What's wrong with me?

I think im outgrowing video games . I dont like very many of the new games these days. It just doesnt seem as fun as it was back five or six years ago. Am I getting washed up as I approach middle age? (I'll be 40 this year
) Where has all the fun gone? There are so many games and they all just seem to be set up to milk you out of money even if they are free. If you want this cool gun or this fancy ability it will only cost you just a little bit more. I miss the days of UT2004 and Cod4.

These are just the ramblings of an ageing gamer... GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

Pretty sure it's not just you. Even in my 20-something state, supposedly the prime demographic for core gamers, I find most of the new games in the mainstream pretty uninteresting, so I don't mean to rain on your old geezer parade, but I'm guessing it ain't a matter of out-aging gaming.

The current games I like most seem to be rooted in old-school design philosophies while adding new twists. Games like Bastion come to mind to fit that category. Or even just unashamedly "throwback" games like New Super Mario Bros. U.

I have this theory that the big publishers are both too concerned with profits to take risks on breaking from what's proven to sell and often end up so bent on "taking games seriously" that it seems to come at the cost of genuinely fun experiences.

I hate to sound like a gaming hipster, but I find I'm usually more impressed and more entertained by indie games (or even lower-budget/lower-price games from major publishers where they're willing to take more risks) than the big $60 titles.

And then there's Critter Crunch. (Psst. "Critter Crunch" is like a summoning phrase to bring Tek into any forum conversation. Don't let him know I shared this secret though, okay?)

I feel the same way. I can't even remember the last big title I bought because I've been so disappointed with gaming companies (except for GW2 and BL2... okay, okay and SWToR... but my point still stands). It's been a while since I've found a game that really knocked me off my feet and urged me to break some speed limits so that I may get home faster so that I could play it sooner.

I really thought SWToR would be spectacular. Leveling was great, but everything else wasn't. GW2 is not bad by any measurement - but it's not exactly great, either. And I believe Borderlands 2 suffers from the same problem D3 suffers from - same play through, new difficulties. Where's the fun in that?!

/Sigh

I have been so disillusioned with gaming that I don't even bother checking out Steam sales.

/rant

You need to play some Secret World, best questing MMO ever and the writing is better then just about any single player game ever. Downright mind blowing how awesome the acting and writing is.
Just make sure to play Templars if you want a PG-13 story and Illuminati if you are OK with rated R contents.

Blast it all, ewoks! You're gonna get me to play this game yet! lol

ewoksrule said:

You need to play some Secret World

Click to expand...

Hmm, sounds interesting. Will look into it.

Right now about all I play it seems is Arcane Legends. Mainly because its one of the few games lately that I enjoy, the controls arent difficult to master for a touchscreen game and I can play it on my tablet or phone just about anywhere.

Captain T- Welcome to the age of maturity. Money means more because you know the value of it better. Also remember, you are aging out of the focus audience for games.

That being said, gaming industry is not doing so well right now. All the money is in cheap short to play games. I guess is you are looking for a game to lose yourself inside of. Can't really get that on a mobile device.

I have found myself in the same place as you. I have been here for two or three years now. I have very little advice to offer outside of this- obviously you are not alone. Re-examine the meaning of fun for you. Then choose based on those criteria.

I think it has less to do with physical age and more to do with the age of gaming. There's so much garbage out there, and very few diamonds in the rough.

While there are some really good games out there (GW2 is a blast) I have also found that I just don't have time for those types of games anymore.

Maybe it's because the industry is still helmed by number crunchers and focus test interpreters who are too slow to change and woefully desperate to cash in on a perceived misogynist violence fantasy fetish among Caucasian males between the ages of 13 to 21?

Maybe it's because many of the same number crunchers started throwing absurd sums of money at free-to-play play-to-win cow clickers, clones,and Skinner boxes instead of investing in quality game studios?

Maybe it's because the games industry would prefer to churn out a hundred more Madden games and Call of Battlefield: Medal of Shoot 'Em Up Bang Bang Man before they create another Katamari Damacy or Critter Crunch (you didn't think I forgot, did you Kendrik?) or Portal 2?

Maybe the games industry really does have Peter Pan Syndrome and just isn't interested in tackling mature topics instead of just slapping in guns, sex, and gore to get an M rating and attract 13-year old boys who want to pretend they're grown up?

Or maybe all of these things are true and it still doesn't matter (as much) because the market has changed in such a way that Double Fine Adventure can fund a new adventure game, families can play word puzzles like Ruzzle together on their mobile devices, "core" gamers (whatever that means) can turn to indie studios for games that look better than almost any AAA title out there (yes, I'm talking about Natural Selection 2), JRPG fans can still get their fix on handhelds (i.e. the DS and 3DS), and Nintendo can still dazzle us with a new Mario game (referring to Super Mario Galaxy 2, which I <3).

Yes, there is a truckload of dull, derivative, juvenile cruft flooding the games market. For every Critter Crunch, there's at least 20 Puzzle Bobble clones. For every Natural Selection 2, there's probably about 10 YAMS (Yet Another Military Shooter). And for every Super Mario Galaxy 2, there's untold numbers of "endless runner" mobile games.

But there are great games AND great studios out there--and plenty of them. You might have to toss aside some preconceived notions and play a weak indie title or two to find them, but there are gems and they are shiny, I assure you.

It's hard to believe the same industry can create a game like Sleeping Dogs, engorged with profane dialogue and violence, and a game like Critter Crunch, which has beautiful, kid-friendly heart, "d'awwwwww"-inspiring cuteness, and excellent fast-paced gameplay, but that's gaming for you. Just as there are scads of terrible movies appealing to the worst in humanity (and often closely pairing the glorification of extramarital sex and violence, which is disturbing in its own right and the subject of another thread entirely) for every cinematic masterpiece, the same is true of gaming.

Yes, gamers are growing up. Yes, we're expecting more from games--more complex characters, better stories, better gameplay, more respect for the shrinking amount of time we have to play games--and some studios have paid attention. Most, unfortunately, keep churning out the same filler as before and pricing it absurdly high. The sad thing is, it sells.

The good news is: So does quality. You just have to know where to look. And we can help.

One more thing: Play what you enjoy. I've found as I've grown up that I'm much bolder when I tell people that I enjoy Pokemon, Ruzzle, Critter Crunch, and other, similar games. If you enjoy Arcane Legends or other "casual" games, more power to you. Haters gon' hate.

(I still hold that Zynga is a cancer on the games industry, though, but they're less relevant with each passing day.)

ewoksrule said:

You need to play some Secret World, best questing MMO ever and the writing is better then just about any single player game ever. Downright mind blowing how awesome the acting and writing is.
Just make sure to play Templars if you want a PG-13 story and Illuminati if you are OK with rated R contents.

Click to expand...

Agreed, I literally dont pay attention to quest texts or dialogues in ANY mmo now except TSW