PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi reckons that games have stagnated creatively despite their graphical flourish, though that doesn't mean he's not optimistic about the state of the industry. In fact, Kutaragi reckons it's poised to advance to the "next stage."
Speaking at Japan's University of Electro-Communications, Kutaragi weighs in on the evolution of the gaming industry, where it's headed next, and why human "curiosity" remains vital.
As reported by 4Gamer – and translated by Automaton – Kutaragi doesn't consider the gaming space a mature industry, even though its value has propelled it past the likes of film, television, and music. All of that is to say, we've yet to reach our limits and there are still significant breakthroughs to be made.
Mind you, that's not to say the state of the industry is perfect. For Kutaragi, modern games have stagnated despite the growth they've undergone in scale and graphics. In fact, he believes the approach to creating content hasn't really changed from his time spearheading the original PlayStation project.
But that doesn't mean things won't get better. Kutaragi believes the industry is at a major turning point and ready to advance to the "next stage." To get there, though, we must first look back. Kutaragi says the team behind the OG PlayStation created the machine with the intent to "change the world," which tapped into the spirit of the industry at the time. One that "created the world’s most cutting-edge technology" rather than following everyone else.
It's at this point that Kutaragi urges developers and students in attendance to adopt a mindset of leading rather than following. The message especially applies to those who are younger. For Kutaragi, you set your habits in your formative years before following them into your elderly years.
"The moment you lose your curiosity and think, this is probably as good as it gets, it's all over," he says.
As someone who spends much of their working life keeping up with and reporting on gaming news, I find it evident that the Western gaming industry can't continue as it is. You don't need another reminder that companies overspent during the COVID-19 years and that AI is making everything more expensive, though what Kutaragi speaks of does link back to what we're hearing from other leading industry figures. Advancements in gaming technology aren't that interesting anymore, since people can't afford what they bring, and those who do won't notice them much anyway.
Rather, moving forward, it's making something impressive yet accessible that seems a better bet of winning out. To Kutaragi's point, some bright ideas on how to do that and fix this mess won't go amiss right now.
