Anybody else done with video gaming?

[ghost]

I've hit a serious wall here with the video games.  MMOs largely suck, to my estimation, both in quality and as a time sink.  Single player games have become so bland that I've lost any interest in buying anything new.  I have a list of over a hundred games on Steam and I've touched probably 5-10% of them for any meaningful play. 

What's happening here?  Is the game quality just that bad?  I played Demon's Souls like a fucking madman, and I've put more than my fair share of hours into Fallout 3 and NV.  I've been trying to digest Skyrim, but about a week ago (because we're getting ready to move) I put away my gaming computer and I really don't miss it a bit. 

My big interest currently seems to be board/card games.  I've been introducing the wife to them and she seems to enjoy playing, and that's nice because it's something we can do together. 

[Selby]

Is the game quality just that bad?

Yes and no.  There are a ton of shit games out there that really don't justify how much processor and HDD they take up beyond looking pretty.  And some games are so incredibly complex and deep I flat out do not have the time to invest in trying to figure them out.  I was a huge fan of a certain genre of gaming that has mostly died and been replaced with another style that doesn't appeal to me that often.  They still make games I like, I still love the Dragon Quest series and play them for 80+ hours each at a time (even the older ones) but for the majority of games out there, they just aren't for me or holding my interest.  My parents say I've grown too old for video games, but plenty of people my age still like to play those twitch FPS games and others so it isn't purely an age thing.  I believe it's as I said, the games I truly like are games that aren't terribly popular and thus aren't made like they were 15-20 years ago.

[pxib]

It's not just "congrats you're an adult now". Games got so expensive that they started suffering from the same problem that plagues Hollywood blockbusters now: Low risk reheats of old formulae. Over and over again. Except it's not big a deal to turn your brain off for two and a half hours. Considerably harder to do the same for the 25 hours needed to finish a single player game, or the weeks /played required to get through the endgame of an MMO.

You've played that shit before.

Don't give up on flash games, they're still fun and free, and I absolutely support board and card games. They're only a little more expensive than computer games and they have more replay value, fewer compatibility issues, and a better second-hand marketplace.

[ghost]

Part of it for me, also, is that I'm considering winding down my computer time in general.  I spend so much time on the computer at work.  I've even considered (and am still dismissing) the option of getting rid of internet at home. 

I think I agree with you about the game types, Selby.  But it's partially me as well.  I don't have the time to sink into playing through a really complex game and learning new stuff, but fuck it, I just don't have the desire even when I have the time. 

[JWIV]

I keep trying and writing this and it just gets too fucking wordy.    Life priorities are going to be a part of it - kids, your own goals, etc.  And then a part of it also is that a lot of what is being made are sequels and rehashed games due to production cost.  Shit has gotten too safe, which makes for a more generic and bland experience.

[Kail]

You've played that shit before.

Yeah, this post rings pretty true to me.  I don't even have a console now, just a PC, and the only game I really give two shits about that I can't play is Dark Souls.  I find myself increasingly playing video games not for fun, but because I'm in school and I have jack all else to do in my life at this point.  I'm not about to give them up, but they just aren't the big, consuming drive they used to be.  More like "what I do instead of watch TV."

Part of it's the whole "hey, look, it's ANOTHER millitary FPS with iron sighting and regenerating health and two weapons and etc. etc." thing, part of it's the whole "evil corporations are CONSTANTLY AND UNCEASINGLY fucking us over with retarded DRM, DLC, mining for personal information, marketing BS, etc. etc." thing, and part of it is that there doesn't seem to be much that's... I dunno, artistic out there these days?  It's hard for me to express it well...  It just used to be impressive, seeing what developers could do on the SNES or Genesis, being blown away by what was accomplished in DOOM or Wing Commander or what have you.  Now, it's all just craft.  I'm not impressed by SquareSoft doing another Final Fantasy game, because it's not innovative or technically impressive to tell a story in a game anymore, you can just render an FMV and play it off the DVD.  I'm sure the people doing the movies know their shit, it's not that it's badly done, it just doesn't matter that it's being done.  It was amazing hearing Celes sing in FFVI, corny though it was, and though the newer games are better, they're not as impressive, if I'm making any sense?  I dunno.

[pxib]

...and though the newer games are better, they're not as impressive, if I'm making any sense?

The last game that impressed me in technical terms was Shadow of the Collosus, and that was six years ago.

[tgr]

Personally, the way the genre of games I used to play (FPSes) have just been ruined because of the wide adoption of things like a cover system (which just ends up interfering and be jarring as hell), limits to how many guns I can drag alon, autoregenerating health, etc etc etc. Another genre I used to play lots, car games, just seem unable to surpass games such as live for speed and richard burns rally. Games like all the need for speed games aren't even trying to have a vaguely realistic physics engine, and games like dirt3 had the worst interface for actually getting to the driving part, and once I got to the actual driving part, what I noticed was the fact that they couldn't even be arsed to simulate the forces that the front wheels were under, they just pressed the "rumble effect" button.

Add to all that this incessant urge to constantly be edgier with more and more graphics, which means more costs, which means less innovation and more chasing the dragon, and seemingly more and more focus on PVP multiplayer, to the detriment of things like story or coop multiplayer, and yeah, I've suddenly found that the indie market and the strategy market seems to be my current gaming refuge. They're still small and niche enough that they seem to be made by players, for players.

[schild]

I decided to only play stellar games and skip everything above average or merely excellent.

I played less than 5 games to completion last year and bought like a total of 7.

/shrug

[Paelos]

I decided to only play stellar games and skip everything above average or merely excellent.

I played less than 5 games to completion last year and bought like a total of 7.

/shrug

What's on that list?

[Selby]

and though the newer games are better, they're not as impressive, if I'm making any sense?

If by "better" you mean "looks and sounds prettier" then I agree 100% with that.  As others have said, it's like game designers got overly caught up in making them visually appealing and stunning, while forgetting that an actual game that has to be fun is required as the backbone and foundation once the shiny wears off.

[Sky]

I've had a pretty phenomenal year of gaming, looking over the 'so what are you playing' thread.

Mafia 2 - fun mafia story with great music and atmosphere
Blood Bowl - I kinda suck and don't really play anymore but had a ton of fun at times with it, wish I had the dedication to get better because I love the game
Fallout: NV - oh hell yeah
Divinity 2 - great eurojank rpg
Darkstar One - fun little shooter
Just Cause 2 - just pure awesome
Terraria - whee! Though glad I played it before trying minecraft
Amnesia - one of the greatest gaming atmospheres ever
More FFH2 because  
Rift - meh, but great combat and soul system (my alpha time was mostly 2010 so doesn't technically count)
Civ V - grew on me a bit
Alpha Protocol - interesting but I didn't get far, might be the low point of the year, but $5 /meh
Minecraft - zomg
Back to the Future Ep 1 - I'm a fan of the movies and enjoyed it
Skyrim - zomg
TOR - love it

I'm so not over gaming. And still plenty of stuff I'm looking forward to. It's a great time to be a gamer, tides lifting ships and whatnot.

[Rasix]

I just don't have a lot of free time to game, and that time comes at the expense of sleep.  Still, I have a lot of fun. I just don't buy as much stuff and I don't play mediocre games unless I'm already invested in the series.

Wife that doesn't game.  Young child.  Srs bzns job.  No time.

[Hawkbit]

Wife that doesn't game.  Young child.  Srs bzns job.  No time.

This is spot-on for me, too.  My kid likes games, but between work and school I just don't have the time for them. 

The irony is that now we have enough money to pretty much buy whatever game I want, but I just don't have time to play them. 

[Margalis]

I think the video game industry has become anti-consumer in some obvious ways and in some less obvious but just as annoying ways as well. Pair that with endless sequels and conceptual rehashes and things are definitely in a lull. There's a lot of disincentive at the point of purchase (money grab schemes, complex bonuses and pre-order options you need an excel spreadsheet to understand), the point where you turn on your console (system updates, laggy menus, installs, patch downloads) the point where you begin the game (entering DLC/online pass codes, horrible unskippable tutorials or games that introduce content at a snail's pace, 6 different splash screen devoted to middleware), etc.

I think one of the reasons iPhone and Flash games are doing well now is they remove many of those subtle turn-offs. Those things do add up, especially when what is being offered is relatively stagnant.

[TripleDES]

Most games just don't appeal to me anymore. If I'm playing something, it's the big things or specific stuff.

Next on the list is ME3, then GTA5 and sketched as option is JC3 when it'll release. Other than that, what I'm currently playing is pCARS. So you see, the list ain't big.

[Ironwood]

Yes.  I'm with Ghost.

It's horrible.

[tgr]

Hm. I forgot the DLCs, whether they're pre-order or not. I hate that, unless it's a whole bunch of extra missions or a whole new storyarch, which actually add value to the base game. Guns, like in RAGE? Die in a fire.

[Cyrrex]

I find that I am just not prioritizing my gaming very high.  There are still tons of things I am playing or want to play, such as:

Skyrim
Arkham City
Dark Souls
ME3
TOR

And a host of others that would make the B list...but I find myself simply not dedicating the time too it lately.  I actually read a lot more than I game these days.

Wife that doesn't game.  Young child.  Srs bzns job.  No time.

And this as well. 

[ghost]

I've got a stack of PS3 games 15 high that aren't even out of the shrink wrap.  

Apparently I have this stupid idea that buying the games will make me actually want to play them.  

I would also like to know which games you've played from start to finish this year, schild.

[Yegolev]

No, don't ask him that.

I play less stuff for the usual reasons, such as time considerations, but I've also realized that I'm jaded as fuck.  Super Metroid impressed me almost twenty years ago, then I played Shadow Complex and I enjoyed it in that context; ultimately I felt that it was mostly a graphics update while the game itself fell short of the standard set in 1994(?).  Most other games, however, compare unfavorably to my past experiences.  I'm jaded but I also think the tech bar has risen past the abilities of the average game studio, so they end up not being creative in any way.  Modern devs will have to work hard to impress me.  Skyrim visuals, even, lose significant impact because I remember playing Morrowind and simply looking at the sky for minutes on end.  I think the auroras are excellent but the awe didn't last as long.

Somewhat related, my son has gotten very interested in Sonic.  He has played a little of the originals and he obviously has an appreciation for the gameplay even though he is eight.  Currently his favorite is Sonic Generations, where you play both the old and new styles.  He even wants me to find some other music that fits the theme style!  I suppose I'll start with j-pop and then see if I can get some chiptune mp3s for him.   I figure he's going to be a very crotchety gamer by the time he is sixteen.

[schild]

I decided to only play stellar games and skip everything above average or merely excellent.

I played less than 5 games to completion last year and bought like a total of 7.

/shrug

What's on that list?

Dark Souls - Unfinished
Minecraft - Unfinished
Catherine - Unfinished
Deus Ex 3 - Finished
Portal 2 - Finished
Terraria - "Finished"
Skyrim - "Finished"

I tend not to count anything in the <$10 bracket as a game I purchased and played as I'll pay that for 2 hours of entertainment in the form of a movie, but Terraria is a unique specimen in that I spent 30-something hours with.

[RhyssaFireheart]

I've not logged into an MMO for months now (since my surgery in October) and tbh, I don't miss the game play at all.  I miss chatting with the online friends I've made, but the gaming itself, not so much.  I've even given up on playing social games like Farmville because I'm just not interested in neighborwhoring that much.  Part of the reason is I do spend so much time on the computer during the day that spending the entire evening there as well doesn't appeal to me any more.

[Lantyssa]

Games are more and more about only making money.  There are of course people who still love the concept of making one, but even they are being co-opted.  And they become so big that the little guys are just drowned out in the noise.  We just need to remember they are still there, they do still love just making a game, and with Steam and other services they're still in a better place than a decade ago.

[tazelbain]

I disagree its never been a better time to be the small guy.

[Yegolev]

Yes, indie games are where the interesting things happen now.

I was thinking about this some more and I realized that, for me, Japan has gone dark.  There is Dark Souls, Disgaea and Catherine, but not much else has crossed my sights in quite a while.

[schild]

A decade ago, that list was the same but different for Japan. Disgaea, Nocturne, and I don't know, ICO.

Japan has always been the same level of consistently shit mixed with "Better than everything else."

[Nebu]

I enjoyed the hell out of Terraria, World of Tanks, Rift, and SWTOR (to a lesser degree).

I'm finding that the reason I game has changed as I've gotten older.  My mind races until late in the evening and I use gaming to calm my brain down.  I think this is why I enjoy MMO's so much.  The mechanics are pretty calming and I get to chat with some interesting people while calming my brain with mindless kill-10-rat quests.  

[Rasix]

My mind races until late in the evening and I use gaming to calm my brain down.  I think this is why I enjoy MMO's so much.  The mechanics are pretty calming and I get to chat with some interesting people while calming my brain with mindless kill-10-rat quests.  

I think this is why I'll keep playing MMOs, sadly.   I need something to calm me down when I'm not in the mood to read.  Other games can fill the function, but it needs to be a fairly slow paced or story driven RPG.   As far as MMOs go, I'm pretty much over the genre and don't see myself getting riled up for another one.  They're games, better to treat them as such, instead of this holy grail of gaming that no one has gotten right.

Right now I've dropped down to playing 1 (if I win) or 2 (if I don't) games of LoL a night.  If I try to fit in a third, I won't get enough time to wind down, and trying to get to bed will be futile.

I still finished a few single player games last year.  DE3, inFamous, Portal 2, Dragon Age 2. Ohh, I'm pretty sure I didn't beat Alpha Protocol until after New Year, so that counts too.  I only bought a few games at retail prices that I really never dove into: Disgaea 4 and Dark Souls.  Played (and still playing)  a ton of LoL, played a decent amount of Rift and am enjoying SWTOR.   

I just wish I had enough time to do a proper Radicalthon of Dwarf Fortress.  I just can't seem to fit it in. 

[HaemishM]

I'm not in this boat because I'm catching up on games that I've missed over the last two years for lack of funds. However, I'm also unwilling to plunk down $60 for a new goddamn game unless it's something like the latest version of FIFA. I've decided that the Madden series is just not getting my damn money anymore and I really miss a yearly NFL alternative game because this year's Madden was so fucking bad, I regret having paid anything for it.

And MMOG's? Fuck you in the face. The last MMOG I paid for was Lord of the Rings Online and I played that for a year. I refuse to pay $60 for a box THEN a sub fee on top of that for what is another goddamn reiteration of Everquest with some of the shitty UI bits smoothed out into a more linear experience. My exception to this will be Guild Wars 2 unless the beta sucks monkey ass. Everything else MMOG wise that's coming up has left me cold - unless the game is F2P, I won't play it. MMOG devs have won the crown for being unoriginal, repetitive dickheads.

[Mrbloodworth]

Yes, indie games are where the interesting things happen now.

Its where all the interesting things have always happened.

Its just now mainstream enough for many of you here to notice.

[Bungee]

I'm finding that the reason I game has changed as I've gotten older.  My mind races until late in the evening and I use gaming to calm my brain down.  I think this is why I enjoy MMO's so much.  The mechanics are pretty calming and I get to chat with some interesting people while calming my brain with mindless kill-10-rat quests.  

This. DotA clones just have a tendency to not calm me down at all sometime...

[schild]

Yes, indie games are where the interesting things happen now.

Its just now mainstream enough for many of you here to notice.

Fuck right off with that shit.

[Salamok]

I just don't have a lot of free time to game, and that time comes at the expense of sleep.  Still, I have a lot of fun. I just don't buy as much stuff and I don't play mediocre games unless I'm already invested in the series.

Wife that doesn't game.  Young child.  Srs bzns job.  No time.

This is it verbatim for me.  As I get older the skipping sleep thing doesn't work as well.  Sometimes I think it would be great if my wife gamed then I imagine the amount of shit that would not get done in that scenario and the fantasy turns into a nightmare.

It might be different if we had 2 TV's but for now I am limited in play time and to the very short list of games that won't give my kid nightmares and the wife doesn't mind watching.  The only games I have managed to talk my wife into playing are board games and rocksmith.

edit - Oddly enough my days of several thousand hours a year playing games ended right about the time I started posting on f13.

edit2 - We aren't counting phone games right?

[Mrbloodworth]

Yes, indie games are where the interesting things happen now.

Its just now mainstream enough for many of you here to notice.

Fuck right off with that shit.

Sure, what ever you say. lol.