Am I losing interest in video games?

[imported_Truenofan]

im gonna agree with the whole watered down thing, i liked how diablo, war/starcraft were original, duke 3d(ohhh the good old days) quake 3a with urban terror mod(now that was good too). they were fun to play for hours and hours on end for days or even a whole weekend, no scoring system, no e-peening about how i did better than so and so, just fun. CMR peaked to me, in the second one, CMR2k5 kinda revised the second but DiRT from what i've heard is too arcadish and not like how cmr is/was. but i guess it was bound to happen, after the originals, everyone else is just a copy.

 

[AlgaeEater]

The gaming industry isn't the same one we had while growing up. (Most of us anyway, the ones who grew up during the times where 200mhz computers were considered "Speed Demons")

This topic has been been talked about day in and day out on other forums, and it basically comes down to innovation versus technology advances. There was a lot of crap back then as there is now, it's just that the crap back then couldn't reach as much of an audience as it does now. Because of technology limitations as well, game creators had to be more innovative to get their game noticed.

It's gotten to a point where we are getting ports of older games as "retro" titles, and sequels shoved down our throats because nothing original can be made anymore. New titles are always "Spiritual successors" of something or another, rather than being something that stands on its own two feet as a genre. Also the invention of MMORPGS basically destroyed any company's will to make stand alone games anymore when those could be made with massive profits.

The GBA/DS have been holding the majority of my gaming fix over the previous years over my PC, something I didn't want to happen. As a matter of fact, I haven't upgraded my gaming rig in 2 1/2 years, literally blasphemy on my part considering for the last 10 years, I've always do partial upgrades from 8-10 months. I've probably missed 3 cycles by now, and still not motivated to upgrade my rig OTHER than a larger LCD screen which is always welcome, heh.

I don't know what to say anymore. Everything that needs to be said has been said by other gamers and posters in this topic and on other boards. I've gotten older like everyone else, but it's definitely not my aging and experiencing new things that makes me not game as much as I use to. I'd go back to my old habits of gaming 5 hours straight a day (even with a full time job and a wife) if something could hold my interest.

 

[aCynic2]

I like the concept of NWN and NWN2. A game that is really a base for building MP based games. However, that frickin securerom has turned me away from NWN2. I won't support 2 because of it. I have problems with driver threads getting hose when I start games using SR and it crashes my machine (BSOD).

I like MP games and would willing pay a monthly fee to play a good one. But it really depends on the game. FPSs don't qualify as much.

 

[Rottie]

Everytime I bought new games and I never play. I don't know why I think I am losing my interests in FPS due to headaches I am recieving while I play FPS but I never losy my interests in game like Madden Sport game, Civ4, Flight Simulator, and board game like Monoploy.

I am in process of selling FPS game soon I feel bad that I never finish any of those games.

 

[coloumb]

Interesting to see a few posts regarding GW and PC games...

Before I entered the addictive world of MMO's [and have recently quit!], I was an avid pc gamer [adventures, fps, etc] and had no problems playing all the way through a typical FPS. Once I delved into the world of MMO's, that was pretty much my main source of entertainment. MMO's provided me with nearly everything I needed - interaction with other people, huge and dynamic virtual worlds, and a constant feed of loot drops, and highly customizable player/world [ARmor, clothing, houses, weapons, etc]. Once I finally quit the MMO world, I found it difficult to get back into FPS's. Now that I think about it - it's easy to see why - [most] FPS don't offer nearly the same level of gameplay you get from an MMO.

Customization in FPS? Little to none in most FPS. MMO's - TONS of customization from character generation to armor to housing to weapons and so on..

Loot drops in FPS? Usually ammo, health, and game specific specials. Everynow and then you'll get a new weapon or add-on. MMO's - constant feed of loot drops and rewards [chests, resources, mobs, etc]

Interaction with other people in FPS? Only if you play the Multiplayer version which is usually in a much smaller and static "world" than what you'd encounter in an MMO.

Dynamic worlds [maps]? Most FPS worlds are linear, static, and in-doors.

I think MMO's spoiled me as a gamer. What I use to find enjoyable in most FPS now I am more selective in what I will play. The game MUST have more content than just run-n-gun with a bad storyline.

To respond to the OP's fear of losing interest while playing Bioshock - I'm pretty sure I'm near the end of the game and have yet to encounter any boredum with the game so far.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: njdevilsfan87
Over the past year or two, I just can't seem to get through a video game anymore. It's like I start playing, and just lose interest quickly.

It pretty much all started after I stopped Guild Wars. I played that for about a year, and than just got bored of it - actually got sick of it. I got Oblivion, and the graphics were shocking. Though I only made it about 25-30 hours into the game, and I just got bored of it. I got NFSC and that game was only fun multi-player, otherwise single player mode was just boring. I got STALKER, and finally, a game that just felt different. I got really far into STALKER, but now that I'm near the end, I just seem to have lost interest in the game - though I will finish it. I try the extremely hyped Bioshock demo, and the whole movie scene is cool, but I don't know if I should get the game, because it also feels like something I'll get half way through and just stop playing.

When I was younger, like 10 - 80% of my time spent on a PC was gaming. Now 10 years later, it's more like 5%... and I probably use a computer more now then I did when I was younger.

 

[Stefx]

I had been in a similar situation for a year or two... didn't find any game that kept me interested long... I was buying one game a month, discarding each one after completion... until I found Eve Online. That game really got me hooked and I haven't bought another game in the past 6 months since I started playing Eve.

 

[Dribble]

I don't finish many PC games, but that's mainly because I am still playing ut2004 - why do I play that? While it's true it's a very good game with tones of depth and lots of mods I play mostly because I am part of a good online community so I know the people I play against. Makes it much more fun - hence tend to start and play other things for a while but go back to ut in the end

So that's my suggestion - find some people online you enjoy playing with.

 

[hooflung]

Industry Innovation is on life support. EVE Online is the only game I've played in 4 years that has captured me. I've done the tread mill Counter-Strike and UT and while fun I would rather sit around a fire pit and drink beer with my good friends than spend a Friday and Saturday in front of the PC. If only I were 14 again... but that was 15 years ago.

EVE Online, however, though its economy and its non-consensual PVP with death penalties has captivated me for years. I've racked up 1000s of kills from the newest of noobs to the oldest of vets. One on one and in massive fleet battles. I've mined asteroids and dictated to mining wings. I've been a grunt and commanded an alliance of 2600 people.

I've gawked at role players and I've become one myself. One thing remains a constant and that is how different EVE is for different people. Star Wars Galaxies at one point was SERIOUSLY converging on this style of game play but they've turned it into a Everquest compatible bog standard. These things are fun for a while to me but they eventually fall into the Counter-Strike category.

In short... the industry is pushing out games like they are cola flavors. I could loose myself in any genre as long as it would be open ended and risk vs reward based. Unfortunately the industry thinks there are too many cry baby's that wouldn't buy their games if they did make something so we are stuck with the few titles like EVE that are truely different.

 

[Randum]

Video games are recycling, but this just makes the good titles stand higher.
Basically I dont watch any TV, but the time I would use to watch TV/Movies I use that to play games. Before I go to bed, pop in a little Warhawk lately , or CS.

My brother has been sticking to older, more innovative titles to hold his interested. Warcraft 3 remains in his machine and he plays it for hours everyday! no joke! My RTS fix is WC3 as well. As for a solid FPS, CS:Source.. and when there is a new installment, I will upgrade, but lately I just find those good gems and keep them in my machine and play them!

 

[pontifex]

I remember a time when I had a hard time making a decision on what game I wanted to buy.

Now I have a hard time just trying to find a game I want to buy.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Originally posted by: pontifex
I remember a time when I had a hard time making a decision on what game I wanted to buy.

Now I have a hard time just trying to find a game I want to buy.

I feel exactly the same way! These days I see all these games that are out... pass, pass, pass, sound alright, pass, etc. Back when I was younger, I couldn't afford the mass amount of games I wanted.

Maybe coming off GW did make me lose interest in today's games. Maybe the MMO market just made single player games seem so... one dimensional.

I'm not sure I can say growing up is the entire reason. I'm 20, where some of you are 10-20 years older than me and seem to be losing interest in games as well.

 

[Randum]

Originally posted by: njdevilsfan87

Originally posted by: pontifex
I remember a time when I had a hard time making a decision on what game I wanted to buy.

Now I have a hard time just trying to find a game I want to buy.

I feel exactly the same way! These days I see all these games that are out... pass, pass, pass, sound alright, pass, etc. Back when I was younger, I couldn't afford the mass amount of games I wanted.

Maybe coming off GW did make me lose interest in today's games. Maybe the MMO market just made single player games seem so... one dimensional.

I'm not sure I can say growing up is the entire reason. I'm 20, where some of you are 10-20 years older than me and seem to be losing interest in games as well.

if it makes you feel any better, I think this gen of consoles/games will be my last investment....unless something changes.... Im 24 and have been gaming my whole life, I would have to say most new games are just revamped sequels or rip offs of those existing franchises!

 

[jonks]

Discovering boobies did a lot to reduce my gaming time. Rather, it altered my definition of game time

 

[hooflung]

Originally posted by: sirjonk
Discovering boobies did a lot to reduce my gaming time. Rather, it altered my definition of game time

Unless you swing though different boobies like they are vines in a jungle and you are tarzan... boobies grow yappers and then you really are mad that their are no new games to escape in.

 

[whateverdude]

well, i'm glad i'm not the only one having this problem. I think all the reasons stated are valid. I'm 37 in 2 weeks and having been an avid gamer since the atari 2600 and in the last 5 yrs or so, my interest in gaming has waned. Sure, i've had kids and that takes time away from things like playing games but the quality of games is I think way worse than it used to be for sure.

For instance, I have been craving a good golf game lately and started looking at TW 08 over the weekend. But that game is absolutely getting raked over the coals for its bugginess and lack of features. I tried to reinstall JN6 but it works erratically with Vista (surprised it would even run tbh) but these sh*tty EA games just suck and that's the only golf game in town anymore. STALKER just didn't hold my interest. Neither did Oblivion. PLaying Bioshock right now and its good but its just like SS2 and I already played that game like 10 times. I guess i'm just more picky now with games. Looking at HL2 EP2 and Crysis. But anymore, aside from graphics, there's just really not anything that hasn't been done already and even then, it was usually done better.

 

[videogames101]

I have the perfect medicine for you! Go out to your local Ebgames or w/e, and preorder Crysis!

you'll be cured in now time! =)

 

[Stefx]

Have you guys noticed that on gaming sites, the main focus is most of the time on up-coming games. Constantly.
The most viewed "games" are those not released yet...
I tend to go straight to the "reviews" of existing games, and it's disapointment over disapointment. on gamespot, I very rarely see a game hit above 9.0

 

[Skacer]

Didn't your parents tell you you would eventually grow out of video games? Well there you go.

 

[Aikouka]

I don't care to play most games since I started playing MMO games. You can kind of see that by looking at my Gamercard on XBOX Live with how many games I have played with 0 or maybe a tiny bit of Gamerscore. There are also games that have never seen the inside of the XBOX, which is probably a good thing for the disc's longevity :laugh:. The only game I've been playing recently is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. I guess that's because it shares some qualities with WoW: mindless gameplay . Although it is fun to just hack-n-slash sometimes and not have to worry about thinking in games... you know, just watch how devastating you can be!

The next game I'll probably play heavily is Wrath of the Lich King... and the vicious cycle will start all over again .

 

[whateverdude]

Originally posted by: Skacer
Didn't your parents tell you you would eventually grow out of video games? Well there you go.

I don't buy that. I still love playing games. I'm just sick of the lack of originality in alot of the games coming out lately and the bugginess of alot of them. It seems that the quest for the almighty dollar has tainted quality control in the industry. Company's rush to get games out the door and release them 75% finished and hope they can make enough sales before anyone notices seems to be the norm nowadays. The problem is that gamers in their late 20's and above remember the days when games were better and more polished when they came out. Sure they had bugs but nothing like what we are seeing these days. So we stop buying them but the younger players don't and hence the cycle continues.

Until gamers stop buying buggy ass games, the game companies will keep pushing inferior products on us. It's as simple as that.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: whateverdude
I don't buy that. I still love playing games. I'm just sick of the lack of originality in alot of the games coming out lately and the bugginess of alot of them. It seems that the quest for the almighty dollar has tainted quality control in the industry. Company's rush to get games out the door and release them 75% finished and hope they can make enough sales before anyone notices seems to be the norm nowadays. The problem is that gamers in their late 20's and above remember the days when games were better and more polished when they came out. Sure they had bugs but nothing like what we are seeing these days. So we stop buying them but the younger players don't and hence the cycle continues.

Until gamers stop buying buggy ass games, the game companies will keep pushing inferior products on us. It's as simple as that.

Games are also a lot more complex when it comes to their implementation these days. This complexity is what introduces bugs into a program. I mean, this is a highly simplified example, but imagine going from a Hello World program to a custom language interpreter.

Also, with a lot of the changes that large 3d worlds provide to games, you're also going to suffer a large problem with testing... you simply cannot test every single input.

 

[SunnyD]

I blame MMO's. The problem with MMO's is that they, by definition, are a never-ending world. Ideally, they are supposed to change, grow and adapt offerring new challenges and new opportunities, unlike static single player games (where there is a "finite" goal, whether it be the end of a chapter followed by a sequel or just the end period).

Unfortunately, this simply does NOT work, and it has left a sour taste in (mine at least) mouths of people. Take WoW for example. Sure they push out content now and again, and slog out an expansion every year or so... but to what end? First, I got to level 60... saw the world, did a modicum of PvP, and that's it... end game. You do the same thing over and over and over again just for a piece of armor, reputation, status, whatever. The game simply ended, but left you with a sense of needing to accomplish something because, well, there were no credits rolling at the end. Throw out an expansion, and boom - same thing... another 10 levels of "ooh, shiny!" and then the boredom starts all over again.

The problem is two-fold... developers are looking toward MMO's as cash cows that they can exploit as an addiction (social + gaming = addiction for most). That leaves less incentive for devs to be creative and tie in a riveting story and have the game revolve around it, because in an MMO, the story is made by the player with only a rough outline provided by the devs. And this mentality has fallen into single player games too, there is simply less incentive to make a compelling product, as there is just money to be had.

Couple that with every genre being so "played", and you have a recipe for bordom.

 

[KeithTalent]

I have felt this way about single-player games for a while now, to the point where I do not even bother buying them anymore. I picked up FEAR and played it for a couple of hours, then put it down, same with STALKER, so I am just not bothering with those types of games anymore (though I am very tempted by Bioshock and will probably pick up Crysis).

I don't play games as much as I used to and when I do it is really only multiplayer as I think I enjoy interacting with the other weirdos (in the case of CS) or decent human beings (in the case of LOTRO).

Gaming is still one of my hobbies and probably will be until I am physically unable to play (i.e. I go blind or lose limbs or something).

KT

 

[marmasatt]

Some very good points in this thread. Some of us are getting older. Some of us are just bored with the same ol' stuff and our same ol' genre. I play exclusively FPS, so think of how bad it is for me, lol. I too find that I am bored - while I loved Stalker - and Bioshock is simplly awesome with the lights off and surround sound on. These types of games are the only thing that holds my interest. There's just not enough of them around. I almost can feel it coming on, like I'm going to let gaming go completely for awhile. Will probably wait for the big titles coming out until the end of the year (especially Crysis) and see how it goes. Although I don't know how it could possibly live up to the hype. Bioshock is barely able to do so. Not because it's a bad game, but because it's been hyped up and shoved down our throats beyond belief.