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Mainstream Mediocrity: How the AAA Games Industry Exposes the Limits of Capitalism

or: Indie as Post-Growth — Why Small Games Win Big

This Post builds upon Why Markets Settle for Mediocrity—and What That Means for a Post-Growth Future

In the world of video games, there’s a paradox that players know all too well: the more money poured into AAA titles, the more formulaic, buggy, manipulative, and forgettable they seem to become.

Games now launch with multi-million dollar marketing campaigns, studio acquisitions, and pre-order hype machines — only to land with a thud: unfinished, uninspired, and laden with microtransactions. We don't just tolerate mediocrity at scale — we expect it.

But why?

Because the AAA gaming economy is not designed to create good games. It’s designed to create predictable revenue.

Capitalism’s Incentive for Mediocrity

The logic of growth under capitalism pushes toward risk aversion, lowest common denominator design, and content churn. “Engagement” becomes a euphemism for addiction mechanics. Monetization beats meaning.

This is planned mediocrity: a mirror to planned obsolescence in hardware, fashion, consumer electronics, and even software. Under pressure to meet shareholder expectations and quarterly growth, the goal isn’t to build something great — it’s to build something that sells again.

It’s why game franchises are annualized. Why patches become post-launch apologies. Why artistry is sacrificed for monetizable “seasons.” Why innovation happens despite, not because of, big studios.

This is not a design flaw. It’s the system working as intended.

Indie as Post-Growth Laboratory

Contrast that with the indie space.

Here, creators operate under constraints — and that is their superpower. Without investors breathing down their necks, indie developers prioritize experimentation, community, and craft. They don’t need to “scale.” They need to resonate.

The best indie titles aren’t just games — they’re gifts: labors of love built with purpose and integrity. Their success isn’t measured in IPOs, but in lasting cultural presence. Games that people talk about, revisit, mod, and remember.

These games model post-growth economics in practice:

FLOSS values shine here. And with every player who discovers a hand-drawn, one-developer platformer that stirs more emotion than a 600-person shooter studio — the post-growth world becomes more visible.

Beyond Gaming

This isn’t just about games. The AAA/indie dichotomy is a stand-in for much broader truths.

Fast fashion vs. slow fashion. Big tech vs. local co-ops. Factory food vs. community-supported agriculture. We see it everywhere: the growth logic creates scale, but scale dilutes meaning. The alternatives don’t scale in the same way — but they matter more.

Capitalism rewards the repeatable. Post-growth rewards the remarkable.

Why the Future Is Indie — In Games and Beyond

The indie gaming renaissance is a glimpse of another economic reality. One where creative work flows toward community, not capital. Where projects are gigs with purpose — not careers of burnout. Where longevity is a feature, not a failure of churn.

The future doesn’t have to be scaled mediocrity. It can be thoughtful, shareable, and small by design.

And if we want to make that real, we need to look beyond market logic — and toward the world we actually want to live in.

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