Burned out of "games"?

[Siyano]

I feel like that recently a lot of small thing and gripes of games get to me and I dont seem to have "fun" I get from them in general.
For example last year I tried to hop in RDR 2, but the "forced" 3 hours of story and walking simulator in the beginning, just killed it, I couldnt even play the game

Then there was Witcher 3, I had not much real fun, its was basically just a "skyrim" but less fun, where the fight were stupidly long and to really get "in" the game took, again, too much time.

And the last Spiderman, I just didnt get where the "fun" was to me, I was just like, wandering around, quick time event the combat and did some few collect, but I lost interest quickly because when I looked at all the thing you could "collect", I lost patience

Now Im doing AC Valhalla, I feel like that a lot in this sometimes just irritate me more than it should, like when you get to a barred house and than all you need is to go to a near window to shoot the bar or get into the house by a big hole under the roof or such, and im just reacting like "what is the point of having a [locked] door if I can just get in so easily" (similar with locked with a key, if the key is like a few feet away)

Otherwise in a lot of recent games it about the "grind" that a game can eventually ask, if I need to just "grind" by playing the game (and it has no impact other than the time I invested) then Ill just unlock everything with cheats, because i dont see the fun of playing a game if I dont have the main object that makes the beginning artificially harder because I dont have the most health potion use or the biggest inventory. bleh, I just want to play and have fun, not be artificially restricted for no reason than "just grind X by just playing".

In the past 10 years I can barely name any AAA or even AA that I played, and since i have been in the "indie" genre a lot (mostly roguelike) I guess I grew tired of "them", since a lot were just about "difficulty" were you had to play 100 of hours to be "good" (like binding of Isaac) but I am not having fun with "difficulty", that you have to learn pattern or that you have to do run perfectly. There is very select few title that I played to finish or more than 20-30 hours (if they had no end)

I guess im quite cynical, elitist, choosy and that my dopamine basically "fried" since I have played a bit to much since quarantine of covid.

 

[BrawlMan]

And the last Spiderman, I just didnt get where the "fun" was to me, I was just like, wandering around, quick time event the combat and did some few collect, but I lost interest quickly because when I looked at all the thing you could "collect", I lost patience

Spider-Man (PS4) or Miles Morales (PS4/PS5)? Both are good games, but I prefer the latter very much over the former. I play these games for the combat, which is good and stylish. I don't care much for collectibles, but I enjoyed doing all of the side missions in Miles.

Otherwise in a lot of recent games it about the "grind" that a game can eventually ask, if I need to just "grind" by playing the game (and it has no impact other than the time I invested) then Ill just unlock everything with cheats, because i dont see the fun of playing a game if I dont have the main object that makes the beginning artificially harder because I dont have the most health potion use or the biggest inventory. bleh, I just want to play and have fun, not be artificially restricted for no reason than "just grind X by just playing".

In the past 10 years I can barely name any AAA or even AA that I played, and since i have been in the "indie" genre a lot (mostly roguelike) I guess I grew tired of "them", since a lot were just about "difficulty" were you had to play 100 of hours to be "good" (like binding of Isaac) but I am not having fun with "difficulty", that you have to learn pattern or that you have to do run perfectly. There is very select few title that I played to finish or more than 20-30 hours (if they had no end)

I guess im quite cynical, elitist, choosy and that my dopamine basically "fried" since I have played a bit to much since quarantine of covid.

Burnout occurs for all of us at some point. I don't bother with a majority of AAA games, because they clearly don't want my money, or go out of their way to make gameplay a chore or not fun. Or expect you buy DLC on top of $60/70+ to make it "fun". I stick with AA and indie, because most of them at least try or don't go overboard in trying to screw the consumer over.

I noticed your problem is that you keep playing the same things over and over for the indie scene. Specifically, the rouge-likes. I dislike that genre in particular and can't imagine playing those on near constant basis. That's part of burnout problem right there. Play something different. Does not matter if it's AA or indie. You may or may not like something, but it's worth the risk. A better way is not play anything for a while and take a break. Find or do other interests and hobbies. That'll help mix up your routine. It's what I do.

I can't do the same game of genres over and over again. I'll get bored too easily. The same applies with one of my hobbies. You won't beleive how many gamers I've met that played nothing but COD, yet get so bored or burned out they don't know what to do with themselves or are afraid to try anything else. Either out of fear of challenge or just afraid what their peers would think of them. Do what works best for you. I reccmoned you take a break, do something else, look around the web, and come back to try something different or a game genre you normally don't play.

 

[Siyano]

for spiderman its the first one (2017)

I dont think I specifically played roguelikes, the games I played "most" or liked the "most" are from that category
here a small list of games I consider they gave me good time
- Binding of Isaac rebirth
- Dead Cells
- Stardew valley
- Valheim
- Satisfactory
- Banner Saga series
- Cat quest series
- Last Epoch
- Darkest Dungeon
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Slay the Spire
- Terraria

 

[Phoenixmgs]

Games, especially in the AAA space, have gotten so homogeneous that's it hard to get excited for something because the next new game is just same thing I already played but with the slightest of tweaks to the main mechanic or some added mechanic like crafting or rpg elements (UBISOFT!!!) that only makes the game worse. You can make a game better by subtracting and make a game worse by adding. I'd love to see Borderlands for example scrap the fucking loot system because the core of those games are actually about the skill trees. The new Farcry has different types of ammo now for no reason and Yahtzee pretty much hit the nail on the head that all it did was make him carry 2 sniper rifles instead of one. The new Spiderman would've been a much more enjoyable game if not every fucking game wore out Arkham combat already (even fucking Uncharted 3 had its dumbass version of Arkham combat), though Spiderman did add an aerial element to combat. The Middle-Earth games are basically reskinned Arkham games (with added Nemesis system).

I can completely understand anyone's Witcher 3 complaints because the game is not fun to play at all. The really only gameplay is a pretty janky combat system that's some weird combination of Arkham and Souls combat that just doesn't feel good at all with at least 2 of the signs/magic just completely breaking the balance of the game. CDPR patched new movement into the game because literally just running around was awful. The good parts about the game were the story and characters, and I would've enjoyed the game far more if it was really just an adventure game with no combat. I totally didn't understand the hype for Cyberpunk because I'm like CDPR hasn't made a game that plays well yet nor do they really understand basic balance either but Cyberpunk is gonna be the greatest game ever when Cyberpunk is far more ambitious than Witcher 3 (from a game design standpoint, W3 is a very simple game) and CDPR has no experience with developing the systems that Cyberpunk is gonna need. I knew that game was gonna be a disaster, but nobody listened.

I guess trying to find games that just try to do one thing and do it really well is the key. I always recommend checking out board games because they have no bloat and it's just about really well done and tight mechanics. Slay the Spire is basically a card-based board game, a lot of people thought that it was some innovative and fresh game when there's tons of deckbuilding games like that, they just aren't video games. The full digital version with the campaign of Gloomhaven just released and it's a great dungeon crawler. They really made it into a full-on video game with character models and animations and everything. All your actions/movements are based on the cards you play, a much more complex Slay the Spire so-to-speak.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

To me it sounds like you really need to avoid the AAA scene, particularly the cookie cutter big open-world genre. I could look through my own library and suggest dozens of games that feel very refreshing compared to a lot of big games.

I think part of the problem is that AAA games seem to have gotten stuck on being as realistic as possible in that they all want to look like live action movies in video-game form. This focus seems to have made them go further and further from the actual game aspect in favor of simulating something (like how RDR2 did).

It's like the difference between live action and animation. Live action is much more limiting in the kinds of stories you can tell as apposed to animation where you can tell a story about anything you could imagine. So when every AAA game seems to have to start with a normal human with real world laws as it's base, no wonder they all start feeling the same.

 

[laggyteabag]

It looks like you've been stuck playing a lot of big, open-world games that demand dozens of hours of your time.

I would probably suggest looking into some smaller, shorter, more linear games to break things up.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Actually I'm going to try to make my previous post more succinct. On The Giantbombcast they've used a phrase to describe certain games which is, "It's a video-game-ass video-game." Which they use to describe much more system driven games that care very little about immersion or justifying their mechanics with in world reasons for why things work the way they do. I think we need more video-game-ass video-games.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

If you still would like to play something but are just tired of all the tedium and added layers of “stuff” that pads a lot of what’s out there, look into smaller titles like What Remains of Edith Finch (unique interactive storytelling), or The Bridge (brain-bending puzzles). If you game on PC at all, maybe check out The Stanley Parable for something engaging and different as well.

Basically I find the need to be increasingly selective the older I get, because so much of what’s out there is just a derivation of what’s been played to death many times before.

 

[Piscian]

For me I need an occasional palette cleanser and "actual" FPS usually does the trick. Something does include gathering resources of quests or any of that shit that start to feel like a job sometimes. I guess you might call them corridor shooters, but FPS where in addition to not doing fetch quests you also are beaten over the head with story. I like the excitement and actual immediate reward of just playing the game. With modern graphics cards and mods there's a lot of fun FPS you can go back to if you haven't played them like DOOM 3, Prey (new or old), Singularity is one of my personal favs, but even the new Wolfenstein was pretty great though I haven't played the sequel.

One of these days I'll dig up Return to Castle Wolfenstein. I never played that one.

Every once in a while I'll spice things up by playing something very different. I got sucked into Slay The Spire and Darkest Dungeon pretty hard. I'd always recommend the Dark Souls games because they've sort of perfected Exploration without quests, Picking up meaning equipment instead of grinding and minimal to no story with few cut scenes.

 

[BrawlMan]

It looks like you've been stuck playing a lot of big, open-world games that demand dozens of hours of your time.

I would probably suggest looking into some smaller, shorter, more linear games to break things up.

Yep.

@Siyano, here's a list of shorter games to get you started whenever you are ready. No rush.

• Ninja Saviors: Return Of The Warriors
• Streets of Rage 4
• The Takeover
• Transformers Devastation (you're going to have to find physical copies, it's not up there digitally anymore.)
• Crusin ' Ultra
• Fast RMX
• Vanquish
• Oneechanbara: Z2 Chaos

 

[Specter Von Baren]

For me I need an occasional palette cleanser and "actual" FPS usually does the trick. Something does include gathering resources of quests or any of that shit that start to feel like a job sometimes. I guess you might call them corridor shooters, but FPS where in addition to not doing fetch quests you also are beaten over the head with story. I like the excitement and actual immediate reward of just playing the game. With modern graphics cards and mods there's a lot of fun FPS you can go back to if you haven't played them like DOOM 3, Prey (new or old), Singularity is one of my personal favs, but even the new Wolfenstein was pretty great though I haven't played the sequel.

One of these days I'll dig up Return to Castle Wolfenstein. I never played that one.

Every once in a while I'll spice things up by playing something very different. I got sucked into Slay The Spire and Darkest Dungeon pretty hard. I'd always recommend the Dark Souls games because they've sort of perfected Exploration without quests, Picking up meaning equipment instead of grinding and minimal to no story with few cut scenes.

I loved Return to Castle Wolfenstein in my teen years. It's exactly like the kind of game you described so you'll probably enjoy it. Side note, but one of my favorite funny things in the game is how you can read a report from a Nazi talking about how so many of their soldiers keep getting injured or dying from falling off ladders and that adding these guard rail things at the top of the ladders reduced falling by a huge amount. It's the developers themselves talking to the player because those guard rails make it so using ladders doesn't feel like tempting fate.

@Siyano Here's my own list of a few games you can try.

-Minit
-Tangle Tower
-Phoenotopia Awakening
-One Step From Eden
-Everhood
-Kero Blaster
-The Count Lucanor
-Azure Striker Gunvolt
-Inmost
-Creature In the Well
-Hob
-Iconoclasts
-Goto Roboto
-Far: Lone Sails
-Fairune Collection

 

[Siyano]

Ninja Saviors: Return Of The Warriors / Fast RMX
-I dont have a switch

Streets of Rage 4 / The Takeover
-im not a fan of "pure" beat em up

Transformers Devastation / Kero Blaster
Minit / Everhood / Vanquish / Goto Roboto
(Minit and Roboto because I have a hard time with B&W)
- doesnt appeal to me

Inmost / Azure Striker Gunvolt
The Count Lucanor /
- have to look into it further

Far: Lone Sails / Fairune Collection
Creature In the Well / Tangle Tower
Oneechanbara: Z2 Chaos
- not sure

Phoenotopia Awakening / One Step From Eden
Hob / Iconoclasts
- played them already, but mostly didnt hook

Crusin ' Ultra
- couldnt find it

(I only have pc)

 

[BrawlMan]

(I only have pc)

No worries. I know you say you only have PC only, but the Ninja Saviors game is also on PS4. Z2:Chaos is available on PC and ps4, though the PC version is known to have some issues.

All the Devil May Cry games are on pc, so I do recommend those, if you are interested. They're not long games either and the playtime is generally 8 to 12 hours depending on skill level. Metal Gear Rising is on PC too. If those don't work, I'm sure you'll find something that will work for you. Just give it time and take a break. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Fallen Soldier]

It’s not as easy to be as engaged when you get older.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Shorter, faster games are typically what I'm looking at these days too. Like, I like the aesthetics of Shim Megami Tensei 5 so far, but I'm lying to myself thinking I'm gonna play another 100 hour JRPG these days.

That said, Ikenfell is a great, short, Paper-Mario-esc RPG; Metroid Dread starts you in the thick of it and if you don't focus on collectables and just go where it wants you to it plays smooth as butter pacing wise...

The AAA scene is a wreck these days and indie games follow trends like everybody else I guess. Shoot for reviews that say "system <X> might be a bit simple but <Y> is charming for its <N-1> runtime" That's pretty good code for "game isn't enjoyed for difficulty and it's not a lifestyle game". Bonus points if it's explicitly called short. Short games don't have time to mess around, Order 1886 notwithstanding.

 

[Drathnoxis]

It’s not as easy to be as engaged when you get older.

Exactly, you're just going to have to accept that life will hold less and less meaning as you continue on your inexorable march towards the grave.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Exactly, you're just going to have to accept that life will hold less and less meaning as you continue on your inexorable march towards the grave.

A bit morbid perhaps, but oddly appropriate given the season.

All in all, I think most people have this issue thanks to all the bs we’re constantly bombarded with, and our brains can only filter so much at a time. There’s great benefit to “tuning out” sometimes (ie being out in nature or meditation, exercise, etc.) as it’s one of the few effective ways to recalibrate.

 

[Dreiko]

Ok so a couple of things. The grind is supposed to be part of the fun, if you don't like the grind you just don't like the game. Simple as that.



As for big story heavy games like the witcher, you have to go into them with the intent of being immersed in a story, like watching a super long tv series or anime or something, or reading a book. You don't wanna go into them with the same mindset you'd put a coin on an old arcade and expect 30 minutes of instant type of fun randomly in your day. They're supposed to be 5 hour immersive epics.


Now, if you DO want that quick fix fun type of game, there definitely are tons of those too, but they are most definitely not gonna be found in the AAA space. Look into something like Dragon's Crown or Bloodstained or other such old school types of games where there's barely any story and the game is super fun from the get go.

 

[BrawlMan]

Ok so a couple of things. The grind is supposed to be part of the fun, if you don't like the grind you just don't like the game. Simple as that.

That's a big matter of perspective and a huge case of your mileage may vary. There are plenty of games where the grind is supposed to be "fun' and it's not. Nearly any modern Ubisoft game that throws in RPG mechanics. @Dalisclock just talked about this in his Assassin's Creed thread. The grinding in Chaos Legion is definitely not fun. Don't forget Ghension Impact. Not unless you want to start paying to skip the grind just like in most Ubisoft. Crysis 2, a game I love, suffers from this. It's not as bad at certain others, but you might as well not even bother with the lower end uprades, and save your nano points for the overly expensive stuff. 8,000 points for a quicker recharge is ridiculous. It might as well have been 4,000 points and the same thing would have been achieved at a quicker pace.

 

[Dreiko]

That's a big matter of perspective and a huge case of your mileage may vary. There are plenty of games where the grind is supposed to be "fun' and it's not. Nearly any modern Ubisoft game that throws in RPG mechanics. @Dalisclock just talked about this in his Assassin's Creed thread. The grinding in Chaos Legion is definitely not fun. Don't forget Ghension Impact. Not unless you want to start paying to skip the grind just like in most Ubisoft. Crysis 2, a game I love, suffers from this. It's not as bad at certain others, but you might as well not even bother with the lower end uprades, and save your nano points for the overly expensive stuff. 8,000 points for a quicker recharge is ridiculous. It might as well have been 4,000 points and the same thing would have been achieved at a quicker pace.

I just consider those examples as bad games. I didn't say every game with grind is fun or intends it as such but it's supposed to be doing that, it can fail at it or not even try but that's just an example of the design missing the mark somewhere.


I play a ton of games where if anything I wish the game gave me more time to explore the gameplay systems than it does since I have so many things I wanna test, and some of those games when put to the test end up being shallow and repetitive, while others are actually super deep and interesting.

A good example for this is darkest dungeon, which just recently got its amazing sequel in early access and it looks incredible. In those games there's barely anything beyond the grind, it's really flavorful grind, and there's a small sim management component too, but mainly you're just grindning for marginal improvements to your units and item stash, without much story to hold your hand. And oh man is it a good grind.