Decline Troubles with starting new games

[mastroego]

All the time my friend, all the time.

Mostly is me getting older.
Problems and responsibilities I didn't have even "just" 10 years ago. Lack of mental energy to "get into" yet another thing. One that I'll "have" to dedicate time to.
It's not even an actual "time" issue, as much as a "not another duty, please!" one.

A well known old game might be different as it's not as "intimidating".
Old comfy, well-worn clothing and all that.
But even then.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

I actually like starting new games, even if the game is mediocre, it usually takes some hours before its flaws start sabotaging the fun. Obviously shitty games are shitty from the beginning, but there are many others that can give some hours of fun based on novelty alone. Problem with many games is that mechanics are too shallow for the length of the whole experience. New game often feels like the sea of possibilities and then you get angry at the execution.

This obviously doesn't work on games that are heavy on tutorialization and handholding in the beginning. Those are lost cases.

 

[Serus]

Age is a big culprit, but it cannot be the only explanation. I discovered a lot of old games well into adulthood (night shifts + trash handheld tend to force your hand towards emulation) and many still got that sense of wonderment out of me, even without the benefit of nostalgia.

I'm often vocal about how old games don't get a freebie for being shit, but there's still a very observable difference in dev culture. Being daring and being clueless aren't that different when you're making games, especially when the medium wasn't yet massively mainstream; many devs of the 90s were shooting in the dark, trying to incorporate elements across genres for no other reason than why the fuck not, inventing genres accidentally and giving them non-sensical names, and the whole era just has that naive charm about it. It's impossible to watch these awkward FMVs with cheap cosplay over blatant green screen and not fall in love with the era. The culture was all about pioneers fucking around and having fun, it's a beautiful sight.

I agree about the era having charm but the "awkward FMV" are certainly not the reason for me. Eurgh. But you talk more about mid/late 90s judging by the fmv. For me it is more the early/mid 90s.

Age might be one of the reasons of OP problem is my guess. Because i have the same one as well as many people in this thread. It is a natural process that the brain has harder time to learn new things with age and we like doing it less and less. New games are among those things. But it only means: slightly more difficult, and not: impossible.
The fact that so many titles are shitty these days doesn't help.

 

[J1M]

I thought at first that it was because I was getting older, but that's not it. Many games still give me that sense of discovery, they're just rare.

Age is a big culprit, but it cannot be the only explanation. I discovered a lot of old games well into adulthood (night shifts + trash handheld tend to force your hand towards emulation) and many still got that sense of wonderment out of me, even without the benefit of nostalgia.

I'm often vocal about how old games don't get a freebie for being shit, but there's still a very observable difference in dev culture. Being daring and being clueless aren't that different when you're making games, especially when the medium wasn't yet massively mainstream; many devs of the 90s were shooting in the dark, trying to incorporate elements across genres for no other reason than why the fuck not, inventing genres accidentally and giving them non-sensical names, and the whole era just has that naive charm about it. It's impossible to watch these awkward FMVs with cheap cosplay over blatant green screen and not fall in love with the era. The culture was all about pioneers fucking around and having fun, it's a beautiful sight.

Any references to current day political movements or social issues makes a game feel like a lecture instead of an adventure.

 

[J1M]

The other culprit that ruins things for me is the complete lack of difficulty in anything not trying to be Dark Souls.

PS: I also hate waiting for an enemy to attack in dark souls.

 

[Ismaul]

You know the last game I that I feel "forced" to play due to how much Codex rave? Gothic, bitch. And that shit got uninstalled after 2 hours, even with nude mod installed and sheesh.

I'm afraid there's nothing to be done here. It's terminal.

I mean WTF man nude mods in a game where the characters are pretty much all men? Unless... Grampy Bone like big bone?

 

[Ismaul]

laclongquan
Seriously though we're not talking of the same thing at all.

You're talking about forcing yourself to play things you're not interested in, while I'm talking about pushing yourself to make the effort to try something you think you might like.


P.S. Gothic is the #1 GOAT.

 

[Morenatsu.]

You know the last game I that I feel "forced" to play due to how much Codex rave? Gothic, bitch. And that shit got uninstalled after 2 hours, even with nude mod installed and sheesh.

I'm afraid there's nothing to be done here. It's terminal.

I mean WTF man nude mods in a game where the characters are pretty much all men? Unless... Grampy Bone like big bone?

The game had some hidden female nudity that was censored in some versions. That's what I assumed he meant.

 

[Tyranicon]

For me continuing is the biggest problem. Unless it's something I'm really looking forward to, I'll probably know little or nothing about a game.

So clicking the game icon is exciting: this is finally the game that can get me out of my slump. Maybe it'll have great and innovative mechanics, excellent writing, memorable characters, fucking something that wasn't churned out by a AAA market research team.

Two hours in:

Fuck it.

 

[GrafvonMoltke]

I agree with everything that has already been said and have nothing new to add to this conversation.

 

[Ismaul]

The game had some hidden female nudity that was censored in some versions. That's what I assumed he meant.

I remember back in my pubescent days really wanting to get access to Gomez' bitches, only to be utterly disappointed. Duke 3D really spoiled me lol

 

[OSK]

I don't have a problem starting games. I have a problem finishing games. I'll get deep into a game then get distracted by something in real life. When I have time to return, I don't remember what's going on in the story or with the game mechanics and I'm constantly tempted to start a new game in my library.

 

[karoliner]

Every time i don't feel like trying a new game i just go and replay SWAT 4.

 

[Tyranicon]

Every time i don't feel like trying a new game i just go and replay SWAT 4.

I've been having fun with Ready or Not (which is clearly inspired by SWAT), even if content is still pretty light for the price tag.

 

[Sunsetspawn]

Let me see if I can't actually contribute. I tried playing Divinity 1 about a month ago and just couldn't. I mean, I was able to run the game and everything just fine, and even play it past an early bug that almost stopped me, but that atrocious combat is unbearable. Fundamental gameplay issues are a dealbreaker when you're old, especially when the visuals are archaic, and fighting enemies like they're desktop icons is a fundamental gameplay issue.

Also, I tried Divinity 4 a few months back and couldn't get into that as well. It too had fundamental gameplay issues, this time involving round-robin combat, Star Trek shields, and animals chock full of supernatural abilities. The end result was that combat seemed like an abstract board game. I think these could also be considered ludonarrative issues. Divinity 2 and 3 is dope, tho.

So I'm currently replaying a few things here and there, but I've got Hard Reset and Icewind Dale 2 staring me in the face daring me to try them. I'm ascared I might not like them thus confirming that my brain is doneski.

 

[0wca]

Today there's some sort of implicit push to play as many games as possible to be able to partake in discussions and communities, and frankly it's unnatural. Most old guys here grew up playing a few games extensively every year, as it should. I find preferable to play 4 or 5 games throughout a year instead of moving to the next hot thing ASAP or juggling several games at the same time.

Yeah, the consume product ideology is intense in post-2010 games, mostly because the industry is overrun with zoomers.

Age is a big culprit, but it cannot be the only explanation. I discovered a lot of old games well into adulthood (night shifts + trash handheld tend to force your hand towards emulation) and many still got that sense of wonderment out of me, even without the benefit of nostalgia.

I'm often vocal about how old games don't get a freebie for being shit, but there's still a very observable difference in dev culture. Being daring and being clueless aren't that different when you're making games, especially when the medium wasn't yet massively mainstream; many devs of the 90s were shooting in the dark, trying to incorporate elements across genres for no other reason than why the fuck not, inventing genres accidentally and giving them non-sensical names, and the whole era just has that naive charm about it. It's impossible to watch these awkward FMVs with cheap cosplay over blatant green screen and not fall in love with the era. The culture was all about pioneers fucking around and having fun, it's a beautiful sight.

^^ This.

 

[Morenatsu.]

If yoo can coonsoom all proodooct, why noot. Moor gaemz = gooood

 

[Louis_Cypher]

Dunno if it's just me burning out but have you ever had troubles to force yourself to start new game? I mean, you know it's a good title and there's going to be fun but to even think of clicking launch icon makes you wanna vomit and drains you out of mental energy instantly? And even if you managed to run that shit there's a strong urge to quit / prolong playing for an unnamed period of time?

Once you're into it and feel the rhytm it's ok but forcing yourself just to fukkin start is the hardest part, why?

Don't ever force it. If you don't feel like a new game looks good, but everyone else thinks it is, trust your instincts. Force yourself and it becomes work, a dead end job.

A 20 year old game with a critical score of 79% may be better than a 2 year old game with a critical score of 99&, depending on what you are looking for, which is often very different from what critics value. Like a simulation of something I really care about, can sometimes compel me, where the latest $100 'must play' is prosaic and bland.

Burnout is often simply seeking the wrong answer to the wrong question.

 

[Morenatsu.]

Force yourself and then come back here to rant about how shit it is.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I hear ya, OP. It's very hard for me to start a new game but once I do, I tend to really get into it. I complete about 5-8 games a year. At first, I attributed this to so-called "choice paralysis" - when you download something like C64 Dreams with 3000 of the best games ever released for the Commodore 64, all perfectly configured with Launchbox and retroarch including reviews and manuals, you become that kid with the mongoloid brain in the candy store - but it's probably not as simple as that. I wish it were. Many factors could contribute to this, from depression to old age to whatever. Oh, my brorthers & sisters and cis-things: let us use this topic as a support group. We shall overcome.

 

[Gostak]

Just launching a game is not generally hard, especially not so if I know it is good and fun time awaits.
The time just has to be right and allow for it and sure you have to have some energy left for it to begin with.
So much applicable stuff has been said in here that I can relate to, though.
Combined many of these can explain the sentiment
oddech_wymarlych_swiatow expressed here.

And as others also hinted at we can get to the point of being more demanding of our games. It should be entertaining/great fun and worth the invested/wasted time.
The holy grail we may wish for does not exist. That is no game will ever feel perfect at least not for long.
So all of them can begin to feel kind of hollow / not really worth it.

This topic is quite fundamental because it hints at/touches upon the reasons why we start up video games and spend time on them.
Of course you can say that is quite easy we just want to have some fun, but sometimes we might actually be looking for more in them.

 

[Hafnar the Jester]

Problems and responsibilities I didn't have even "just" 10 years ago. Lack of mental energy to "get into" yet another thing. One that I'll "have" to dedicate time to.
It's not even an actual "time" issue, as much as a "not another duty, please!" one.

This thing here right there. When you're a schoolkid and your only problem is that next assignment - gaming feels great. But when you're an adult, out there on your own - a single random unexpected bill can ruin your week and thus calculating your next best character build is the last thing on your mind.

Besides that, modern AAA games are corporate soulless husks aimed at california zoomers.

 

[Morenatsu.]

Yeah, adults are too busy getting drunk to play games.

 

[Hafnar the Jester]

Yeah, adults are too busy getting drunk to play games.

Unironically this. When I'm drunk I can forget all the real world shit and enjoy games.

 

[Magitex]

All the time my friend, all the time.

Mostly is me getting older.
Problems and responsibilities I didn't have even "just" 10 years ago. Lack of mental energy to "get into" yet another thing. One that I'll "have" to dedicate time to.
It's not even an actual "time" issue, as much as a "not another duty, please!" one.

A well known old game might be different as it's not as "intimidating".
Old comfy, well-worn clothing and all that.
But even then.

I feel it could be more a mindset/anxiety/depression than actual responsibility conflict (although obviously another source of anxiety). I've heard of number of people developing this problem in the past couple years and I can only throw my hat on the pile. I've taken to calling it time anxiety because it feels rooted in weighing up whether you should play a game or not (particularly new titles) and then deciding you don't have enough time to get anywhere on it, or you that you should wait for x, or should just be doing y instead.

Myself, I have little to no responsibilities at the moment and I still can't fire up a $6 dollar game because I think I'm 'worried' about dropping it in a few hours and never touching it again. At least I think so. Ultimately I always enjoy playing if I actually boot something up and play, but there seems to be some major pressure to not click that start button on newer games I cannot entirely identify.