I know this is an old topic, but I disagree with the OP. There are games nowadays that are awesome, just like there were games back in the day that were awesome. I put Morrowind as my second favourite game of all time, Oblivion and Skyrim not making the top ten. However, if you put all three of them in front of me today I would probably spend the most time with Skyrim.

This is why people who play these repetitive games (MW, MW2, MW3, gimme a break) claim gaming is going downhill. Of course it's stale. Take a risk. Try something new.

Funny thing, first thing I thought MW stood for was Mech Warrior.

 

It does take some digging, but there are still great original games out there. Right now there is an oversaturation of games more shovelware, but the same number of gems. I guess that equates to a decline.

I blame archetypes.

 

Nothing is more satisfying than the first time you have experienced one.

 

 

For example; I've read hundreds of love stories. Regardless of the plot it ends with boy and girl falling for each other. The plot usually offers little change to the suspected ending.

 

Now if it were boy and boy falling for each other the plot and ending feel significantly different from the usual that archetype offers. Its ending the first time would be unexpected and fresh. It would be classed in a different sub-archetype of love stories as would the above.

 

 

If we apply the above to games we would get something like. RTS - Tower Defense or FPS, Tower Defense - DotA or Tower Building, and so forth. Each archetype is fresh and exciting.

 

 

 

Reason why Battlefields, Call of Duties, Team Fortresses, and DotAs are so popular is because, the gameplay is adaptive and always somewhat different than the last time you played it but, works in a single archetype.