There seems to be quite a bit of dissappointment going around regarding Half-life 2. Among the gamers I know, people are definitely growing more and more despondent with the state of computer gaming in general. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing – the sooner people refuse to put up with the crap that gets published nowadays, the better. (I spent hours last night playing Duke Nukem 3D Atomic Edition on my DOS PC and had a lot more fun than I’ve had in years with a FPS.)
Regarding piracy (and the general rise in acceptance of corrupt and/or unethical/immoral lifestyles), I do believe it’s a problem with mindset. And not just the mindset of a single person or group of people. It’s a societal problem. Ethics and morals just aren’t as highly prized as they once were. And (forgive me for saying this) I reckon this is an American cultural thing. The ruling American value of “win at any cost” (regardless of the context in which you’re competing) really isn’t working. And couple this with the focus and promotion of so-called “individualism” (really just a “me first” attitude) and you’re pretty much on a path of self-destruction. And the sad thing is, thanks to globalisation were all being subjected to (and influenced by) the same.