Editorial Are modern games fun?

[Gnidrologist]

That's called love.

 

[Occasionally Fatal]

the only modern game i feel overwhelms me is company of heroes multiplayer. i can see how games like swat 4 or operation flashpoint or some of the older raibow six games could be considered overwhelming by some too.

older games can be overwhelming also, but typically this is in part due to clumsy ui and other limitations inherent to their era. or it could just be that whenever i play old games i never have the manual so im stuck with trial and error trying to figure out how to work things (commandos series, im looking at you).

 

[Bucknasty]

Only "multiplayer" game i've played in awhile would be WoW. But thats of the Massive Multiplayer variety... and there for a time sink

 

[slipgate_angel]

I wouldn't say that all of the games now a days suck, because every generation of games had there fare share of stinkers, even over hyped ones. Personally I think good artistic direction, and simplicity is all that you need to make a good game. No "Deep emotional immersion" or "All teh skill trees", but a game that can lure you in with an easy to memorize control setup, and some visuals that are unique.

True you don't need to be paying 60 bucks for a game that shows realistic hair, or a game that takes forever to finish, although at the same time you can't just have a game that's either too hard or too easy to finish, or a game that has only two colors. Take Earthworm Jim for example, There's only three buttons to memorize, and it's quite pretty to behold, but it can be very difficult to play at times.

That's just me though.

 

[ushdugery]

That's still an ostentatiously long period of time

He's a games journalist and I'm pretty sure he really loves playing games and then changing the font on the primer that the publishers give him, he probably doesn't figure 5 hours as a large ammount of time to be pursuing his hobby of choice. What I do think however is that you just need to strike when you saw the opportunity to use the word ostentatious or a variant thereof in what I personally ironically would describe as an ostentatious manner. Don't think it really worked out for you, sorry man better luck next time.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Eh? I hear the word ostentation tossed around quite frequently around here, especially from all those self-professed ascetics who scold people for materialistic or consumerist lifestyles.

 

[Mareus]

Modern games, for the most aprt, are VASTLY SUPERIOR to ancient games. No doubt about it.

What do you mean ancient games? Do you mean games from ZX Spectrum era, or games from amiga era, or games that were made 10 years ago?

Anyway, even if you want to say that modern games are vastly superiour to games made on ZX Spectrum, or Commodore I still wouldn't completely agree. Those games were simply different and there was much more diversity to them than in games today. And by diversity I don't mean diversity in the game alone, but diversity in gameplay and genres. Those games ranged from hundreds of genres and subgenres. Almost every game was a genre of it's own. And just to put it bluntly some were really fun and up to this date they remained original, because noone ever tried to do anything similar.

Games today... well they just leave you with that feeling... it was ok, but I have seen it hundreds of times before and with today's technology it could have been so much more. And from what do people base such conclusions? From the games they played in their past, and believe me it is not nostalgia. Just compare the production, music, atmoshpere, diversity in genres, originality from games made today and games made 10 years ago and you will see that gaming industry today is boring, all out of ideas and all about money. It's not even about fun anymore...

 

[Noceur]

I take it games aren't being dumbed down fast enough or something, eh?

 

[mondblut]

All I can say is the only game I truly had fun playing through the past year was War of the Lance (1989 SSI strategy based on Dragonlance). The other games I played (Crusader Kings, Dominions 3, Space Empires 5, Supreme Ruler 2020, The Witcher, Dungeon Lords CE) were meditative time-killing experiences at best, dragging through boring chores to occasionally access a rare glimpse of entertainment at worst. Make your own conclusions.

(CK and Dom3 are great and deep games, but they aren't "fun". Playing them is more akin to captaining a 1000-staffed vessel in the ocean than to being entertained).

 

[tunguska]

Playing games for two hours at a stretch? That's still an ostentatiously long period of time, though the man wishes that the game gripped him for longer?

I don't bother to play any computer game unless I have the next 12-18 hours free. If I only had an extra 5 hours I wouldn't even think about starting a computer gaming session. Virtually every time I play I continue for at least 10-12 hours. With PS:T I almost always played for at least 12 hours a day. Often it was more like 18-20. Like a good novel, I just can't pull myself away from it.