Do I Not Like Video Games Anymore?

[GonzoGamer]

It doesn't sound like you Don't like games, just that you realize most of them suck. It's okay, you're right, most of them do. Games are like any other media I think: there are a few really good titles (we get one maaaybe two a year that are worth launch price, if we're lucky) but most of it's crap.

 

[TomWiley]

I used to feel like the OP until I released I wasn't sick of games but simply what most games do. Gameplay is endlessly recycled to the point where every single game is just another story and another setting where the story segments are held together by pointless shooting or puzzles with some strange new gimmick which is mainly just there to hide how very repetitive and tedious puzzles have become.

And those are best case scenarios. The Last of Us and Bioshock are two examples of perfectly interesting characters/settings/stories that are kept together with the boring, unappealing and totally uninteresting combat, because apparently a game needs to have this tacked on arbitrary challenge to be a game. As if we have to kill a certain number of NPCs before we have the right to know what happens with the characters.

And sometimes we get the Dear Esther dilemma, where some experimental title comes a long and is collectively criticized because "it isn't a game". I couldn't give less of a flying fuck about your definition of a game is; if it means that games have to be this restricted puzzle or shooter even if it doesn't belong in the setting, then the definition of being a game is no merit.

Some games get rid of the traditional gameplay entirely, and they often work out great nonetheless. I don't think anyone would say that Gone Home would have been better with more puzzles or enemies defeat. If that's where games need to go to feel interesting; minimalist, bare-bones stories, then so be it.

I'm not saying we need to get rid of gameplay altogether - I just refuse to believe that shooting and puzzle solving semantically define anything a game could possibly be. Find another way to making a progression through your fictional world a challenge. If it's simply finding notes in en empty house or trying to solve the mental puzzle of figuring out why you're stranded on a lonely island with a disembodied voice narrating your experience - so be it. It may not be perfect, but it's experimental and it's a progress. And it's a step in the right direction.

 

[Exhuminator]

For me, they just aren't making my kind of games as often, or entertain sensibilities that no longer interest me.

I have that issue as well. I think it's a large part of why I still haven't picked up a 360 or PS3 (despite buying every handheld that's come out). I'm just not that into third person cover shooters. Luckily, there's such a huge backlog of games I've missed in past generations, that my interests are well covered for years to come. If you can stand old graphics there's always something you missed out there that will fit your outdated classic tastes.

 

[Seracen]

For me, they just aren't making my kind of games as often, or entertain sensibilities that no longer interest me.

I have that issue as well. I think it's a large part of why I still haven't picked up a 360 or PS3 (despite buying every handheld that's come out). I'm just not that into third person cover shooters. Luckily, there's such a huge backlog of games I've missed in past generations, that my interests are well covered for years to come. If you can stand old graphics there's always something you missed out there that will fit your outdated classic tastes.

Wouldn't really say outdated or classic games are what we are looking for either really, just compelling games. Moreover, personally, I've been spoiled by modern graphics.

It's more that I'm fed up with how slipshod "AAA" has become. Time isn't being taken to craft a complete experience anymore, especially if one considers DLC practices leading to even lower quality on released product. If that reasoning is alien to the current industry, then perhaps another gaming crisis will be good for developers.

Nor do I find much of lasting appeal in the Indy sector, as I prefer bigger budgets leading to better stories and voice acting, etc. The only Indy game I spent any decent amount of time with was "Shadowrun Returns."

Is it sad that being a fan of JRPG's marks one as "classic?" That's like saying someone's retro for liking hip hop. It's a genre. Sure it can ebb and flow, but it should never vanish (which JRPG's practically have on all but handhelds).

Meanwhile, few hack-and-slashers have maintained quality. Say what you will about DmC, at least the controls and graphics were solid. The story wasn't bad either, it just shouldn't have been called Devil May Cry. MGS: Revengeance was good, but not compelling for me.

I can't really name any others in the genre that are worth more than a rental. Meanwhile, it seems that the "western RPG" has given up all creative rights to Bethesda (which makes great products, but where's the damn competition?), or else masquerade as lackluster shooters.

 

[SycoMantis91]

You desperately need to go back in time and find the almost certainly many, many games you missed from the PS2 era and before. It's near impossible to find quality, or enough to keep you going, in the game industry nowadays.

 

[Exhuminator]

Is it sad that being a fan of JRPG's marks one as "classic?"

No, not the person, but the taste itself. It would depend on what sort of game design you prefer your JRPGs to utilize, as to whether they are "classic" or actually forward thinking inherently.

it seems that the "western RPG" has given up all creative rights to Bethesda (which makes great products, but where's the damn competition?)

There's only one competitor currently making comparable WRPG products of any merit...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_Projekt_RED

You desperately need to go back in time and find the almost certainly many, many games you missed from the PS2 era and before.

This is the correct answer.

 

[Seracen]

I'd say that I just want a decent RPG with a good story, but isn't a tactics game.

Definitely like what CDProject RED is doing, they have an admirable mindset.

As for finding good quality nowadays, I agree, it's very difficult to find enough to keep one going. Fans were right in demanding better games, they were correct to call out companies like Capcom, Microsoft, or EA whenever they provided a subpar product or service.

On the other hand, I think it's wrong to just give this generation of games a pass, stating "I'll just play retro games." Then again, if the looming gaming crash happens, like a lot of pundits are saying, this may be the best option.

 

[KOMega]

I think you just need a bit of a break.
Something akin to eating too much rich chocolate.

When you feel like you want to game again, I advise slowing down a bit. Stop and smell the roses kinda deal.

I know I got a bit of a backlog on my list of games I want to play, mostly because of piling responsibilities and low budget.

I usually like to make sure I know I'll be getting a lot of hours out of a game for the price I pay.

Part of the problem as well is that most of the games you have listed all end very defined "end state" (not sure how to properly word that)

As in you know pretty much when you've gotten everything out of the game. Like how Sleeping Dogs is a great game, but once you've bought everything... well not much to do. Driving around and fighting stuff is cool, but it loses meaning, because you've gotten everything.

I like JRPGs a lot because they tend to be pretty long and designed to recycle a lot of game play without reducing entertainment value too much.

Online games or MMOs are nice too in small doses and played casually. I like to log into Path of Exile every now and then and run through a few maps, see if I find any rare uniques, maybe help some people on quests.

As long as that sense that I am getting something out of it is there. Games like Bioshock are great, but after the end and have gotten all the endings/choices/gameplay styles that game is basically consumed.

 

[SweetShark]

Well I broke it down into 4 things that were keeping me from having fun:
- growing up brings new responsibilities and with it attention wavers
- chewing the same food or hobby every day starts to make it very plain
- over indulging in instant gratification methods turns everything else sour (it's real easy to press that Buy button and get all the new exciting games, but then playing them... nah that would take effort)
- consequently an over-abundance of choice actually makes it harder to choose, can get to the point where you don't want to be burdened with even choosing and avoid your existing library all together

So take a break from gaming(as in do something else), don't keep any more then one or two games around at any time, and most importantly stop buying shit you don't need.

Yeah....I feel somehow the same.
I really like playing videogames and I buy lot of them like....1-5 dollars. They are SO cheap. I mean, come on. I pay more for my morning coffee. But at some point I realized I will never have time to play all of them. I feel sad.

However I have another hobby: Organize the sh*t of all my belongings.

What I mean by that: I am a Organize Freak. I enjoy organizing the things I watched, played, listened, read, etc.
I created list with everything I experience in my life [well, the things I remember I done] and I feel enjoyment out of it!!!

Here are some strong Examples I have:

http://www.listal.com/list/played-pc-videogames-2

http://www.listal.com/list/animated-tv-shows-watched

http://www.listal.com/list/animated-movies-i-watched

I LOVE to endless to put need things I enjoyed in my collection!
This is how I roll and never get bored.

Also it helps to play few games before start new ones.

 

[theevilgenius60]

I know how you feel. I've got a 360,PS3,PS4, 3DS &Vita with stacks of games for each one(ok, not the PS4. You get the point). All I've done this week is read and play about 4 hours between Tales of Xillia and Devil Survivor Overclocked. That's while I've been all but stranded at the house for four days(snow in Mississippi, we're just not used to it, come down here in August sometime). I think it's down to just needing a break. Luckily, I got Dean Koontz's new book and I've been going through it. I'll get back to gaming, but I need some space.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

Echoing what other people have already said, I went through something similar; it got better when I realized a few things:

-One, retro/indie games may be your new best friend. I realized that many of the game types I really like aren't a big part of the AAA scene. As a kid, I fell in love with gaming with 2D Action games like Mega Man/Castlevania/Metroid when I was younger, but those games rarely get made anymore unless they're indie. I didn't get around to playing the Mega Man X games (past the first one) or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night until very recently, and when I did, I loved them more than many AAA games I've recently played. You mentioned JRPGs and Stealth games, two genres that aren't doing so hot in the AAA world, but there are plenty of good games in those genres if you look back to the older stuff or the indie stuff. Heck, for that matter, go back and play some old favorites. Recently re-visiting one of my old favorite Final Fantasy games really helped re-ignite my love for gaming.

-Two, it's perfectly valid to be picky about how you spend your gaming time, and it doesn't make you a hipster or an elitist to consider the bulk of games not worth your time. Tastes mature over time. Think about food. Do all the things you thought were tasty when you were younger still taste good to you today? Probably not. As you grew up and tried new foods, your taste palette became more refined to the point where certain foods (especially certain high-sugar, highly-processed foodstuffs) no longer satisfied your taste buds the way they used to. Gaming can work the same way; when you've been gaming for years you can get the point where certain tropes of the genre that you previously liked (or didn't notice) become unappealing.

Three, sometimes it's good to just take a break. I went on a one-month hiatus from gaming a couple years ago, and it really helped me get some perspective on a lot of things, gaming included.

 

[Chrozi]

You love games, its just time for a break.

I didn't play FPS games in over 5 years but returned with Black Ops II and I loved it.

Also, the whole lack of time thing puts a serious hamper on your game time. I just don't play RPG's anymore for that reason. If I play those they take up all free time to play anything, and my tastes are too varied for that.