Topic: What's with sci-fi games and ancient technology?

Have you noticed that a ton of sci-fi games are about lost, ancient technology?
Here's a list off the top of my head:

Halo
Mass Effect
Metroid
Sonic Frontiers
Anthem
Dead Space
No Man's Sky
Starfield

Also Breathe of the Wild, arguably. I know I'm missing some, though, because it's all of them. Have any of you played KOTOR? I bet it's about ancient technology too. My point is that the trope is ridiculously cliche at this point. I haven't read much sci-fi, but I'd bet it's pretty common in novels too. Can you think of other games I haven't mentioned?

@Gryffin Hmmm... there's also Axiom Verge and Final Fantasy VI (although it's sorcery in the latter, not technology). It's a common theme in literary and television SF as well. You can even go back to Faust and Frankenstein for precedent around the idea that "we shouldn't mess with forces we don't understand".

I suppose you're right - about this theme becoming cliché - but, in terms of science, I can't fault creators too much for including this. The galaxy (universe) is far older than we are as thinking, technological beings. It would be arrogant of us to think that we won't find that someone else was doing interesting stuff before we bothered to really get out there and explore.

I'm not bothered by it tbh. And I haven't played KotOR, but from playing SW:TOR, I'm pretty sure it's not about old technology.

It could be worse. You could have sci-fi stories pushing social agendas like David Cage games and Detroit: Become Human.

It's a classic sci-fi trope and one of my favourites, to be honest.
It's a storytelling device to warn us what can happen if we let our hubris go unchecked.
Some other examples include Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, Owlboy, Atlantis the Lost Empire, Journey, Abzû and countless episodes of Star Trek.

I do understand Gryffin's frustration though. I personally have an issue with overused tropes. I prefer novelty over cliches, and even a good storytelling trope can get tiring after so many times. There's only so many times that you can "question the worth of humanity's existence" in sci-fi games, for example, before you start to roll your eyes at the very mention of it. It's overdone.

Of course, the Golden Rule we should remember about tropes is that tropes are tools, and subversions aren't automatically good. When done well, even the lamest and most common tropes can bring a fresh perspective to storytelling.

I think in terms of discovering old technology though, I don't have qualms with it, but it isn't exactly my favorite sci-fi trope either. Mine is actually the aforementioned "overused trope" of humanity is flawed and its superiority over other species is questionable. lol It's so overused, but I'm so cynical about humanity that I'd often find enjoyment in such stories.

Can anyone think of any sci-fi games that don't really rely on ancient tech?

Off the top of my head I don't think it's a topic Titanfall 2, Portal, Daemon X Machina, or Astral Chain really touched upon.

@RR529

• Detroit: Become Human (prejudice)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (future tech implants affecting the human part of our biology)
• Dino Crisis (time travel and dinosaurs)
• Doom (future tech leading to demons on Mars)
• Alien games in general (while the technology resembles ancient '80s tech, it's still about future tech)
• Predator games in general (alien tech far surpassing humanity's so-called "superior firepower")
• Terminator games in general (future tech becoming our own destruction)

Granted, three of those were movie franchise IPs, but still.