How do you feel about the current state of video games? (1 Viewer)

[Bryan^H]

I have been considering quitting video games for quite some time, and here is why:

Remasters, and re-imaginings of classic games.

I haven't played one yet that sucks me back into a video game that I played ten to twenty years ago, This goes for anything from Zelda: Wind Waker, to Crash Bandicoot. Shadow of the Colossus was a bust.
I think it is a good way to introduce younger players to games that were before their time, but with Resident Evil 2, and Final Fantasy VII etc.---I am over it. Been there done that, and I have the original. The re-imagining, and remastered game trend seems stale for me. I think it is a waste of resources for the big game studios. It saddens me to see it gaining in popularity.
NOTE: I can nitpick a laundry list of things I dislike about the current state of games today so I will just get to the point
Here are the main reasons I'm ready to quit:
Very, very few games interest me anymore.

I'm talking one to two games a year(if that) that really get me excited. If I buy anything that looks decent, but not great usually turns out to be a $60 mistake. 20 minutes of playtime, and I'm done with it, so I cut out impulse buying.
Yes, I know these are my tastes so I am responsible on what appeals to me, but that is the point. There are practically no games at all that remotely interest me. For crying out loud, the last game I thought was truly great was Bloodborne for the PS4.

Time

Finding the time to do things other than work, and life stuff is near impossible.
Now more than ever I admire "pick up, and play" games. A quick game of pinball, or a 8 minute session of Joust. That is where I am at, and unfortunately usually all the time I have for gaming.
The idea of starting a 100 hour game to me now is as alien as going to Mars. It just isn't going to happen, so that is that.

So there are the main factors on my decision to quit gaming, and understand this is a big decision. the thought of selling all my gaming systems, and games does make me sad, but having the time, and interest to play them is key, and unfortunately those are two things lacking for me right now.


How do you feel about the state of games? loving them, hating them, in between?

 

[Scott-S]

I can only speak on PC games, but I am not liking what I am seeing as a trend. Fallout 76 is an example. I love the story driven, first person games like Fallout4, Half-life1-2,and Farcry1-4. I even liked Skyrim. But with the announcement that Fallout 76 will be multi-player only on servers, means (to me ) that they are phasing out the single player games in favor of the online multiplayer model. Must be a lot more money in it.

I refuse to play multi-player games any more. So I guess I will eventually run out of games I can play.

I hope I am wrong.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Of course if it doesn't fit in to your life then you should definitely consider moving on.

For me it's an equal mix of good and bad.

I hate how games are now designed with non-stop post dlc content in mind. I really miss the days when you bought a game and it was the complete package.

I also hate how endless patches come out for pretty much every single game. It's gotten to the point where I won't even buy games until at least a few months minimum have gone by, so they have all the issues sorted out.

I hate anything multiplayer, as the online community is just full of toxic whiners, and being over 40, I don't really have any friends who are as in to gaming as I am, so playing with friends is pretty much out.

The good news is, I have enough backlog of games I am genuinely interested in that could keep me busy for at least 2 years probably, if I were to completely stop buying games. I too have limited time now, and own several 100+ hour games that I haven't started yet, simply because of the time commitment. However there are a ton of great indie pick up and play games released all the time.

There are also still great AAA titles being released. Case in Point, God of War. This one hit all the right notes for me. Single player only, complete game at launch, and not a single crash or glitch encountered throughout the entire playthrough from launch. Absolute perfection.

I also really do like the remasters. It's great fun for me to play older games again I grew up with, that I wouldn't have played again otherwise. Sorry to hear Shadow of the Colossus didn't grab you. I thought that remaster was amazing. I actually didn't quite enjoy the original that much, and basically forced myself to get through it. I wasn't looking forward to plaything through it again at all. However the remaster just had my jaw on the floor in amazement at what they had done with it, and it was an absolute joy to play every second of it. I even went through and did everything possible in the game after the platinum, such as unlocking all the art galleries and getting all the secret coins to unlock the dark sword, even though it did absolutely nothing for me in game at that point.

In conclusion, I can see myself becoming completely opposed to the way gaming could be going in the future, as online only games-as-a-streaming-service. But the good news is I'm absolutely sure I'll have enough backlog of enjoyable stuff to keep me going happy for a very long time.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Scott - Bethesda openly said Fallout 76 is just one thing they're trying out and is NOT indicative of where they're going as a company or with the franchise. So rest assured, single-player long-form open-world RPGs will still be here.

Bryan - I have heard a theory that all people who seek out new art are really just trying to recreate that first, most amazing set of formative experiences and will never be able to do so. For me personally, my joy and wonder at playing Super Mario 64 will never be outdone with the latest Mario game. I can enjoy Mario and will play the games as they are released, but it won't be anywhere near what that first demo in a Toys R Us of Super Mario 64 felt like. You may just be hitting that point really hard. My question would be: how long have you been playing games and what were some older ones you really liked?

I think some of the criticisms here are fair, but also not. Yeah, there's a ton of DLC and patches and online games, and there are tons of remakes and remasters and rehashes of existing formulas, but there are also more games being created on an annual basis than ever before. Sure, you might not like Call of Duty or Fallout or Mario, but there's still a TON of other things coming out. Because the market is so big, publishers are able to appeal to more demographics and create more styles. Try to adjust where your personal attention is going and you may see things differently.

For me, my biggest disappointment is that the current generation started with a huge push towards better graphics but not better games. I am incredibly bored with seeing how many pixels and how high a framerate a game or console can achieve, without any discussion of what makes it new or fun. We're finally deep enough into the generation where great new experiences are being created but it took a couple years. I actually think right now we're hitting a good golden age of gaming, actually.

 

[Bryan^H]

Sorry to hear Shadow of the Colossus didn't grab you. I thought that remaster was amazing. .

It was, It is just the feeling that I played it through before, and although a beautiful upgrade I didn't have the urge to beat it again. I very seldom revisit a game once I finish it. And that is a reason the remasters just don't cut it for me.

 

[Sam Posten]

I'm incredibly excited about the state of gaming. We literally have a hundredfold more games than time to play them. All kinds of experimental games and new experiences are being toyed with. VR found a resurgence and AR is going mainstream. All walks of life have the potential to have their favorites catered to, and it seems that women remain in the lead in loving the hobby as much as if not more than men. Men however seem to dominate AAA gaming, which is not great.

HDR, high frame rate, portability, high resolution and other cutting edge features continue to push the hobby forward, while opportunities for meatier story and game play experiences keep expanding.

I'm incredibly frustrated by the legion of gamers who represent the worst of our hobby. Rude, entitled, wrong, and loud.

 

[Bryan^H]

Bryan - I have heard a theory that all people who seek out new art are really just trying to recreate that first, most amazing set of formative experiences and will never be able to do so. For me personally, my joy and wonder at playing Super Mario 64 will never be outdone with the latest Mario game. I can enjoy Mario and will play the games as they are released, but it won't be anywhere near what that first demo in a Toys R Us of Super Mario 64 felt like. You may just be hitting that point really hard. My question would be: how long have you been playing games and what were some older ones you really liked?.

I've always been a gamer. since about 1984 when I used to play the Atari 2600, and Colecovision to the amazingly impactful Nintendo Entertainment system(I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had with my friend at 12 years old playing all those great games for the first time) which gave us Zelda Super Mario Brothers, Castlevania, Metroid...all favorites/all classics.

I guess 1995 was the turning point for me, That is when I spent so much time gaming on my PS1 it was just magical. I still regard it as one of the best systems ever. I was addicted, and realized there was such a thing as a "hardcore gamer" because I was one of them.
Some of my favorites were without a doubt Resident Evil 2, Tomb Raider, 1, and 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy VII.

Then came the N64 which had Goldeneye, and Super Mario 64 which are two of my all time favorites for different reasons.
Ever since the N64 I have been trying to recapture the excitement, fun I had with the systems that came before. I loved the Xbox 360 for playing multiplayer with friends online(which was awesome) but looking back playing N64 with my friends over my house was a better experience.


The PS4,and XBO while technically astonishing lack something for me. The games(single player) don't attract me, and playing online with friends is dead, because they have been done with gaming for a handful of years.
So that is where I am with the hobby------looking for something to bring me back, but on the horizon I see nothing.

 

[Sam Posten]

I have heard a theory that all people who seek out new art are really just trying to recreate that first, most amazing set of formative experiences and will never be able to do so.

I can assure you that I am much more satisfied with modern games than I was with Scott Adams Adventure, Atari Space Shuttle, Space Invaders, Dragon's Lair, The Bards Tale, Wasteland, and Alternate Reality.

Every one of those was a step on the way to something more concrete and universally acceptable. We are so very close to that today. The stigma of gaming is gone. The stories are no longer trying to recreate what books and movies do better, they embrace the capabilities of this new art.

If I have any regrets in life it is that because of my obesity and brain tumor I figure I will be very very lucky to make it past 70. I so very much want to see where this hobby goes far longer than that!

 

[Bryan^H]

I can assure you that I am much more satisfied with modern games than I was with Scott Adams Adventure, Atari Space Shuttle, Space Invaders, Dragon's Lair, The Bards Tale, Wasteland, and Alternate Reality.

Every one of those was a step on the way to something more concrete and universally acceptable. We are so very close to that today. The stigma of gaming is gone. The stories are no longer trying to recreate what books and movies do better, they embrace the capabilities of this new art.

If I have any regrets in life it is that because of my obesity and brain tumor I figure I will be very very lucky to make it past 70. I so very much want to see where this hobby goes far longer than that!

I think in a hundred years gaming technology will be on par with a Holodeck in Star Trek. I truly believe it, and it is too bad we wont be around to experience it. I haven't got into VR for the PS4(it just looks like a lot of wires and setup to play a game) but I hear it is pretty cool.

 

[Gary Seven]

I think in a hundred years gaming technology will be on par with a Holodeck in Star Trek. I truly believe it, and it is too bad we wont be around to experience it. I haven't got into VR for the PS4(it just looks like a lot of wires and setup to play a game) but I hear it is pretty cool.

If that is true, I would expect there to be addictions a la Broccoli, er, I mean Barclay.

 

[CraigF]

I don't have a problem with the current state of gaming (movies, OTOH...). I never play anything "new", I hate buggy crap, probably because of my work, so like to wait for things to settle, like a year or two. Doesn't bother me, the enthusiasts are still around playing it, and it helps to "surround" yourself with enthusiasts to make the experience seem/go better. I've played less games than most people here, so I am not as easily displeased with pretty much anything I pick up, even if it's the tenth release in a franchise (as long as I haven't played any of the previous ones).

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Time

Finding the time to do things other than work, and life stuff is near impossible.

This. And health. I played World of Warcraft for ten years. Nearing 50, I took up running instead. Much more fulfilling spending of my time.

 

[DaveF]

I have been considering quitting video games for quite some time, and here is why:

...
How do you feel about the state of games? loving them, hating them, in between?

I think this is not really a question of "video games" but a question of being 20 to 40 years older than when you started playing games. They're no longer first-ever experiences that rewrite your brain, shaping who you are to be. And as you say, there's the pressures and responsibilities and constraints of being an adult. And that's taking you in a different direction now. Perhaps for a short time, perhaps the rest of your life.

I love video games. At least, I love the idea of them. But I haven't turned on my PS4 since about January of this year. If I have time to play a game, I've got time to play Star Wars Armada with a friend, or boardgames with other friends, and watch some of my tremendous TV and movie backlog. Or read some of my comics backlog. Or play around on my HTPC. Or go to the gym.

I want to finish Uncharted 4; it's really good. I'd like to buy a Switch and try some neat new games of a style I've not played in many years. But this is not the season for me. I'm not "quitting video games". I'm just changing where I spend free time right now. I can always play games again when the ebb and flow of hobbies gives me better opportunity.

 

[DaveF]

(Conversely, I kinda wish I could dedicate myself to regular, scheduled gameplay. Because with folks like Sam P and Ken S and coworkers and some friends out of state, there's online gaming fun to be had with Destiny or Fortnite or whatever the current hotness is. But it requires a routine that I can't commit.)

 

[Edwin-S]

There is only two aspects of games that I hate. One is on-line gaming and the other is timer-based game sequences.

There are still a lot of great games out there to play.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Kind of like DaveF said, I go through a cycle of wanting to play a lot of games, then wanting to watch a lot of TV/movies, then back. It depends on when all the good stuff is on my DVR or Netflix versus when all the hot games are coming out. Right now, I'm on a gaming kick. A few months ago I just wanted to watch movies.

 

[CraigF]

^ I go through that too, back and forth between "all games" and "all movies"...I hate that about myself. I try to be more varied, but quickly fall back into the routine, perhaps slipping a new series of a favorite TV show in with the gaming. Then back to movies once I've accumulated a bunch of new discs.

I am quite the opposite of most of the guys who mention time constraints. All those things you talk about doing now, those are the things I did when "you" were gaming; I didn't have time for gaming then. I never even started gaming until I was in my 50s. (And yes, we did have some very crude video games when I was barely still in my teens, barely in...).

I dislike online gaming too. Or more accurately, other online gamers. (To them, I am one of said "others", I get that.) You really need to play with friends, I think, never having done it... But getting hooked up with randoms, seems to usually be a waste of time IME.

 

[DaveF]

I dislike online gaming too. Or more accurately, other online gamers. (To them, I am one of said "others", I get that.) You really need to play with friends, I think, never having done it... But getting hooked up with randoms, seems to usually be a waste of time IME.

I had success with the100
https://www.the100.io/

 

[Ruz-El]

Interesting to read the responses. I can't really argue with any of you. I'm sort of in the middle. I still game when I can, I have a PS4 that I primarily play on. I have bought some new games. That said, a bunch of the Triple A titles that were announced were a bit meh for me. I'm sure they are fine games, but I'm finding now that I'm in my forties that I'm more interested in older titles.

VR has zero interest for me. I've not tried it, and have no idea if it would even work for me. Online has never held an interest for me. Elder Scrolls is one of my favourite series and I have heard good things about their online game, have never been tempted to try it. First person shooters now tend to leave me flat as well.

I do like remasters though, provided I haven't played the games before. Most of my interest for the Switch is in not really playing Nintendo since the Super NES days. There's a ton of great games I could potentially be able to get depending on how their store goes. Otherwise I might just buy a DS.

I also find that I'm so interest in checking out games that I missed that I have zero interest in upgrading to a PS5 or the next Xbox. Between what I have for free from the PS+ and games I bought cheap and haven't gotten too on both the PS3 and PS4, unless there's a ton of immediate backward compatibility I don't see the need to add to the backlog with a new system. There's simply too many games already out I wish to give a spin, that yet another ASSASSINS CREED* or whatever is a bit of a yahn. I'm pretty much not buying anything anymore unless it's a really good deal that I can't say no too, regardless of hype.

*I'm sure Creed Origins is as great as they say, I've only played up to III in the series, so have a bunch of catching up to do before I consider it.

So I'm kind of in the middle. Enjoying the games but apathetic about the current industry.

 

[deltamind]

Personally I think it really depends on the franchise, for some it's booming while for some it's crashing. It's just a matter of time I think.