For gaming performance specifically, I kept Windows 7 instead of upgrading. It does all the things expected properly, so I never saw a reason to upgrade.
Initial response on Windows 8 launch was clearly mixed... What happened after launch is something I never checked, so can't comment on that.
The same comment goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Clearly, whether its Android, Windows, iOS, or any operating system on any machine, those days are LONG GONE, when you could expect a "lighter/ less resource consuming" OS.
With advent of time, all companies want to move with the flow, and Software companies want to make newer hardware sell too, and that will require older OS to be made heavier with more features and all...