The biggest gap between cultures is time, not space. There we see devastating stagnation. The youngest players are burning unsupervised hours on Roblox. The oldest are in Odinsleep until a single-player blockbuster catches their eye. The middle of the pack, getting the hang of disposable income, are discovering other ways to spend. The biggest players in the industry are still waiting for this entire block to gravitate toward the next Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto, but year after year this just looks more like wishful, harmful thinking.
If there is a crash on the horizon, it’s likely Nintendo will be the ones walking away from it the least scathed (again). Games like Mario, Zelda and Mario Kart truly are widely beloved across generations, demographically pliable. The company has long understood the importance of trying to redefine what the experience of playing a game can be.