveal the truth, which seems to have become a problem in recent times.
Cancel Culture
Cancel or call-out culture began to take its place in the late 2010s, and it was to stop people from going overboard with truth. This movement meant that games that were way too honest were not accepted, and it became stronger as the years passed.
This is why all the older games, such as GTA San Andreas and Bully, had references and jokes that would easily get canceled if released in this period. This is one of the reasons why Bully 2 might be canceled.
Appeal To The Younglings
The gaming industry’s biggest customers are children; to appeal to children, games must be vibrant and playful. This way, the game appears fun to the youth, who buy more of it.
The chart by Exploding Topics reveals that the number of people under 18 is the second highest after teenagers, young adults, and adults. Most people in this age bracket don’t think much before purchasing a game.
Light humor, young protagonists, and a lighthearted plot all appeal to the teens who became frequent customers of these games. Additionally, if all the games appear to have vivid colors, the children will feel familiar, so they’ll buy more of them.
This is why games like Fortnite are common among kids. It has extremely saturated colors, easy-going lore, and action-figure-like characters that click among the children.
Why Does It Suck?
Other than being an insinuation of a dark narrative, a gritty atmosphere also serves as an art style. It sucks because these types of games are missing due to the saturation of vibrant games.
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[News Reporter]
Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.
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