Not enjoying games recently...time for self imposed hiatus?

Not enjoying games recently...time for self imposed hiatus?

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TameRacingDriver

18,048 posts

271 months

Saturday 23rd September 2017
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OP, I posted a very similar thread about 6 months ago

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I still can't be arsed. Even though I'm downloading Outlast for free, I can't seem to find anything I can actually be bothered to play these days.

I almost yearn for the older games which were just simpler. Stuff like Quake and the like. See something: shoot it. Don't need to learn billions of controls, craft things, or wander around aimlessly. Going back further still I used to like gaming on the old 8-bit and 16-bit stuff, C64s, Amigas etc.

Last thing I played was Alan Wake. To be honest, bored of it after the very first level!

DoubleSix

11,691 posts

175 months

Saturday 23rd September 2017
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TameRacingDriver said:
OP, I posted a very similar thread about 6 months ago

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I still can't be arsed. Even though I'm downloading Outlast for free, I can't seem to find anything I can actually be bothered to play these days.

I almost yearn for the older games which were just simpler. Stuff like Quake and the like. See something: shoot it. Don't need to learn billions of controls, craft things, or wander around aimlessly. Going back further still I used to like gaming on the old 8-bit and 16-bit stuff, C64s, Amigas etc.

Last thing I played was Alan Wake. To be honest, bored of it after the very first level!
Play 'Inside' - it's £14.99 on Steam - go actually do it instead of moaning. smile

If you don't come back on here and tell me you enjoyed it I will change my user name to 'I am wrong'


TameRacingDriver

18,048 posts

271 months

Saturday 23rd September 2017
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DoubleSix said:
Play 'Inside' - it's £14.99 on Steam - go actually do it instead of moaning. smile

If you don't come back on here and tell me you enjoyed it I will change my user name to 'I am wrong'
Haha, thanks, I’ll check it out smile

Lance Catamaran

24,942 posts

226 months

Saturday 23rd September 2017
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I used to play constantly, but the sheer unadulterated greed of modern gaming has really been putting me off. Having to pay extra for DLC that was clearly cut from the main game and season passes were bad enough, but the random loot boxes and microtransactions you now find in almost every major title was the straw that broke the camel's back. I don't mind paying a few quid for a specific cosmetic item that has no effect on gameplay, but what I really object to is having to grind for hours or spend real world money to be in with a vague chance of getting what I want on a glorified slot machine. I also find it concerning that what is basically a gambling mechanic can be accessed by anyone with absolutely no regulations. Then there's the fact it's the only industry where it's seen as perfectly acceptable to release a broken product with promises on how you'll fix it later.

Time is also a big factor, since currently I only have about 1-2 hours a day free to even play something. Then there's the fact I'm just not interested in multiplayer as it's just full of people who play the game 24/7 and will utterly destroy you, or idiots out to ruin it for everyone else. Whilst I enjoyed previous entries in the franchise, after a while it gets hard to be remotely interested in the latest Far Cry or Assassin's Creed when it will just be the same basic mechanics as every other game in the series just with nicer graphics.

As another poster said, there's a lot to be said for stepping outside of your comfort zone. I recently bought Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero when it was on sale, and whilst it looks like a game designed for 10 year old girls I absolutely loved it thanks to the bags of charm and effort that had been put into it. Also currently playing Child of Light, which again may look like a game for kids but is genuinely beautiful to look at and surprisingly touching at times. But unfortunately they seem to be very much the exception rather than the rule

Zetec-S

5,832 posts

92 months

Monday 25th September 2017
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DoubleSix said:
Play 'Inside' - it's £14.99 on Steam - go actually do it instead of moaning. smile

If you don't come back on here and tell me you enjoyed it I will change my user name to 'I am wrong'
Good shout, I enjoyed playing both this and 'Limbo' earlier this year (thanks to your recommendation DoubleSix beer)

Great games, kept my interest far better than anything else I've played in a while.

Legend83

9,947 posts

221 months

Tuesday 26th September 2017
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I have gone through the same.

The missus is out with the girls this Friday and 5 years ago I would have been relishing 3-4 hours of solid PS3, probably LA Noire, GTA V or The Last of Us.

Now I put it on for an hour and get a bit depressed that it's just a total waste of time and life - what have I actually achieved? I no that sounds stupid because the whole point is it's a hobby and a way to relax, but as I have got older these irrational thoughts hit me.

I still enjoy a good FIFA and curry night with my mates as that is more a social thing.

ETA - I guess I need to look at it in the same way I should reading a book or posting on PH. It's all a waste of time in the grand scheme of the universe!


vonuber

17,868 posts

164 months

Tuesday 26th September 2017
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Was reading this article, and this thread came to mind:

It’s not just women, though - plenty of people, indeed perhaps the majority of people, are discouraged from contributing to the gaming community because they worry that they might not fit some imagined standard. It’s why people drift away when they get older, or when other things like family, relationships, demanding jobs and kids start to encroach on their gaming time. Being a Real Gamer, they think, is all-or-nothing. You can’t just dip in when you can. You can’t admit that sometimes your life makes it difficult to enjoy the latest Big Thing. If you do, you run the risk of being undermined.

http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/09/22/you-are-not-a-r...

TameRacingDriver

18,048 posts

271 months

Tuesday 26th September 2017
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vonuber said:
Was reading this article, and this thread came to mind:

It’s not just women, though - plenty of people, indeed perhaps the majority of people, are discouraged from contributing to the gaming community because they worry that they might not fit some imagined standard. It’s why people drift away when they get older, or when other things like family, relationships, demanding jobs and kids start to encroach on their gaming time. Being a Real Gamer, they think, is all-or-nothing. You can’t just dip in when you can. You can’t admit that sometimes your life makes it difficult to enjoy the latest Big Thing. If you do, you run the risk of being undermined.

http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/09/22/you-are-not-a-r...
Interesting article but that doesn’t resonate with me I’m afraid. I literally couldn’t give a single fk whether someone thinks I am a real gamer or not. I just find either I don’t have time to play, or when I do, can’t be bothered, and I think it really is as simple as that for me. Maybe one of these days I’ll start becoming bothered again but as yet it ain’t happening for me. I’ll give that inside game a try though as suggested above.

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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Ok, I'm back on the habit again. Assetto Corsa. It's like doing virtual trackdays as I've set up the in-car view perfectly.

vonuber said:
Was reading this article, and this thread came to mind:

It’s not just women, though - plenty of people, indeed perhaps the majority of people, are discouraged from contributing to the gaming community because they worry that they might not fit some imagined standard. It’s why people drift away when they get older, or when other things like family, relationships, demanding jobs and kids start to encroach on their gaming time. Being a Real Gamer, they think, is all-or-nothing. You can’t just dip in when you can. You can’t admit that sometimes your life makes it difficult to enjoy the latest Big Thing. If you do, you run the risk of being undermined.

http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/09/22/you-are-not-a-r...
To prove the opposite point, I'm not going to read that article because it sounds like a load of ste. I couldn't care less whether anyone thought I'm a "real gamer" or not. Will that affect my enjoyment of gaming? Nope. Is being a "real gamer" something to aspire to? Nope. rofl

Actually, if anyone said I was a "real gamer" I'd cringe.

FunkyNige

8,859 posts

274 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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It's part of the reason why I started playing the story based games from TellTale games (eg. Tales from the Borderlands), you can pretty much sit back and watch it unfold in front of you, every now and again make a decision or a small fight (it's just 'press left at this time' type fighting),
Oddly, I also found the new Mirror's Edge really good as a refreshing change, just running and jumping around the city doing little tasks, figuring out jumping puzzles (which is odd for me, I've been known to uninstall games when coming up against a jumping puzzle, MDK2 I'm looking at you), single player, stress free for the most part and just simple fun. So much so that I prefer running from area to area instead of using the quick travel option.

vonuber

17,868 posts

164 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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Hoofy said:
To prove the opposite point, I'm not going to read that article because it sounds like a load of ste. I couldn't care less whether anyone thought I'm a "real gamer" or not. Will that affect my enjoyment of gaming? Nope. Is being a "real gamer" something to aspire to? Nope. rofl

Actually, if anyone said I was a "real gamer" I'd cringe.
Sure, but you are not a (quite well respected) games journalist.
It was just interesting in how they are approaching it.

Edit: funkynige if you liked telltale games then get LiS if you haven't already. It's regarded as an improvement on them.

Alias218

1,485 posts

161 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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I have just this minute come off of GTAV and felt compelled to have a moan up on here.

There's a new plane which I thought I could just about scrape enough $ together to buy. I've been playing on and off for the last fortnight and have managed to grind $1.2mil. I go to buy said plane - can't buy it, need a hangar. Hangars are another $1.2mil or so. Great.

How did gaming get like this? I spent £45 on this game (twice in fact as I have it on both PS3 and 4) and I have to invest so much time to get paltry rewards. I miss good games that you pay for once, and as you play through you unlock stuff along the way. Games have become chores.

I appreciate the DLC is free in many cases, but then you pay for it in other ways - like the total surrender of your free time (or cash if you go down the pay to play route).

AAA gaming for me has become completely oxymoronic. It's meant to be about having fun and unwinding, but these days it seems more like a second job to come home to.

Maybe I'm getting old!

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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vonuber said:
Hoofy said:
To prove the opposite point, I'm not going to read that article because it sounds like a load of ste. I couldn't care less whether anyone thought I'm a "real gamer" or not. Will that affect my enjoyment of gaming? Nope. Is being a "real gamer" something to aspire to? Nope. rofl

Actually, if anyone said I was a "real gamer" I'd cringe.
Sure, but you are not a (quite well respected) games journalist.
It was just interesting in how they are approaching it.
Oh, I see. Sounds like they're overthinking it. If they are playing games regularly, enjoying them and writing decent articles about them, then that's all they need to worry about.

TameRacingDriver

18,048 posts

271 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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Alias218 said:
I have just this minute come off of GTAV and felt compelled to have a moan up on here.

There's a new plane which I thought I could just about scrape enough $ together to buy. I've been playing on and off for the last fortnight and have managed to grind $1.2mil. I go to buy said plane - can't buy it, need a hangar. Hangars are another $1.2mil or so. Great.

How did gaming get like this? I spent £45 on this game (twice in fact as I have it on both PS3 and 4) and I have to invest so much time to get paltry rewards. I miss good games that you pay for once, and as you play through you unlock stuff along the way.

Games have become chores.
Bit in bold - yes - I think possible with those 4 words you've probably just summed up why many people of our age/generation feel like we do. I really do feel like they have become chores. Even Doom, the one from last year, was the last game I bought and the last game I've stuck some serious time on. I enjoyed it - up to a point - when it became too bloody hard (and I have it on easy). I just got killed at the same point probably about 20 or 30 times and have just given up with it. Shame really, as I wanted to complete it, but apparently I don't have the skill or the patience hehe

TameRacingDriver

18,048 posts

271 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Crafting is my #1 pet hate with the latest Far Cry game, a game I otherwise quite enjoy. I am at a certain point in the game and can't really progress now because I haven't done enough crafting in order to obtain the weapons, ammo and power ups I need. Given up, again. I'm sure FC1 didn't have anything like that?

Lynchie999

3,421 posts

152 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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Alias218 said:
I have just this minute come off of GTAV and felt compelled to have a moan up on here.

There's a new plane which I thought I could just about scrape enough $ together to buy. I've been playing on and off for the last fortnight and have managed to grind $1.2mil. I go to buy said plane - can't buy it, need a hangar. Hangars are another $1.2mil or so. Great.

How did gaming get like this? I spent £45 on this game (twice in fact as I have it on both PS3 and 4) and I have to invest so much time to get paltry rewards. I miss good games that you pay for once, and as you play through you unlock stuff along the way. Games have become chores.

I appreciate the DLC is free in many cases, but then you pay for it in other ways - like the total surrender of your free time (or cash if you go down the pay to play route).

AAA gaming for me has become completely oxymoronic. It's meant to be about having fun and unwinding, but these days it seems more like a second job to come home to.

Maybe I'm getting old!
... join us online on PS4 and join Challenger's money making pyramid scheme! - you'll afford that plane in no time!

FunkyNige

8,859 posts

274 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Similar in World of Tanks/WarThunder - I spent so much time in tanks that I didn't enjoy in order to get up to the next one that it became a chore to play, we even call it 'the grind' to the next tank as you have to do the same stuff over and over again to progress.
Which is annoying as this type of game seems perfect - you can just switch it on, play a couple of 10 minute rounds then switch off, there isn't an 'end-game' as such to work towards so you can just sit at tier 4 if you feel like it and not bother with any more tanks. Unfortunately you keep getting shot by better tanks so the 'just have to level up to the next one then I'll be happy' and then you have 10,000 games in it...

Lance Catamaran

24,942 posts

226 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
This is the precisely the problem - companies aren't putting microtransactions in out the good of their hearts, they're making it deliberately hard to get items normally so the thought of spending a few more pounds gets even more tempting. The psychology behind it is pretty scary, since they know a small proportion will get hooked and spend thousands. With random loot boxes it's little more than gambling, expect unregulated and open to all ages. Really is about time this kind of practice was regulated.

Lance Catamaran

24,942 posts

226 months

Wednesday 27th September 2017
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Sure, you aren't forced to, but no company would put a feature like that in unless they want you to use it. They'e psychologically deigned to be as tempting as possible

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/04/24/the-troublin...

sc0tt

18,032 posts

200 months

Thursday 28th September 2017
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I very rarely play any more. My latest game I bought was GTA5.

I only really play that.