The 1980s are known by many as the Golden Age of video games, the age of arcades, the Atari system and such classics as “Pac-Man”, the original “Super Mario Bros.” and “Pong”. However, compared to today’s games, the graphics of old are nothing more than a little white blip on a screen. The video game scene is changing in a way that has never been seen before. Developers are taking risks and deviating from the video game norm, and indie games are coming into the spotlight. The 2010s could easily be called the Silver Age of video games.

The Silver Age started in 2011 when “Skyrim”, the fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series by Bethesda Game Studios, was released for the Xbox 360. “Skyrim” stands as the fourth best-selling Xbox 360 game, and it has won multiple awards for its breathtaking graphics and immensely open world. Other developers followed suit, including Rockstar Entertainment, whose “Grand Theft Auto V” includes clearer graphics, a much larger city, and tons more debauchery to engage in.

The 2010s have also seen the rise of the indie game, which has happened because of the rise of PC gaming and the internet. One particular success story involves the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise. The first game, which was released in 2014, gained notoriety when it was played by hugely popular YouTube gamer Markiplier. The series now has seven games and one spin-off. Other indie games that have become popular with the YouTube gaming community include “Undertale”, “Bendy and the Ink Machine”, “Doki Doki Literature Club” and “Cuphead”, which have been praised for their ability to flip the script and do things that no mainstream game would, whether it be in writing, art style or soundtrack.

In 2017, Nintendo shook the gaming scene with the release of the Nintendo Switch, which could switch (thus the name) between being a handheld system and a console. With this system, they released two games from two of their most popular franchises: “Super Mario Odyssey” and “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”. These games both had the amazing graphics and open world  of Skyrim and deviated from the rest of the series like the indie games did. “Breath of the Wild” is more like “Skyrim” than any of the other RPG-style “Zelda” games, and “Odyssey” gives players the ability to use enemies to their advantage instead of destroying them. If Nintendo decided to end both of these franchises with these games, it would be totally okay because there isn’t any getting better than these two.

Video game developers, from the small-time to the mainstream, are taking bold steps with the development of their games, and it is paying off. With today’s cutting-edge technology bringing crisp, clear graphics and dedicated artists and programmers sweating every detail to make sure their creation is as perfect as it can be, game quality is at an all-time high, and there is no sign of it stopping.