I agree with you. I remember first playing Skyrim and it was magic.

I think when online came along, money came into the equation at odds with entertainment.

I think the example that most illustrated this to me was Plants vs. Zombies after EA bought them. The funny whimsical version 1 was replaced with version 2. They replaced the plants you would level up and earn with the same plants, but with a price in dollars hovering above them. You could still play through and earn them, but the equations seemed to be tweaked.

I will continue to pay for quality single-player experiences that don't rope in online or artificial grinding or monetization... (if the genre isn't slowly evaporating)