How has your gaming habits changed over the years?

Jak2364

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Feb 9, 2010
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God, I know that feel. I keep contemplating buying Destiny's DLC but I know it'll just be more disappointment. If you're in the same boat as me, I think the best option is to wait for the Taken King physical edition to come out since that comes with the complete package for cheaper than buying the previous expansions AND The Taken King separately.

Anyways, on to your actual question. Now that I think about it, even though I played just about everything I got my hands on almost my whole life, I still focused on specific genres for long periods of time.
When I started, my parents were gamers too, they gave me pokemon and Commander Keen but I eventually moved onto whatever they played, Ace Combat, Tomb Raider, and MedEvil.
In my early teen years I got more into JRPG's and pretty much any other Japanese made game I could get my hands on. Dark Cloud 2, Armored Core, Rogue Galaxy, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts, stuff like that.
Mid teens I got into shooters, ranging from Metal Gear Solid to Call Of Duty, I actually got into multiplayer then, it's weird looking back on it now considering I hate player interaction in just about everything except for Souls games at this point.
Then I got into Western/western-styled RPG's, so everything from Dragon Age to Demon's Souls.

I think the biggest change to my gaming habits has come relatively recently with my full access to PC gaming. I've become completely indecisive. Even the games I get extremely excited for, like The Witcher 3, just end up sitting on my hard drive (though I have played it for 50 hours, I'm nowhere near done with the story). I've been so indecisive that I just end up watching people on Twitch or playing music. I probably just need to take a break from gaming for a while.
 

G00N3R7883

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Feb 16, 2011
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I can think of two main habits that have changed for me.

1) The genres of games I play, and the total number of different games I play. Mainly thanks to the Steam sales, I've taken a chance on many games that I wouldn't previously have played. And many of those games have turned out to be really enjoyable. I think the other thing that's had a big impact here is the rise of Youtube videos from the likes of TotalBuscuit and Jim Sterling. Being able to see the game in action makes it easier to judge if its going to be something I'll enjoy.

2) I don't preorder anymore. Too many games released in a broken state. I have zero trust. Prove to me that your game works properly, and then I'll give you my cash.
 

Chester Rabbit

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Dec 7, 2011
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I'm more cynical than I was in 2012. Since then I have looked behind the curtain and now instead of just being excited for the games that I am certain years ago would have had me excited for; I am cynical and always expecting the news to trickle out with of how the publishers are going to try and fuck me over as a customer.

Oh my god years ago before I came here started paying attention to everything awful in gaming,
I would have been so excited for an Xbone because Killer Instinct 3 happened. I never would have watched or known about the press conferences revealing the thing. I wouldn't have known about all the articles about the DRM bullshit that would have told me I wouldn't have owned my games and would have been at the mercy of Xbox live.

Now I'm bitter, cynical and jaded. I can't get excited for a lot of games anymore because of the scummy tactics that are behind them. *sigh* Like Mortal Kombat. I love Mortal Kombat, but because of WB I want nothing to do with their current version.

*sigh* miss my ignorance. I miss my optimism and enthusiasm for this hobby.
 

Mikeybb

Nunc est Durandum
Aug 19, 2014
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I have so little time compared to what I used to.
This has resulted in me taking significantly longer to finish games in terms of time since purchase than I used to.

Also, I used to be quite fond of fighting games such as SF or MK and while I do sometimes pick one up for nostalgia sake, I don't put the time into them that I used to.
That said, I also don't sit around with my friends playing 'winner stays on' all afternoon and chatting while watching the matches and the controller pass around.
Soul Edge was our weapon of choice for killing time that way.

Real time strategies seem to have either lost some je ne sais quoi about themselves, or I've just lost interest over the years.
Homeworld remaster was the only one in recent memory that grabbed me for a while, but even that was banking on nostalgia quite heavily.

The one genre I've truly lost touch with is the side scrolling beat em up.
That was my weakness back in the day.
Streets of rage.
What a game.
I can't remember the last time I played something from that genre.

The only other habits I can think of having changed would be the purchasing methods which have come to rely less on my local game store and more on amazon and steam.
This is motivated by a combination of convenience and financial reasons.
 

Fieldy409_v1legacy

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I dont have time to invest in many games that involve grinding to pad out the gameplay length. I want to pick up a game and immediately have fun like in multiplayer shooters, preferably without a lot of locked away content till you get exp like COD, or things like Super Meat Boy or Hotline Miami.

Though I will still inevitably forsake a good chunk of my life when Fallout 4 comes out...
 

Lufia Erim

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Mar 13, 2015
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Jak2364 said:
God, I know that feel. I keep contemplating buying Destiny's DLC but I know it'll just be more disappointment. If you're in the same boat as me, I think the best option is to wait for the Taken King physical edition to come out since that comes with the complete package for cheaper than buying the previous expansions AND The Taken King separately.

Anyways, on to your actual question. Now that I think about it, even though I played just about everything I got my hands on almost my whole life, I still focused on specific genres for long periods of time.
When I started, my parents were gamers too, they gave me pokemon and Commander Keen but I eventually moved onto whatever they played, Ace Combat, Tomb Raider, and MedEvil.
In my early teen years I got more into JRPG's and pretty much any other Japanese made game I could get my hands on. Dark Cloud 2, Armored Core, Rogue Galaxy, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts, stuff like that.
Mid teens I got into shooters, ranging from Metal Gear Solid to Call Of Duty, I actually got into multiplayer then, it's weird looking back on it now considering I hate player interaction in just about everything except for Souls games at this point.
Then I got into Western/western-styled RPG's, so everything from Dragon Age to Demon's Souls.

I think the biggest change to my gaming habits has come relatively recently with my full access to PC gaming. I've become completely indecisive. Even the games I get extremely excited for, like The Witcher 3, just end up sitting on my hard drive (though I have played it for 50 hours, I'm nowhere near done with the story). I've been so indecisive that I just end up watching people on Twitch or playing music. I probably just need to take a break from gaming for a while.
Actually the digital pre-order edition comes with the destiny, the 2 expansions and the taken king. It's 80$. A pretty good deal since the lrices of the individual would reach closer to the 150$ range.
 

FPLOON

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Jul 10, 2013
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Back then, I never had a set schedule to play any particular video game... Now, I set up my gaming sessions in advance so that I don't end up missing out of anything else I had planned for that particular day...

Other than that, I still try to play new games for longer-than-usual gaming sessions on the first go around, at least...
 

Padwolf

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Sep 2, 2010
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- I used to be absolutely terrified of any horror game. Nowadays, it's my favourite genre though sadly there are too few horror games that I actually enjoy.

- I used to be a console gamer. Now it's PC all day every day (apart from FF XIV, which I play on PS4)

- These days I always have to have an MMO around.

- I feel a bit guilty if I spend a day off sitting playing FFXIV all day.
 

Jak2364

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Lufia Erim said:
Jak2364 said:
Actually the digital pre-order edition comes with the destiny, the 2 expansions and the taken king. It's 80$. A pretty good deal since the lrices of the individual would reach closer to the 150$ range.
I was talking about this: http://smile.amazon.com/Destiny-Taken-King-Legendary-PlayStation-4/dp/B00ZJ20YQO/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1436661129&sr=1-1&keywords=destiny+the+taken+king

Though that confuses me now, why is the digital version so much more expensive for the same amount of content? Am I missing something?
 

Savagezion

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From Atari to SNES/Genesis, I was a graphics lover. The better the graphics, the more I liked the game. However, there was actually some merit to it back then, as better graphics generally meant more time was taken developing the game. I didn't have favorite genres back then, I played anything I could get my hands on. I liked anything with reasonably good graphics and responsive controls. My tastes didn't refine until the start of the N64/PS1 era where the video game world just sort of exploded from my perspective. This was also the time when we got our first real PC at our house. At this time I was still hanging over in the SNES generation mostly playing my copy of Sim City and Civilization on the SNES. I never tired of those two games, but other games that contended with them was Flashback, X-Men (Genesis), Rock n' Roll Racing, and Earthbound. At any rate, I soon got a PS1, a friend got an N64, and we now had a household gaming PC.

At this point in time 3D worlds were thrust into my view. It started when my friend got Mario 64 and Quest 64 and I was captivated. Then Tomb Raider amazed me further. Ocarina of Time as well as the many games that followed. 3D environments seriously amazed me. It seemed like virtual reality back then to me. However, I also saw entirely new ideas brought to the table with 'fake 3D'. PS1 was how I was introduced to the original Xcom. As well, the original Diablo. Isometric view became a thing on PCs at that time too. I got to play Civilization 2 on PC (which later came out on PS1). The original Sims was released on PC and while I didn't play it much, it was certainly an interesting concept for a game. Survival Horror showed up with Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Final Fantasy stole the spotlight with cutscenes and many other JRPGs really boomed like Legends of the Dragoon. Metal Gear Solid brought its own unique flavor to the table. Doom came out and was the first shooter I liked that didn't have a gun accessory. (I didn't play wolfenstein) Smash Brothers came out and pretty much dominated all the time between me and my group of friends. That generation was a chaotic ball of fun and my tastes still hadn't refined until the tail end.

As the PS2 generation crept in, I found myself playing games more by myself. (Everyone wanted to play Smash Brothers when we hung out.) Online wasn't yet a thing really despite the PS2/Xbox going on about something called a ethernet port. I found myself playing Civilization 2, Xcom, and Diablo. Then we upgraded our computer and Diablo 2 and Civilization 3 released and I spent a ridiculous amount of time playing them in my spare time. But this is also when I found my first MMO called Anarchy Online. Long Story short, 7 years where I played it, Civ 3, Tropico, Anno 1503, and Diablo 2 with a splash of my favorite PS1 games thrown in because I was broke and couldn't afford to stay current in the game industry. Luckily, I found a copy of Arcanum for like $5 in a bargain bin and that game made me toss Diablo 2 to the curb. Then I sorta fell out of MMOs other than occassional spurts on City of Heroes and some F2P ones.

At this point, I was a singleplayer gamer because all my gamer friends had all grown up and we all had lives too busy to play games with each other like we used to. We still did and do play games occassionally, but we all have preferred tastes nowadays. I have gravitated towards builder sims and strategy games. I havent cared for sidescrollers since the 2D days and platformers need to offer something besides platforming. I like action games like Uncharted, Batman Arkham, RDR, etc. However, I don't care for shooters and I need a decent story to accompany my action. I like RPGs because they tend to have the most interesting mechanics, but they also tend to drag out the gameplay with filler content too often. I like sandboxes, but tire of them way too easily. (Except Minecraft but I think that is because it is part builder sim)

So I gues you could say that my gaming habits refined over the years to a more specific taste. I still dabble in other genres but I always end up playing the same games over and over. It kind of sucks because my backlog keeps filling up, I keep buying new games I want to play, then I go play Civilization and Xcom and Tropico for another 100 hours a piece.
 

Lufia Erim

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Jak2364 said:
Lufia Erim said:
Jak2364 said:
Actually the digital pre-order edition comes with the destiny, the 2 expansions and the taken king. It's 80$. A pretty good deal since the lrices of the individual would reach closer to the 150$ range.
I was talking about this: http://smile.amazon.com/Destiny-Taken-King-Legendary-PlayStation-4/dp/B00ZJ20YQO/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1436661129&sr=1-1&keywords=destiny+the+taken+king

Though that confuses me now, why is the digital version so much more expensive for the same amount of content? Am I missing something?
Probably because if you want the physical copy you have to wait until september 15th. Where as if you pre-order the digital version, you get the whole thing now.

Wasn't the taken king suppose to be a 40$ stand alone expansion?

Edit:https://store.xbox.com/en-US/Xbox-One/Bundle/Destiny-The-Taken-King-Digital-Collectors-Edition/5ed99658-f4cf-443a-aeec-e2a83b7f10c2?cid=majornelson

Same price on xbox and ps4
 

Jak2364

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Feb 9, 2010
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Lufia Erim said:
Jak2364 said:
Lufia Erim said:
Jak2364 said:
Actually the digital pre-order edition comes with the destiny, the 2 expansions and the taken king. It's 80$. A pretty good deal since the lrices of the individual would reach closer to the 150$ range.
I was talking about this: http://smile.amazon.com/Destiny-Taken-King-Legendary-PlayStation-4/dp/B00ZJ20YQO/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1436661129&sr=1-1&keywords=destiny+the+taken+king

Though that confuses me now, why is the digital version so much more expensive for the same amount of content? Am I missing something?
Probably because if you want the physical copy you have to wait until september 15th. Where as if you pre-order the digital version, you get the whole thing now.

Wasn't the taken king suppose to be a 40$ stand alone expansion?
Nah, since you have to have all the previously released content to play it I guess they saw no use in selling physical copies of it by itself.
The digital version of it is $40 when you own all previous content though.
 

Drathnoxis

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I find that now days I hardly play games at all. I'm far too busy reading about games on forums or watching videos about people analyzing games. I'm becoming an armchair gamer... Not that gaming isn't something done in an armchair anyway, but you know what I mean.
 

OpticalJunction

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I used to play just a few games a year, and complete them all. Now I have hundreds of games and barely play anything. And I don't think I'm the only one. It's way too easy to accumulate more games than you have time for, and sometimes gaming forums and news about games are more entertaining than the actual games.
 

marioandsonic

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I used to only play games on console when I was a kid.

I don't play a lot of console games anymore. Now I mostly stick to my PC and handhelds.

Still enjoy my Wii U though.
 

Therianautic

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I think the biggest change in my gaming habits from the very beginning to 2004 was having a decent enough PC to play what was newly available at the time (2004 and a couple of years after for my last rig, and late 2013 up 'til now for my current pup; Witcher 3 is my latest purchase, and my GTX 770 x 2 in SLI just squeaks under the 'recommended' wire). I did have an Atari 2600 in the early 1980s, and I won a Nintendo NES 8-bit console in a contest when I was in junior high school, so maybe there's a 'change' there, per se: in both cases, I did little or no PC gaming at the time. Now it's more or less all the gaming I do. I'm really not a portable gaming chummer, nor was I one at any time, so that's not a change, but I thought it worth mentioning.

-Therianautic.
 

Keoul

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When I was a kid and I'm talking like 2-10 I was almost exclusively a console gamer, had a ps2 and played a lot of platformer hack 'n' slash type games like sly cooper, ratchet and clank, dynasty warriors, and jak and daxter. Around 7+ I got into PC gaming and started with MMOs, you know like runescape. I'd be pretty much engrossed in MMORPGs till the end of highschool, runescape, flyff, tera, dofus, wakfu, maplestory, ragnarok, jeez I went through a lot as a kid.

Pretty settled in now playing on PC with a handheld for other games, I have a few other consoles but PC is pretty much my main gaming platform, I blame TF2, that game is awesome.
 

CrimsonBlaze

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Well, the only difference that has occurred is that I work for a living now.

Before, I could sink hours in to a single day and still be willing to go for several more; now, with family, responsibilities, and bills, I typically spend more time being productive in other areas of my life outside of gaming.

Don't get me wrong; I'm still interested in playing several new games (despite my backlog being ridiculously long!), but I'm more comfortable investing in short- to mid-length games as apposed to larger scaled titles (i.e. RPGs).
 

SweetShark

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-My first gaming experience was a Chess game for DOS. I didn't knew what the f*ck I w3as playing, but I like the animation and wanted to see them all.
-Then I was an Arcade Kid. Taking δραχμες to put them to the slots and play. Good times. Tetris, Black Tiger, etc.
-After that a friend of my father always bring to me a lot of DOS games. I remember the first Worm game was 7 small floppy disks to install it.
-Then one of my uncles took for my birthday a NES, but for some reason I didn't enjoy them a lot. I remember I played Super Mario Bros, Bomberman, Pacman, kung-fu something and Contra.
-Windows came and I was playing a lot the Space Pinball and Minesweeper. Classic.
-At the same time I still playing Arcade games.
-A stopped playing DOS and started with Windows games. I think the first

continue later
 

joest01

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Apr 15, 2009
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Good question. I think I have gotten more serious over time. I too grew up with DOS games and I was never above using cheat codes to get through. Not even sure what the pull was. I don't think I ever beat the late stages in Doom2 or DN3D without idgod or dncornholio. To this day I will sometimes run through a game on easy mode (Lara Croft a recent example, wlthough not sure I'll ever finish that). But usually nowadays I will take a game and really play it. At least on Hard Mode. And usually come back to it to try out new things. A game without challenge doesn't hold my interest anymore. Just watching things explode somehow lost its appeal.

I also play in much shorter bursts. I remember spending entire nights playing through point and click adventures. These days I am lucky to get 30min in in the morning. Sometimes an hour at night.

But you know where my two personalities come together. Korra on hard difficulty. The stupid dog run against the robots. You go down in one hit. And it is not the kind of challenge I want from the game. I learned it's combos to beat baddies up, not ride a dog. If I had a cheat code for that one scene. I'd use it. Without hesitation :)