Gamers who have gamed for a long time

do you find it difficult to get into games? I’ve got Epic Games and Steam Games libraries chock-full of classic top-tier games along with many other newer games like Stray or 2077, and a bunch of indie titles. I just can’t be bothered to download and install them, much less try to get into the characters and storylines. Used to be I couldn’t wait to see what happened in the story, what new items you could collect, what new worlds the developers had created. Not anymore. I return to playing the same franchise for a quick FPS match or three and then I’m done.

half_built_pyramids,

People grow out of stuff. Maybe try making games. Find a different type like ttrpg.

radix,
@radix@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve got 5-6 games on rotation. Every year or two, a new one comes in and something drops off, but I’m long past the days of playing something new every couple months.

Kolanaki,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

I’m totally not interested in the stories much at all anymore. Video game story-telling has always been pretty cringe, but as a kid and teen I didn’t think so. Go back and play some games I genuinely liked the story for back in the day and I can’t stand them now. I prefer games that are just fun to play. Most popular games these days are simply not fun to play. They are entirely focused on their storytelling and use light gimmicks or have repetitive gameplay that gets boring well before the story finishes, making it a chore just to hear the story.

BudgetBandit,

Make it an appointment. Get ready to play the game on Saturday at 09:30 and stick with it until 15:30 give it 6 hours of your full attention. No phone within reach. Make sure to get the housework done by that so you can stay longer. That worked wonders for me. Oh, and play older games. I never played xbox360 or PS3 games (only CoD couch coop with friends) because I had a Wii and only recently got an old PS3 and the games are amazing.

Blamemeta,

Modern AAA games? Yeah. But many smaller and indie games are still good. I loved Ion Fury and Turbo Overkill. Some of the best games in the past 5 years imo.

wjrii,
@wjrii@kbin.social avatar

I’m in my 40s, and in particular I don’t find I love the AAA, over the shoulder action games. Assassins Creed, Spider-Man, Jedi Outcast, all of them feel very samey to me and more like the evolution of Dragons Lair + SF2 special moves than anything else. I find the cinematic complexity of the actions caused by my simple button press actually disconnect me from the world. I don’t feel like the character is my avatar, more like an actor in my movie. And then it all usually happens with a lot more barriers and more linearity than the design implies, kinda the difference between playing make believe in the park, and visiting Galaxy’s Edge at Disney.

Now I don’t think it’s bad on a philosophical level or anything, but it doesn’t work for me personally. I grew up with a very direct and often simple relationship what it means to control a game, even those SF2 style fighters; whatever is there to be done, you’re in complete control. I just get taken right out of it when “back + A” does a 360 spin melee while simultaneously targeting three enemies and summoning my helper NPC (I’m exaggerating, but you see the intended point).

Like others, I don’t really find as much time for gaming, what with work, family, and other hobbies, but when I do, I like retro gaming, RPGs with a fair amount of stat and inventory management, Minecraft (that blunt instrument of click to “mine”, rclick to “use” is the opposite of cinematic AAA actioners), and other stuff that naturally connects inputs to resulting actions, like driving games.

Maajmaaj,
@Maajmaaj@lemmy.ca avatar

It’s easier when you are single and refuse to have kids.

BeardedBlaze,
@BeardedBlaze@lemmy.world avatar

Or if you get your kids into gaming.

Maajmaaj,
@Maajmaaj@lemmy.ca avatar

https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/23029ec6-7895-44d3-9cb4-4db951566886.png

houseofkeb,

I think there are a lot of reasons for this, but I’m in the same boat.

  • Most games tutotialize you like you have never played a game before
  • "Cinematic storytelling" is everywhere. I turned off the dialogue in Need for Speed Unbound, and the game is wayyyy more enjoyable without it. And its…a racing game.
  • There just are more games. Used to be I’d bring a physical copy of a game hope, and that’d be my game for a bit. Now I have thousands of games accessible at any moment. It’s hard to wait for a game to “get good” when I know that.

I’d also say that I feel no need to complete games or get further into them at this point. Especially seeing how people said Starfield is best in new game plus or whatever, that game barely has legs to stand on in a first playthrough. It’s not worth it for me to play a game for 60 hours for it to maybe get better, and I tend to know when I’m done with a game early now.

CrabAndBroom,

Yeah for me it’s the sheer number of games, plus the increasing enshittification of games and just being older and having less free time. I literally have like 200 games I’ve got for free across various platforms, so if I fire one up and it’s clearly not finished, or it’s immediately trying to sell me stuff or even if it’s just a bit boring and annoying I’ll dump it immediately and move onto the next one.

Whereas when I was a kid I had a SNES with about 10 cartridges and that was it, so I played the shit out of those even when they sucked lol

houseofkeb,

I know right! Every time I come back to a game and they’ve changed every thing about it again I wonder why I bother. I think that’s part of the reason Melee has survived for so long, the community establishes the meta more than someone whose incentive is to keep selling you things.

chilicheeselies,

The tutorial thing is huge. What a fucking slog getting through the tutorial. I hate witcher, 2077, etc for this reason.

justlookingfordragon,
@justlookingfordragon@lemmy.world avatar

100% agreed with all of these, but I would add one more factor: Limited spare time.

When I was a kid, it was a lot easier to spend a few hours in front of a console undisturbed, immersed and focused on the game. When you’re an adult and come home from soul-crushing work, hungry and exhausted, then your last bit of energy goes into household, pets, chores, family and the like and then it’s late at night already and if you don’t go to sleep soon then the next day will be worse. Where and how do you cram a couple of consecutive, undisturbend hours of playtime into such a schedule?

If a game isn’t immediatly interesting, fun or otherwise a good reality escape, it is not worth sacrificing time on it when you have to strictly ration your limited amount of spare time already.

houseofkeb,

Yeah totally. I’ve noticed everyone’s bandwidth dropping as capitalism worsens. It’s even more apparent when every live service game wants you to treat it like a job.

Agreed with your last point. I’m at the point where I can call how much is enough for me for any given title, and it makes me a lot happier than feeling obligated to finish games I don’t enjoy.

TrenchcoatFullofBats,

Yeah, the bar for should I buy this game is higher when you’ll be giving up sleep and/or rent money if you want to play it.

That being the case, truly excellent games can still clear that bar; ToTK easily siphoned a few cumulative months out of me, despite, well…gestures vaguely at everything.

I still have no desire to do the final boss fight at the end, though.

Lenny,

Agreed that it’s harder now that we’re older, especially if you work a lot or have kids/family responsibilities.

The most rewarding aspect of playing a game these days (IMO) is the social aspect of it. Whether that be playing with friends or sharing a ‘physical’ neutral space with other players like in an MMORPG. If you have a friend or a group of friends it’s fun to start random games together and experience them with someone. If you’re a solo gamer you need a much greater reason to start a new game, which is harder as you’ve described.

I don’t have many friends who game consistently, so I’m basically left to choose between going back to an MMORP like WoW (ugh), which after a while you realize is still lonely unless you really invest in making friends on your sever, or playing a new game at launch. Even if it’s a single player game there’s a lot to be said about playing a new game as soon as it releases. You get that collective sense of community because everyone is going in fresh and finding out secrets and solutions and sharing them with each other online. It doesn’t feel like you’re totally alone, and although it’s short lived it can feel rewarding. It’s like watching a weekly release show and joining in post-episode discussions online. You can’t recreate that experience after the fact.

Schlemmy,

A gaming burn out you say? Yes, I only play co-op games anymore. I need a teammate to explore the game. Solo games are like getting into a television series that has 16 seasons. Just to much work ahead.

Bishma, (edited )
@Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

My taste in games has changed a lot over the years - I think to help accommodate adult life. As my time has gotten more spoken for I look for games that can quickly be picked up and put down. And as I’ve become more bitter and misanthropic, I’ve largely given up on multiplayer (except Tertis 99!). Basically things I can play when I’ve got any amount of downtime and I don’t need to follow a story line, or disappoint other people, or watch cut scenes, or even have my volume up.

I’m really into colony sim / base building / and automation types games now. Factorio, Dyson Sphere Program, and if I go more than 3 days without playing Oxygen Not Included I start to get the shakes. I also like low key survival games like Don’t Starve, Astroneer, and No Man’s Sky.

I’ve been playing (and enjoying) BG3 but I don’t have enough time to get immersed so I’m still in Act 2 on my first play through.

Reverendender,

I’ve lost all patience for gaming. I tried play one of the Wolfensteins a few weeks ago. The beginning of the game is basically on rails, and I was required to put out a fires or something, I was like, uh I just want to shoot some fake people, to hell with this.

Brkdncr,

I get into story games a lot more now. If it’s hard, repetitive, or a grind it simply isn’t fun, I have reality for those types of challenges.

The_Picard_Maneuver,
@The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world avatar

I’m just no longer impressed with flashy graphics or games with tons of long cutscenes and stories. It takes up a lot of time, and it just feels tedious to me now.

Give me fun and challenging gameplay, and I’ll be very into your game though. All the FromSoft games, tactics/strategy, indie base-building or deck-building games, etc. Let me loose and challenge me. If you want me to watch a movie and follow a “to-do list” of waypoints, I’m going to be bored.

brap,

Agreed, the game just needs to play well with enough depth to really explore. The two I’ve put most time into over the last couple of years are Factorio and Rimworld and they’re far from flashy.

BruceTwarzen,

I kinda miss the nintendo/super nintendo times, where a friend would come over and you'd hand him a controller and then you would start playing. Gaming these days is more like: bro the game is cheap. Oh yes i forgot, you need these two dlc's to play the good stuff, don't worry, once you hit level 15 i'll be good i swear, all we have to do is to grind a few levels by playing the same.thing over and over, but i swear, i will ve really good soon.

banana_meccanica,

True, gamer is become a consumer that’s need to grind for make the companies profit. Friends are just more consumers, invite a friend for receive a bonus, spread the addiction, make companies more riches.

code,

Im 56 and loving the gaming time. In fact my kids are scattered and i play game with them at least every other week. We shoot the shit and just chill. No sweaty games as i dont have the reflexes anymore. I just wish there was more coop

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