And I agree games with all this going on are very impressive. But I think on balance I’d rather have more interesting game designs than those massive production values.

unfortunately it increasingly reads to me like a vicious cycle: people expect more of games, so costs increase and games become more comprehensive, which in kind makes people expect more of games. it also means we get a more homogeneous experience from AAA games, since they now have to include features they weren’t previously expected to. (open-world stuff in particular feels symptomatic of this)