Video Games just don't cut it anymore

[CaptainStoner]

Not that I don't love them, believe me I do. Maybe I'm just...getting old. I've been a huge video game enthusiast and was fortunate to be growing up in the "golden age" of coin-ops. I've lost more hours in computer games than we can calculate with current modeling technology. I've even programmed rudimentary games in my youth, of the "PICK UP SWORD" and "GO EAST" variety.

It was after "Baldur's Gate" that this started happening to me. I'd start losing interest, and not finish a game. And slowly its been creeping in sooner and sooner, to the point that now, for instance, I popped in "Fable", and played it for 2 hours before getting entirely bored. (Anyone want a mint copy of Fable for PC?)

Now almost every video game feels like being trapped in a mobius continuum (also a classic game), and even titles like "Oblivion" come up short to me - I found the NPC interaction stupid and stilted. Although I did finish the main quest of that.

Maybe its time to make a game again. I have what I think are million-dollar ideas. For instance, and you heard it here first: Dog Simulator. The player picks one of a few dozen breeds of dog to play, specializes the colors, tweaks the attributes as they prefer, and then plays a sentient dog in a sentient dog world, and goes on dog missions. Put this thing on a console platform, with a good PC crossover, and I believe its a huge, huge hit.
But playing games? I'd rather go back to AD&D at this point. Computer games are getting to be like one of the circles of Hell.

Your thoughts?

 

[vice1986]

I have a 360, a WII, and a decent enough laptop for games. I still play a fair bit of counterstrike from time to time. However I find myself playing more and more games that I played 15-18 years ago when I was as young as 5 when I got my first nintendo for X-mas. Games just dont seem to have the "fun" factor that they once had. I was though rather impressed with Mega Man 9 from last year. That game I kept playing for a long time.

 

[Geckothan]

I don't enjoy games much anymore. I only enjoy playing them with friends these days (a few FPS and RTS titles anyway), and I still enjoy "god"/simulation games and GTAIII/VC to relieve stress, but I wouldn't consider myself much of a gamer anymore.

Most new games seem to be rehashes of old games, sequels or just trash. Other games that I used to love have been ruined by their developers (TF2 and WoW come to mind).

 

[Spot's Meow]

I think you just need to start playing different types. Hardcore gamers have a tendency to not acknowledge the tons of games out there that don't fit their favorite genre. If you are sick of RPGs and shooters, try some puzzle type games, or simulations (by the way dog simulation games do exist, as well as every other animal imaginable - just look at the Nintendo DS section next time you're in a game store ). Sometimes I don't feel like playing a game with an in depth story that takes several hours to complete. So I play Dr. Mario or The Sims instead.

There's a lot of choices out there, you might find the lighter games that only require a few minutes in each sitting to be more fun.

 

[CaptainStoner]

(by the way dog simulation games do exist, as well as every other animal imaginable - just look at the Nintendo DS section next time you're in a game store ).

Damn!

 

[Kelthaz]

I agree with Spot's Meow. Play lighter games.

100+ hour epics such as Oblivion can be fun, but they can also feel like a chore. If that's pretty much all you play you definitely need some variety. Play some games that are marketed as fun rather than "epic". Stay away from epic and play some Mario Kart or Tetris or Team Fortress 2 or something.

 

[CaptainStoner]

Good suggestions, but I think for now I'll stick with getting more shit done.

 

[Commander Vaughn]

I've felt the same way lately. I gave up video games pretty much all together for about four months earlier this year, and tried finding better ways to occupy my time.

When I finally had access to a Xbox again, games just weren't much fun anymore. I think I'm better for it.

 

[CaptainStoner]

^ Yeah, I think a good long break is in order for me, unless its on the creative end.

 

[MyCylon]

I'd lost most of my interest in computer and video games for quite some time a while back. I also had the experience of putting a game on and becoming bored rather quickly.

I'm not quite sure why but at some point my interest returned and I played through a fair number of titles. I'm not playing too much at the moment but do enjoy it when I do.

I'd certainly say that I don't enjoy it as much as I used to when I was a child or a teenager. It doesn't have the same sense of magic to it, I suppose. But it's enjoyable enough, I'd say.

I don't know. Maybe part of it has to do with expectations. I think you simply come to a point in life where certain things just change and never become the same again. The best thing is to just go with the flow and take things for what they are or what they mean to you at a given time. It's ok if games are 'simply' entertaining. They don't have to be 'enchanting' or totally involving, I think.

I would certainly recommend taking a break for a while. I'd say the interest will probably return sooner or later though quite possibly not as strong as before.

 

[Bishbot]

I'm in my early twenties and for the last few years I've been wondering whether I'm steadily losing interest in gaming as I don't seem to play them anywhere near as much as I used to. I've come to the conclusion recently, however, that when I am playing games I like them just as much as ever, but since getting older my priorities have shifted somewhat. Back at school gaming was practically my default leisure state, whereas now it's just something else I enjoy doing, like reading or watching TV.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I used to be a big fan of twitch gaming, esepcially things like Quake, UT, etc. but as I've become older I find I have less time and inclination to go for thse big behemoths anymore. Part of that of course is the hardware requirements, and also that I don't really see the appeal of Big Event Cinematic Action Game™ genres - they lack the charm of the good old days.

I actually prefer more casual gaming, my current favourite being the Peggle series, although I also like "long game" titles like the Civilization series and the occasional space combat sim I can dip in and out of at times. Puzzle games also keep me ticking over nicely too.

 

[Mistral]

I love the things but have little time. Oddly, when I can play in the daytime, I play a game from the past in terms of graphics and design. It's called Crystal Defenders on the 360. Simple but intense. Nothing like the current generation of games.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

I don't know how anyone can say that games don't cut it anymore, unless they have been playing the wrong games.


I have literally every console (even going back to atari, nintendo, SNES, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast....you get the idea) and I have never been disappointed. Every console has had great games (some more than others) and, although I REALLY miss old games like Streets of Rage and classic Mortal Kombat (not this stupid 3D bs, 2D all the way), I love how far along games have come.


I don't think I will ever get bored of video games. I've been playing them practically all my life and I still don't get bored of them. There are a lot of awesome games out there.

 

[FordSVT]

The OP seems like he's been playing nothing but RPGs since the mid 90s, it's no wonder he's burnt out on them. They're repetitive slog-fests much of the time andm while taken as individual gamems many of them are stellar, if you're a grown adult who's been playing them longer than most current gamers have even been alive the patterns of repetition are bound to get tedious. They take a large amount of time invested to complete them as well.

As others have said, my advice, since you seem to be eager to deal with some RL stuff, would be to pick up some that you can pop in for an hour on a lazy weekend before bed to relax with. Games that can be digested in 15-30 minute bytes if you wish instead of games that require you to spend 15 minutes just walking to one objective. Fighters, racing games, puzzlers, stuff like that. Go buy a classic compilation disc with a couple dozen of your favorite 80s and 90s games or something.

 

[Lookingglassman]

I'm 43 and have been playing games ever since the Atari system back in the 70's. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I do love to play them. My friends laugh at me, but I dont care, I love video games and plan to keep playing them until the day I die.

 

[Trubinator]

You're playing the wrong games. Fable and Oblivion sucked. I suggest you check these out:

1. Mass Effect
2: Fallout 3
3: Demigod
4: Dragon Age: Origins (another soon-to-be-released BioWare RPG)
5. ArmA

 

[Bishbot]

You're playing the wrong games. Fable and Oblivion sucked. I suggest you check these out:

1. Mass Effect
2: Fallout 3
3: Demigod
4: Dragon Age: Origins (another soon-to-be-released BioWare RPG)
5. ArmA

I'll second those. Although Demigod is really only good in multiplayer and still (I hear) a little broken. Arma is very much for the hardcore war enthusiast who doesn't mind being shot dead by a couple of pixels from across the map and the trailers and pre-release buzz of Dragon Age are less than stellar, although it's Bioware, so I have far more confidence that they'll eventually pull it out by release than I would with most developers.

 

[Cky]

Ooo, first post since I fixed my laptop, yay!

I have to agree, but disagree at the same time. Play House of the Dead: Overkill. I thought the exact same as you for ages and when I actually picked up this game for the first time, I loved every second of it. The game was simply amazing, a good throwback with lots of cheesy humour.

 

[gh4chiefs]

. However I find myself playing more and more games that I played 15-18 years ago when I was as young as 5 when I got my first nintendo for X-mas. Games just dont seem to have the "fun" factor that they once had.

Could that be a factor of us getting older?