Then and now.

[FoolStudio]

How does everyone think that gaming has changed in the last 20 years besides grapics and hardware?

I think that its the narritive and gameplay that evolved the strongest.
Even though we only see a well worth it story every now and then, there is potential for a great plot worth that of blockbuster fame. Some games that have a good plot might have a certain taste to it that others would dislike.
Gameplay is even bigger, with motion sensing(another kind of taste) games are even more fun than they always have been, not to say the old fasioned way wouldn't work either.

[Toom]

Dude, the potential for great plot has always been there, and has been exhibited from early on; RPGs have leaned heavily on plot elements from the get-go. The presentation of stories has changed and evolved, as with any other narrative form, but good plotting is not dependent on hardware or...or time. I'll conceded that strong stories are perhaps more valued in action games than they were two decades back, mind.

"Gameplay" is an extremely broad term; care to narrow it down some?

[FoolStudio]

What I ment for plot was that its finally found its potential. Of course its always been there, but its evolved to where there is more character dept and backgroud in the actual game instead of the manual.

As for gameplay, not just controls, but the mechanics of the game itself (fighting system,interface,etc.)

[Toom]

Well, a lot of that's tied to hardware capabilities; older machines simply weren't capable of handling the amount of data necessary for more complex and involved fight mechanics, for example.

[FoolStudio]

True.  But look at games that out do the hardware itself,games that push the hardware.

[PHeMoX]

I think at the moment things go so fast, real gameplay is what tends to be forgotten actually ...
From the more recent games I've played, the ones I've played for more than a month can be counted on one hand actually ...

[Cheamo]

I think specifically over the last few years gaming has become more and more commonplace among what I will refer to as "normal" people. Where as in the past it seemed more of a nerdy thing to do now we see things like the Wii and games like Guitar Hero, Gears of War, and Halo being huge fads among many people.  In Japan the number 2 thing girls want after an iPod is a DS, although that is Japan  But even here it starts being that gaming is bigger industry than anything else, movies and TV included.

And with that I think we start seeing a lot more unoriginal crap, but at the same time those unoriginal games that sell a billion copies might be paying for many of the games that we play that really do have artistic merit.  I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing for gaming to grow continually like it is, but I guess you can't change it even if it is horrible.  Still it's awesome to see great looking indie games like this emerge among this gigantic empire of gaming.

[Kal]

Unoriginal crap has always been around, always will be around.  Think how many 2D fighting game clones came out after Street Fighter 2.  How many RPGs have either the "one guy must save the beautiful princess before she gets sacrificed to resurrect the dark lord" or the "few guys must collect x magic crystals to defeat the dark lord" plotline we've seen over and over again?

[FoolStudio]

Or the the same hero who has a mysterious past, or his village has benn burnt down,etc.

[PHeMoX]

  In Japan the number 2 thing girls want after an iPod is a DS, although that is Japan  But even here it starts being that gaming is bigger industry than anything else, movies and TV included.

I know a few really really nice Japanese girls that indeed have both. I was quite surprised to find out they had a DS, because they are 24 and 25 years old. Lol, so I thought ... anyways.. yup, let's move to Japan guys. ^_^

And with that I think we start seeing a lot more unoriginal crap, but at the same time those unoriginal games that sell a billion copies might be paying for many of the games that we play that really do have artistic merit.  I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing for gaming to grow continually like it is, but I guess you can't change it even if it is horrible.  Still it's awesome to see great looking indie games like this emerge among this gigantic empire of gaming.

Mmm, true there