Playing Thomas Was Alone instantly expressed why video games aren't just games. They aren't just for kids, they are a meaningful form of expression, of art. As computer tech got better and better, developers and players alike chased the endless thrill of graphically superior games. Yet, the more the hardware improved, the clearer it became how far we are from the ceiling. It also became quite apparent the man power needed to produce art assets needed to create stunning worlds in high definition, which in turn ate away at the budget as well as the investment going into other departments crucial to games.

The better games started to look, the shallower games seem to become. Of course there are some outliers but games like Final Fantasy XIII, the Assassin's Creed series, or the flood of shooters in the pass generation proved where the focus was in game development. Still, stunning big budget games, no matter their graphical prowess, didn't elevate the emotion impact players had. No one really questioned why because it was plainly obvious. It didn't matter how good these characters looked, they were still the skin deep 2 dimensional characters gamers were use to seeing in a prettier, less interactive world, stuck in the tired old stories about saving the planet or universe.