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I feel like I'm having a gaming mid life crisis.

Esca

Member
Sometimes you need change and you don't know it. Sounds like you are in the playstation family so id recommend trying out psnow for a short bit at least to see if that helps spark something. Great way to try games you wouldn't have and includes a wide range of genres and time period . If Xbox yet gamepass same way
 

Neilg

Member
Just take a break. I just came back off one and I'm right into 100%ing big games which I never even did as a teen. Will probably break again mid summer, I can feel my stamina waning.

Just walk away and get into something else for a while. Mountain biking and snowboarding are great hobbies because they're seasonal and by the time you're done with it, you have to take a break anyway, and when the season opens again you're stoked to get back to it. It's good to let hobbies breathe a little.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Honestly the past few years have felt pretty barren, at least for me. The feeling you're feeling OP is something that I've dealt with as well. Even the E3's and similar shows have all felt pretty lame to me. It leaves me questioning if I even love video games anymore. But I do, I know I do. I've just chalked it up as a really weird time in video games.

Elden Ring was the first game in a LONG time that I was super hyped about, and it delivered and then some for me.
 

slade

Member
Take a step back and pick up some other hobby like reading or watching movies or skydiving or whatnot. Do not under any circumstances, spend money on another system or other videogames. You might get some small satisfaction but in the end, it will feel like money wasted.
 

jaysius

Banned
I was feeling that way too, but then Elden Ring hit and I was back in, then Bugsnax came to Gamepass, now I'm hooked on Rogue Legacy 2.

Great time to learn piano, you can buy great keyboards for ~$200 USD.

Or pickup reading, but DO NOT READ on your CELLPHONE or TABLET, get an E-ink Reader, it's literally the same as reading paper, so it doesn't fuck with your circadian rhythm or anything as long as you get one with yellow front lighting.
 
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Knightime_X

Member
Just relax play something very casually and don't worry if you don't play a game in 1 week or 2 months.
Gaming is not a job unless you literally make it your job.
You'll feel like playing again eventually.
 

K2D

Banned
You just value your time differently than before, so you're allowed to be more picky. This means you might have to spend some time and money (gamepass/ps+ premium/other means *wink-wink*) to find something you gel with.. But also maybe try to find something fulfilling outside of gaming as to not feel guilty about your time spent in front of the screen.
 

Robb

Gold Member
Yeah, most people probably get to that point. I usually go out of my way to try new genres when that happens, I tend to be very selective but trying new things usually help spark some new interest.

Although I do play less and am rarely as hyped for new releases as I used to. But I feel like that goes for most things, not just gaming.
 

cripterion

Member
I can definitely echo the sentiment, I'm having a similar experience myself.
If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I guess age plays a big factor into that.

As of late I'm looking to get back into turn based games but haven't found the game that will hold my attention fully.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
Funny you make that topic OP because I'm just facing the same thing. The only difference is that I ain't even looking forward to game releases any more.

I thought about this for a while and just had to realize that games have changed a lot ot my disliking. Games got too big and time consuming. There is too much padding. I'm like you... when I start a game these days I usually get bored of it about 15-20 hours in. And there is prolly a reason for that. This is the sweet spot when it comes to games for me. This also used to be a game's length until the last generation perhaps (taking RPGs aside). Such a shame that games got so bloated...

2 weeks ago I bumbed in RE Remake again for shit and giggles and got hooked right way. This is my kind of game. And they're dead basically. Breaks my heart.
 
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GreatnessRD

Member
At least for me, its a combination of gaming today being major cheeks and me getting older. As others have stated, might be able to take a break and then that itch will come back and you might enjoy it more then.
 
Priorities, when I get older, I got too many things to think about, family, work, health etc. But when I was younger I only thought about myself.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
My problem with most big games is that I’m afraid I’m gonna commit to something that I’ll end up playing “wrong”.

Case in point: I recently started FF13 (yeah, yeah, I know).
As soon as the game’s system opened up with a skill tree, I immediately got the terrible almost-certainty that I’ll screw up character development and end up having a very hard time later on. This is the reason I went through the same situation as OP in the early 2000s when console games started getting much bigger than before, and the reason why I usually restart Souls games 2 or 3 times before setting on a character to finish the game with.

My gaming time is limited. Today I prefer games with simple, clearly explained mechanics and a shorter play time. There’s exceptions, like BOTW, Elden Ring or Xenoblade, but those games aren’t as heavy on the numbers and systems as most other RPGs (Xenoblade is surprisingly well-balanced if you’re not interested in the extra challenges) and are more about exploration, with a core system that‘s easy enough to understand.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
We get this type of threads time to time, I can't really give any useful advice because I haven't loss my love for gaming (yet), I'm enjoy playing games and super excited for future releases.

But like everyone said if you feel burned out then take a break and combat when you feel like it. At end of the day gaming is nothing more hobby/entertainment, if you are not enjoying them then you shouldn't force yourself.
 

Xeaker

Member
PbB9Kbv.jpg
 
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playXray

Member
I had that same problem. Turns out I was just tired of modern big-budget AAA console games, not gaming as a whole. Went back to PC, started playing mostly retro, AA and indie releases and just like that I was having fun again.
Totally this for me. I was having the same “do I even like games anymore?” crisis and then Demon’s Souls remake came out and I realised that most modern AAA games are pretty much the equivalent of X-Factor (the TV show not the superhero team) and just churn out the same reskinned, casual-friendly mechanics each time.
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
i envy those people that does not need to work for a living.
I have a lot of backlog, not enough time to play ;_;

Tales of arise still sit on my shelf brand new as Im still trying to complete elden ring, and follow up by HFW =.=
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
No offense op but who gives a shit.. I mean, it's not complicated, it's just a hobby, it's just entertainment. I've had breaks up to three years from playing games, it doesn't matter, it's fine. It's supposed to be fun, if it feels like a chore, do something else, read more, sleep more, exercise more, find another hobby.
 
Seriously, I swear I was going to do a CTRL+F joke with Elden Ring.

Kiss me.

OP needs all games but Elden Ring, tedious and long.

He needs to take a break or play something that everything is fast, menu, gameplay...Nothing complicated, loots and etc...

Not a 300 hours of 3x hits combo and backwalk/roll!
That will make him burnout and never play videogames again. Lol
 
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anthony2690

Banned
Take a break!
And try not to follow games so hard.
It could also just be Horizon though, my brother in law seem to absolutely hate that game, or found himself bored outta his mind with it for some reason.
 
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Terenty

Member
What is there to get hyped about though?

Modern gaming IS shit. There's very few devs who actually care about producing something worthwhile.

Kojima, Fumito Ueda, Myiazaki...I struggle to mention any Western names unfortunately. Well I will add Josef Fares, Colantonio, Harvey Smith.

Baldur's Gate 3 has a potential to be great. Whatever ZAUM is making now can be great for certain. Starfield' "too much content" is already a huge red flag and it's Bethesda so.

Gaming has become stale, insipid and completely predictable
 
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SlimeGooGoo

Party Gooper
OP needs all games but Elden Ring, tedious and long.

He needs to take a break or play something that everything is fast, menu, gameplay...Nothing complicated, loots and etc...

Not a 300 hours of 3x hits combo and backwalk/roll!
That will make him burnout and never play videogames again. Lol
Maybe this one will make him love games again?

 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
I think it comes and goes for everybody but I honestly feel that this generation more than any had so much arguing back and forth and bullshit around the power of IO and Mark Cerny talking about how games could be designed completely differently. Fans heard that and the hyperbole started to roll. So many conversations about architecture and other bollix, code names, VRS, all this other shit we shouldn't be really talking or caring about...because the games are more or less the same and we lost focus....but we expected so much more from the hype.

Now it's all just talks about acquisitions as the reality has hit. Nothing has really changed this gen. That doesn't mean there aren't good games it just means that we focused on the wrong shit and I think it's taken something away from what we loved.

There have been some really great games but there is a lot of bloat. I personally can't even entertain fhe idea of horizon 2, the thought of it and its map just isn't for me anymore. That's just me though.

I adored elden ring, it's genuinely one of the best games ever made. So good games are out there. I just think they are rarer now in a world of focus tested experiences.

Hopefully we get some good info from the up and coming shows and we see some genuinely interesting games. I just want some good gameplay. I don't care about too flashy graphics and massive check list maps.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Old man’s curse (jk bro).

60-100 hour long games are suddenly very daunting to me. I’ve not even started Horizon and have only played an hour or so of Elden Ring. Horizon, as bizarre as it sounds, I still feel ‘full’ from the first one if that makes sense?

Shorter games like Ori 1&2, Metroid Dread, A Plague Tale, A Hat in Time, Yooka Laylee etc are all much easier and palatable for me to play. But even then I only play through a couple a year maybe. Most of my gaming time is spent on online multiplayer as you can drop in and out.
 

DonJorginho

Banned
I can definitely echo the sentiment, I'm having a similar experience myself.
If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I guess age plays a big factor into that.

As of late I'm looking to get back into turn based games but haven't found the game that will hold my attention fully.
20 years old my friend! Which is probably one of the key factors as to why I'm feeling the way I am, simply growing up.
 
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cireza

Banned
As soon as the game’s system opened up with a skill tree, I immediately got the terrible almost-certainty that I’ll screw up character development
It is actually pretty linear, not much of a choice to make. Each character has their three main jobs, but you begin with only one and others eventually unlock. You understand the main jobs pretty quickly as the three others have prohibitive costs (end game content really).

Not a game that really traps you with wrong decisions.
 

VN1X

Banned
I mean let's be honest, despite there being plenty of good games around (more than ever I would argue) there's also a ginormous amount of awful shit being peddled from the "triple-A" sphere. So many big budget releases have been completely dumpster fires as of late and I honestly don't see this trend subsiding any time soon. Ubisoft and Acti-Blizzard are on their death throes, EA is about to lose its primary money making license which will no doubt impact business decisions for future projects as a whole, Microsoft just doesn't seem able to manage studios (or keeps getting incredibly unlucky with their purchases and releases), Square-Enix is lost at sea and the list goes on...

Thankfully videogames, and the industry in general, are being saved my indies and smaller publishers that are releasing far more interesting and fun titles these days. Often eclipsing the work of their bigger competitors and I'm all for it. That said, as good as stuff like Elden Ring is I find that I simply don't have the energy or time to bother with that sort of stuff any more. I've put in about 15 hours and only barely scratched the surface but I don't feel like I can be bothered with it any more. And from the top of my head I can't really think of any releases that I'm looking forward to for the platforms that I own (Series X, Switch and PC). These days it's all about a handful of old multiplayer games and roguelikes; everything else is either shit (Battlefield, CoD, Halo, etc) or simply takes too much of a time and energy investment.
 
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kyussman

Member
I haven't gamed for nearly a year now.......not being able to get hold of a next gen console easily has kind of made me take a break but the longer the break lasts the more I wonder if I will jump back in tbh.In my time off I've become a bit jaded by modern video game design and the business in general......while I was in the thick of it playing games constantly I didn't give it much thought but looking at video games from the outside for the last year has kind of turned me off.I don't like all how all studios are being swallowed up by the big publishers and the games coming out in general are not exciting me.I'm don't think I'm retiring from gaming but I am wondering what it's going to take to get me interested again.
 

supernova8

Banned
TLDR: I'm not enjoying new video game releases as much anymore, even games I'm eagerly hyped for, and am spending less and less time gaming even when I have free time, am I falling out of love with gaming? Or is this just a slow start to the generation?

I love video games.

They have been the love of my life since the days I'd watch my older sister play the likes of Majora's Mask all the way to now where I've managed to get to a position where I have every platform I want to play on at my fingertips, which was something I never really had as a child in a working class household.

Video games have been a source of many of my greatest childhood moments and have also spawned countless memories that have stuck with me long into my teenage years and now my young adulthood.

I'm pretty lucky to have a job currently where I get 8+ weeks off a year (not fully paid but I earn more than enough to not feel that), so this means that gaming is something I can still do alongside other hobbies. However in recent months especially, I've just somewhat lost the passion to play any new releases.

Let's look at Horizon II for example, I followed every crumb of news for this game like I was being starved, I was losing sleep knowing it was only so and so days away, I was talking about it to my friends and I was avidly awaiting to play it. But like most new releases this year, after around 10-15 hours I've had enough and can't find the motivation to play any further.

This isn't because it's a bad game, I simply just can't bring myself to play games that much anymore, I'm actively choosing doing monotonous tasks or hobbies I don't even enjoy all that much over gaming when I have the time. I'll sit down and watch some football match I don't care about when I could be playing the 10+ new releases that I've got waiting to be downloaded. But for some reason something isn't clicking.

This generation was the one I went into most excited for l, but if I look at all the releases that have come out since the launches of both consoles, there are only a few I've played to completion.


(and two of these games I had to push myself through the final few hours to finish.)

Every other game since the PS5/XSX launch I've bought with anticipation, initially enjoyed, then gotten bored with and neglected.

Am I just being over dramatic and it's just been a slow start to the generation? Is this just simply me finding new interests and a normal phase of life?

I know this is a long old bunch of bollocks I'm writing at ten to one in the morning like a madman before work, but it's just dawning on me that the hobby I spend hundreds if not thousands of pounds towards, simply isn't satisfying me enough anymore, and I don't want it to be that way.


Thanks for reading my load of codswallop that isn't really that serious but you know, just gotta be my old overly dramatic self, it's probably nothing but yeah enjoy my spiral into madness until Kojima announces Death Stranding II.

kanye west thank you GIF
I had the same thing and then I picked up Zelda Breath of the Wild again. I'm not you so it could be different but I found myself becoming an old cynical git and getting more annoyed at the imperfections of other games. For instance, I used to love the Yakuza series and yet now I just find it frustrating that:

1) there's such a gulf in visual quality between the main characters and all the other NPCs
2) the movement is so limited and despite the map actually being quiet small, you can only go into a handful of buildings (and only a handful of those have anything interesting to do)
3) the invisible barriers where you cannot leave the (small) map.

BOTW was a breath (excuse the pun) of fresh air in that it has the "see that mountain over there, you can climb it" and that more or less everything in the game reacts the way you would expect it to.

I think you just have to be super selective about what games you give your time to.

Also, if you don't already have it (and if you have an Xbox/PC) maybe you should just get a month of Game Pass. I've watched way more TV shows/movies (including a lot that I would never buy outright) since I got Amazon Prime. Same should be true for Game Pass. Make yourself a "list" of games you like the look of from the main screen and then just go through them and see what sticks. If you get to the end of a month of Game Pass and you haven't found even a few games you like, just unsubscribe no harm done.
 
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I couldn't find myself a game I could finish if my life depended on it......
I'm 42 now and have the exact same problem...

I've seen all kinds of games before and better then they are now. Graphics aside.

The only game that is keeping me hooked right now is Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart.
It's magical and I'm way past the halfway mark and only want to play more.

All other games I tried, I didnt finish. It's a long list...

Guess its just gaming fatigue kicking in...
 
Yep lol, still a wee babby.

Black And White Laughing GIF by Pusha T
Interesting, nothing wrong with that obviously lol. It just is actually a different situation than what I was thinking of in my head.

My first response to threads like these is to always suggest a polished Nintendo game. They tend to be easy to get into, deep enough to let you improve and enjoy mastery, don't usually pad them a ton and waste your time, don't have excess story cutscenes or forced walking or grinding, etc. It's kind of the essence of interactive gaming to just play a solid platformer.

But, do I think this way because I grew up in a different era than you? I'm 40. What is the answer for someone who is 20 and is getting burned out? What's your nostalgic games to heal burnout? Or, do they not even exist for your generation?

hJgxMtX.jpg

I had similar burnout around the end of the PS3 era. What fixed me up was getting into 3DS and Wii U. I played Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and it was all killer, no filler. A 10/10 platformer polished to perfection. No story other than "get the fucking bananas." Fixed me up.

VR is also exciting and interesting for me now too, but really can only be played in short bursts.

I do think that modern gaming is uniquely suited to burning people out, particularly the Sony first party style of game. They're amazing technical achievements, and I like many of them, but games like Horizon, Assassin's Creed, and many other modern games tend to be padded in a way that is taxing on the player. The visual language is busy and taxing on the player, even if it's just subconscious. Playing a game that lets you jump in and out easily with gameplay instantly, clean and easy to read visual language, clean menu UI is subconsciously easier to get into and play for me anyway.

If you fix your issue, I'll be curious what does it for you - and how that's different from my perspective.
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
You're in the UK right? The nicer weather recently probably has something to do with it. I've been sitting in pub gardens more and gaming less.
 

STARSBarry

Gold Member
It takes a specific game that I think will be unique for each person to draw you back into gaming.

I don't think it's a coincidence that for me it happened to be an indie developed title which designed a game around giving players rewards for the time invested rather than trying to focus on charging players for a dripfeed of content



Since then I try to be more selective on what I play, but just like you I got Horizon II and after investing hours on hours realised it felt like a chore, and I was doing it over and over.

I think the game will be diffrent for each player for me it was DRG for others it will be something else, but I would be suprised if you find it from modern AAA these days, you need something that respects you as a player and your time.
 
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Edgelord79

Gold Member
You are not alone. I'm the same way. I can't interact with games the way I used to. I've started to revise my opinion on what constitutes a good game for me. Unfortunately, the direction gaming has taken with vast open worlds and 100 hour gameplay isn't congruent with my lifestyle. The other direction they've taken is to put out a plethora of roguelike or rogue-lite games that can sometimes be extremely difficult which I'm not interested in either (although I do enjoy Elden Ring in small spurts).

I've found more enjoyment recently playing games with my son (like SpongeBob, Lego, etc...) than playing these other types of games.
 
You are not alone. I'm the same way. I can't interact with games the way I used to. I've started to revise my opinion on what constitutes a good game for me. Unfortunately, the direction gaming has taken with vast open worlds and 100 hour gameplay isn't congruent with my lifestyle. The other direction they've taken is to put out a plethora of roguelike or rogue-lite games that can sometimes be extremely difficult which I'm not interested in either (although I do enjoy Elden Ring in small spurts).

I've found more enjoyment recently playing games with my son (like SpongeBob, Lego, etc...) than playing these other types of games.
Yeah, roguelike needs to die as a genre. It's just an action game with less content and busted difficulty balancing.
 
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ClosBSAS

Member
Ya man..me too. 38 years old and am not feeling them as much. I do play all of from softwares games and dota 2 still a lot but everything else sucks ass. Last night though I played 4 straight hours of cyberpunk maxed out at 4k with my new 3080ti, so that was fun.
 

DonJorginho

Banned
Interesting, nothing wrong with that obviously lol. It just is actually a different situation than what I was thinking of in my head.

My first response to threads like these is to always suggest a polished Nintendo game. They tend to be easy to get into, deep enough to let you improve and enjoy mastery, don't usually pad them a ton and waste your time, don't have excess story cutscenes or forced walking or grinding, etc. It's kind of the essence of interactive gaming to just play a solid platformer.

But, do I think this way because I grew up in a different era than you? I'm 40. What is the answer for someone who is 20 and is getting burned out? What's your nostalgic games to heal burnout? Or, do they not even exist for your generation?

hJgxMtX.jpg

I had similar burnout around the end of the PS3 era. What fixed me up was getting into 3DS and Wii U. I played Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and it was all killer, no filler. A 10/10 platformer polished to perfection. No story other than "get the fucking bananas." Fixed me up.

VR is also exciting and interesting for me now too, but really can only be played in short bursts.

I do think that modern gaming is uniquely suited to burning people out, particularly the Sony first party style of game. They're amazing technical achievements, and I like many of them, but games like Horizon, Assassin's Creed, and many other modern games tend to be padded in a way that is taxing on the player. The visual language is busy and taxing on the player, even if it's just subconscious. Playing a game that lets you jump in and out easily with gameplay instantly, clean and easy to read visual language, clean menu UI is subconsciously easier to get into and play for me anyway.

If you fix your issue, I'll be curious what does it for you - and how that's different from my perspective.
No worries man, age definitely changes the context of my situation that's for sure.

I don't think your way of thinking is age specific, it's a pretty smart piece of advice and one I will likely take. In terms of myself having nostalgic games I have tons of them, whether it be SIlent Hill 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Galaxy 1/2 and the classic LEGO games, those were games that defined my childhood, seeing as I grew up with my older sister being a gaming fanatic who would let me take part in watching her play titles, I would grow up watching her experience the likes of SH2, Shadow Of The Colossus, King Kong 2002 and the Gamecube/N64 Zelda titles. These weren't games I played instantly when I started getting my own consoles as I started out with a PS2/Wii combo, but when I could borrow them off her I fell in love with them. Games like RE4, SMG 1 and 2 and the LEGO games were games I ran into myself due to parents picking me up said games after their covers would catch my eyes in catalogues.

I have been contemplating buying a PS2 again, picking up some old hits from said generation and replaying the games that I adored as a youngun, I'd also contemplate picking up a Wii too as that was probably my favourite ever console despite it's power limits.

I agree with you how modern gaming is built to burn people out, gone are the days of intuitive game design, and here are the days where most games are open world checklist games that tire one quickly. That's why I often find myself yearning to play old games, I recently bought Republic Commando on the PS5 and a bunch of old 360 titles for the Series X including my all-time fav LEGO title in Lord Of The Rings so maybe that will respark my love for all things Gaming. I appreciate all the good advice though brother, many thanks for that.
 
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For people into old school RPG games, Dungeon Encounters is pretty hilarious too. It's as stripped down as you can get. Turn it on, go explore and battle. And I had a blast with it.

Clean visual language. Clean menu UI. The OST is kind of grating though, maybe mute that and put on a podcast lol.

NVeGUFU.jpg


I also made a thread on visual clarity a while back with Halo. I think it's a huge issue that few people are aware of or really talk about. Visual clarity = ease of gameplay. More complex graphics/visual design = more difficulty with gameplay.


Cluttered visual language means that things have to be highlighted in bright neon or Witcher vision to even tell what you're interacting with. It can be subconsciously stressful and unenjoyable.

2hYReRN.jpg


And that's just visual language. Modern games are off putting in many other ways as well: quest design, padding, emphasis on excess story with little payoff, etc.
 
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BigBooper

Member
Many people move on from playing games as they get older. It's always going to be a possibility that it just doesn't work for you anymore and you need a new hobby.
 
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