Which game are you looking forward to?

[LadyCrimson]

Re: "are you still a gamer"

More and more even when I play games, I'm sort of wondering why I'm playing games. To pass the time mostly I suppose. I don't think I get the same level of "fun" out of it as I did a long time ago, outside of certain "obsessive" tasks like making maps. But I could get the same effect obsessing over editing photos, videos or reorganizing the kitchen, really - my task-obsessive nature isn't confined to only game-related things. Maybe the major reason I personally played games (depression/blank the mind/de-stress) or any other kind of fantasy-immersion just isn't there anymore so it's less compelling to want to lose myself in them.

I mean I like games, but I don't spend a whole lot of time on them per year anymore, and 95% of the time when I buy a game, it's on a random lark and I play it for 1-4 hrs, post a screenshot or three here, and never touch or think about it again. Sometimes it feels more like I keep playing out of habit more than real interest.

...I'm still kind of curious about that beaver city-builder Timberborn game tho.  For some reason I want to watch tiny beavers running around a town doing tasks. 

Edited January 25, 2022 by LadyCrimson

[BruceVC]

1 hour ago, LadyCrimson said:

Re: "are you still a gamer"

More and more even when I play games, I'm sort of wondering why I'm playing games. To pass the time mostly I suppose. I don't think I get the same level of "fun" out of it as I did a long time ago, outside of certain "obsessive" tasks like making maps. But I could get the same effect obsessing over editing photos, videos or reorganizing the kitchen, really - my task-obsessive nature isn't confined to only game-related things. Maybe the major reason I personally played games (depression/blank the mind/de-stress) or any other kind of fantasy-immersion just isn't there anymore so it's less compelling to want to lose myself in them.

I mean I like games, but I don't spend a whole lot of time on them per year anymore, and 95% of the time when I buy a game, it's on a random lark and I play it for 1-4 hrs, post a screenshot or three here, and never touch or think about it again. Sometimes it feels more like I keep playing out of habit more than real interest.

...I'm still kind of curious about that beaver city-builder Timberborn game tho.  For some reason I want to watch tiny beavers running around a town doing tasks. 

I think you are experiencing what many gamers who have been playing games for years can go through, its not unusual and there is some real observational data around this. I can guarantee you that several other members sometimes feel the same way in the sense " I find I lose interest in a game  and dont have the desire to complete the game " ... @ShadySands havent you felt like this sometimes ?

I haven't personally experienced what you talking about but I do things to ensure I dont  start thinking like that but sometimes a person is fine feeling like you do which is how you feel as you mentioned ?

But in closing I have a series of psychological  exercises and things you can practice if you want to  change your current mindset but the important question is " what exactly do you want to change "? For example do you want to improve your  length of time you play and not get bored as quick as you do ?

[Hurlshort]

Sometimes I get into cycles of "search stores for games on sale that look engaging, buy game, play for a bit, then go back to searching." Usually this is just because it hasn't captured my imagination. Alternatively, I love when I can really get into the lore of a game. But lately I've been trying to get better at looking over my own vast library and loading up games I already have. Of course, that results in me playing games I know I will enjoy. Right now I'm hooked again on Xcom. 

The tough part is there just aren't that many games released any more that I know will be a home run for me. The next Xcom or Avowed are probably the closest. 

I also find that, more and more, I need to capture a certain mood to really enjoy games. Sometimes that means getting up early and playing before the rest of the house wakes up, sometimes that means pouring a beer and playing Disco Elysian when the sun goes down. It's weird how fickle I can be about my gaming time.

[LadyCrimson]

I think one issue with games is that my curiosity over them peaked a long time ago. That's a primary motivator for me in most things. I've never been into games for or because of story telling or lore, as I've probably mentioned many times. With games I'm the number cruncher, the what are the limits within these given set of rules, how many different methods can one take to accomplish the same thing, can I figure out the patterns of the AI and use it against them (oh the fun I had with Stronghold Crusader in that regard...), can I build a zipline network within the rules that allows me to never touch the ground, and of course, image framing and composing.    On the other hand, I don't care to be a Grandmaster of Chess or learn a programming language. Just saying, there's a difference.

More and more games tend to inspire less  curiosity... or at least not new curiosity. They can be fun, funny, visually astounding, or of course, "die 1000 times"-challenging etc, but without any intense curiosity factor to motivate me, they are not interesting. Occasionally one comes along that hits a note and I relish when one does, it's just going to be rare now. And as time goes on I find myself not caring as much re: trying to constantly find one that does. Edit: which leads into the maybe I don't "need" games as a distraction anymore.  Whether that means eventually I'll just stop playing at all, even by habit, I cannot say. Depends on what else life tosses my way on top.

Edited January 25, 2022 by LadyCrimson

[Malcador]

 

[kanisatha]

22 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

The tough part is there just aren't that many games released any more that I know will be a home run for me.

^This.

As I've gotten older, I'm getting more and more pushed into a small minority with respect to my preferences in all forms of entertainment: movies, TV shows, and most sadly even video games. And of course corporations are always going to just keep making the same thing again and again that fits the preferences of the majority, rather than cater to the tastes of minority preferences.

[Hurlshort]

22 minutes ago, kanisatha said:

^This.

As I've gotten older, I'm getting more and more pushed into a small minority with respect to my preferences in all forms of entertainment: movies, TV shows, and most sadly even video games. And of course corporations are always going to just keep making the same thing again and again that fits the preferences of the majority, rather than cater to the tastes of minority preferences.

I'm not entirely sure if it is a lack of quality content. I'd actually say that, as we age, it gets harder to find exciting content that fits our preference because WE have changed as we have gotten older. I've already seen a lot, so it gets harder and harder to find something new and exciting. 

I mean, there certainly is a lot more content out than there was when I was growing up. Granted quantity doesn't equal quality, but pretty much every genre of game is getting solid releases every year, even if some rely on smaller indie studios. 

Anyways, nothing wrong with becoming more discerning and cautious of your time as you age, but I hesitate to blame the industries completely. They brought back the Dark Crystal, for heaven's sake. Sure, Netflix cancelled it after a season, but there is clearly a lot of work out there to try and tap into new niches. 

[uuuhhii]

doesn't feel just change of taste as one age

always too tired to try or do something new

rarely have the same energy to bash through thousands of sentence translate one unknown word at a time or retry dozens of slightly different line to get some mod to work

learn to play a new game are no longer invigorating challenge but exhausting chore

[ShadySands]

Fallout 2 remaster just like every year

[kanisatha]

7 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

I'm not entirely sure if it is a lack of quality content. I'd actually say that, as we age, it gets harder to find exciting content that fits our preference because WE have changed as we have gotten older. I've already seen a lot, so it gets harder and harder to find something new and exciting. 

I mean, there certainly is a lot more content out than there was when I was growing up. Granted quantity doesn't equal quality, but pretty much every genre of game is getting solid releases every year, even if some rely on smaller indie studios. 

Anyways, nothing wrong with becoming more discerning and cautious of your time as you age, but I hesitate to blame the industries completely. They brought back the Dark Crystal, for heaven's sake. Sure, Netflix cancelled it after a season, but there is clearly a lot of work out there to try and tap into new niches. 

You have a good point. And I'm not blaming the companies entirely. Yes indeed my own preferences as well as my choices re. what to spend my free time on have certainly evolved with age. But TV shows is where I can clearly see a definite pattern of fewer and fewer shows to watch with each passing season. Granted this is significantly affected by my unwillingness, thus far, to subscribe to streaming services, and that quite a few shows I would watch are locked behind those paywalls. A great example is the CBS show "SEAL Team," which for years was my #1 drama show on TV. But this year they moved it into Paramount+, and so I have lost my favorite show as I won't be subscribing to Paramount+ just for that show.

[Gorth]

I wonder how many here remember the "good old days" of 8 bit computing, when the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum 48 were competing for the customers attention (and money)?

In the early 80's, there were a number of one man armies (Jeff Minter, Andrew Braybrook, Sid Meier, Bruce Carver and Mike Singleton) which produced a disproportional part of the "good" games of that decade. Eventually it turned into another Hollywood, with publishers becoming larger and larger and developers becoming less and less independent, as the budgets and financing costs sky rocketed. There's a difference between providing cash flow for a 1-3 man company and a 100-1000 man company. The tested and tried (and sequels and imitations) were in and innovation was out

 

The last games that truly excited me were probably games like the Master of Orion, Fallout, Baldur Gate, X-Com and Tomb Raider. Since that time, good games have been released intermittently, but expectations and excitement for upcoming releases has been in constant decline. Doesn't mean a game gives me a pleasant surprise and I've played fun games since, but expectations?... nah.

 

Edit: I'll shamefully admit, I don't remember the name of the guy at Cosmi, who did such classics like Caverns of Khafka, Aztec Challenge and Forbidden Forest (the later is to this day the only video game that genuinely gave me goosebumps and cold sweat). He did game design, game development, the graphics and coded the effin music. One man army indeed.

 

Edit2: Google is my friend, his name is Paul Norman.

[Hurlshort]

4 hours ago, kanisatha said:

You have a good point. And I'm not blaming the companies entirely. Yes indeed my own preferences as well as my choices re. what to spend my free time on have certainly evolved with age. But TV shows is where I can clearly see a definite pattern of fewer and fewer shows to watch with each passing season. Granted this is significantly affected by my unwillingness, thus far, to subscribe to streaming services, and that quite a few shows I would watch are locked behind those paywalls. A great example is the CBS show "SEAL Team," which for years was my #1 drama show on TV. But this year they moved it into Paramount+, and so I have lost my favorite show as I won't be subscribing to Paramount+ just for that show.

Paramount+ is 99 cents through Amazon Prime. Not to tempt you, but I did just finish up the Real World Season 1 reunion on the service.

I cut the cable cord years ago though, so I have a decent budget for streaming services.

[Mamoulian War]

16 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

I'm not entirely sure if it is a lack of quality content. I'd actually say that, as we age, it gets harder to find exciting content that fits our preference because WE have changed as we have gotten older. I've already seen a lot, so it gets harder and harder to find something new and exciting. 

I mean, there certainly is a lot more content out than there was when I was growing up. Granted quantity doesn't equal quality, but pretty much every genre of game is getting solid releases every year, even if some rely on smaller indie studios. 

Anyways, nothing wrong with becoming more discerning and cautious of your time as you age, but I hesitate to blame the industries completely. They brought back the Dark Crystal, for heaven's sake. Sure, Netflix cancelled it after a season, but there is clearly a lot of work out there to try and tap into new niches. 

It is both, lack of quality, and we are getting older. My gaming preferenced changed very minimally compared to 20 years ago, I am still big RPG and racing nerd, but the overall quality of big games is getting lower and lower. Square Enix was once my favourite game maker, but with release of Lightning Returns, the games they offer are just to much different from what I am expecting from them, so I have stopped buying their games. Same with most AAA studios. The only exception would be Bethesda, because their non-core studios still offer what I love about gaiming. Unfortunatelly I have to wait few years to see it on GOG, and after the MS purchase, I am kind of worried, that the Doom 2016 and Eternal will never get on GOG

Anyway, what the AAA is lacking, can be found in AA and Indie games. I just have to dig deeper to fins out the gems I love, because there is to big quantity of games nowadays. And there are always some japanese series, which have not disappointed me yet (Yakuza, Atelier, Tales of, Dark Souls etc...), so I really had absolutely no need to buy a single game from AAA publishers since few years...

[melkathi]

And you haven't even played Troubleshooter yet...

[Mamoulian War]

1 hour ago, melkathi said:

And you haven't even played Troubleshooter yet...

I wish I could, but not realeased on GOG yet

[uuuhhii]

really hope more player try choice of game format

most of them are not very good but at least most are time consuming

[kanisatha]

11 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

I cut the cable cord years ago though, so I have a decent budget for streaming services.

This is ultimately what it comes down to, and I wonder when I may get to that point. About $215 is what I'm paying per month right now for my Xfinity service, though this includes my high-speed Internet and cable phone services. But the problem with letting go of cable is that I like vegging in front of my TV for an hour or two before going to bed, just watching reruns of some old sitcom or shows like Ancient Aliens. The Game Show Netwok is probably the channel I watch the most these days. Anyway, wasn't meaning to derail this thread.