I'd disagree, Cyn, to an extent (about the games not changing). Just the advent of the internet has made gaming more about playing with and against real people. That changes the atmosphere and gameplay quite a bit as your allies and opponents are now strangers (rather than friends sitting next to you or AI).
Also see games like Mass Effect, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Dragon Age, etc. These are games that have made vast strides and improvements to gameplay. Don't tell me that these are equivalent to mario bros or original Doom