Have I outgrown gaming?

[x-machina]

There was a time when I spent every free minute I had gaming. I would eagerly await new titles and buy them the first day they came out. (if i had the cash) Gaming was guinely exciting, and fun. Recently, I have found it very hard to enjoy game. I simply do not buy games on release day anymore, and play them less and less.

Have games gotten less enjoyable? Have I outgrown games? Anything like this ever happen to you?



EDIT:Guess I should mention that I'm 20 years old

 

[Koroviev]

Do you still enjoy other forms of entertainment (i.e. books, movies, etc.)? I've been through countless phases where one appealed far more than the others, but then I have also experienced many times where nothing is appealing. No matter what I do, I feel bored and distracted (see: anhedonia).

For me, the best solution for such terminal ennui has been to set up a sort of fall-back plan. For example, if I am playing a game or doing some other activity that poses a reward-granting challenge (i.e. school work, programming, etc.), then I set aside a book or magazine to read for when I become frustrated or uninterested. However, I do not completely switch over to reading so much as take a break from the challenges I have set before myself. I like to think of it as the "I started this and I will damn well finish it mentality." Certainly breaks are advisable, especially with respect to screen-centric activities, but the objectives remain the focus.

In other words, I'd suggest easing back into gaming if it in fact still interests you. It could be the case that it simply no longer appeals to you, but given the broad nature of the medium, I think it is more likely the case that you are experiencing a shift in how you respond to escapism. As an adult, you have a lot more to concern yourself with than you did when you were younger, thereby making it significantly more difficult to climb down into the proverbial well of entertainment. It may very well be the case that your mind distracts you with concerns about real life which prevent you from immersing yourself as you would have in the past.

 

[Anachronism]

I get this a lot as well. The last game I was genuinely looking forward to was Dragon Age: Origins; since then, nothing's really caught my interest. I tend to play older games anyway, and the combination of the two essentially means that I hardly ever play new games any more.

There are a few reasons for this, I think. The types of games I enjoy tend to be long, complicated western RPGs like Baldur's Gate or Dragon Age, and those games require a large time commitment, which these days I simply don't often have. I'll still buy the occasional game, but it's generally only a couple a year. Also, games are stupidly expensive when new, so even if I am interested, I tend to wait quite a while before buying it, as I did with Dragon Age.

But I think the main reason I play significantly fewer games than I used to is that my tastes have evolved. When I was younger I was a big fan of FPSes, Quake being my favourite series. However, as I've gotten older, I've come to expect more from my games in terms of writing, and FPSes, by and large, simply don't deliver. This isn't to say I've stopped enjoying FPSes, they're just not my bread and butter as they used to be; that duty has fallen to RPGs of the kind mentioned above.

 

[UnendingLight]

You don't stop playing games when you get old.

You get old when you stop playing games.

Perhaps you just need to find something else to do to share your freetime with gaming. There is also the possibility that you may just have burnout of certain genres. Do you play a wide variety? If not, you probably should try some new types of games.

 

[Saelune]

Ever try playing old games? Sometimes an old game really hits the spot when the new big release is nto doing it. Im currently replaying Dragon Warrior 3. (The GBC remake)

 

[BreakfastMan]

Oh, that happens to many of us now and again. It happens to me about every 6 months or so. I fall out of love with gaming (we go back to just being friends), then something happens to rekindle my love, and I spend almost all the time I have gaming. I am actually on the upside of that swing right now. Also, this has probably happened to me at least 5 times before that I remember.

 

[unoleian]

It happens. I used to play everything I could get my hands on.
Anymore now, I play maybe 3 or 4 new titles a year, and play less of everything than I used to overall.
At the same time, there's times (like right now) where I hardly play anything ever (Last thing I really invested time in was co-op Portal 2 with a buddy), and times (like about a couple months ago) where all I do is game. Went on a 3-hour daily Reach binge for a few weeks that's now petered out almost entirely.

I imagine that soon I'll cycle into a new brief addiction, and then back to almost nothing again for a while. But still, my gaming is nothing like what it used to be-- hours a day every day on (probably) a couple dozen titles a year....

I don't think it can be outgrown entirely. I may play less and less than I used to, but the thought of Skyrim in a few months gives me major wood (figuratively speaking), so I know I'm still hot for games. They just don't exclusively hold my attention like they used to.

It's called getting jaded. Not necessarily outgrowing it, but slowly discovering that, in many games, you've seen it all before, and there's no reason to pursue them. At least, that's how it is for me.

 

[Quimere]

I'm 24 now, and I've been through that. I still play games, though very few of them are really new.
The last new game I played was Portal 2, before that I spent some free time reliving some old titles (Baldur's Gate, PS:Torment, nwn2, etc) and playing for the first time some others (Bioshock comes to mind now, or defeating all optional bosses of FFX).

I think we expect more of games now, and we need to *feel* more while playing to be satisfied. Maybe that's also why I play so many old games, I supose. The games we grew with always seem more enjoyable

If you really are worried about losing that hobby, just give yourself some time or just try something different. Playing with someone sometimes helps remember why we like to play videogames.

Apart from videogames, I love to read and I play electric bass. If you can, do as many things as you like, so you never have to worry about "losing" a hobby, there will always be one you can rest from so you can return to it later.

 

[SuperNova221]

Younger people are generally a lot easier to please. That and after a while you'll notice al ot of repetition in games. It happens. You get tired of it. Best thing to do is to not saturate yourself in one type of media, keep a healthy diet of reading, movies, TV, gaming etc and you should be able to find them all enjoyable.

 

[SilentCom]

I'm 21 and feeling the same way. Personally I think people don't really "outgrow" video games but rather find other things they want or responsibilities that need to be completed. I also have been putting video games on hold as I am getting close to completing my degree and will need to get a job and make some important decisions.

Gaming is still fun, just not as important as it used to be when you grow up.

 

[DEAD34345]

You can't "outgrow" gaming, but you can certainly get bored of it, or just go through a phase of wanting to do other things for a while. I'm kind of in the same situation, but I think it is mostly because apart from L.A. Noire, no new games have really interested me in a while. I'm pretty sure that's all going to change when Skyrim, Mass effect 3 and The Old Republic all come out, but I don't know what to do until then. I enjoy very few TV shows, and I've read every book by every author I've ever enjoyed, basically.

Dwarf Fortress, I suppose? Even that gets old after a while.

 

[Keava]

You're young, and what does outgrown mean? Do you consider games as just toys? If so, that might be the case of rather never being much into gaming and treating it as temporary hobby due to lack of better ideas.

Im over 30, i play games since i was 8, but games do not make up for majority of my free time. When i was about your age i had much less time for gaming because i had to somehow make a living, between part time jobs, studies and hanging out with friends i rarely had time to even do a round in minesweeper.

I never were a hardcore type of gamer, whatever that means, i have my tastes and i avoid about 80% of the market because simply it doesn't tickle me fancy. Lately more so than before i play small indie games as they seem to be much more enjoyable than a lot of blockbusters. I average at about 4-5 high profile games per year, on top of that i play a MMO and whatever indie gem i stumble upon.

Yes, some genres got less fun as my tastes matured, i don't like shooters, i don't really look forward towards brawlers, i don't even touch sport or racing games, mainly it's innovative RTSes, story focused RPGs and tactical games. A good game lasts me months in between all the other things i do.

I suppose you just got caught into that 'eager customer' period, where you would buy anything new and shiny and suddenly realized that part of you bought wasn't exactly what you actually wanted to play. Happens. That's how you become a concious and aware customer.

 

[4RM3D]

It might not be that you have outgrown games, but rather that games have changed over the years into something you enjoy less. At least, thats the case with me. I am still playing games and I probably always will be playing games, but it ain't the same as it was in the days of old.

PS. Quimere, welcome to the Escapist.

 

[Woodsey]

I've gone through long periods of boredom through games before.

Games are a lot shorter generally too now so that doesn't help.

 

[Jackstick]

I get the same feeling lately. Nowadays I only purchase games that I know I'll really, really like... and I play the hell out of them. I spent several hours a day playing Final Fantasy XIII and finished with 100% completion, I played through The World Ends With You in three or four sittings, and I finished Portal 2 in one sitting.

But then there are games that I'm kind of interested in, but I know I'll probably never get around to playing... like Assassin's Creed, and Super Mario Galaxy, and the Metal Gear Solid games.

I just don't have the motivation. If I'm not totally excited about the game, then it's pretty difficult for me to enjoy it for more than 30 minutes at a time.

I do love gaming though. It's just that it takes a very special sort of game to completely motivate me. I know some of you might be thinking "is Final Fantasy XIII really one of those games for you?" and the answer is yes. It has imperfections, I know, but that didn't stop me from enjoying every minute of it.

Maybe you just need to narrow your selection. Find games that you know you'll love, and play the heck out of them. It's okay if you don't buy games on release date. Buy the games you want, when you want, and play them how you want.

 

[Jackstick]

EDIT: Sorry, double post. Please delete this one.

 

[RivFader86]

probably just a "phase" ;P In one myself right now played portal 2 for about 10 mins, withcer 2 about 5 last game i played for a longer period was shogun 2


And it's not about the games for me, when i went to the gym today i almost couldn't wait to get home and finally start playing witcher 2....but...as one might guess ;P...haven't started it once since i got home....8 hours ago ;P

 

[Inkidu]

I don't think it's growing out of games. I think it's that your tastes are becoming more specific or changing.

I remember thinking I was outgrowing gaming. However, when you're a kid you're willing to just about play anything under the sun.

I think what's happening is that you're developing a discerning taste. You're not willing to put down money on a chance that a game is good. You're starting to see what makes a good and bad game. I took out a subscription to Game Informer and started reading as many credible reviews as possible and I'm pretty happy. It's more about research and following, and most importantly not letting the hype monster in. Hype will ruin a game.

These, however, are questions that you have to ask yourself.

 

[Ogargd]

You don't out grow games, sure you can loose interest in them but to say out grow is to presume all games are childish which is just wrong.