Gaming apathy (or just getting bored with it all). • Gaming • General Gaming • Eurogamer.net

Carlo 26 Jun 2007 10:16:37 21,801 posts
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Been a gamer since the Vic-20. Pretty much played them all, and owned most.

But as I move towards my mid-thirties, I find I'm playing less and less (especially at home - despite having had a 360, and owning a PS3 and Wii).

I'm not sure if it's becuase there is a lack of games out there, or just games I want to play, but something that used to be there is missing for me now.

So is it me that's changed, the games now lack that thing that used to pull me in, or am I just getting older? Or something else?

Maybe its time for a change? Or maybe I'm just waiting for Portal to arrive :S

I can't think of many games I'm looking forward to.

TwistidChimp 26 Jun 2007 10:17:40 8,825 posts
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Happens to everyone at some point in my experience. I'd recommend you take a complete break from gaming, then come back to it when something truly spectacular is released.

kcorb 26 Jun 2007 10:18:11 2,147 posts
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If you've played all the awesome games that already exist. Do something else.

haowan 26 Jun 2007 10:19:16 7,385 posts
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There's always someone who feels this way, I've felt it myself in the past. You'll come back to it.

Carlo 26 Jun 2007 10:20:51 21,801 posts
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grayson wrote:
wow is calling again

I even went back to that. for the Burning Crusade. I just stare at it and wonder why I'm investing so much of my time for seemingly so little return.

By the time I hit lvl 70 everyone in the guild'll be on tier 3 or 4 sets or something so I'll miss all the endgame (again).

JetSetWilly 26 Jun 2007 10:21:04 5,720 posts
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Put less effort into it for a while. If you come back to it you needed a break, if you don't you've found something else to do with your time that you enjoy and won't care.

LeD 26 Jun 2007 10:21:39 7,063 posts
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Carlo wrote:
Been a gamer since the Vic-20. Pretty much played them all, and owned most.

But as I move towards my mid-thirties, I find I'm playing less and less (especially at home - despite having had a 360, and owning a PS3 and Wii).

I'm not sure if it's becuase there is a lack of games out there, or just games I want to play, but something that used to be there is missing for me now.

So is it me that's changed, the games now lack that thing that used to pull me in, or am I just getting older? Or something else?

Maybe its time for a change? Or maybe I'm just waiting for Portal to arrive :S

I can't think of many games I'm looking forward to.

Do you sometime hear a little voice in the back of your head, that whispers sweet nothings to your inner self? Things like "what if I suddenly got up in the middle of the night, killed my loved ones, then killed myself"... Do you find yourself repulsed and excited by that idea at the same time? Do you have trouble breathing then, do you feel like you're suffocating, that the walls of your room are closing in on you, do you wake in a pool of sweat, screaming 'I didn't do it I swear'?

Carlo 26 Jun 2007 10:22:22 21,801 posts
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LeD wrote:

Carlo wrote:
Been a gamer since the Vic-20. Pretty much played them all, and owned most.

But as I move towards my mid-thirties, I find I'm playing less and less (especially at home - despite having had a 360, and owning a PS3 and Wii).

I'm not sure if it's becuase there is a lack of games out there, or just games I want to play, but something that used to be there is missing for me now.

So is it me that's changed, the games now lack that thing that used to pull me in, or am I just getting older? Or something else?

Maybe its time for a change? Or maybe I'm just waiting for Portal to arrive :S

I can't think of many games I'm looking forward to.

Do you sometime hear a little voice in the back of your head, that whispers sweet nothings to your inner self? Things like "what if I suddenly got up in the middle of the night, killed my loved ones, then killed myself"... Do you find yourself repulsed and excited by that idea at the same time? Do you have trouble breathing then, do you feel like you're suffocating, that the walls of your room are closing in on you, do you wake in a pool of sweat, screaming 'I didn't do it I swear'?

Nope.

Deleted user 26 June 2007 10:23:06

Either a case of playing too many similar type games, or just playing too much! Don't worry though - it is summer so you won't miss anything if you take a month or two off.

LeD 26 Jun 2007 10:25:09 7,063 posts
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Carlo wrote:

LeD wrote:

Carlo wrote:
Been a gamer since the Vic-20. Pretty much played them all, and owned most.

But as I move towards my mid-thirties, I find I'm playing less and less (especially at home - despite having had a 360, and owning a PS3 and Wii).

I'm not sure if it's becuase there is a lack of games out there, or just games I want to play, but something that used to be there is missing for me now.

So is it me that's changed, the games now lack that thing that used to pull me in, or am I just getting older? Or something else?

Maybe its time for a change? Or maybe I'm just waiting for Portal to arrive :S

I can't think of many games I'm looking forward to.

Do you sometime hear a little voice in the back of your head, that whispers sweet nothings to your inner self? Things like "what if I suddenly got up in the middle of the night, killed my loved ones, then killed myself"... Do you find yourself repulsed and excited by that idea at the same time? Do you have trouble breathing then, do you feel like you're suffocating, that the walls of your room are closing in on you, do you wake in a pool of sweat, screaming 'I didn't do it I swear'?
Nope.

Ok then!

ThreeOutsideDown 26 Jun 2007 10:57:37 1,011 posts
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Carlo wrote:
So is it me that's changed, the games now lack that thing that used to pull me in, or am I just getting older? Or something else?

i think that the problem is that games are stagnating. drive the car round this track, jump on these platforms, run round these corridors... meh. having been a gamer since pong and the atari 2600, there's the feeling of been there, done that with just about everything.

i just can't get excited about the latest graphical effects in the next in a long line of fps titles because usually they mask very average gameplay.

since the dreamcast i've always felt that graphics were 'good enough' to suspend disbelief while playing. so while advances in game graphics have been welcome, they are by no means the main selling point of a game for me.

to be honest, i'm getting very bored with gaming. these days i have more important things that need my attention and the prospect of going through the same motions yet again in Game Sequel 37 after already playing Game Sequel 36 isn't making games any more appealing.

don't get me wrong, i've got some great titles that are already on my shelves waiting to be played that i still haven't had chance to load up. but... i just can't be bothered. the prospect at having to invest at least an hour into each one in a single gaming session just to scratch the gameplay surface leaves me cold.

as for beat 'em ups and rpgs, i stopped buying them years ago because i couldn't afford the time to sink into them to learn the moves (beat em up) or make any progress with the story (rpg).

pretty much the only thing that has my interest at the moment is the ds, not because i think the titles are necessarily better than the console offerings. but simply because the small 15 minute chunks of gaming better suits my busy life style now, compared to the endless hours i used to sink into rpgs, beat em ups and driving games when i was a teenager.

unless we see some real innovation this generation on the ps3/wii/360 that reawakens my interesting gaming, i very much doubt i'll even consider buying a ps4/wii2/720. the prospect jumping through exactly the same gameplay hoops as the previous two hardware generations but with better graphics is about as appealing as eating broken glass at the moment.

Edited by ThreeOutsideDown at 11:28:45 26-06-2007

Psychotext 26 Jun 2007 11:09:43 70,652 posts
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To be honest I've noticed this as I get older... These days the games I buy pretty much have to do something I've never seen before or tell a good story otherwise I'm not interested.

Shiny isn't enough for me, graphics were never the be all and end all.

Salaman 26 Jun 2007 11:14:18 24,162 posts
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Buy no games whatsoever for the next 3 moths. Keep coming here. Listen to people discussing the latest and greatest releases without being able to join in and it'll whet your appetite. In 3 months time you'll have a shortlist of a few "must buy!Want to play!" titles and most likely you won't go "meh".

Just think yourself as the kid who got to camp out in the candy store for 2 weeks and is not at the end of week one thinking "meh candy!"
;-)

Break away from it to appreciate it more.

Poorandugly 26 Jun 2007 11:18:36 652 posts
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Yeah, I think I'm pretty much on the same page as you are, although I have been denying it for a while and bought a lot of games in the hope that at least one of them would suck me in. But...nothing.

I have been thinking about what games I have loved the most, and why, and for me it has always been the story and beeing sucked into another world. So instead I have done a lot of reading lately, and right now that's excactly what I need. Great story sections all the time, and no annoying boss battles ftw!

Poorandugly 26 Jun 2007 11:44:49 652 posts
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@Confounder

Amen brother. Some games geared towards the elderly in the demographic wouldn't be totally out of place, would it? I still remember playing Planescape:Torment, and it was pretty awesome in a mature and non-violent (for the most part) way. I challenged me to think about ethical problems in a new way.

/pretentious hat off

It's very rare that a game comes out nowadays that tries to do the same thing. Game development is such a big investment these days that most publishers demand the games to appeal to such a large crowd as possible. Most problemsolving therefor involve pushing a bunch of blocks in a certain way.

I'm beginning to feel like an old soccer fan. My time on the field has passed, all I can do now is see what the young 'uns are doing.

gizmo 26 Jun 2007 11:49:08 2,100 posts
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Salaman wrote:
Buy no games whatsoever for the next 3 moths. Keep coming here. Listen to people discussing the latest and greatest releases without being able to join in and it'll whet your appetite. In 3 months time you'll have a shortlist of a few "must buy!Want to play!" titles and most likely you won't go "meh".

Just think yourself as the kid who got to camp out in the candy store for 2 weeks and is not at the end of week one thinking "meh candy!"

Break away from it to appreciate it more.

Theres no way I was going to subsidise insects anyway.

Universal_Hamster 26 Jun 2007 11:50:02 4,948 posts
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Carlo wrote:owning a PS3 and Wii

There's your problem right there.

jonsaan 26 Jun 2007 11:57:57 27,052 posts
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I too suffer from gaming apathy, however, I find that being forced to play games at length to unlock stuff for my eldest son has made me realise why I lost my passion for games. I buy too many of the damn things. Now, I buy less games and try and actaully play the ones I've got. There is generally always (unless they are complete shite obviously) a moment when a game 'clicks' and you start to discover things that only repeated and continuous play will reveal.

speedofthepuma 26 Jun 2007 12:12:02 13,428 posts
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is it that we have changed (fellow sufferer) or is it that there is little innovation now.

I have never liked FPSs particularly, the hey-day for me was the bite-sized chunks of gaming the spectrum etc. offerred and later on the amusement/entertainment that adventure games offerred (without pressure).

Release lists look dull to me and although I thought the WII would solve that it really hasn't.

I am however playing a lot of picross on my DS

neil74 26 Jun 2007 12:18:45 2,341 posts
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I have had similar phases. Most recently I bought my 360 in January this year and prior to that my old xbox sat pretty much un-used for 18 months until I got Half Life 2. I do have a PSP but other than some football manager handheld that was pretty un-used too.

I got to the stage where I thought I may have grown out of games and my wife was very disappointed when I fired up the xbox again and now she is quite distressed that we have a 360, PS3 and Wii in the house.

Fat-Boy 26 Jun 2007 12:25:28 4,300 posts
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I felt like this recently, I haven't touched a game for well over a month. Then, today, I decided to by a 'Cube, just because they were cheap as chips. Now I'm all excited about gaming again.

Fatty's wallet am cry.

MrWorf 26 Jun 2007 12:37:42 64,187 posts
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ThreeOutsideDown wrote:

i think that the problem is that games are stagnating. drive the car round this track, jump on these platforms, run round these corridors... meh. having been a gamer since pong and the atari 2600, there's the feeling of been there, done that with just about everything.

i just can't get excited about the latest graphical effects in the next in a long line of fps titles because usually they mask very average gameplay.

since the dreamcast i've always felt that graphics were 'good enough' to suspend disbelief while playing. so while advances in game graphics have been welcome, they are by no means the main selling point of a game for me.

to be honest, i'm getting very bored with gaming. these days i have more important things that need my attention and the prospect of going through the same motions yet again in Game Sequel 37 after already playing Game Sequel 36 isn't making games any more appealing.

don't get me wrong, i've got some great titles that are already on my shelves waiting to be played that i still haven't had chance to load up. but... i just can't be bothered. the prospect at having to invest at least an hour into each one in a single gaming session just to scratch the gameplay surface leaves me cold.

as for beat 'em ups and rpgs, i stopped buying them years ago because i couldn't afford the time to sink into them to learn the moves (beat em up) or make any progress with the story (rpg).

pretty much the only thing that has my interest at the moment is the ds, not because i think the titles are necessarily better than the console offerings. but simply because the small 15 minute chunks of gaming better suits my busy life style now, compared to the endless hours i used to sink into rpgs, beat em ups and driving games when i was a teenager.

unless we see some real innovation this generation on the ps3/wii/360 that reawakens my interesting gaming, i very much doubt i'll even consider buying a ps4/wii2/720. the prospect jumping through exactly the same gameplay hoops as the previous two hardware generations but with better graphics is about as appealing as eating broken glass at the moment.

Edited by ThreeOutsideDown at 11:28:45 26-06-2007

+1

This is exactly how I feel. Mostly my consoles gather dust. :/ I try and play them, but I get no enjoyment from them and the prospect of having to spend at least an hou or so on the game to to make it worthwhile is completely daunting and off puting. :/ The DS is main console, has been for a while. As it suits my "quick burst of fun back to reality" life style. Sii Wports fits this too.

I guess I'm getting too old for sheet. :/

Psychotext 26 Jun 2007 12:40:17 70,652 posts
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neil74 wrote:
I got to the stage where I thought I may have grown out of games and my wife was very disappointed when I fired up the xbox again and now she is quite distressed that we have a 360, PS3 and Wii in the house.

That's the funny thing for me. I'll be getting all three of those consoles but I have no idea why. I reckon my missus (gamer) will spend more time on them than I do.

JuanKerr 26 Jun 2007 12:47:17 37,710 posts
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ThreeOutsideDown wrote:

pretty much the only thing that has my interest at the moment is the ds, not because i think the titles are necessarily better than the console offerings. but simply because the small 15 minute chunks of gaming better suits my busy life style now, compared to the endless hours i used to sink into rpgs, beat em ups and driving games when i was a teenager.

+1

The DS is indeed perfect for quick 15 minute bursts of gaming, and that's all I get time for these days. I also think that the 'quirky' titles like Elektroplankton, Brain Training, Trauma Centre, Phoenix Wright and the like offer a nice little antidote to the constant derivative games that plague home consoles (all consoles are guilty of this).

These quirky games have almost single handedly kept my interest in gaming alive, so I'm hoping we see similar stuff on the Wii/360/PS3.

Edited by JuanKerr at 12:47:55 26-06-2007

Messiac 26 Jun 2007 12:47:53 3,465 posts
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Like some previous posts have indicated and like what happens with most art forms, you go through stages of not liking, feeling stagnant about or just generally apathetic towards them.

Its happened me with games before and quite recently with comics / graphic novels.

At the moment I am quite happy and excited about games, there are some great titles just released for the 360 - Flatout, Shadowrun and there are some great titles due at the end of the week - The Darkness, Call of Juarez etc

Im also loving what my DS has to offer right now, Puzzle Quest is amazing - addicitive and enjoyable and in recent weeks I have been playing Hotel Dusk, Final Fantasy III, Age of Empires and Trauma Centre. All fantastic.

As another post suggests having a PS3 and Wii wont do much to help you at the moment although Resi 4 on the Wii may offer some reason to shake that mote...

neil74 26 Jun 2007 12:53:43 2,341 posts
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I think it depends what games are out there too. 2007 has been a good year and there was some stuff from 2006 that I had not played too.

Telepathic.Geometry 26 Jun 2007 13:04:11 12,422 posts
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I think that some games will be coming out soon to cure your apathy man:

Portal;
Spore;
Bioshock;
Mario Galaxy;
Little Big Planet;
Assassin's Creed;
Phantom Hourglass;
Metroid: Corruption;

...and a rake of other games that all seem to have something special. Wait 'til the all come out and see if they lure you back in to gaming.

Kay 26 Jun 2007 13:09:18 21,321 posts
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Look back, not forward.

I think a lot of gamers these days are too busy focusing their excitement on the upcoming titles. It's easy to look at previews and screenshots and fall for the hype machine - so that when it comes around to actually playing the game, you'll most likely be disappointed.

Just remember that there's at least 25 years worth of great games out there, and more than likely there's a fair few you've missed out on. Some of the best 16-bit games are still as playable today as when they were first released. There's no need to give up on games entirely, just focus on quality over quantity. And try to look for and buy the games that you really want to play, instead of the ones that you feel you should be playing just because they're the latest thing out there.

K

Edited by Kay at 13:10:01 26-06-2007

Psychotext 26 Jun 2007 13:12:36 70,652 posts
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Telepathic.Geometry wrote:
Spore;

Why do people keep mentioning this? We know next to nothing about the game and as it is, it's likely to be out in 2009 anyway.

Psychotext 26 Jun 2007 13:30:32 70,652 posts
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CrispyXUK wrote:
We mention it because it not a shooty shooty gunny gansta racing game, its also looks quite promising.

There's quite promising and there's hyped into the stratosphere. LBP looks quite promising and to boot it's not made by the creator of a bunch of games that were fun to play for about a day before they became endlessly repetitive.

/rant off