Time for another "I'm getting too old for gaming" thread

[moonbogg]

I really think I am close to the end here. Single player games don't hold my attention. It takes a good multiplayer game that I really enjoy. If I'm not interacting with other people and competing against them, then it just feels like I'm wanking it by myself, all alone in a dark, depressing closet.
Wasting my life away, minute by minute as I try to gather fake items to craft more fake items so that I can carry more fake items in a single player game, all so I can survive against the next wave of fake enemies for a pointless, fake victory. I can't stomach any single player game. GTAV, Crysis 3, Far Cry 4 are all the kinds of games that were my favorites in the past. Now, I can't bear the thought of wasting time on them.
Instead, I play BF4 until I have over 100,000 kills with the M98B. That's over 100,000 times that someone said, "F'in Moonbogg". That's real and legit and worth my time. Anyone else feel the same? BF4 is the only game I can stand to play. Once I lose interest in that, if nothing replaces it, then I'm done. I'll be one of those dads who just buys an e-machine from best buy because that will be good enough for email and browsing.

 

[slag]

I'm the opposite. I don't want a multi player game. I want a nice simple single player game i can hit escape on, get up, go do something, come back, play a bit, etc.

Yes, getting old sucks (41).

 

[Gryz]

You're too young, I'd say.

After a certain time, online games will irritate the heck out of you. You'll want to avoid games with a lot of kids or teenagers. Or even kids in their early twenties. In the end, you'll appreciate (the good) single player games. Just like books or movies, don't try to watch or play them all. Be very selective. Only play the best. Take a break from gaming after you finished a good game (1-2 weeks). You want to step into each game and each story and each setting with a fresh mind.

If you think you are wasting your time, you are probably too young to understand. Go have a life, go build a carreer, drive a big Mercedes. Spend a lot of money on useless things. Marry, get estranged from your disappointing wife, go through a painful divorce. Spend more money on useless stuff. Be stressed out all the time. Work 60-hour weeks.

After a decade or two, you might be able to appreciate a good game again. And you won't feel like you are wasting your time. Spending time efficiently is overrated.

 

[mmntech]

I'm the opposite. I don't want a multi player game. I want a nice simple single player game i can hit escape on, get up, go do something, come back, play a bit, etc.

Same. Too many idiots on multiplayer.

I probably game more as I've gotten older. There's not much on TV these days that interests me, so that's what I do on weekday evenings. I am becoming a bit disillusioned with the direction the industry is going though.

 

[NAC]

The key to a hobby is - you do what you like to do. I don't think you'll stop gaming and look at the wall like a cat. You'll decide that you'd rather do something other than gaming. In my case, I would rather spend time with my wife and family - talking, board games, outdoor activities, OR learn the guitar OR edit home videos. Those all replaced gaming for me. Oh... and I watch more TVs and movies than I used to when I was into gaming.

 

[BurnItDwn]

the older ive gotten the less ive gotten interested in multiplayer. Sure, I may do some small scale multiplayer with friends, but, no more larger scale multiplayer. Essentially I dont want to play games with strangers.

So, mostly I have taken to playing stuff like rimworld and dwarf fortress.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Yeah as I've gotten older my tastes have changed and so has my ability to really enjoy online games. D3 is basically a perfect quick in / quick out type of online game for me if I want to go that route. I can't play MMOs anymore and no longer have the patience for FPS.

So basically I just enjoy good SP games. The good news for me is I was out of PC Gaming for a long time so have a nice back log of older SP games that still need to be played. Just started Dragon Age a week or so ago actually. And with the rate I play these days Dragon Age 15 might be out before I manage to finish this one.

 

[moonbogg]

Interesting responses. There is no right or wrong, good or bad. People are at different places in their life regarding what they enjoy in their spare time. Part of the deal with me, is that games are overly complicated. There is just too much being asked of me with most games. They are too "deep" with too much going on. I want simple. I miss simple from the good old days. That's why I just like playing hardcore death match in BF4 with a single gun. It reminds me of insta gib UT. Simple, exhilarating, challenging, pretty to look at and I can get in and get out.
Part of it is I just don't have the time to invest in these other games. By the time I have dinner with the family, bathe the kids, get them in their PJ's and off to bed, its after 8pm. I don't want to spend the last 2-3 hours of my day HARVESTING PLANTS to make syringes in Far Cry 4. I don't have time for that crap, nor the patience.
I have enough time to jump in BF4 with some friends, go for an awesome K/D for a couple rounds and call it a night. I basically only play on one server with one game style. I don't even like conquest any more. I don't want to deal with tanks, planes or all the rest of it. I want BF4 insta gib and that's it.

 

[jlee]

The key to a hobby is - you do what you like to do. I don't think you'll stop gaming and look at the wall like a cat. You'll decide that you'd rather do something other than gaming. In my case, I would rather spend time with my wife and family - talking, board games, outdoor activities, OR learn the guitar OR edit home videos. Those all replaced gaming for me. Oh... and I watch more TVs and movies than I used to when I was into gaming.

Yep, me too. I don't like online gaming unless I'm decent at it, and even then just in short bits of time. I tried BF4 and I suck, so I went back to Bad Company 2 and redeemed myself...then promptly went back to single player. I have too many other things I'd rather be doing than spending hours on MP games so I don't suck at them.

 

[moonbogg]

Yep, me too. I don't like online gaming unless I'm decent at it, and even then just in short bits of time. I tried BF4 and I suck, so I went back to Bad Company 2 and redeemed myself...then promptly went back to single player. I have too many other things I'd rather be doing than spending hours on MP games so I don't suck at them.

I can relate. I tried a free to play MP game (forgot the name) and I kept dying. I couldn't figure out why, so I never played it again. If I suck, I won't play. But if I like it, I will keep playing and get better. But how do you know what comes first, being good, or liking it? Are you good because you like it, or do you like it because you're good?

 

[Sabrewings]

Same. Too many idiots on multiplayer.

Same here. I was over the multiplayer fad about ten years ago before it really hit the consoles hard. Now it's mostly a bunch of tools, and why would I want to play with them?

A good single player game does it for me, or some good involved co-op for me and a select group of friends. Quality of your experience is easier to guarantee when you take the retards out of the equation. I have to balance it among other hobbies and responsibilities as well. No kids yet (thank god), but I do have the wife, a house with a few acres to take care of, my fitness (mountain biking), higher education, plus a full time job in the military. I also do all of our vehicle maintenance, but that got easier this year when we downsized to two cars instead of three.

So, when I game, I need to make it count.

 

[Homerboy]

41 years old here.

CASUAL multiplayer is fine (like I'm addicted to POE right now). But FPS online and crap like that? Forget it. I will still put some time into turned based games like Civ, MAYBE fire up TF2 for 15 mins or so.

I just don't have time nor patience for games. I will still play console sports when I can, though even that is waning too.

There's just more important and "real" things to do -- kids, wife, house... I can't stay up until 3am and still make work the next day like I could when I was 25.

I was really in the middle of the golden days of online gaming -- When games like Doom and Quake were just hitting. There was a "community" of sorts. Everyone was learning together. QuakeSpy was a godsend. IM programs (like PowWow) were the way you communicated. TEN/MPlayer were carving out their niches.

 

[Denithor]

I have moved from PC games (mostly RPG or RTS) to exclusively tablet/phone games. Need something I can sit on the couch and play with half attention while also watching TV and talking with the GF. Mostly Clash of Clans type games with a clan/social chat aspect, single player games hold no interest at all.

EDIT: I'm also 41 like these others above. Grew up with Civilization (the original!), MoO, MoM, Might & Magic and HoMM, Wizardry, etc, along with Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior & such on the consoles. So the tablet games aren't as deep for the most part but they still provide some challenge along with a social aspect (in groups with several RL friends).

 

[Oyeve]

49 here and I just finished Mad Max, 65 hours, Loved it. Finished GTAV on PC prior, didnt do online as I hate online gaming. Will go back and finish Dragon Age Inquisition and tie up a few ends in Skyrim. I do NOT look forward to any online games now nor in the future.

 

[Red Storm]

As I got older I found that I still enjoyed multiplayer gaming, but who I played with is the preference that changed. I play multiplayer games with friends, don't really care for games with strangers.

Star Citizen may be my one exception depending on how PVP is handled. In Elite I always play solo.

 

[Sabrewings]

Star Citizen may be my one exception depending on how PVP is handled. In Elite I always play solo.

That's how I feel about it. Since SC has the slider and even without that, 90% of the universe is NPCs, it's a nice mix. You'll notice the players though, always running and randomly jumping on to things.

I do play online in Elite, but I hardly ever see real players. If I do get tired of them, I just go exploring. You're not going to find anyone out there! Except maybe at Sag A.

 

[kami]

I'm the opposite. I have an extreme dislike for multiplayer shooters, and I know part of the reason is because as I got older my reflexes and overall reaction time have dropped considerably. "Back in the day" I was crazy good at twitch games like Quake 1 and Quake 3. Now I'm terrible.

The only multiplayer game I play is WoW. Everything else is single player, story-driven, or stuff I can co-op like Diablo 3. I am super hyped for Fallout 4.

I just spent an hour trying out that Battlefront beta. I was annoyed within minutes in multiplayer, but had a heck of a fun time playing those AI bots in survival mode! I really hope you can play the Hoth battles and stuff like that against bots in the full game.

 

[quakeworld]

I really think I am close to the end here. Single player games don't hold my attention. It takes a good multiplayer game that I really enjoy. If I'm not interacting with other people and competing against them, then it just feels like I'm wanking it by myself, all alone in a dark, depressing closet.
Wasting my life away, minute by minute as I try to gather fake items to craft more fake items so that I can carry more fake items in a single player game, all so I can survive against the next wave of fake enemies for a pointless, fake victory. I can't stomach any single player game. GTAV, Crysis 3, Far Cry 4 are all the kinds of games that were my favorites in the past. Now, I can't bear the thought of wasting time on them.
Instead, I play BF4 until I have over 100,000 kills with the M98B. That's over 100,000 times that someone said, "F'in Moonbogg". That's real and legit and worth my time. Anyone else feel the same? BF4 is the only game I can stand to play. Once I lose interest in that, if nothing replaces it, then I'm done. I'll be one of those dads who just buys an e-machine from best buy because that will be good enough for email and browsing.

oldhead here checking in (45). know exactly what you mean when you say single player games not cutting it anymore in terms of fun. i only play multiplayer (old ones at that) and if my interest in that goes then i dont think i'll be as passionate about games in general anymore. i just upgraded my rig (core2due to i5 4690) and in the back of my mind im kinda regretting it as im using my pc more just for browsing and watching youtube. now get off my lawn!

 

[Skott]

I too would prefer a single player game. Once you get over 50 its hard to see things and click fast. I cant keep up with the 20 year old clickers anymore. LOL A co-op game that allows 6-8 players would be nice though. I have a group of friends I prefer to play with when it comes to something other than single player. Borderlands 2 for example.

 

[Aikouka]

I'm certainly no Psychology expert or anything, but I don't think it has been age that has affected my gaming; it was World of WarCraft. To be fair, I don't think it was the fact that WoW is a MMO, but rather that aspects of WoW were simplified over the years. Now, people have complained about the "casualization" of WoW for a while, but to a degree, I think it makes sense in my case. Ultimately, in the beginning of the game, things took far more effort to do, but as time went on, Blizzard made things simpler to accomplish. In theory, this sounds great from an annoyance factor, but it also conditions you to be used to a "quick reward." I could probably do some research and point out the release of Dopamine or whatever, but that seems like a lot of hassle for this topic.

These days, I find that I tend to get into really short puzzle games like Threes. I was playing 20 on my phone, but honestly, I get frustrated at not being able to start at high levels, which means I have to run through most of the low levels. (Yes, I know you can start at 15, but it's a bummer for the 30 variant.)

 

[Midwayman]

Instead, I play BF4 until I have over 100,000 kills with the M98B. That's over 100,000 times that someone said, "F'in Moonbogg". That's real and legit and worth my time. Anyone else feel the same? BF4 is the only game I can stand to play. Once I lose interest in that, if nothing replaces it, then I'm done. I'll be one of those dads who just buys an e-machine from best buy because that will be good enough for email and browsing.

#1 in the world. Nice. I get distracted by other stuff, but always come back to BF4 as well. #63 with the SAR-21.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Things like worrying about pointlessness, wanting to give up, talking about dark depressing closets...these things all point towards a more general depression, remember that gaming ideally should be part of a healthier and more balanced lifestyle in general and as kids or younger people you can escape out the real world quite easily, but as an adult with responsibilities and other things to do it's much harder.

Simply lowering the amount of time you spend doing it and balancing other things back into your life might be a better idea, then when you do have less time for gaming you'll enjoy it more.

 

[BSim500]

Anyone else feel the same?

Well your tastes change as you get older (so has PC gaming). It doesn't help that franchises are getting more sequelled to death, the underlying plot concept & FPS mechanics are very "formulaic", more creeping consolization, "fresh" big budget games are few & far between, and reboots are feeling more like the "Hollywood malaise" of rehashing the same old stuff purely to make up production quotas / too much "big studio" money chasing too little risk-taking innovation. The key is variety and when you play the same games over & over, you're going to get as equally bored as listening to same musician, watching the same movie / TV show, reading the same author, etc, every day for 20 years in a row. If you're over-saturating on a genre of game then try something else or take a break. And don't be afraid to replay golden oldies you previously enjoyed. Fondness of 90's / early 2000's games isn't just "rose-tinted nostalgia" - many of them really were (and still are) that good.

As for single vs multi player, yes some SP games are boring, overly-linear, on rails, etc, but I can easily get immersed in those that have that Bioshock or Deus Ex "feel" to them. Some multi-player FPS's are fun but I find a lot of modern MP mechanics where you have to "unlock" stuff or level up to "ranks" can be even more "grindy" than XP-chasing single-player MMO/RPG's purely for the sake of "padding" (artificially inflating play-time through unnecessary repetition). And as others have said, there are so many cheaters and infantile d*cks out there that the atmosphere / community feel just isn't the same as it was back in the LAN-party Quake 3 era where you could have a laugh with people you knew in real-life. Too many teenage 'gamers' take themselves and their 'online status' way too seriously these days...

 

[TheSlamma]

Same. Too many idiots on multiplayer.

I probably game more as I've gotten older. There's not much on TV these days that interests me, so that's what I do on weekday evenings. I am becoming a bit disillusioned with the direction the industry is going though.

I'd say this echo's me for the most part. :thumbsup:

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

34 and haven't gamed over 10 hours total in the last 2 years. I plan on putting in plenty of time when fallout 4 comes out though then once I'm done with it maybe another year or two hiatus or whenever oblivion/skyrim sequel comes out.