TO all - How does this “new” design figure in to “mobile first” thinking?? (full page width and large full page images.)
It’s fine so long as you use responsive layouts. I use Joe Workman Foundation. You choose different images for different page sizes - like this:
http://www.iwrpianomusic.co.uk/
drag the edge of the browser window to test.
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As @johntalbot says, good mobile first design will accommodate images intelligently, by only loading the larger desktop images when required so as not to compromise mobile loading speed.
This is obviously not foolproof with the wide range of devices and screen sizes but for the most part it works fine. Time for someone to mention AMP I suppose now! 
The original thust of this thread remains the readability and relevance of the content and design. Background images are decoration only (this is acknowledged by the HMTL as they cannot have alt tags). So long as they add depth and interest to the page and do not detract from the content then I don’t really see them as relevant to the discussion.
For the most pages, the single most important element is the typography - ironically the thing that generally gets the least attention. Character spacing, vertical rhythm and crucially colour should all be adjusted on a per site basis dependent on the font used and its environment - all within a reasonable max width.
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Unfortunately we do not…
If feel Flash’s pain too - in spades, but then I really am an old git (Flash’s age + 22) and getting less tolerant each and every day. Bah, humbug 
If we can agree that a website must be readable and that there are certain proven methods that work then let me describe it this way. A web page can have too much going on.
For example, I own a restaurant, in one spot we use a menu board. When we first opened up we tried to give people all the info they could get on that board so that “they could make an informed decision.” The problem was it was sensory overload. People walked away rather than ordering.
This happens with printed menus also. Too much information creates indecision. It is always best to lead a visitor from one point to the next finally reaching your most wanted response.
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I’m being sarcastic but have you been to Cheesecake Factory, that is menu overload.
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This is an interesting read for all those designing websites, about ideal line lengths. at http://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability and a longer read at https://material.io/guidelines/style/typography.html#typography-styles .
Lines of text don’t make themselves the ideal length, and they have to be constrained in RW to be such a length. Otherwise they will be expanded to huge length making them almost unreadable or become an instant turn off for some end users.
It isn’t anything to do with age. It is all to do with using the right tools and having the knowledge to do the job properly.
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Actually, recent studies show that younger website visitors have LESS patience and want to read LESS than older visitors.