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You know what? I love the new music, I love the new cinema, and I love the new games. The question is, does anyone agree that these three mediums are better in 2000-2010 than they ever were? Here's my rant on why. I don't mean this as a troll, just as a bit of a discussion. Don't misunderstand, the old stuff is good, I just think the new is better.

Let's start with music. I grew up listening to old music because I always thought the naughties were poor. Then once 2009 hit I began listening to new music because, frankly, the old stuff began to become boring. I had a friend who introduced me to some lesser known music, I began listening to lesser known radio stations, and then I realised that this stuff is better than anything I've heard in the past. I'm speaking generally because I understand that people's tastes are different. The new genres and groups have been amazing. Some examples that I'm listening to at the moment: Ratatat, Passion Pit, Bon Ivor and LCD Soundsystem from the US; Bran Van 3000, Feist and Crystal Castles from Canada; The Temper Trap from Australia; and Does it Offend You, Yeah?, Hadouken!, Marina and the Diamonds, and La Roux from the UK. There are more but that's what I've got kicking around on my playlist right now.

With cinema, Hollywood films are usually crap, usually. However American cinema in general has been excellent. Directors like Tarantino, Spike Lee and Steven Soderbergh have been showing Hollywood how it's done. In Britain the directing and acting quality has probably never been better, hence the reason British cinema is at it's most lucrative, I believe. In particular, Edgar Wright's brilliant Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. French and Belgian cinema has become really surprising and shocking in places, with films such as Irreversible, Ex Drummer, Ben X, The Alzheimer Case, and of course, Amelie. In Spain we've got Rec, which again shows why horror is so much better now than in the past. In Japan and Korea we've been seeing some of the most powerful horrors to date, and some of the best direction in the world from Chan-wook Park in his, among others, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. I could go on and on but I think I should stop now.

As for games, first of all let me just say my favourite game of all time is Deus Ex, and that came out in 2000. The gaming genres might have been revolutionised by Half-Life, Doom, Final Fantasy and so on. But since 2000 we've had the breakthroughs of storytelling and RPGs in Morrowind and Deus Ex. We've had the FPS being revamped for the better in Half-Life 2 and System Shock 2. World of Warcraft is a remarkably large and brilliant game. Nothing has come close to previously in terms of scope. Sports games are infinitely better now than in the past. Indie games have become more widely available and are growing in quality. It's a shame that some fan-loved franchises are becoming poorer, which ruins it a bit.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

I think one thing that is prevalent in this era is availability, which makes media better. I think peoples answers to this question will vary on opinion, but you can't deny that today even the most underground of artists can be found on the internet and have their music downloaded or movies or whatever. So if an unpopular movies/LPs couldn't be found in the local store or mail order magazine, you wouldn't know or find out about them. Plus, new techniques in video games, movies, and music are found every year so it can only get better from here.

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I say what I wanna say, I play how I wanna play.

Quote (Harlequin @ 16th July 2010 14:17)

I think one thing that is prevalent in this era is availability, which makes media better. ... Plus, new techniques in video games, movies, and music are found every year so it can only get better from here.

I don't think that availability makes a medium better. It may make something more readily available, but it does not change the quality of the music being created, or the films being produced, or the games being designed. Neither do new techniques. As sweetdude himself said, his favorite game is Deus Ex. That game came out 10 years ago, and new techniques have made since then. But that hasn't changed is opinion, despite the game being dated.

Music, I would have to go with the 60s. Innovative artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, perhaps the greatest songwriter ever Bob Dylan, experimental masters like Jimi Hendrix and the Band, which incorporated many different musical styles, great soul singers like Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, so on and so forth. One of the main reasons I would choose this decade over others is the social and cultural climate of the times. With the Vietnam War, civil rights, and a counter-culture movement, music reached artistic levels, out of protest, that I feel music doesn't today. And on a personal level, as a musician's son, the fact that most people don't even play live music anymore and rely too much on technology is troubling.

Film, Tarantino and Spike Lee, they're good filmmakers, but I would not compare their works to the work of the great filmmakers of the past. However, it is hard to pick a decade for film. In America, the 70s seem to be a great choice, with the directors basically taking over Hollywood and doing whatever they wished on screen, making the Godfather Part I and II, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, etc. But I would also have to point out the 50s in France, where the New Wave change cinema forever, and brillant men such as Godard challenged the art form like no one else ever has. I do like many films from this era (particularly Lord of the Rings, because I love that story), but I think there have been other decades with better films. I don't think people are going to place Tarantino over Hitchcock anytime soon.

Video games are a little different in my mind. In some ways I would have to agree with you. As an artistic medium, video games are beginning to grow and expand into new areas. With new developments, and weakening opposition from people that want to censor games, artistic expression in the medium may just increase. However, I think there have been some growing pains. For one, I believe that the industry is unhealthy. There are basically no innovative ideas it seems, just remakes of older titles. As of right now, I still see the 90s as the best gaming decade. While they had limited technology and artistic freedom, the games with their cartoonish art styles seem to be more memorable. They are, no doubt, more simplistic, but I will argue they are also more imaginative. Mushrooms and plumbers, monkeys in neck-ties, and a psycho clown. Not to mention that this gaming revolution began just as the decade was at a close, and the PSX brought us into the digital age, and Deus Ex was just one year from being in the previous decade.

I don't have a problem with what you're saying, except for one thing. I don't believe the music, movies and games made in the past are old stuff. You can still get the same experience from Like a Rolling Stone, 2001: a Space Odyssey, and Final Fantasy VI to this day.

This post has been edited by BlitzSage on 17th July 2010 05:56

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Praise Be To Helix!

Well, what's the call of the question? Is it are we living in the best generation, or are those three mediums better now than they've been before?

When I first saw this topic I thought it was the former. I would submit that this point in history is pretty bad, and wouldn't consider myself part of a great generation. We are in the midst of a global recession, diplomatic and military uncertainty as the effects of the War on Terror continue to be felt, and unmitigated environmental disaster. Seriously, what is there to be optimistic about? Growing up in the 90's, by comparison, was time of economic growth, rapidly developing technology spearheaded by the Internet, and relative international cooperation bookended by the Fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11. The 20's also seemed like a happening era, between the end of WWI and the Great Depression. And of course, who could forget the Renaissance. Moving along to more recent eras, but still probably before the time of most people on this board, the 60's and early 70's might have been a messed up time, with political assassinations, social upheaval, Vietnam, and rampant drug abuse, but it was also a time when people were deeply committed to notions of equality and justice, such as the Civil Rights Movement. Compare that to today's relative standard of apathy, and I think there is certainly less to admire. Don't get me wrong, this too shall pass, but at the moment...meh!

As for the three mediums you mentioned, I would agree as to TV and Video Games. While the challenging nature of the NES era can never be replicated, I do appreciate the cinematic development of the gaming genre and, let's face it, there are still fun and challenging games out there and only pure nostalgia would cause someone to deny it. Movies and TV are infinitely better now, if only by virtue of what it's possible to do with them. While this has largely been spearheaded by developments in technology (IMAX, Blu-Ray, and 3D) I also think that cinematic storytelling has been strong the past few years, and will continue to be as the era of endless 80's remakes seems to be dwindling down.

I would strongly disagree about music. I think mainstream absolutely sucks these days. The last era of music I really appreciate was the early to mid 90's, where Rock witnessed a resurgence and plethora of great bands due to grunge and alternative, and hip hop was truly new and innovative. Around the time the focus switched to Backstreet Boys and Britney that all fell by the wayside, and hip hop has also become extremely commercial. The only cutting edge music right now is electronic music, IMHO, and it remains underground. Going back to the earlier mentioned decade, I think the 20's had some happening jazz that was revolutionary for the time. But, really, it's the era of the 60's and 70's that does it for me most in music. That was back when Rock, R &B, Soul, and all of those genres were really new and exciting. Everything you hear on the radio today owes its roots to those decades. Talkin' About My Generation? Look no further.