Excellent article here. I realize that people have been predicting the demise of Nintendo for ages, but the company does seem to be at a cross roads.
One of the primary aspects of the author's story involves "Nintendo nostalgia"-- as in, the implication that virtually all gamers were Nintendo obsessed in the 80s, and its from that emotion that a yearning for that era is emerging. But I'm living testament to the otherwise: I bought an NES Classic as a cheap entry point into a new platform that I never owned originally, and for which I have zero nostalgia.
The author cites this book, which articulates certain heretofore "intangible" qualities that make games more rewarding to play. Having recently experienced games like Donkey Kong for the first time, I've come to a similar conclusion, and have simultaneously realized that my rubric is missing some similarly "intangible" facets that even my still-relevant "doldrums" post fails to identify.
For contrast: I tried to start playing "Styx: Master of Shadows" this morning, and I had a visceral reaction to its repugnancy, starting with the in-game illustration of the control scheme, which not only showed every single one of my controller's twelve buttons in use, but a doubling up of buttons using left trigger as a modifier. The game then opened with a lengthy, Hollywood-style orchestra music-filled cinematic, a tutorial stage filled with curse-word laden interruptions, which then revealed an obligatory skill tree... absolutely every aspect of it was a staggering contrast to Donkey Kong-- and how far off base gaming has gone.
Indie games are just as bad; I recently replayed the PC Engine's "Ys III", and commented to my brother: "If this game was done today, there would be a skill tree, crafting droppables, side quests to revisit all of the dungeons several times... it would be ruined." My brother emphatically agreed. All of the simplicity and charm of the original game would be artificially time-inflated out of existence.
Judging by the incredible popularity of 80s and 90s consoles on places like eBay, or by the insatiable demand for the NES Classic, perhaps Nintendo should take a step back from the abyss and start making games that are simple, charming, brimming with character, raw and clean, immediately accessible but infinitely deep, with attempts at timeless aesthetics? No one else in the world is even close to pulling that formula off; not "triple A" designers, not indie hipsters, certainly not sleazy "get rich quick" mobile app developers-- not even Nintendo, whose contemporary games are nearly as oblique to play as the aforementioned "Styx".
These recent revelations make me question whether I even still want a Nintendo Switch, or any new modern platforms for that matter. Perhaps a change in hobby is in order, or a total focus on games from the 70s, 80s, and 90s?