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?
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!
I think you’ve nailed it by outlining the worry of kids without an income of their own - if you can’t buy what you want whenever, game length is a plus, but when you’ve got disposable income, summer sales, the odd free game, and new good titles coming out all the time, brevity’s more valuable than each game being a forever-game.
forever-game
I have sworn off of these. Destiny 2 was a soul sucking time sink. My entire life had to revolve around it or else I would miss content in the game. That’s great for the people who enjoy that, but it’s just not for me anymore. Like OP, I really just want games with concise stories that end when they should.
Yes. Also, I don’t need a game to drive engagement. I don’t need (or want) some tangible reward for playing every day. I don’t want to compete with anyone - I mean I can enjoy pvp in some games, but I want success to be purely based on skill, not who has collected the most kills to buy specialized pvp gear without which someone can’t even compete.
If I have to grind to earn “fun,” I’m out. Some games can be fun to grind. I’ll play Diablo just to watch destruction fill my screen. But for example around the time WoW added daily quests, I realized I had to be done with the game. I loved Team Fortress and every few years I’d reinstall it and play some more, but now there are rewards and stuff that changes the balance of the game making it “impure.” If the game isn’t fun to play without earning rewards that unbalance the game in your favor, is not worth playing at all.
I’m “in the middle” of Horizon: Forbidden West. Then Jedi Survivor (or whichever the new one is) came out and other responsibilities ate into my time and now I don’t remember where I am, what I was doing, and I frankly barely remember how to even play.
I enjoy the games. There is so much to do and the worlds are so large. They are well written, the voice acting is great. But I just don’t have time to engage with it all. And heck I don’t have to experience every iota of content, but I have to grind all the systems to become capable of finishing the game and I just can’t.
Totally agreed with everything you said. I’m currently towards the end of Jedi Survivor, and I have really enjoyed it, but I would probably recommend to people who aren’t Star Wars fanatics like me to wait until it’s less buggy, because it is quite distracting. At least it isn’t crashing for me.
I would love to play Forbidden West, but it’s not on PC. :(
other responsibilities ate into my time and now I don’t remember where I am, what I was doing, and I frankly barely remember how to even play.
This is my biggest issue with long games. I feel like if it’s getting too long and I want to try something else, I can’t come back to it in the middle and pick up where I left off. I have to either consume the game in one chunk, or accept the fact that I’m never going to finish it… which makes me not even want to start it half the time.
Due to the way I approach a lot of media (eg. games, TV, comics, etc.), I almost never play more than one game at a time. The only exceptions are the occasional multiplayer game which is rare.
Shit, I often don’t even mix media. I’ll be in TV mood and ignore games and comics, then be in a comic mood and ignore TV and movies and games, then a game mood where everything else is on the back burner. But in each of those cases, I finish things up and almost never jump out in the middle.
This has the nice benefit of not forgetting where I am (well, not any more than usual, which can be a fair amount when it comes to my brain), but the disadvantage of potential burnout.
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.
I stopped playing AAA games because there is so much filler. I would prefer if games went for 3-6 hours for playtime with a clean and tight plot.
I don’t read books that have a cool intro, 300 pages explaining how everything works, 1000 pages of characters just doing random stuff for random people, and then a return to actual plot in the last 100 pages.
I hope for a world where fun and optimization are prioritized over length and graphics
Tbh I think that in the world, games would be cheaper and micro-transactions would be seen in a better light. I think people don’t mind supporting a developer who makes an actually good title
Even when it’s a small developer, I’d still rather buy the whole game/expansion at once. It’s easier to find reviews that way, and less immersion-breaking. I don’t want to be reminded of real world-money while playing.
I stopped playing AAA games because there is so much filler. I would prefer if games went for 3-6 hours for playtime with a clean and tight plot.
I don’t read books that have a cool intro, 300 pages explaining how everything works, 1000 pages of characters just doing random stuff for random people, and then a return to actual plot in the last 100 pages.
