2023 was a decade-defining year for game releases, but so brutal for the industry it's hard to imagine another one like it happening for a long time

Shadowheart looks very, very distraught in Baldur's Gate 3.

I and a lot of people who like games tend to break the hobby up into "legendary years." It's the ones when so many games come out it's almost impossible to keep up with them all, and in hindsight you can observe some kind of watershed moment of quality and innovation.

1998 is understandably always in these conversations⁠—it's almost absurd that Metal Gear Solid, Ocarina of Time, Baldur's Gate, Half-Life, Thief: The Dark Project, and Starcraft all came out in the same year. 2004's a big one too: Half-Life 2, Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (my sweet baby) released within a few weeks of each other. I can also personally attest that 2007 was a great year to have an Xbox 360 and be allowed to play M-rated games for the first time.