Never mind the virtualised micropolygons, here’s Roblox
If you want to make a triple-A game developer depressed, ask them why they bother spending so many late nights agonising over fiddly features barely anyone will ever notice when instead they could be cranking out Roblox concepts to an audience of millions of young people ready to reward them with hard cash in exchange for stupid-looking digital hats. Once upon a time, it was a kind of law that kids played Nintendo games, with all of the Nintendo quality guarantees built in, but the landscape has long since changed, and it doesn’t pay to be too Principal Skinner about it. For a new generation of players, the classic, supposedly critical ingredients – an engaging story, cunningly structured environments, and mechanics so polished you can see your face in them…