How Microtransactions Killed Gaming’s Momentum

Modern gaming isn’t dying — but something inside it was lost.

We still get incredible games. Masterpieces still happen.
But somewhere along the way, the industry stopped chasing momentum — and started chasing monetization.

In this video, I trace how games went from being treated as a growing cultural medium to a perfectly optimized revenue machine. From the early 2010s, when it felt like gaming was about to stand next to books and movies, to the slow, almost invisible shift toward microtransactions, live services, and design decisions built around spending depth instead of creative ambition.

This isn’t a “games today suck” rant.
It’s a look at what changed — and why it happened so quietly.

From Horse Armor and loot boxes, through Assassin’s Creed Unity, to the moment GTA Online redefined what publishers actually cared about — this is a story about how an industry monetized its own momentum.

If you remember the feeling that games were made for players, not wallets — this video is for you.