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[ROMhack]

Slight disclaimer on this one because I can't tell if this is just something I feel or if it's a commonly held belief.

I remember a few years ago when indie games first came into the mainstream. To me it felt like a really exciting time when we saw an emergence of ideas that we hadn't previously (think Papers Please and The Stanley Parable). Prior to this, there was a time around 2009/10 when games like Bioshock and Spec Ops: The Line came into fashion. This is when we saw a lot of cool ideas being thrown into AAA games that, even when they didn't really work, felt new and different. They were often hard to ignore because everyone was talking about them for months after.

Before then, games were more a cultural revelation. Think back to the PS2 and Xbox era where releases were practically an event. Games like Halo and Half-Life 2. The apex of E3 and such.

Suddenly though, in 2019, it feels like games are no longer as important. Like they've lost something and are no longer impossible to ignore. We still get great games sure but it's like meh, I can play this in a few months/years time. They're rarely the grandstand thing they used to be. I recently beat Mario Odyssey for example and felt let down because it didn't feel as epic as Mario of old.

I wonder if I'm the only person who feels this way?

 

[Vawn]

It's called getting older and it sucks.

 

[Winter John]

I used to enjoy buying games on release day but now I look at most of em and I can't work up much interest.

 

[SlashBringingHasher]

gaming in general is no longer exciting me because games are trying to be movies overall. am not a fan of that really. I used to play games because it cheers me up. but besides that just. much much less interest me.

 

[GenericUser]

It's called getting older and it sucks.

been there done that. Games are still as important as ever to me.

 

[Stuart360]

These feelings seem to happen to a lot of gamers when they reach their early 20's, it happened to me, and we get rugular threads on here about it.
I'm 40 and have had several times since my early 20's where i have kind of gone off games, come back to games, gone of them again, come back again, etc. The past 4 or 5 years though, i have been back into games hardcore, and actually play more games now than i did in my teens.
It just seems to be a natural human thing, kind of like when you dont like the same music or tv shows as you did when you were younger, etc.
I still think the 16bit and 32bit gens were the 'golden age;' of gaming, so much variety, so many genres, so much simple fun, but the last few years certainly have had some amazing games, games that have sucked me right back int to gaming harcore.

 

[bati]

I still get legit excited about some new releases and for the past few years and with the resurgence of AA games on the pc (specifically the RPGs) I actually thought "this is the best gaming year yet", every year.

That said, I'm taking a more rational approach to new releases these days - somewhere along the way I lost patience for buggy or rocky launches and so I have no problem waiting 6 months to a year to play the newest Obsidian rpg if it means having a smoother experience. At this point I have so many interesting and yet untouched games in my backlog that I could stop buying new games completely and I'd still have stuff to play 5 years from now.

 

[TheUsual]

Felt like I've been in that lull as well.
If you can, avoid gaming news for a while. Maybe check your favorite sites once a week. Also, getting older. Games that pitch themselves as revolutionary but we've seen the concept before.

***Puts on nostalgia glasses***That's why I loved gaming mags pre-internet when I was a kid. I delved into all the news and reviews at once then other things with my life.

 

[Danjin44]

For most part nothing has changed for me, I still love gaming and its one of my favourite hobby. But maybe it good idea to take a break from gaming for a while and enjoy different hobby and maybe your interest for gaming will comeback.

With that being said I'm kind of feel frustrated with entire western gaming culture as whole and feel less excited towards western games (I'm still looking forward to TLOU 2 and Ghost of Tsushima).

 

[zeorhymer]

It's like the other forms of entertainment. When was the last time were you excited with a book, play, music, etc? There'll be lulls and then "the next big thing" will happen to make you feel excited again.

 

[Aurelian]

Slight disclaimer on this one because I can't tell if this is just something I feel or if it's a commonly held belief.

I remember a few years ago when indie games first came into the mainstream. To me it felt like a really exciting time when we saw an emergence of ideas that we hadn't previously. Think Papers Please and The Stanley Parable. Prior to this, there was a time around 2009/10 when games like Bioshock and Spec Ops: The Line came into fashion. This is when we saw a lot of cool ideas being thrown into AAA games that, even when they didn't really work, felt new and different. Often hard to ignore because everyone was talking about them for the right reasons.

Before this, games were more a cultural revelation. Think back to the PS2 and Xbox era where releases were practically an event. Games like Halo and Half-Life 2. The apex of E3 and such.

Suddenly though, in 2019, it feels like games are no longer as important. Like they've lost something and are no longer impossible to ignore. We still get great games sure but it's like meh, I can play this in a few months/years time. They're rarely the grandstand thing they used to be. I recently beat Mario Odyssey for example and felt let down because it didn't feel as epic as Mario of old.

I wonder if I'm the only person who feels this way? If I'm not then I'm curious to know what you think might have changed things to get this point...

I think it's a combination of games entering further into the mainstream, corporate influences, and, as Vawn said, getting older.

It's no longer rare to see blockbuster games with giant budgets and marketing campaigns (not that they were completely unheard of a decade ago, but it was still a big deal). They're like Hollywood movies in that regard -- it takes a special movie to really stand out.

Then there's the normalization of business practices. You know there will usually be a new Call of Duty, a new Far Cry, a new round of EA sports titles... it's hard to get worked up, especially when you'll probably just pre-load the game instead of camping out in front of a Best Buy for two hours. Apex Legends was arguably a bigger launch simply because Respawn/EA pulled off a well-done surprise release.

And then there's the age part. Simply speaking, you probably have all kinds of things you need or want to do that weren't on the table ten years ago. A long-term relationship (maybe even kids), a proper career or college/uni program, hanging out at the bar or going to concerts... that's a lot of things that can eat away at your time, and you probably won't mind a lot of it. I know I'd rather spend a night with my girlfriend than a few hours with Destiny/Apex/name-your-game-here. It's just hard to be as excited when there are so many other things that are just as or more engaging.

 

[TheUsual]

For most part nothing has changed for me, I still love gaming and its one of my favourite hobby. But maybe it good idea to take a break from gaming for a while and enjoy different hobby and maybe your interest for gaming will comeback.

With being said I'm kind of feel frustrated with entire western gaming culture as whole and feel less excited towards western games (I'm still looking forward to TLOU 2 and Ghost of Tsushima).

I'm feeling frustrated with what the big publishers are doing towards the tail end of this generation: the GaaS model. I don't want to invest my time and money into an experience especially when we're seeing the games come out broken. Don't have my pay for your broken mess of a product and then wait a year for the damn thing to be fixed. I'm not paying to beta test your shit.

I like my single player games. Zelda Breath of the Wild brought back the magic of gaming to me when it came out. Bloodborne is doing that again for me right now (played a bit two years ago but then restarted again recently).

 

[ThaPhantom]

It is probably a bit of getting older and a bit of how the game industry has progressed. To be completely honest even with having less time available I still game a ton. It is just spent in different ways now. Less marathon gaming sessions and more small periods where I sit down and play. I also don't enjoy the types of games that get AAA development nowadays which has had me tending to just replaying old games, back log, or whatever current time sink game I am playing (Warframe being the culprit atm). I do feel like some kind of magic has been lost but can't quite put my finger on what it is. I was super excited for Smash Bros. Ultimate but before that it has been a while since any new release made my so anxious anticipating it.

 

[LordOfChaos]

Adulting sucks. I wish I was kidding.

I'm sure younger people are finding every bit of significance we did in new game releases that we're starting to find meh.

 

[ROMhack]

Fair. It probably is adult life, or at least the increasing feeling of guilt associated with playing games instead of doing something more productive with my time.

I might also just need to find something new to get excited about. Last year I played through a ton of retro JRPGs and had a blast.

 

[Danjin44]

I'm feeling frustrated with what the big publishers are doing towards the tail end of this generation: the GaaS model. I don't want to invest my time and money into an experience especially when we're seeing the games come out broken. Don't have my pay for your broken mess of a product and then wait a year for the damn thing to be fixed. I'm not paying to beta test your shit.

I like my single player games. Zelda Breath of the Wild brought back the magic of gaming to me when it came out. Bloodborne is doing that again for me right now (played a bit two years ago but then restarted again recently).

That and I feel western developers not longer cant get loose with designs because everything needs to be "politically correct" and because it we see less interesting design from them. Another thing is I feel like most western developers are much more concern about giving us "immersion" and "realism" over fun gameplay. One thing I notice after playing games like BotW, RE2, DQXI and Souls games is that all these games can feel very immersive but same can also feel very gamey and I feel that "gamey" part is missing in most western games these days.

 

[LordOfChaos]

Fair. It probably is adult life, or at least the increasing feeling of guilt associated with playing games instead of doing something more productive with my time.

 

[Filben]

I think it's because of availability. Back then, when I only got three games a year because I wasn't able to get more due to being a child/teen with no money and no online shops around, I played the hell out of all my games, even without a modern achievement system. Releases, like Zelda MM were highly anticipated because I knew I had a game to play six months of time with it. Nowadays, many games, especially GaaS, are released unfinished and in a state they should not have been released, and sales are peeking around every corner. There are only a very few games I care enough about to buy day one. Because... why should I? They get better the more they get patched and cost less later on. And with the backlog being piled up over the last decades it's not like I'm a urgent need of playing something new; like back in the day where I played the same game five times and really wanted something new after a couple of months.

 

[Isa]

That and I feel western developers not longer cant get loose with designs because everything needs to be "politically correct" and because it we see less interesting design from them. Another thing is I feel like most western developers are much more concern about giving us "immersion" and "realism" over fun gameplay. One thing I notice after playing games like BotW, RE2, DQXI and Souls games is that all these games can feel very immersive but same can also feel very gamey and I feel that "gamey" part is missing in most western games these days.

I totally 100% agree. I miss the days when western devs were able to produce unique content, and weren't limited too much. It was often fun to see how edgy they'd get as well to stand out. But since so many publishers want to be so inclusive to get more sales and recurrent spenders they have to focus group and sterilize everything into a bland homogenized mess. Its hard to get excited over that, at least for me. So I find myself enjoying a lot more of the Japanese and Indie scene, some of the few spaces that still allow a modicum of originality and artistic liberty, though even there that freedom is being lost. I do love gaming though, its still my favorite hobby and I scour the news and fellow gamer vids daily.

I think it just comes down to prioritizing what you find important in life, maybe stepping back and reevaluating what you enjoy as well as dabble in a few other hobbies. I did that, took a break, casually played for fun, and returned to discover what I genuinely enjoyed about games and focused on that. For me gaming is very important, and I am interested to see how the future plays out in regards to business models and next-gen contests.

 

[Noboru Wataya]

Slight disclaimer on this one because I can't tell if this is just something I feel or if it's a commonly held belief.

I remember a few years ago when indie games first came into the mainstream. To me it felt like a really exciting time when we saw an emergence of ideas that we hadn't previously. Think Papers Please and The Stanley Parable. Prior to this, there was a time around 2009/10 when games like Bioshock and Spec Ops: The Line came into fashion. This is when we saw a lot of cool ideas being thrown into AAA games that, even when they didn't really work, felt new and different. Often hard to ignore because everyone was talking about them for the right reasons.

Before this, games were more a cultural revelation. Think back to the PS2 and Xbox era where releases were practically an event. Games like Halo and Half-Life 2. The apex of E3 and such.

Suddenly though, in 2019, it feels like games are no longer as important. Like they've lost something and are no longer impossible to ignore. We still get great games sure but it's like meh, I can play this in a few months/years time. They're rarely the grandstand thing they used to be. I recently beat Mario Odyssey for example and felt let down because it didn't feel as epic as Mario of old.

I wonder if I'm the only person who feels this way?

I was with you up until you mentioned Mario Odyssey. I do honestly believe games are more focused on longevity and dlc/mtx. Most popular games now have no soul in order to reach the biggest audience.

You make a game that’s fun to play, full it with characters that vary considerably, then pump it full of costumes to let people make their own special hero to stand out. Customisation has taken precedent in favour of the hand crafted experience.

Devs are afraid to take chances, and rightfully so. The money and time it takes to make a high quality game is enough to put a developer out of business. There are still a lot of decent games, but it’s no longer like it was. The world has got smaller, and the risks have got higher.

But Mario Odyssey was a fucking charm you hethen!

 

[Northeastmonk]

Overall importance? It all depends on who you are and what type of people you're around. Here I'm thinking about God of War, Spider-Man, Red Dead Redemption 2, Kingdom Hearts III, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and now Devil May Cry 5 (Sekiro, etc). I took PTO to play most of those games (the ones that are already available for purchase) and I had fun with the experience.

I mean that is somewhat better than waiting for my dad to come pick me up to go buy GTA3 or Code Veronica from the mall. I do remember Halo 2 and waiting out in the cold for 3 hours or something for it. I've been playing Dead or Alive 6 and it reminds of playing DOA4 on Xbox Live. DOA's Community Manager use to play a lot and he played in the World Cyber Games on DirectTV and a bunch of other DOA events. I remember playing him once or twice back on XBox 360. DOA doesn't feel as huge as it felt when I had DOA3 and DOA4. It does feel like time flies and the overall excitement is kinda picked up and tossed within a game's launch. All the games I mentioned in the beginning of my post were good, but I also finished them. Now I'm really excited for DMC and Sekiro.

You can get excited about a game at any age. All you have to do is manage your time and money. In terms of importance, it can be important to you and that's all that matters.

I think there was a lot of generalizations made back when everyone was excited about Halo and other games. I play Call of Duty, but I don't fall in with the generalization that's made or suggested about Call of Duty players. I'm certainly not excited about big Counter Strike or DOTA2 tournaments. The competitive stuff that use to be super interesting bores me to death.

I think it can be just as exciting as it was, but it takes some effort and some searching. We haven't had a game to live up to Silent Hill 2 or the popularity that was Final Fantasy VII in a very long time. Is Square going to get as many people on board for the Remake as they were when VII first came out? Probably not, but maybe some. It all comes down to finding the joy in it versus trying everything that's super popular. I don't like to spend my time with a lot of F2P games. I like the campaigns and other misc games (arcade, fighting, etc). I do see the flaws, but I also see the improvements. Games like RE2R and DMC5 all expand upon what I like about the games.

I also think gamers are relying on streamers instead of themselves, so they don't voice an actual opinion for themselves. Its all sorta based on the skill of the person streaming. The streamers get the early demos and the support of the devs. That's all watched over and then judged upon by their viewers. Thus the game is being judged very quickly. I also agree about Western developers. They come off as money hungry and they love to follow politics. Something like Otogi or even Dark Souls isn't coming from a western developer. We get the hollywood/TV plot building without it defining itself in video games. Netflix shows are going to follow the same pattern of story boarding one of these days.

 

[anthraticus]

If I were to only play modern AAA/mainstream crap, I'd probably had given up on gaming by now, 90 something % of it is such banal and dumbed down shit.

Retro/A/AA is what's still keeping me interested these days.

 

[Dragon Lord]

I think this has less to do with the games, and more to do with aging. When you’re in your formative years especially, anything which helps to shape your understanding of yourself in any way (even if it isn’t overt) can seem momentously important. As you get older, you’re less influenced by most of what you encounter, so it seems less important.

 

[Grinchy]

I get into and out of the hobby. Lately, I've been really into it again. It really is just about getting older. Try to name another hobby that you've spent decades of your life doing without ever once getting tired of it. If you can name one, start doing that more. If you can't, nothing's really wrong.

 

[molasar]

Yes, they do. The same feeling happened with hollywood films especially after Terminator 2, with video games it was after Metal Gear Solid 2 for many reasons which some of them are already mentioned here. Of course some great ones were/are being made afterwards but they are rare according to my personal criteria.
I still want to know what happens in the industry, play video games and this hobby seems to be irreplaceable by other type of entertainment. Nowadays I limit myself to specific ones. They must be mainly about an arcady gameplay with cool music and aesthetically pleasant graphic style put in the mix. If they go cinematic, soap opera or simulator route, feel like a chore, are filled with boring fillers it is the big 'No' for me. A satisfactory example here are Hotline Miami games.
The bottom line is that games are fighting for my free time and like Reggie said "If it is not fun, why bother?".

 

[Lucumo]

It's called getting older and it sucks.

It's also (and maybe even more so): "Been there, done that". I have seen that game mechanic dozen of times, I have read that story a dozen times, meh. Every blue moon there is a game that is pretty unique which I then play a lot in a short amount of time. I mean, when was the last time when we witnessed the birth of a new genre? (I wouldn't define "Battle Royale" as something unique as it's basically just a FFA or team deathmatch.) Sure, there were some gimmicks along the way (motion controls, bleh) but those tend to fade pretty fast as the novelty wears off...which was the case with the Wii. Also, add all the GAAS shit these days and you will rarely ever play a complete game...in addition of dumb DLC like costumes etc which water down the game experience in a way.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

I am 40 and gaming is better now than ever. Impossible not to get excited at the kind of games we have Today when I have grown up with a fucking Atari 2600 and Commodore 64.

 

[Hinedorf]

I think it's less to do with age and more to do with market saturation. We are so overly spoiled as gamers now that we have more options of availability than we have time.

When I was 10, there was NES and arcade games, as a teen there was playstation, saturn, n64, game boy, game gear the list goes on.

Now you have PC's, Consoles, Retro consoles, Handhelds, VR's, Arcades and multiples of each.

We live in a world where Zelda BotW and Horizon Zero Dawn come out within weeks of each other, that's pretty sweet.

 

[TLZ]

It's called getting older and it sucks.

Yeah. For me it's kids and other responsibilities and worries that are always occupying my mind. When you're young you're carefree.

 

[ROMhack]

I was with you up until you mentioned Mario Odyssey. I do honestly believe games are more focused on longevity and dlc/mtx. Most popular games now have no soul in order to reach the biggest audience.

You make a game that’s fun to play, full it with characters that vary considerably, then pump it full of costumes to let people make their own special hero to stand out. Customisation has taken precedent in favour of the hand crafted experience.

Devs are afraid to take chances, and rightfully so. The money and time it takes to make a high quality game is enough to put a developer out of business. There are still a lot of decent games, but it’s no longer like it was. The world has got smaller, and the risks have got higher.

But Mario Odyssey was a fucking charm you hethen!

Don't get me wrong, I liked Mario, just felt a bit disappointed with the structure. I didn't feel any need to go around collecting moons after the story was done.

Generally I think you're right. Opening up games has sort of turned them towards being experiences driven by the gamer themselves. I'm not into open world gaming and totally get the appeal but it feels like gaming has become 'play how you want' and I don't really enjoy that as much. Personal point of course.

Beyond that, I'm also thinking maybe last gen was more expressive. Certainly games take less risks now. Where's this gen's Binary Domain? A flawed game but one with charm.

 

[Kadayi]

Work/Life balance. I like gaming, but I learnt a long time ago that there's zero point trying to game if you're run down or tired. Gaming is a lot more demanding versus watching TV and sometimes after a tough day of work, it's better to chill out with Netflix, Prime, youtube or even a book, versus try and force your way through a game when you're mentally exhausted.

 

[odhiex]

Yes, but it is not a bad thing. It is only a natural progression. A lot more responsibilities you have when you get older.

Do I miss moments that I could play games the whole day long? like when I was in college? yes... but now I am also enjoying my limited time for gaming, appreciate it even more.

 

[Ramzy]

It really do be like that.

These days when I actually do have a spare few hours to myself, I end up feeling guilty about the fact that i'm sinking hours into video games when i could be doing something more "worthwhile". It sucks.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Are you guys sure it's due to age? You folks with kids... Do you see your kids getting as excited about new games like we were?

 

[Melubas]

I feel this too. I think it has to do with burn-out. I've played games since I was five (soon 33), and as you consume more of them, along with movies and books, you get less tolerant concerning story, re-used mechanics, time-wasters and the likes. I used to love J-RPGs but I find it hard getting through them now since the dialogue is so cheesy and padded. Similarly I have a hard time with the open world formula. I've taken over about 200 towers / outposts / contracts by now, it all feels the same. I think that's why I appreciate games that try to evoke feelings so much. What Remains of Edith Finch is in my top 5, as is Planescape Torment. There are games out there but I don't really enjoy the AAA blockbusters as much anymore. Then again I am a massive graphics whore (pardon the expression) so I still tend to get the newest to check that out.

I also prioritize reading and writing nowadays, there's only so much time in a day. A 10 hour game is a godsend nowadays when I have the money to buy basically as many as I want.

 

[Ramzy]

Are you guys sure it's due to age? You folks with kids... Do you see your kids getting as excited about new games like we were?

No interest in having kids, but several of my friends have kids ranging from 5-7 and they're all obsessed with mobile tap games and loot box simulators.

 

[Antoon]

Most of us are not teens anymore, so of course guilt tripping will happen when playing games as an adult, at least if its for more than like an hour a day. Theres just much more important things to do.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I'm not sure what you mean by importance, do you mean to the wider culture or just to you personally?

Because gaming certainly has been pretty thoroughly dragged through the mud by SJW media post Gamergate and torpedoed it's chances at mainstream acceptance, to the average non gaming public video games are something for misogynistic basement dwelling manbabies.

Even though SJWs try hard to fight against this image they themselves ironically created, gone are the days in which some games reach any sort of wider cultural relevance like say Halo or Grand Theft Auto did in the 2000s with very, very rare exceptions like Fortnite.

The idea of gaming ever becoming "another Hollywood" died with the "gamers are dead" article.

But as for me personally, someone who's never gave a shit what the mainstream thinks, nope, gaming is still very important to me.

 

[reconminicon]

It's breathing that feels less important to me.

 

[Maguro]

I was never a big fan of getting new games at release day, not even as a child. Living with depression adds to this as well, because if you have this, you can't focus much for a long time. If you also have a big backlog your motivation of playing one new game for a certain period of time gets kinda destroyed the more you're into the game.

I've experienced that a lot of excitement about new games comes from Hypes and friends. If you have friends who hype up something and all are playing that game then, you feel very excited. If not, then it's probably just another game released.

Also a lot of modern games aren't that good to begin with. Another thing is older gamers have acquired taste. Some people may be excited for a new game but to you it's "just a normal game, been there, done that" and you don't get much excited for it. I experienced that a lot of times.

I do however get excited if something i feel passionate for comes out. Like for example say physical editions of old aracde classics. Those are games you can't play any other way at home. Or the Onimusha remaster for PS4/Switch got my blood pumping as well. No nostalgia here, i was a bit too old when that game came out to feel nostalgia.

A new entry of an IP i really care for doesn't get me much excited either anymore because the times are over when companys knew what i wanted. Another Castlevania that plays and looks like the ones before ? I would be hyped. Another Breath of Fire that looks and plays like the old ones? Give it to me! Instead we got some ugly piece of mobile crap. I don't trust companys anymore to make a good new entry, thats why i don't care for excitement anymore. I've burnt myself too often since the PS3 days.

I wish i could feel like Johnny Millenium aka "HappyConsoleGamer", who is so much passionate and excited about almost every game. But sadly i am just myself.

 

[Cattlyst]

I think it's a matter of priorities changing. When you're younger, your priorities aren't as consuming as when you're an adult. Being totally absorbed by games, release dates etc is easy as you have more time, disposable income etc. As you get older, there's less time for games and less money for games. Bills, work, socialising, cars, relationships, kids...it all takes the focus away from games. This is OK though. Imagine only ever playing games and never having any other interests. That would make us all very dull. It's fine to be interested in other things as well as occasionally enjoying playing games.

 

[ROMhack]

Work/Life balance. I like gaming, but I learnt a long time ago that there's zero point trying to game if you're run down or tired. Gaming is a lot more demanding versus watching TV and sometimes after a tough day of work, it's better to chill out with Netflix, Prime, youtube or even a book, versus try and force your way through a game when you're mentally exhausted.

See, this is is interesting to me. I realised during my Master's degree that I was playing a lot more games and doing far less intensive things like reading/coding because I was drained from studying all day. I distinctly remember long days spent in the library and coming home to play The Evil Within 2 for hours as a way to 'zone out'. I eventually came to realise that I enjoyed the direction that playing games gave me, which inspired my final term research project analysing people's attitudes towards gamification features. I wouldn't say it felt 'important' but it inspired me a lot.

But yeah now, I come home from work and I'm like nah fuck this. It feels totally different to the type of drained I was when I was a student, a lot more physical than mental. I certainly think having this mentality does affect things.

I'm not sure what you mean by importance, do you mean to the wider culture or just to you personally?

Because gaming certainly has been pretty thoroughly dragged through the mud by SJW media post Gamergate and torpedoed it's chances at mainstream acceptance, to the average non gaming public video games are something for misogynistic basement dwelling manbabies.

Even though SJWs try hard to fight against this image they themselves ironically created, gone are the days in which some games reach any sort of wider cultural relevance like say Halo or Grand Theft Auto did in the 2000s with very, very rare exceptions like Fortnite.

The idea of gaming ever becoming "another Hollywood" died with the "gamers are dead" article.

But as for me personally, someone who's never gave a shit what the mainstream thinks, nope, gaming is still very important to me.

I mean wider culturally. I was definitely feeling more positive vibes coming from the gaming community a few years ago. I don't think I can attribute its absence to GG entirely because I totally bypassed that at the time. I actually only learned about it last year, believe it or not.

Personally I used to spend a lot of time reading criticism by writers/bloggers. There was a really good balance between cultural and technical analysis but overall people weren't doing it just because they wanted attention or clicks like you see now. They were obviously excited about what gaming was and simply sharing their thoughts with the world. It was a nice shared experience and elevated the value of games for reasons beyond politics.

 

[Queso de Grande]

It is definitely just getting older. You are no longer part of the targeted demographic. I feel it too. Games were my thing I consumed anything and everything about games, like most people on this site. Now days I barely look at anything new, the current trends in gaming are the exact opposite of what I like and want. I no longer feel like games are aimed for me anymore, but that’s how things go.

 

[Saruhashi]

Slight disclaimer on this one because I can't tell if this is just something I feel or if it's a commonly held belief.

I remember a few years ago when indie games first came into the mainstream. To me it felt like a really exciting time when we saw an emergence of ideas that we hadn't previously (think Papers Please and The Stanley Parable). Prior to this, there was a time around 2009/10 when games like Bioshock and Spec Ops: The Line came into fashion. This is when we saw a lot of cool ideas being thrown into AAA games that, even when they didn't really work, felt new and different. They were often hard to ignore because everyone was talking about them for months after.

Before then, games were more a cultural revelation. Think back to the PS2 and Xbox era where releases were practically an event. Games like Halo and Half-Life 2. The apex of E3 and such.

Suddenly though, in 2019, it feels like games are no longer as important. Like they've lost something and are no longer impossible to ignore. We still get great games sure but it's like meh, I can play this in a few months/years time. They're rarely the grandstand thing they used to be. I recently beat Mario Odyssey for example and felt let down because it didn't feel as epic as Mario of old.

I wonder if I'm the only person who feels this way?

It's not just you.

One aspect of it is getting older. I see my sisters kids still have the same excitement for games that I had myself.
As an adult though I feel like, meh, I've seen it all before.

Mario Odyssey is a good example. It's a great game but I've been through Mario 64, Galaxy 1 & 2 so it's like no matter what Odyssey brought to the table it would never be fully "new" and that makes it a bit less epic for sure.

The internet has introduced an element of "overhyping" where games get announced 2 or 3 years out from release and people keep banging on about them for those years, expecting the game to come out and be the greatest thing ever.

It's kind of like diminishing returns though because with each new console and each great game the bar is raised higher and higher. A couple of disappointments will quickly leave you jaded. On the extreme end, failures get such crazy and insane backlash from Youtube and Reddit that developers need to be careful.

So developers try to give people exactly what they say they want which basically curbs that creativity. Most people are trying to make a game that sells loads but also doesn't fall foul of sensational Youtube critics.

The way things are regarding pricing, with PS4 at least, it's not uncommon to have a game released for 60+ bucks and less than a year later it's going for 50%, 60% or 70% off. Games don't retain their price very well so there is less incentive to buy on release since you can just wait and pick up the best 5 games of 2018 for less than 100 bucks in Summer 2019.

I am REALLY looking forward to Sekiro, in theory, but in practice I am a little apprehensive because the game, and From Software. has been getting hyped to the max for a while now. That is raising expectations beyond what is probably reasonable plus I know that it will be going at 30 to 50% off in December.

Indies on Switch is where it's at for me right now.
Games come with less hype and fanfare.
There's less internet bickering and bragging.
You can find some real hidden gems.

In comparison, I look at the likes of Anthem, Fallout 76, BattleField V and think "nah, not for me thanks".

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

Yeah about that.
i personally done a big mistake, somehow i decided to make my identity about games, escaping from what ever Hurts in real life, and no one argued about my flawed logic so it manifestered for 20 years now im in the thirties. And i realised that This is such a dangerous path of selfdestruction and social avoidance that if continued will be making sure that i will never amount to anything, including playing games. I still very much like the act of playing but my worries of health, mental unstability, worriness of my poor perfomance at said games(amount of dying, amount of times stuck in a puzzle) takes priority. So much so it can take weeks before i start up a game i wanted to play the entire time. Then when i finally start it up i cant get very far because All my energy was used in starting up the game in the first place or All my other worries makes me unable to focus. Despite all that i keep playing forcing down the rabbit hole of despair, yesterday was 15 hour gaming session with barely any progress. Today is most likely another 10 hour.

So when all is said and done i got no other comfort zone to go to. It is what i have been doing my entire life. As such i will keep doing it until i am incapable or pass away.

The identity politics that has infested, has also made me so paranoid that every time i see a woman look ugly or come to scenario where people are gathered conviniently split in one woman, one black, one white, one asia it makes me think they are not being true to their own artistic vision. This is overall having a more negative effect than one of positive feedback to me. Especially when i never felt privileged to begin With despite living in the happiest country in the world Denmark or so i am lead to believe all the time.

Well that was my reasons why i am not as excited about games as i used to. There are more reasons. But buttom line is my current mental health are destroying my fun i would be able to have With games, so its hard voicing or even being excited about anything in the industry.

I feel like i needed to share it im not looking for pity or get well responses. But if my voice can encourage others to reflect on their relations to games then it might help. Fortunate or unfortunate i dont have the luxury of work draining me, kids taking time or even spending a weekend with someone i care to be with. So plenty plenty of time to gaming. Funny how when you are able to do what you like, life is denying you the pleasure due to other things... Im ranting will stop now..

 

[ROMhack]

The identity politics that has infested, has also made me so paranoid that every time i see a woman look ugly or come to scenario where people are gathered conviniently split in one woman, one black, one white, one asia it makes me think they are not being true to their own artistic vision. This is overall having a more negative effect than one of positive feedback to me. Especially when i never felt privileged to begin With despite living in the happiest country in the world Denmark or so i am lead to believe all the time.

It doesn't curb my enthusiasm personally but I don't think you're crazy thinking that. Certain developers obviously make decisions to represent a more diverse community through their games. I only think it's a bad thing when developers don't represent them through original ideas - it becomes about tokenism and it maddens me that people seem to think that's better than artistic intent.

But try not to let it get you down. Go to Tivoli Gardens. Have a Carlsberg. Fight some vikings

 

[IKSTUGA]

I dunno, I think I'm playing more now that I've graduated. I love that the fact that now I can just chill and play after a long day of work. In uni I was constantly stressing about finishing assignments/going to parties etc., there was just less mental space for gaming. Hearthstone and Shadowverse I did play quite a bit, because they were perfect for short sessions in between stuff.

 

[petran79]

In my case ero games substituted live action porn, so no.

 

[deriks]

Every week a thread like this haha

No. I don't have much time nowadays, but I still care a lot to play, I get hyped when a new awesome game is showed, and I have no idea what starter Pokémon to choose

 

[DreamsiclesPlz]

I like games, but I don't play them nearly as much as I did 10-15 years ago. I'm more inclined to watch youtube/twitch for gaming content or watch my roommate play instead of actually playing them myself.