Title mostly describes how I’m feeling now.
When I was younger, my main worry when deciding what game to buy and play next was that the game wouldn’t be able to keep me entertained until I can buy another game.
Now I have a backlog of almost 100 games that I own and haven’t played yet (although some come from bundles, not all are worth playing). My new concern when I’m playing a game is whether or not the time I put into the game is well spent.
I used to really like the idea of games where it would take me 100s of hours to get to 100% completion, but now I tend to almost avoid playing them entirely even if I know I don’t care about completion anymore.
I don’t think I’m alone in this, but what I’m really wondering is if this is a result of getting older? Or is it because the gaming space itself has changed?
As an older dude, I think it’s more about how people choose to live. I’m one of the DINK couples so the wife and I love gaming together.
Both working full time, go on camping trips, play tennis, and still manage to be a part of a destiny clan who we have cleared all the raids with.
We just beat Diablo 4 together (then dropped it due to the patch and garbage 1st season lol).
I get how some people need more contained experiences, but I can not stand games that are too contained or basic.
There are exceptions like party games (gang beasts, Mario party, etc), but for the most part I need my games to be engaging.
I did a little bit of game development in college and have played games all my life, so sometimes I feel like I’m somewhat sensitive to certain designs. It’s hard to put into words, but a bad animation/game mechanic that might bother a different person like 2/10 might bother me more like an 8/10.
Some mixture of the above information and my ADHD need for stimulation keeps me away from the smaller games.
It’s funny, before they were everywhere, open world games were my jam. Now there are only a few where I actually pay attention to the world.
I typically treat open world games as linear in some way. Go from one story/side mission to the next without really bothering to explore. Especially for large games. Some exceptions, but not many. I’ve become a chronic fast traveler and I have no intention of changing that.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate the work put into a lot of these games, it’s more that I simply don’t have the energy or time to actually get into it all and it doesn’t bother me that I’m “missing out”.
In general, I just crave linear and relatively short games. If howlongtobeat lists something as more than like 12 - 15 hours for a non-RPG/immersim game, I’m usually out. I’d have to really be enjoying it to stick with something for more than like 20 hours total.
Titanfall 2 is one of the best examples of a fantastic game that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Everything’s tightly packed into a linear, but incredibly well-developed game. It doesn’t stop being fun, and throws new shit at you without being overwhelming, can be beaten in a few days (probably like two if you’re playing in long sessions).
I do sometimes go over that limit with stealth games, often because I play them very patiently and can spend a few hours on a level. But they’re really the exception.
It’s definitely both for me, time management and responsibilities definitely play a part in what I’m able to dedicate to a game and some games definitely have subjectively useless filler for me.
I’ve definitely moved from playing RPGs and competitive shooters to just RPGs as I’m done with grinding for the most part and don’t want to spend my limited time that way lol. Totally get that a lot of people like rogue likes and souls type stuff where the grind is more the point, but it’s not really my cup of tea anymore.
I also see that there’s a trend for studios to just pack their games with a lot of content (Red Dead Redemption 2 having had some more interesting filler, to me, and stuff like Assassin’s Creed getting more grindy).
I find my gaming is more like how I consume books, now. I’ll have a couple RPGs going at a time (usually a replay of something I’ve enjoyed and want to reexperience and another that I’ll be trying out of my backlog) and just play what strikes my fancy.
I get what you’re saying with the bundle kinda thing where you may just skip a game if it’s not something that really grabs you.
I’ve definitely had a few false starts and games where I just kinda saw what they were about and didn’t want to continue or wasn’t super interested.
There are definitely games I’ve put on my docket that I’m more interested in because of their history and relation to the gaming industry, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines and S.T.A.L.K.E.R for example.
I think most of it is that I’ve needed to extend my playthroughs to make them work with my life as I’m no longer able to just come home from school and game for like 3 hours a day. I mostly want to either get into (or back into) a cool plot or story and/or consume some older gems I had not been exposed to earlier as I definitely don’t have as much free time.
I’m in a similar boat. I like to focus on more unique and interesting games nowadays (e.g., Outer Wilds), and let me tell you, Vampire The Masquerade is surely one them. I loved that game despite the jank, even if it won’t be your cup of tea, there’s nothing like it. (and STALKER is great too)
Yeah, I feel the same. When I was younger I loved RPGs because they usually gave you 40+ hours of content just for the main story. Now I kind of dread playing them because it takes so much mental effort.
Then again, Long Covid also gave me brainfog. But I also felt that way before I had it. I guess back then my mental capacity was taken up by work.
Dude! Long COVID messed me up too, I had some serious brain fog for about six months and then it slowly lifted. I don’t think I’m the same for sure, but it’s gotten better.
I know it’s different for a lot of people so I’m hoping for the best for you!
The gaming space may have changed but I’d say it’s because you changed.
You brought in your decision the “worth playing”. Is this game worth to buy or is this game worth my time. When you can give your time a value, you can also compare it to what you are doing and if it’s worth to do that.
I tend to not really do that too much, because gaming is a hobby. If I start to compare it to what I could earn, well it doesn’t give the most “value” in monetary gain or maybe knowledge gain. But that is why it is a hobby for me, not work.
On the other side, is it worth playing? What is the comparison? The price? If you like the game? For me, if I can enjoy it, and come back to it, even if it’s very long (Warframe for example is the one where I have the most hours played), well it’s worth playing to me.
Tho some games are very expensive for the experience they give and some are really s* recently (gollum *cough) and those are not worth playing.
And is it worth playing compared to your other games? Maybe, maybe not? If you wait you can get discounts (at least on pc), and increase the value. And play your backlog in the meantime.
I think that playing the most recent games can be enjoyable but not always the best “value”. Tho I still play “newer” even if I have the backlog, which I use as a filler between releases and “patient gamers” style.
