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Are you also chasing the dragon?

teezzy

Banned
A lot of us grew up gaming as kids, and have carried on the hobby as a significant element of our daily lives into adulthood.

I've said it a few times here, but I spend most of my gaming time playing older titles more than anything current. Whether that be revisiting past favorites with a more developed set of eyes, or getting the opportunity to play a gem I had missed initially, titles from PS1, PS2, Xbox, 360, and older PC games just interest me more.

What I've come to realize is that I'm chasing the dragon. I miss growing up with my cousin and playing JRPGs alongside him more than anything. I yearn for that sense of captivation within my adult life. It's what continues my interest in the video games overall.

While my favorite game this generation was easily Witcher 3, I've realized that I loved it so much because it reminded me of playing Chrono Trigger or Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic for the first time. These games have the exact gameplay loop which I can't get enough of.

The industry may be more varied than ever with all types of games now, all more polished and user friendly than years prior, but ultimately - I'm looking for something that captures that childhood sense of wonder in me more than anything else.

Are you also chasing the dragon?
 
I'm puffin the dragon


EDIT: Real talk though, I do feel ya. Nothing in gaming can ever be like that first time you did something truly special. Time marches on.

There will be some great experiences in our gaming future, though I don't expect them to restore the child like wonder I had looking at all the illustrations showing Mario's different moves in the instruction manual for Super Mario Bros. 3.
 
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teezzy

Banned
Yep, you can never go back home.

I have this particularly bad when it comes to MMORPGs. Nothing will ever be like EverQuest was in its prime and that makes me sad.

Woof. Right in the feels.

I actually never really dabbled in the MMO scene. What set Everquest apart from like WoW or FF14?
 
Not quite childhood-related, but I feel like I chased the dragon for ages after getting fed up with/burnt out on Destiny 2. Currently filling that hole with WoW of all things and loving it, but would go back to Destiny in a heartbeat if they could recapture that Taken King magic.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Woof. Right in the feels.

I actually never really dabbled in the MMO scene. What set Everquest apart from like WoW or FF14?

For me it was the sense of community. Each server had its own unique identity and characters (as in players both famous and infamous). The forced player interaction to get anything done and lack of private instances basically made it a virtual world in which people had to cooperate and compete with each other.

Yeah, this definitely sucks.

There's basically just Pantheon coming.

Unless Amazon turns into an MMO factory with New World and the new Lord of the Rings MMO they're making.

Yeah, I really wanted to believe in the vision (tm) for Pantheon, but Brad McQuad's passing definitely has me concerned it will ever even see the light of day.
 
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I love old games as they are what I grew up with, and I constantly find myself wishing for the days when a 3 hour long game was a LONG game. I had nothing but time then. Now no matter how much time I dedicate to gaming, I will never catch up to my backlog (part of that is because I get sidetracked by everything around me). I really do enjoy newer games too though. I have hundreds of hours in single games and still enjoy going back, which is something I never did with my old games. 500 hours of cobra Triangle might not be that fun.
 
I'll never forget the atmosphere of playing Megaman X games with my cousins growing up. We'd take turns finding secrets in levels, figuring out strategies against Mavericks, etc. It was truly a miraculous time period. Even though I play similarly styled games as those on my own, that's the thing...it's on my own. It doesn't capture the same social feeling that I was so used to growing up. I find myself yearning to be able to share my gaming experiences with people that care about them. Too often these days, I play things alone, while I still enjoy them, it's a different feeling from playing with others.
 

Life

Member
Older you get the harder it is to get that feeling back. I feel like the next step is to create something myself - but the technology isn't there yet. It's still too complex and time-consuming to create good games. Maybe in 20-odd years - it'll be real easy to express your imagination in a video game.
 
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Pizdetz

Banned
I used to think I got too old to be impressed/amazed, but then Bloodborne happened and it consumed my life for months.
They key to getting that feeling back again is to explore new genres, just try new stuff rather than looking for that same old gameplay loop - you've probably already expensed all it was going to give you.
 

DonF

Member
I'm 33 and games excite me more everyday. Nothing old gives me the rush of killing a whole squad on apex, nailing an awesome sleep dart on overwatch or scoring an aerial in rocket league.

Multiplayer games are awesome.

Yeah, I still replay some of my old favourites like nes battletoads or MegaMan x, but current single player games like bloodborne or sekiro are equally awesome.
 

Moogle11

Banned
Not me as I love modern games. My tastes shifted to story-driven stuff when I got older so AAA trends worked out well for me, aside from the online PVP focus.

I started gaming seriously with the NES and these last couple of generations have probably been my favorites personally. I rarely replay old games (have barely touched the NES/SNES games on Switch). I do still enjoy some nostalgic experiences with new games in IP I’ve played all my life like Mario, Zelda etc though.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
I do feel much less hyped for games than i used to be, i also noticed a lot of change in my tastes for them throughout the years.
I find myself playing games today that i never would've 10 years ago, and games that i would've happily called masterpieces back then just bore me today.

Personally i don't think i'm chasing the dragon. I rarely think of going back to play the games i used to play as a kid, although i do miss feeling some of the wonder i used to feel for certain types of games. Unfortunately my experience with lots of games + real life worries really make it hard for me to get totally immersed in something.
 
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Ceallach

Smells like fresh rosebuds
I'm also 33 and nothing excited me more than PC-98 mecha games. I hate most of the conventions of modern gaming. Don't fw online, hate microtransactions, open worlds bore me, but there is still some fun to be had out there.

Alos, I fucking love heroin.
 

teezzy

Banned
They key to getting that feeling back again is to explore new genres, just try new stuff rather than looking for that same old gameplay loop - you've probably already expensed all it was going to give you.

Maybe. I enjoy other genres, but every time I jump back into an older turn based JRPG, it sinks its teeth into me, and I remember why I fell in love with games to begin with.

They're also the games that hold up the best for older consoles imho. I tire of other retro titles far more easily. Not enough meat on the plate.
 

GodofWhimsy

Member
Fuck, I've been trying to describe this for years and I guess that's the perfect analogy. I oftentimes find myself playing as many titles as I can trying to recapture that feeling, but alas, It's usually in vain. Games will never be for me what they once were, but they're still my favourite distraction from impending doom.
 

Bombchelle

Neo Member
I don't mean to hit trees with hammers here but I really feel that games need to stop trying to be movies.. We already have movies.

This is the reason I have a hard time connecting with a lot of games lately. That and the hand-holding. I would rather learn trial by fire than be treated like a child. I'm too old for that.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Nah, I love videogames but I don't feel like I'm recapturing anything when I go back to play older games. I also don't feel the compulsion to beat old games that eluded me during childhood.
 

JimboJones

Member
In some aspects yeah, it's getting hard to replace that local split/same screen multiplayer especially when it seems the industry seems to be actively trying to erase it to squeeze a few more sales out of people.

But I always end up playing a bunch of new games every "gen" and loving them just as much as I liked older games.
 
A lot of us grew up gaming as kids, and have carried on the hobby as a significant element of our daily lives into adulthood.

I've said it a few times here, but I spend most of my gaming time playing older titles more than anything current. Whether that be revisiting past favorites with a more developed set of eyes, or getting the opportunity to play a gem I had missed initially, titles from PS1, PS2, Xbox, 360, and older PC games just interest me more.

What I've come to realize is that I'm chasing the dragon. I miss growing up with my cousin and playing JRPGs alongside him more than anything. I yearn for that sense of captivation within my adult life. It's what continues my interest in the video games overall.

While my favorite game this generation was easily Witcher 3, I've realized that I loved it so much because it reminded me of playing Chrono Trigger or Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic for the first time. These games have the exact gameplay loop which I can't get enough of.

The industry may be more varied than ever with all types of games now, all more polished and user friendly than years prior, but ultimately - I'm looking for something that captures that childhood sense of wonder in me more than anything else.

Are you also chasing the dragon?
The dragon's head was cut off by the internet. You were in your own bubble with those experiences. Now, you have to share everything. Only to find out your feelings are incorrect.

Playing good VR games is the closest I've come to feeling like I'm experiencing tech from the future that most barely know exists or understands. Much like the launch of PS1.
 
Oddly enough I was just talking about this the other day with someone but not about videogames. I still get that feeling but from the strangest thing. Halloween pencils. If you're an 80s or 90s kid... do you guys remember those? Usually bright purple or green erasers, and black pencils with neon orange, green or purple spider webs or ghosts. FKN LOVE THOSE. Even the thought of them gives me that kid adrenaline rush. I get the feeling from videogames but it's more seasonal... usually around fall when I can open up the windows and smell the fresh fall air and cozy up on the couch with just me and a controller and a couple hours of free time. That gives me the feels no matter what the game.
 

Terce

Member
I caught it for a little bit with the release of the latest Terraria update. I had never really got into the game, but a group of friends in real life were excited for the new update and were going to host a private server and start new characters so I joined in. It reminded me of playing wow back in university and the tight-knit guild I was in that did everything as a team. The sense of progression and working towards a common goal is something that is really hard to find as an adult (personally) and it was really great while it lasted. Already I can feel things sloping back off however, as we're at the end game in the hardest difficulty and apart from working towards some shinier armor, everything else has already been completed. Even now I can recognize a stark difference in my motivation to log back in today compared with yesterday.

Those connections are like drugs, you continue to chase after that feeling you get when you're immersed and gaming is just one of many mediums that facilitate that.
 
its true. the flavor is severely lacking. its so odd.

theres never been this amount of variety/access/abundance of games. the market is oversaturated.

BUT the consumer has been conditioned to accept high quality presentation/game design/gameplay. so even if the indie scene/B tier games are there...they get overlooked due to being average compared to AAA expectations (or marketing/advertising budget etc.) so then when the consumer is expecting high quality polished games the variety and personality gets limited due to the suits trying to optimize the games revenue. they play it too safe.

its just the industry has grown up and its never going to be the same again.
 

sublimit

Banned
Nah.I do often go back to replay older games that i love but that is because i want to appreciate again their systems and gameplay mechanics,and their creativity of making me feel or imagining so much by showing me so little (due to hardware limitations.) It has nothing to do with nostalgia although it's nice to remember the good times you had (as long as you don't dwell too much in the past).
However with that said some of my favorite games do have dragons inside them. :p
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I have enjoyed gaming as its changed over the years. I grew up playing platformers, arcade beat 'em ups, fighting games, and I have a very strong connection to Namco, Capcom, Konami, and so forth. Sometimes those experiences stay with me and I cannot not find anything better. Which is why I like to go back to play the classics instead of buying the next random platformer or RPG from the store. I enjoy a lot of modern stuff, but I'll follow those classic titles because I appreciate them for what they are. Its like my years of playing Squaresoft games or Working Designs on PS1. If I play a JRPG that came out in the last couple years, my judgement of it is very critical. I enjoy newer FF's because I've kept myself up to date with the franchise, but I'll still consider the older entries as having more of an impact on the genre.

I remember quite a lot from my initial playthrough of AAA games. My experiences with Dark Souls and Bloodborne haven't been outdone. Sometimes I reflect back on the first time I entered a particular area in Dark Souls. Some games remind me of that and others fall short. Its like remembering entering Rapture for the very first time or entering zero g in Dead Space. Those moments stay with you. Parts of Prey 2017 brought me back to Dead Space and System Shock/BioShock.

Exiting the vault in Fallout 3 for the first time or seeing Columbia in BioShock Infinite. There are moments that are well defined. Its like the first couple times you do an eagle drop in Assassin's Creed. The next 100+ times you're just reminding yourself of the first couple that were amazing. That first assassination or even finishing the game. I've completed some sandbox games to where I don't want to play Watch Dogz or the next semi-popular AAA sandbox. I think it only happens when you've experienced something really good. Its like picking moments out of The Evil Within or even Call of Duty. Those moments really stuck out and you're reminded of them each time you play a game that's similar. Sometimes its not about chasing the dragon, but its about finding a game that can give you more of an experience. Which is why I don't always want to buy any random RPG on the market or action game. Its why I can skip Mafia III and Darksiders III. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything major.
 
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shoegaze

Member
Lineage 2 C1-C4 experience cannot be replicated these days. I wouldn't have time to indulge in a MMORPG at the moment, but I know that the feels all of us felt these days aren't reproducible. Two reasons: no one would make a game with such a free pvp/pk system; and as soon as it would be made, with the money-making experience we have now, we'd jump back straight to a later chronicle where most of the big clans would be controlled by chinese/russian farmers that are getting paid hourly by creating a black market for everything worthwhile to get, thus spoiling it for the others.
 

O-N-E

Member
It's rare, but certain games can take me to that same dreamy warm feeling.

Breath of the Wild is the one that stands out in recent years.

Big worlds that feel alive and have a storybook type of mystery to them have a better chance of mesmerizing me in that way.

Okami does this best. The Xenoblade games have good grand scale worlds and Breath of the Wild has excellently crafted atmosphere and exploration mechanics.
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Great thread.

You can never go back to when you were young. If that is related to gaming for some people. For me it is.

Last "pure" gaming experience I had was probably playing dragon quest viii with my best friend. Trading off controllers, checking walkthroughs, blazing, drinking beers etc.

Nothing will ever come close to that. Breath of the wild was magical. And I played coop borderlands 2 with that same friend (online), but nothing like that or other experiences before that.
 

Silvawuff

Member
I still play Neopets, even 18 years later loooool. I've pretty much met my every goal in that game, it's just part of my daily routine and it's a quick return to my childhood.

I enjoy games that give a sense of progression, which is an important thing now more than ever, because life by virtue likes to take things away. Games have helped me through depression and even saved my life. They've been platforms that have created friendships that I still have today. I met my ex-husband gaming (we split for non-gaming related reasons). It's a cool hobby. It's been a real trip watching it turn from basic 2D pixel games into fully blown, fully realized worlds to explore. I'll enjoy it as much as I can until I die.
 

justAjohn

Member
I rarely play new videogames as an adult for 12 years now (usually one or 2 select games per year). I replay old games even less. The feeling of exhiliration past isn´t lost but lessened, and revisiting the games makes me realise that it doen´t give me those feelings to the same extent, only the memory of it and it also gives me new feelings.

BUT I did get some new feelings and emotions as I played new games too (most recently Dragon´s Dogma); there is a skill for Magic Archer that illuminates the area and this revelation gave me the most intense yearning to play the whole game again without lantern and with this skill equipped, shooting it as a means of illuminating the area in the darkness. I am sure this will also become my new dragon to chase in the future and someday, I will get enough of them and beat Gary Oak.
 

Pejo

Member
OP, I agree, and I have to tell you - try the Trials of Mana remake. There's a demo and it perfectly encapsulated what I miss about classic games. There's a story, but it's mostly just a reason to go from point A to B. The gameplay is fun, there are various growth mechanics, and they remade it without taking away the feel of the game from the SNES original.
 

buizel

Banned
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slade

Member
This feeling vanishes more and more as you get older and you won't get it by chasing the same old things that captivated you when you were young. Time to take up sky diving but YMMV.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
I'm 36 and still chasing it. I don't want to say that games don't affect me that way anymore, cause they definitely do. The thing is that feeling just don't feel as plentiful as they used to. Not to mention when I was younger it felt like games were more unique, taking risks to be different, to stand out, etc. You'd definitely notice games blatantly influenced by others, but they didn't feel as plentiful as they do nowadays. I feel like as I got older, gaming fads became more plentiful, and those unique experiences became more and more rare. But of course gaming changed. It became more popular, cost of development and teams became larger, etc.

I know that there are experiences I had as a child in gaming that I will never acquire again. But that doesn't mean I can't acquire bigger and better ones. Just have to see where gaming takes us.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Not really. I embrace the new experiences that the future brings us. If I want to get a nostalgia rush, there's still all the old stuff I still have that I can play too.

Living room local multiplayer is a human experience that is hard to come by nowadays, but it's not impossible, and online mulitplayer is a decent substitute.
 

anthraticus

Banned
Nah.I do often go back to replay older games that i love but that is because i want to appreciate again their systems and gameplay mechanics,and their creativity of making me feel or imagining so much by showing me so little (due to hardware limitations.) It has nothing to do with nostalgia although it's nice to remember the good times you had (as long as you don't dwell too much in the past).
However with that said some of my favorite games do have dragons inside them. :p
Yea, most times it's just enjoying a particular style or whatever from that time period say, that might not be popular with the masses currently. Not all of these things are gonna be super popular at the same time. Mainstream trends come and go and it strikes me pretty odd that someone would only like what the current 'flavor of the month' is.
 
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Bolivar687

Banned
No, I genuinely believe those games are legitimately better than most titles coming out today.

In the PS4's first year, I could barely muster the enthusiasm to bring myself to play inFamous Second Son or Call of Duty Ghosts. For all the polish, accessibility and immersion today, the games just point blank are not that great. This generation certainly got better with time but every bona fide classic came at the expense of another iconic franchise falling a part. I played the SNES remake of Dragon Quest III for the first time to prepare myself for Dragon Quest XI and I fully regret dropping it to hop on the newer entry, which I gave up on. I recently finished the first Shining Force and I honestly found it to be a better game than probably anything I've played in the prior twelve months.

The strategy games I play on PC are all about endlessly pushing yourself to get better as a player, or modding them to keep elevating the game and learning more about how to do it.
 

Arachnid

Member
A lot of us grew up gaming as kids, and have carried on the hobby as a significant element of our daily lives into adulthood.

I've said it a few times here, but I spend most of my gaming time playing older titles more than anything current. Whether that be revisiting past favorites with a more developed set of eyes, or getting the opportunity to play a gem I had missed initially, titles from PS1, PS2, Xbox, 360, and older PC games just interest me more.

What I've come to realize is that I'm chasing the dragon. I miss growing up with my cousin and playing JRPGs alongside him more than anything. I yearn for that sense of captivation within my adult life. It's what continues my interest in the video games overall.

While my favorite game this generation was easily Witcher 3, I've realized that I loved it so much because it reminded me of playing Chrono Trigger or Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic for the first time. These games have the exact gameplay loop which I can't get enough of.

The industry may be more varied than ever with all types of games now, all more polished and user friendly than years prior, but ultimately - I'm looking for something that captures that childhood sense of wonder in me more than anything else.

Are you also chasing the dragon?
Yep. I've spent most of my life looking for that Silent Hill 2 experience. I've consumed all the quality horror media I could find (movies, games, books), but nothing ever comes close to the terror or heartbreak that game gave me as a kid.

Thankfully though, every once in a while, a new experience comes along that's almost as good for different reasons. This gen, that was Bloodborne for me.
 
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