I remember being on a gamespot forum like... 5 years ago, talking about video games and what I wanted to see in games. I remember saying things like "I want to see games that don't require you to complete missions in a particular way - games that let you find your own way" "I want environments that are completely destructible! I want to be able to take shortcuts through walls" - now we see a lot of games that do these things, it just seemed like the natural path to follow.
But MOST importantly, what I always wanted was a word that was 'alive'. I know that's a buzz word that gets thrown around a lot, but I remember wondering how hard it would be to create characters that had life plans. Like maybe a man who is slowly building a house - you could watch him buy his wood, get his supplies, go home to his family or whatever. Maybe if one of his relatives dies, you'll see him grieve. And the economy to be directly effecting by things like... me blowing up a store.
I wanted to see raids happening for no reason, bandits attacking and me there to save a town, maybe a dragon knocks over a building and the next day people are trying to rebuild. I was younger then, and I wanted a lot, but I was still very satisfied with what I had. I never thought we'd even get close to what I was talking about - and the more games that come out, the more I realize how close we are. My dream will one day be realized, and Skyrim will really be pushing the envelope.