What changed in me?

[NewYork_Comedian]

To begin with I am 17 now and I have been playing video games almost my whole life. But six or seven years ago I could play a game and then want to replay it at the most 5-6 times! Nowadays its hard for me to even get through some games on the first try. Granted if there is a game I really really enjoyed, Bioshock and Portal come to mind, I may play a game once or two more times, but it isnt the same as when I was a kid.

Has this happened to anyone else, or do you know why this is who I am now? Thank you.

 

[LoFr3Eq]

Generally, old games were harder and more challenging. Even on a 2nd or 3rd playthrough they would still be a challenge. I personally am currently playing through Final Fantasy 6 for a third time, it isn't particularly challenging, but it it is fun to try doing things in a different order to what you've done before.

 

[Archangel768]

My theory: Games have gotten worse recently. (half joke half serious)

I'm 17 as well and I've found that six or seven years ago I wouldn't even finish a game. Nowadays I finish way more games. (NOTE: I play quite a number of older games)

For your problem, one thing I wonder is, are you more busy with other things in your life now? And do you play the same kind of games that you used to?

Having a busier life makes it harder for me to entertain myself. If you still play the same kind of games as you did before then maybe you need some variety and should try some other genres. If you play different games now than you used to then you may find that these genres aren't really your thing and should go back to playing genres you know you liked.

One thing I find these days is with playing so many realistic games it's fun to go back and play something like Jak and Daxter of Monkey Island. It feels refreshing.

Another thing is, you might just need to give games a rest. I find that too much of anything makes me feel like not doing it anymore.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Your priorities are shifting, six or seven years ago you were not thinking of sex and all that it involves, so now you are not so easily taken over by games but by other ... things.

 

[badgersprite]

Kids have lower expectations and aren't troubled by repetition. Games aren't any worse than they were before, you've just grown up, become harder to please and have more things going on in your mind right now. I mean, kids will watch the same video six times in a day because that's just what they're into at the time, and yet will grow up into teenagers or adults who don't watch movies at all.

People change as they get older and so do their tastes. I'm no different. Probably the strongest thing I can say in favor of any game is that "it brings out that kid in me again". You know, the kid who would play their favorite game or favorite level over and over again just for kicks.

 

[Vault101]

To begin with I am 17 now and I have been playing video games almost my whole life. But six or seven years ago I could play a game and then want to replay it at the most 5-6 times! Nowadays its hard for me to even get through some games on the first try. Granted if there is a game I really really enjoyed, Bioshock and Portal come to mind, I may play a game once or two more times, but it isnt the same as when I was a kid.

Has this happened to anyone else, or do you know why this is who I am now? Thank you.

well I often have trouble replaying games except for a few (for some reaosn I can play ME over and over again)

aside form money factors I dont think not being able to replay a game is such a bad thing, I see it as always moving to to the next experience, and you might find a gem in there somwhere that was better than you expected..or you might find a game horrible or just meh..but those are the most fun to complain about afterwards!

this is why I dont care for the Idea of MMO's

anyway some games and genres are definetly more replayable than others

, I mean I dont know what kind of games youre playing so I cant judge there

eather your just not finding games that good OR youve just changed, mabye you have more things to do, more commitments..mabye your just burnt out on gaming, it doesnt hurt to take a break and wait for that one game that youve been exitedly waiting for

I tend to play a number of games at once..and strech them out however right now Im having trouble cuttign through my backlog (and if all goes to plan ill have to add another game)

 

[Particulate]

I've encountered a similar thing and I don't think it's case of games being worse it's me being better. I mean after burning my way through Modern Warfare 2 on veteran my first run through of black ops was a breeze and Reach was a push over in my first run through. Because over the years I've learned to pick up on the level elements and narrative sequencing that usually mean where there will be an ambush or a vehicle section or an escort level. I knew going into Reach for example that everyone was going to die and that there would be at least one mission tailored to each member of the group because, guess what, each member of the group represented a different way of fighting. So even in my first time playing I already knew the ending and the broad-stroke character archetypes so all that was left to hit buttons at the right times. The story was still good, it filled in where the overall plot needed it and presented a good portrayal of a planet's last gasp. But all the faces and gameplay where things that had I had already been versed in.

 

[Lord Legion]

I'm 23 (is that old?) and I kinda face the same thing... but mainly it is because I have other stuff to do that will just pile up otherwise, like college and work.

What worked for me though is to put yourself in a completely different mindset on a different replay... try and change your perspective and your thinking, mash your moral code and see what happens. Some games are wonderful for this, and it carries over into real life as well.

 

[Wrds]

Games haven't gotten any worse or easier. You're getting older, and you simply can't be entertained by the same thing for hours over and over again.

The same thing happened to me with most games and particularly MMOs. Before I could play forever because I was just tickled that I could actually play it better than the average person. Now I don't care that I can play the game over and over if its not engaging or entertaining enough.

 

[Jonluw]

Yeah, I'm 17 too, and I know that feel.
In my case I think it's just that the internet has taken over as my primary source of entertainment.

 

[GrimHeaper]

To begin with I am 17 now and I have been playing video games almost my whole life. But six or seven years ago I could play a game and then want to replay it at the most 5-6 times! Nowadays its hard for me to even get through some games on the first try. Granted if there is a game I really really enjoyed, Bioshock and Portal come to mind, I may play a game once or two more times, but it isnt the same as when I was a kid.

Has this happened to anyone else, or do you know why this is who I am now? Thank you.

Try playing some stuff you usually never would.

 

[Hyper-space]

To begin with I am 17 now and I have been playing video games almost my whole life. But six or seven years ago I could play a game and then want to replay it at the most 5-6 times! Nowadays its hard for me to even get through some games on the first try. Granted if there is a game I really really enjoyed, Bioshock and Portal come to mind, I may play a game once or two more times, but it isnt the same as when I was a kid.

Has this happened to anyone else, or do you know why this is who I am now? Thank you.

When you are younger, you are much, much more forgiving when it comes to quality. Therefore its easier for you to replay something again and again, it was like that for me too. I could rewatch my old Timon and Pumba videos again and again and again without being bored.

 

[oplinger]

I'm 21, 6 or 7 years ago... I wasn't actually much different as far as replaying games went. I just have a hard time doing it. Couple that with being too damn good... You get being too damn good, and knowing everything that's going to happen.

See, I have a really good memory...generally if I forget a game, as soon as I play it again it all comes flooding back to me, and it ceases to be interesting, because I know what's going to happen, I know how the game works, I know everything I need to know, and it makes it even -less- of a challenge.

...On a side note, You've been gaming a while, like a lot of us. The more you play, the less interesting it gets because you'll realize many games are very...very similar..

 

[ExileNZ]

As someone who's almost 30, I have a different tack on things.
Rather than whether games are better or worse or harder or easier, I can break it down to a couple of basic facts:

1. I have a LOT less time to game than I used to. Between the wife and the job, this is no huge surprise.

2. I have a LOT more games than I used to. I used to play games over and over and over because I had much less choice of what to play.
Now that I've got my shelf collection, Steam, Greenhouse, GOG and a bunch of other libraries available to me (and that's only counting the PC), I'm spoiled for choice.

Recently I've taken to playing only one game at a time, with the sole purpose of actually finishing my games. And there's still a tonne I'll probably never get around to that I already own.

 

[AbstractStream]

...On a side note, You've been gaming a while, like a lot of us. The more you play, the less interesting it gets because you'll realize many games are very...very similar..

I agree. Also, as "gamers," our tastes mature. Haha, sounds weird saying it but that's what I've realized. I find it difficult to be truly satisfied now-a-days.

 

[Trolldor]

To begin with I am 17 now and I have been playing video games almost my whole life. But six or seven years ago I could play a game and then want to replay it at the most 5-6 times! Nowadays its hard for me to even get through some games on the first try. Granted if there is a game I really really enjoyed, Bioshock and Portal come to mind, I may play a game once or two more times, but it isnt the same as when I was a kid.

Has this happened to anyone else, or do you know why this is who I am now? Thank you.

You grew up and stopped being entertained by bright flashy things and started paying attention to what you were doing.

Put the game controller down and go google some astronomy, good way to pass the time.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

What types of games did you play back then? What do you play now?

Besides MMO's and JRPG's, you hand me a new game and ill start playing it immediately.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

You just have to find the right games. And get bored. And have no internet for a while.

XD Thats going to be tough considering Summer Vacation just started for me.

 

[Dr.Panties]

Games have absolutely progressed in many ways, yet in other ways regressed.

Everything is so automated, streamlined, simplified, homogenised. The hook is a feature, a setting, an established franchise name, rather than innovation, or a focus on robust, challenging gameplay mechanics.

Be more discerning with your game choices, and try things outside of the mainstream. Give some indie games a shot (here's one: Frozen Synapse). Don't just jump on board the next big installment. Try before you buy. Rediscover your gaming niche, and the satisfaction inherent to it. Experiment with your evolving tastes.

And fuck the entire Assassin's Creed series, and any game remotely like them.

 

[subtlefuge]

I'm quite a bit older than you and I can still play through games multiple times.

I just started my 8th time through Wind Waker. I have no clue what has changed, possibly the games themselves?