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No games is a blessing in disguise...

JOEVIAL

Has a voluptuous plastic labia
Having no upcoming games I'm truly excited about has been a blessing in disguise (for 2022). I invite ya'll to read on to understand what I'm talking about.

Prior years, there was a glut of stellar releases for all consoles, all worth playing and investing time into (2007,2008,2009, etc.). I just couldn't keep up with them all when I owned all consoles. So much quality, so little time. Nowadays, the "AAA" development space has shifted, it's a shift that many have echoed here on GAF for several years (longer development times, AAA not living up to expectations, little to no advancement or innovation, etc.)

This has led to less and less titles that I'm interested in. Yes my interests have changed as I've matured; much like everyones interests change over the years. I am also way more cautious with how I invest my time.

And I think I have also broken myself free of the mental issue: Fear of Missing Out. I no longer feel like I NEED to play something in order to fulfill some nebulous desire to play "every good game". You hear this often in our hobby "YOU HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME!" I guess I got caught in that. Man... for a long time I was caught up in that. Owning all consoles - including portables - it was just so overwhelming. I no longer feel that way at all. It's such a blessing.

I have refocused how I invest my time. What is truly a valuable experience for me.

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With that said, I sold off about 50% of my collection. Games that I used to feel like I NEEDED to play... now I don't. I deleted many titles from my digital library also. I am now focusing my time on titles that I personally think will provide a truly valuable experience for me. Playing through FEZ, Red Dead II, replaying Elder Scrolls Oblivion, and finally starting up God of War. Anywho... I believe the state of the industry has made me rethink and refocus. Along with the passage of time and how I have matured.

If this mentality sounds familiar to you, I encourage you to break yourself free. Really put some thought into how you invest your precious time. Only play what REALLY interests you. This may seem like "no-duh" to some folks, but if this post helps a few people rethink how they invest their time, then I've done well.

What do you think GAF? Have your interests changed due to changes in the industry? Or do you feel it's the natural passage of time and your maturation that has caused change?
 

Kuranghi

Member
I have like 5 giant games to play in my backlog, then 10 longish games, then 20 indie games that are 5-15 hours long.

I think I'll be fine lol, i haven't started Death Stranding yet 😅
 

JOEVIAL

Has a voluptuous plastic labia
I still feel like I have lots to play, and there's still multiple games coming out every month that I want to play (Shredders Revenge, Shadowrun and Naraka just this week alone.) I'm not seeing the same drought everyone else is. Feels like I live in a different reality. 🤷‍♂️
That's great! Different strokes for different folks. Maybe you are experiencing a golden renaissance for the games you like to play. That's great!

Just my experience in the OP, but a few other members here on GAF echo my experience (from posts I've seen). Maybe we are in the same age group and have the same interests? I bet that is probably true.
 

JOEVIAL

Has a voluptuous plastic labia
Incredibly, the weather in the UK is pretty good at the moment, so chilling in the garden with a cold one is currently my primary hobby 😂
I too have refocused my time/life into other hobbies besides just gaming. Got into mountain biking a few years ago... a bunch of parks in the UK are dream destinations for me!
 
I still feel like I have lots to play, and there's still multiple games coming out every month that I want to play (Shredders Revenge, Shadowrun and Naraka just this week alone.) I'm not seeing the same drought everyone else is. Feels like I live in a different reality. 🤷‍♂️

Same. Neon White and Shredders Revenge last week, Blade Runner Enhanced Edition on Switch in just 2 days, Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels next month, followed by Cult of the Lamb in August, September with Last of Us Remake, Darktide, Metal Hellsinger and Evil West (and Steelrising if it reviews well), Marvel Midnight Suns in October and apparently it's a 60h+ game, so I'm set for at least a month. Then Pentiment in November and The Callisto Protocol in December.

That's not even mentioning Plague Tale Requiem and Hogwarts Legacy, which we don't know the exact dates of. I'm sure I won't even have time to play half of those.

Still...

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Markio128

Member
I too have refocused my time/life into other hobbies besides just gaming. Got into mountain biking a few years ago... a bunch of parks in the UK are dream destinations for me!
Yeah, there are some great places to explore on a bike in the UK. If you fancy a chilled run, I recently cycled from Rhyl to Conwy castle (and back again), which was pretty much all on a designated coastal cycle path. Highly recommended if you aren’t too far from North Wales.
 
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