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I don’t struggle to enjoy the games I already enjoy. I struggle to enjoy the new garbage the industry keeps churning out in more recent years.
Fuckin aye. Half-arse 1/5 of the game and get the remaining 4/5 as “new DLC Content”…
…or recycle stuff from previous games and claim “built from the ground up”…
If it’s not fun, why bother?
Because you remember it used to be fun and you’re trying so hard to recapture that feeling.
why? I dont know man but after 30 minutes without any fun whatsoever I just close that game. That’s my treshold for not wasting my time on games I dont like. This also applies to games I used to like:
I played a lot of FF14, but after the Endwalker ending it was just talking, talking and more talking without any real gameplay in between those talks and that was simply no fun for me anymore, because I like me some gameplay in my games.
That’s why I stopped playing Death Standing. Yeah it was great when you were actually playing it but the cutscenes killed it for me.
That’s the Kojima seal of authenticity. When the opening cut-scene is longer than the average TV mini-series.
Yeah I get that way too. For me it’s a feeling of doing something more productive with my time, or at least that’s part of it. It’s stupid.
Wanting to have fun
If I’m having to force my hobby, I might try a new hobby
I just stopped playing games with grinding for the sake of grinding. I don’t have time for that shit anymore. If I can’t make the grind go away with mods, I’ll just play something else.
Unfortunately lots of modern games have added tons of grinding as a way to drive “engagement” and add monetization. I rarely have time to play multiple days in a row and I’m not spending it doing daily challenge bullshit to get 1/100 cards needed to upgrade whatever.
I think this is kind of the problem I have with Elden Ring. There’s just so much grind. As much as I have enjoyed it I also resent it for blocking me from playing other things. I think I just want to complete it and move on. I don’t even know if I’m still enjoying it, but now it’s just a matter of honour.
I’ve got so many other games to play. Something like Deliver Us the Moon is the complete opposite of Elden Ring. Short, but thoroughly enjoyable. I’m really looking forward to playing Deliver Us Mars.
Amen
The problem is the kind of stuff the industry tries to take shortcuts on.
I decided to apply some filters in my choices and quality of entertainment went up by a lot:
- No Open World
- No Multiplayer-focused
- Has to be a valuable experience on Easy
- (Of course) no prepaid and no Early Access
- No VR-compatible
Other than that, I am a patient gamer, I play all kinds of genres, just a bit less on the RPG and strategy side, and I like to support Indie developers by paying their games full price and kickstarting them.
I am ok with playing short games if the experience and polish is there and I never do completions. I also buy very few DLCs and only if they add single player campaigns.
Do this and I am quite sure you will fall in love with gaming again.
Allow me to slide a plug for Frostpunk and Outer Wilds (and its excellent almost-a-sequel DLC Echoes of the Eye) in here, just in case you haven’t touched them. Oh, and Subnautica too. And Disco Elysium…
Factorio
I’m curious about the last rule.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is quite good. I haven’t tried the VR mode but that isn’t really part of the game.
Most driving simulators have a VR mode.
I stay away from driving simulators mostly because I hate cars in general, unless it’s Quarantine or Carmageddon.
Making something VR compatible games pushes towards certain design choices that empoverish the desktop experience.
I have heard great things of Senua’s Sacrifice, but I downprioritized it for years now exactly due to that design aspect.
Elite dangerous is another great game that supports VR.
'2. No Multiplayer-focused
This probably isn’t what you meant, but I’m a huge fan of games that are obligate couch co-op games. Things like Overcooked, Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime, or Trine where you could play it alone, but there wouldn’t be much point. Playing a game where you have to cooperate with another person is a ton of fun.
My guess is I have way fewer friends than you
Playing a game where you have to cooperate with another person is a ton of fun.
I hate playing MO Base for that very reason
Check out Unravel 2.
This video was meh. If you want to start enjoying games again, just stop playing multiplayer games and enjoy a single player experience. Maybe something short like Portal.
I jump around a lot. It keeps things fresh. Keep 3-4 games rotating for a bit then completely change.
I jump around a lot. It keeps things fresh.
For a second I thought you meant jump around in the game, and I was really confused 🙈
The solution for me was hardcore mode. I play most of games with one life or 30% chance of dying (inspired by Outwards hardcore mode). My gameplay has changed so much.
Of course, you cannot do this with all games but most of RPGs and adventure games are compatible with the hardcore mode.
Currently playing Last Epoch, an Arpg, great fun. One life or you delete the character.
As someone who doesn’t have too much time any more because of family it is the total opposite for me. If I would play and die I would just stop. Back in the days I always played hardcore but now I don’t see the point in seeing your time spent just evaporate into northing but memories. I do usually try to get as far as possible without dying so I play as if I would play hardcore but without the deletion stuff if I would die.
With that said I know that it is much more interesting to play hardcore for some people and they can’t see the fun in playing without the extra challenge of never dying.
Yeah, I probably do the same in this situation. I probably play strong narrative games, short indies games, roguelikes.
I don’t really feel that my time evaporate into nothing. I have more memories of the rush of adrenaline of failed attempts than any recent video games stories. I play the journey of the character and not really the story.
Luckily for us, we can have all sort of experiences with so many video games out everyday. We’re in a golden age !
Kingdom come in hardcore is amazing. Genuinely having to pick your battles and taking care of your wounds is amazing.
Kingdom come is such a good Idea for hardcore mode ! Thank you !
It doesn’t always work, but I have to just remind myself of games I played and finished in recent years that didn’t have any goal other than “Finish it”
It helps me remind myself I don’t need some daily/weekly/monthly/wtfisthisshit goal, that the day isn’t wasted because I didn’t do those things.
This is exactly the right path to take, imo.
The only goal of playing a game should be to have fun and/or enjoy yourself. Any other goal can aid in that original goal but as soon as a goal (finish the game) becomes a chore, I quit and move to another game.
We need to remind ourselves (me included) that games are for entertainment and to waste time. That’s it.
I have found myself doing this by going for total completion (as in achievements). Especially in games where the achievement is hard or you must try at example being the batman challenges getting all 3 stars and right now doing the dishonored challenges.
