With the PS4 on the way, the gaming industry is alive once again reminding us how dull and boring and... wrong... it is. Here's a quick summary of some of the things I'm sick to death of hearing about when it comes to video games.

Polygones = Emotion
I'm sure you've all seen the jokes, but this one stems from David Cage, who gushed over the tech demo of an old man's face for the PS4, remarking about how the only way to get "true" emotion is by bridging the uncanny valley with high resolution models, hi-def textures, and realistic shaders. "True emotion" of course can't be found in books, TV, or cartoons because none of those things can depict the exquisite details of a wrinkled face in true HD glory. I'm sorry to say this, David Cage, but if I can get an emotional response out of 16-bit pixel sprites from Chrono Trigger, or a pictureless book... your logic is faulty.

Socialize EVERYTHING
I'm really getting tired of everything wanting to connect to everything else. I know this is where "progress" is taking us, but I kinda don't want to have anything to do with that. I don't want everyone I know to be updated every time I complete a quest in a video game. I don't want to play games where certain quests can only be completed by "socializing" with your friends online. Why is it so wrong to want to be alone? What if I LIKE playing games by myself? Case in point: Minecraft. I love getting lost in Minecraft, and it would totally ruin my immersion if I were being constantly reminded to update my status on twitter every 10 minutes.

Singleplayer = BAD
Like the socialize everything issue, there's a growing trend from developers by thinking EVERYTHING must be online, and that no one really wants single player games. Crytek's CEO just said this week that he believes single player experiences shouldn't even exist anymore because "socialized" gaming online is "inherently better." Again... I point to Minecraft. Screw the multiplayer aspects, I just want to craft stuff by myself and build castles to defend against endermen, not worrying about some griefer logging into my server and mucking things up.

High Tech = BEST
Despite this being loudly debunked during the last generation (Wii vs PS4 & 360), people STILL seem to think that only the most advanced technology out there can produce the best games. Yes, we should always be advancing technology and working to make better graphics and games, but it's not a 1:1 ratio. Games are good because they're designed good. It's OK to have games that aren't amazeballs tech demos. Sometimes having simple graphics, well designed interfaces, and a compelling story are all you need. I'm really tired of the idea that if a game doesn't look like it cost a bazillion dollars to make, it's no good. If the video game industry crashes and burns, you can bet your ass that the developers who pick up the slack and revitalize the market will be the indi-developers.

Console Wars
Probably because I am a die-hard Nintendo fanboy, I'm sick to death of the current gen console wars. I had to live through the Sega vs Nintendo wars when I was a kid, and it was pretty damn ugly. In this day and age when the only real difference between consoles is graphical prowess, I can really do without the console bickering. The only reason I haven't gotten a PS3 or Xbox myself is simply because I can't justify buying them for games I don't have any interest in. That's a ME problem, not a video game industry problem. We don't need to argue which console is the best, because it all comes down to personal preferences, and you can't quantify that. It's not worth the headaches.

Immaturity
The video game industry itself needs to grow up. Despite all the M rated games, the blood, the violence, the swearing and sex... the video game industry itself is pretty immature and so are a majority of gamers. I'm really getting tired of the reflexive defending of consoles and games if they're perceived to be something they're not. We have a lot of serious issues we need to take care of, and turning a blind eye to these issues is not helping us dispel the rather negative image the word "gamers" conjures up to the general public. Speaking of...

Gamer Girls
I already talked about this in another journal but I am sick to death of hearing about people shaming and looking down on gamer girls. Like this is some new "shocking" discovery that, yes, girls play video games. I'm weary and tired of hearing about it, but I'm gonna have to deal with it all over again because Anita Sarkeesian's first new video from her much talked about series "Tropes vs Women in Games" comes out next week. And I'm gonna have to sit back and listen to a bunch of angry nerds ranting and raving about how wrong she is, which will also be fueled by some users real genuine hatred of women playing video games. I'll probably hear a ton of sexist remarks, and listen to rape jokes simply because gamers aren't mature enough to come to terms with the fact women play video games and are PART of our culture. Even if Anita is WRONG in her assertions, the fact that gamers can't "deal" with even the concept of having a thoughtful discussion tells a lot about how immature they are.

AAA developers whining about how POOR they are
Game companies are designed to make money first and foremost, but there's something genuinely wrong when a video game comes out with hundreds of multimedia tie-ins, sponsors, multimillion dollar budgets, DLC, micro-transactions, special editions, deluxe editions, special this and special that... and it doesn't make a "profit."

Those are a few of the issues I have with the video game industry right now, but I'm sure many of you have even better examples than these. Feel free to express your frustrations in the comments section below.