[Gaming] Am I broken?

Hyena · Post by **Hyena** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 3:58 pm

I have been an avid gamer ever since Starflight, Star Control, and the Gold Box D&D games. I used to fake being sick so I could stay home from school and finish Pools of Radiance and the Buck Rodgers Gold Box games. Might and Magic, Ultima, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,Diablo 1 & 2, Fallout 1 & 2, I can't count the number of games I finished when I was in high school and college and beyond.

Then open-ended games became more and more popular. I remember when The Elder Scrolls: Arena came out, and I dove in head first. I played that game for hours and hours. And I never finished it. MMO's came out, and I skipped the first few that became popular, until City of Heroes came out. I sank HUNDREDS of hours into that game, created three servers full of toons, and it took me nearly three years of playing before I hit my first 50-level character. DDO, Guild Wars, etc. And I never really got to the end-game of most of them.

Nowadays, I'll play a game for a while, maybe start up a new alt, get through the first few acts, and then...I move on. New game, pick up an old game I left off earlier (but of course I have to start over, because I can't remember how to play the character or I've forgotten the story). Am I broken in terms of gaming? Has the glut of open-ended games with no *real* end caused me to fade away from the games that do? The last games that I have truly finished were the three Mass Effect games. I didn't even finish Andromeda. It's not that I don't like to play games any more, I still do. It's my one vice/hobby, and I don't do it until the wife and kids are down for the night, so it's not like my interest has faded.

Anyone else experience this?

Jaddison · Post by **Jaddison** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:03 pm

pretty much you describe how I game now....though I am also deeply invested in the meta game of buying games that are discounted on Steam and never playing them

Freyland · Post by **Freyland** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:08 pm

Me, for certain.

Gaming is my only hobby, but now I struggle to make myself learn anything new. Every night it's an issue.
I remember not that many years ago I read the midievil tw 2 manual, in tiny print on my phone, over and over so I could play the stainless steel mod. Now I can't seem to force myself to read any sort of manual at all.

It really sucks.

Gaming Elec-tile Dysfunction.

gameoverman · Post by **gameoverman** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:10 pm

Lately, as in the last few years, I get my jollies installing the game, doing a performance benchmark at default settings, then tweaking the settings to get the best combo of performance and image quality. Then I uninstall the game since "I'm not ready to start playing this yet". Then somewhere down the line I acquire another game and repeat that process. Sometimes, when I'm feeling wild, I'll look into the mod scene for a game. Then I might download some mods, install the game and mods, test performance, tweak settings, then uninstall the game "Until I'm ready to play it".

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:56 pm

I don't know that we've broken so much as both times and we have changed.

There is too much life getting in the way of throwing myself into a game and staying there and Diablo or Ultima or Populous or Phantasy or X Wing are not these brand new things to be discovered and relished and I don't have the patience to learn a game and games need to be patched and get pre-releases and DLC and I have money to spend to get any new game I want at any time I want it and imagination isn't as necessary.

Personally my attention span has also gone to shit. Cause effect, I dunno, but I rarely sit through a movie now. I just lose interest half way through and think I'll come back to it. I'm not tied to needing to see TV shows anymore. My enthusiasm to get lost in any media just isn't there.

Video gaming still relaxes me though. It's still my escapism, even if I don't have to create a boot disk uniquely for most games and spend hours reading a manual the size of a novel pouring over tiny details of the game to get the most of every last moment out of it.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:59 pm

I’ve discovered a real appreciation for short games over the last couple years. When I see a review or impressions that say a game is short I actually consider it a positive since it means I can complete the game and feel satisfied. 6-8 hours seems to be the ideal length. As an added bonus, I’ve come to realize I just generally prefer shorter games because they usually offer a tighter experience with less content padding. It’s a rare that an open world game that really pulls me in, and since the AAA scene seems obsessed with them, it means I play a whole lot more indie games these days.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 5:36 pm

I don't play new games anymore, I just buy them, make sure they work and forget about them.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:05 pm

I'm the exact same way. Between a million different work, travel, family, and social obligations, I typically get very little gaming time. As a result, I have exactly zero patience to figure out games that are overly complex, no tolerance for grind or busywork, and I tend to throw in the towel at even the slightest roadblock. I'm super picky when it comes to games to begin with, and am also very easily distracted by new shinys, so keeping focus on one game for long periods of time is nearly impossible. Completing even a "short" 20 hour game usually takes me a month or more. So I end up playing a ton of different games for between 6-8 hours, then ditching them for something that I think might be more interesting (it's usually not).

The problem is compounded by the fact that I have little willpower, so I'm not waiting 6 months for the new shiny to go on sale. I'm buying it new...then burning out on it within a few days or a week.

In the past month, I've gone through:

- Dead Cells (too repetitive)
- Dragon Quest XI (too old-school)
- Divinity OS 2 (quest overload)
- Spiderman (way too much "stuff", it broke my OCD brain)
- Tales of Berseria (too boring)
- The Gardens Between (kinda interesting, but puzzles got too hard)
- Into the Breach (I have no idea why everyone loves this game)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (neat, but in a "been there, done that" sort of way)
- Final Fantasy Dissidia NT (way too complex)
- Monster Hunter World (got too hard)
- Tried going back to FF XIV, Blade & Soul, BDO, WoW, Tera, and Torment: Tides of Numenara

Longest I've spent with any of them is 12 hours in DQ XI, and I'm pretty much done with that one at this point. When I can't find a game that "clicks", it's just murder on my wallet.

And I damn near pulled the trigger on both Bard's Tale IV and Distance this afternoon...

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:24 pm

I seriously just make sure I don't buy games anymore that have a finish, ergo RPG's and the like. I don't finish them. I have 800+ hours in Oxygen Not Included so it's not just that the game is new or not, but I do like to pick up several games in a week, and RPG's etc really don't work like that.

Buatha · Post by **Buatha** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:34 am

Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:08 pm Gaming Elec-tile Dysfunction

Well said.

I believe it's mainly a cyclical issue of starting a game, learning the systems and controls, getting into the story...then work/family events happen and you can't even remember what the hell was going on. Of course, it doesn't help that there are SO MANY new games appearing that appeal to me. My Steam library is egregious. I was the early adopter for Half Life 2, so you can imagine the number of titles I possess (500+).

But, as Freyland said, I stare at my Library and don't even know where to start some nights. It's so bad where sometimes I end up watching OTHER people playing games on YouTube.

Reemul · Post by **Reemul** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 7:35 am

Yeah me too, and the above answer seems correct, life as you get older gets in the way

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:00 pm

I rarely find a game that grabs me, but when I do I play the snot out of it. Diablo 1 and 2, Everquest, City of Heroes, Divinity OS 1 and 2.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:11 pm

I only buy 1-2 games a year, and I choose carefully to get maximum value out of them. Once I get into the zone in any game I tend to prolong it as much as possible. Tonight I'll start "Operation Endgame" in Xenonauts after spending many hours buffing my squads -- I finished the tech tree a couple of nights ago and I've almost got everyone in their best possible kit, so there's no point in putting it off any longer.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:53 pm

I have a similar problem, but for me it is time and mood. Right now I'm really, really in the mood for a fantasy RPG, preferably a dungeon crawler. If I start one, though, I'll find myself busy enough for the next month that I'll barely have time to play it. By the time I am, I'll be in the mood for a shooter. Or cyberpunk. Kind of like right now - I'm 20% of the way into Mankind Divided that I started six weeks ago, and next week when I finally have the time for gaming again, I'll still be in the mood for a dungeon crawler.

As to excessive options, I'm also a Steam early adopter, and also have an absurd number of titles, especially once you factor in GoG, Origin, UPlay, etc. I solve that with Playnite. It lets me create a single library with all of them, and even lets me include my console titles (when you include the PS+ titles, that's a lot more games.) I can then use tags to create a 'priority' list of the stuff I really want to play. It's maybe 10% of the overall list, and doesn't include random stuff that I've finished, stuff that got added with various bundles, or stuff I tried and didn't like. It's the cream of the crop, and lets me choose from a much smaller selection.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 1:43 pm

[Gaming] Am I broken?

If you are I am too. I had 21 old games installed this last week. Ive deleted all but 5 and I only touch 1 or 2 of those.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:44 pm

With few notable exceptions, I've learned that going back to play old games just doesn't work. There's a window where I can, but I usually get frustrated with the UI or how general design - how it was done X number of years ago.

Anyway, I think I was trying to go back and play old games because they were fun at the time and I was trying to recapture that fun. But in doing so, I've made the cardinal error of assuming they were still fun. Instead, I'll just enjoy my happy memories of older games and continue to stockpile new ones.

That's what the question was, right?

I wish I had the ability to really focus on one game for 30+ hours anymore. It happens - but it's usually because of alignment of the stars or I have a week or two where I'm neglecting other obligations. Instead, I'm good for a few hours at a time before I get called elsewhere. I'd agree that being able to finish a game in 6-8 hours is ideal now, but every now and again it's possible to get completely engrossed in something longer. It used to be the norm - now it's the exception.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 6:18 pm

I play old favorites from time to time, but never because I'm dissatisfied with current games, and usually because they fill a niche that isn't really filled elsewhere.

Playing them to recapture the 'golden age' is a recipe for disaster. The golden age was a time, not an activity, and thinking it was better because the games were better is delusional. It was better because we're looking at it with rose colored glasses. We're forgetting the frustrations and headaches that always came with those games in favor of only the best memories from them. It's kind of like wishing you could go back to your home town. If you go back to see what's become of it, you're fine. If you go back hoping to recapture your childhood, you're going to be miserable.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 7:38 pm

I usually pick a game and play the hell out of it. I have put more hours into the Football Manager series than other games combined. And I still go back to the latest edition. But in the last year I started playing World of Warships. It is the FPS that I loved as a younger man, but paced for geezers. I can actually be competitive. But anything that requires hours of playtime just to learn the mechanics of the game, I can no longer do. Because I will go back to something that I know or just skip gaming.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 8:34 pm

I have a mediocre laptop and zero time. I long for the days of a dedicated gaming desktop and time to play but I have neither. I don't even have a room to play in. My only gaming time and space is like weekends after midnight at the kitchen table. When I'm either 10 beers deep or exausted.

I try to get on with friends who play Ark but it's hit or miss. If I'm lucky I can fire up Streets of Rogue or the like for a few minutes.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 8:46 pm

I cant even enjoy games that were once top favorites of mine. I just was having some fun with Star Control 2 when I realized it saves no info at all for you. No in game map marking, no quest / location journal. It wants me to to do it all on paper. PAPER! I did that in the old days and loved it. Now no way in hell. I guess I got an hour of fun out of it. One of the best games ever made.

I have 24/7 to enjoy games. Its what I always wanted. But do I use it? No. Instead of fun gaming I go lay on the couch and look at the ceiling or the wall for an hour . Then I try again. Then back to the couch. I am broken.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:20 pm

Two things I noticed just now that are affecting my game fun.

1. No friends. Or lack of gaming friends anyways. Used to always have friends to play with. Now I have no one unless I play with strangers which I dont like at all.

2. Games hate me. Like The Division just now. Im trying to toss a grenade and nothing happens. I try to use a skill and nothing happens. I go into settings to check if Im using the right key. Yup its right. I reload the game and test it before going into the fight...yup works. Get in the fight and it wont work.

Hyena · Post by **Hyena** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:35 pm

I'm so glad to see that at least I'm not alone. I will have to say that there's an addendum to my claim of not finishing the game in a while. I did finish BattleTech, and I've actually gone back and played it again and I'm two or three missions from finishing it for a second time. But then again, even that kind of reminds me of the old XCOM games because of the turn- based pacing, character improvement, upgrades, etc.

And those of you saying trying to go back is nigh impossible, I cant agree more. And yet I keep trying. I am currently splitting time delving back into DDO and trying out some new beta games like Wolcen, Kenshi, and Empyrion. Also just got Hard West up and running. And Riders of Icharus.

As an aside (which adds fuel to the flame), I also struggle with a severe case of altoholism. Which, of course, means I play the opening sequence for games a dozen times or more as I try out the other archetypes instead of pushing through with one *then* trying another.

Greybriar · Post by **Greybriar** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:12 am

It's good to know that I am not alone.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:54 am

Yeah, it's pretty much the same for me. Family and other obligations take up almost all my time. So I'll get excited about a game, and start it, and then I'll immediately be like "ugh, I have to figure out all this stuff and rules and whatnot....." and then put it aside indefinitely. Short of a special game like Witcher 3, it's probably not happening. I'm finding that the main games that I'll actually play are shooters and action games that I can just tool around with for 30 - 60 minutes.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:28 pm

I've got some kind of gaming ADD nowadays where I can't really play most games for more than an hour or so. It's probably remnants of system shock from when my daughter was born, where, between one of the several screaming banshees in the house, there was no way in hell I'd get more than an hour of free time for several months in a row. The solution has been to play two games at a time, so that I actually do something fun instead of aimlessly clicking around on the internet in a daze.

Then, when I reach my self-appointed bedtime, I do that anyway or stare at the phone for an hour because I'm incapable of going to sleep before midnight. I do have a very reliable 3-4pm nap time, which sucks seeing as how I'm at work and can't actually nap during that time.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:36 pm

I am like the opposite of this thread. Too many games and I delve pretty heavily into each one. I guess I generally have gaming ultra-focus. I don't even pretend to be interested in older games. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:42 pm

New job and moving has squeezed out my PC gaming time over the past year. I can't play open worlds where time is limitless unless the kids are both watching YouTube videos. When I do, it's a single quest or two.

Tampa_Gamer · Post by **Tampa_Gamer** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:45 pm

+1 Absolutely agree with everything that has been said. It is rare for me to have more than an hour or so free before spouse, kids or career calls that when I do get a few hours on a weekend night open, I end up staring at my list of wishlist games, installed Steam/GOG games, or start rummaging through my storage bins full of boxed games dating back to the 5.25" floppy days. Then after an hour passes I realize I haven't picked/played anything yet...so time to get another drink. Then I realize I cannot play anything that serious any more and end up passing out reading a game manual from a 1990s era game all the while fantasizing about the amount of free time I had back in school to actually finish games (let alone mod them like I did)...

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:00 pm

Greybriar wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:12 am It's good to know that I am not alone.

Yeah, this thread makes me feel a little less guilty about my ridiculous gaming habits.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:37 pm

Octopus Overlords turned so gradually into a prostate health and keeping kids off your lawn site I barely noticed!

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:24 pm

I look forward to having an update for you next Tuesday, then.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:04 pm

I just came off Humira this weekend and they have moved me to "Budesonide" to see if that will cut back on my chronic fatigue. Colon, Prostate... Close enough.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:54 pm

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:37 pm Octopus Overlords turned so gradually into a prostate health and keeping kids off your lawn site I barely noticed!

and when they drag you
kicking and screaming from the scene, you know
then it's time to go!

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:46 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:05 pm I'm the exact same way. Between a million different work, travel, family, and social obligations, I typically get very little gaming time. As a result, I have exactly zero patience to figure out games that are overly complex, no tolerance for grind or busywork, and I tend to throw in the towel at even the slightest roadblock. I'm super picky when it comes to games to begin with, and am also very easily distracted by new shinys, so keeping focus on one game for long periods of time is nearly impossible. Completing even a "short" 20 hour game usually takes me a month or more. So I end up playing a ton of different games for between 6-8 hours, then ditching them for something that I think might be more interesting (it's usually not).

The problem is compounded by the fact that I have little willpower, so I'm not waiting 6 months for the new shiny to go on sale. I'm buying it new...then burning out on it within a few days or a week. In the past month, I've gone through:

- Dead Cells (too repetitive)
- Dragon Quest XI (too old-school)
- Divinity OS 2 (quest overload)
- Spiderman (way too much "stuff", it broke my OCD brain)
- Tales of Berseria (too boring)
- The Gardens Between (kinda interesting, but puzzles got too hard)
- Into the Breach (I have no idea why everyone loves this game)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (neat, but in a "been there, done that" sort of way)
- Final Fantasy Dissidia NT (way too complex)
- Monster Hunter World (got too hard)
- Tried going back to FF XIV, Blade & Soul, BDO, WoW, Tera, and Torment: Tides of Numenara

Longest I've spent with any of them is 12 hours in DQ XI, and I'm pretty much done with that one at this point. When I can't find a game that "clicks", it's just murder on my wallet.

And I damn near pulled the trigger on both Bard's Tale IV and Distance this afternoon...

The other factor here is that as we get older, we have less time to game (as folks have indicated), but more money (generally) to spend on games.

So the habit of buying stuff we most likely never will have the time to play adequately, but looks really, really shiny, is really tough to get over.

I almost bought a PS4 Pro this week JUST to play Spider-Man. My rationale for holding off wasn't that I don't have the time, and probably wouldn't play it for more than 4 hours in the next couple of weeks, or that I should save the money, but that the Spider-man edition was sold out and prices are high, and that they'll probably be cheaper and more available around black friday. And if I can hold out that long, either a PC version may come out, or something shiny! and new will have grabbed my brain.

Yeah. $400 plus tax just to play one game for a few hours probably, and I almost did it. And may yet do it down the road....

Oh, and with all the headaches I've read about first time PS4 setup. I could see spending more time setting up and patching than actually playing the game.

msduncan · Post by **msduncan** » Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:15 pm

I recently actually finished two games, and they weren't PC games.

I finished God of War for the PS4. Completed the story. It was a great tale.

I very recently finished Spiderman for the PS4. Fantastic game. Felt like I was playing a movie. Love it.

I'm hopeful that Red Dead 2 will have the same effect on me. I'm a little hopeful about the new Assassin's Creed too.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:31 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:24 pm I look forward to having an update for you next Tuesday, then.

Oh, you guys putting up a fence?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:27 am

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:31 am
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:24 pm I look forward to having an update for you next Tuesday, then.
Oh, you guys putting up a fence?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:29 am

National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is observed every September in the United States by health experts, health advocates, and individuals concerned with men’s prostate cancer.

MadMarlin · Post by **MadMarlin** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:26 am

I feel very much the same way and agree that is most likely a factor of just getting older. However I also feel that there is a real lack of imagination in the entertainment industry. In the 80's video games were new and it seemed no idea was a bad idea for making a video game. We had games where you would drive a spy car and drop oil slicks on the guys behind you, run over parts of hamburgers to make a burger, bounce a fireball back-and-forth between other players castles to destroy them, and an infinite amount of spaceship games. Not all were great, but the variety was great. Fast-forward to the late 90's and there were exactly two types of video games: fighting and driving. Luckily the dance on the lighted square games came along and made a third option available to teens. I think there are in fact more video game types to choose from now than ten years ago.
I would submit that the same could be said for the movie industry. Of course there were sequels in the 70's and 80's (the plethora of Rocky and Back to the Future movies come to mind). But there are so few new movies anymore that I am not surprised the industry is not doing so well. I work directly for an owner of a movie studio and have to listen to many of his phone conversations. They are so perplexed on why the industry is in constant decline. I want to tell him two things: First and foremost stop making every movie, video game and advertisement geared toward the pre-teen. Yes we know that's where corporations have decided that's where the easy money lies, but there are still other human beings alive outside of that age group. Second, (and this is just me) nobody...and I mean nobody over 25 years old...cares to see another comic book turned movie. Period. Keep all of your Thors, Ironmen, Wonder Women, and on and on. Please for the love of god, isn't anyone in LA writing new material anymore?? However, they just keep coming and coming. When I saw the title Batman vs. Superman I actually cringed. Why? Just why?

If money was made on the first attempt, and the second...and then again on the third...HELL YES WE'RE MAKING A FOURTH!! And I feel the same disease has spread to PC gaming. I don't need Assassin's Creed 17. Really I don't. I like strategy games and I didn't buy Civ VI. I can't imagine it added anything more than the previous 5. Or their add-on's.

And so my point is that I think it is partially the fact that we are getting older and more picky on what we chose to spend our grey matter on (nope...not going to learn a new set of rules for a game that looks...meh), in combination with the fact that the games just aren't as exciting or interesting as Fallout 1, Daggerfall, Ulitma, X-Com, MULE (to pick a random few). Have all those games been remade? Yep. Do I play any of them? Nope.

Please entertainment industry...do something new. We will pay you for it!!

Just my two cents,
MM

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:51 am

MadMarlin wrote: ↑Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:26 am Please entertainment industry...do something new. We will pay you for it!!

But you won't. Not in large enough numbers, and especially not in NA.

Japan is still making lots of wacky unconventional games. You might look into importing some of those, but that seems to be cost prohibitive.

If you want off the beaten path, you can also keep a close eye on the indy game market. That's about the closest thing to what it sounds like you are looking for in NA.

As for me, I want high quality versions of games that I like. I don't want burger time, or tapper, or spy hunter, or asteroids. And no one else does either (at least not in NA), otherwise they'd be making them and selling them. If that's what you want, you might look into browser games (mostly flash). Those are quick and relatively easy to make, so everyone can make whatever enters their crazy little minds. You can find some truly amazing browser games, the best part is that they are not region locked. Actually, the best part is that they are free, but the lack of region lock is nice too.

Unless you're talking about the rare arcade machine that you drop a couple of bucks into in the lobby of your favourite movie theater. That's a different beast, but the market for those is even smaller, which definitely means even less experimentation.