No longer interested in gaming :(

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by korny

I feel you completely. The answer is pretty much no. I have found temporary solace in mini games like the impossible game or geometry wars 2. Other than that there's no remedy. The golden days of video games are over, and as nerdy as it may be, that's a huge part of my identity. You can call it my sort of mid life crisis where I'm trying to figure out how else to be satisfied with my time without turning to alcohol. It's a harsh lesson about growing up for me. Not that ill ever be "too mature" for video games, there's just a legitimate lacking in the fun innovative styles of games people you and I yearn for. Sucks majorly I know.

I think what's sad is that growing up, games were such a big part of my identity too -- and I would always look forward to being autonomous so I could really dig in.

And now, I've done it -- I live on my own in my own apt, have a nice TV, a fast computer, access to all sorts of food, and I can get as many consoles/games as I want, etc. But now that I've gotten to that point, there's nothing I want to play anymore. Oyyy. XD

Originally Posted by Hakulyte

Heard of The Swapper?
Tried Touhou fan-based games?
How about old games that you simply haven't played at all?

Heard of it -- what do you think of The Swapper?

[korny]

The next stage in life for me is to be so financially free, that I am able to travel the world on a whim and visit anywhere, see what's out there, and understand what it that means for me and my reality. Life gets pretty deep at this point in life where the gradual process to achieve such financial freedom comes at the cost of your immediate happiness; a happiness that you were once able to satiate with the games you loved. I was fortunate enough to find momentary solace in anime after I thoroughly demolished every game I used to play right before the point of world class speed running, which in itself takes a certain person altogether to endure such monotony. I have pretty much watched every anime that caters to my specific and particular preferences and now sit at home all day bored out of my mind, fighting the urge to numb myself with alcohol while patiently and painfully working my way up to my financial goal.

[Dynam0]

I think I will always set aside time for games...it's how I've always been even when I lived in my own apt. at school...we'll see what happens when I'm a little older tho lol

[speeddemon]

Originally Posted by Coolboyrulez0

you just havent started playing rift with me and choofers yet

I agree with this man. Rift is both fun and relaxing, and there's enough variation in what you can do that it doesn't get monotonous.

[Hakulyte]

If Braid had a baby with Portal, it would be The Swapper. It's one of these "easy to learn hard to master games". I've been trying to find new games by finding let's play of anything that could potentially be worth a look on youtube.. not sure if there's a particular genre of game you're looking for or something specific within the innovative gameplay?

[sticklydude]

Originally Posted by Hakulyte

I've been trying to find new games by finding let's play of anything that could potentially be worth a look on youtube..

TotalBiscuit does a series called "WTF is... _______", and gives you an overview and his opinion on newly released games. They're pretty excellent.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...KYpnsjMWf19Qgo

Here's the one he did for The Swapper:

[Crazyjayde]

Just thought that the best way to not feel unsatisfied from gaming is to limit yourself. Playing games in short bursts, while taking time to complete them and not whoring them from the start to the end (for some achievement or completionist objective) will increase the amount of relief you get from the aftertaste.
For example, I've left some of my most nostalgic games untouched for a long time, most of which I never beat as a kid, just so I could experience them fully on my next playthrough (like Willow on NES). Based on this method, I still have to play Ocarina of Time entirely... but I'm sure it's going to be a blast once I get to it.

[dAnceguy117]

After thinking about it some, I don't think I'm in the same boat as korny and Rubix here. I could definitely find games that I would enjoy playing (in a vacuum).

I would go more with this:

Originally Posted by infinity.

i feel bad when i play games nowadays. like i could be doing so many more important things or literally anything constructive

Even when there's nothing important that I need to be doing, I feel edgy when I'm contemplating sitting down and playing a game by myself for a couple hours. It just doesn't feel right to me.

It would be a good idea for me to do this:

Originally Posted by Emanresu13

this kinda leads to me not having a "backlog" of games anymore, since i just don't care.

With the number of games I own or have access to and haven't finished, playing games would have to become my full-time job in order for me to finish them all. It's not a realistic goal for me. It's not a necessary goal, either, but it makes me feel guilty when I consider buying a new game. I suddenly have my parents' penny-pinching mentality when it comes to games, even though money is currently a non-issue for me.

Maybe I just need to play this:

Originally Posted by mi40

Snoop's Day Off in The Bahamas

[kommisar]

I actually went through a period where I didn't feel like playing games at all (the past year or so). Even Stepmania (still) had lost nearly all its appeal and I would just browse the net and watch hockey.


recently though after picking up some old games I had to beat I progressively felt like gaming again and games in general started feeling...well...like I was having fun, as it should. it wasn't a chore anymore


idk maybe it was a phase

[dragon890x]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

I just downloaded Fez.

I hear there are a lot of secrets in this game -- what should I keep an eye out for in general? Are all secrets available at any time or is there any sort of "Aw fuck I missed that and have to restart the game to get it" thing?

I think life has you forgetting what's most important when it comes to playing games, that being entertainment. You're playing to enjoy your time spent, to have fun. It seems like your current life changed your perspective on how you choose which actions to take. If you don't believe me, read what I quoted above.

You're worrying about missing secrets and having to replay parts the game. I see issues of completionist ideals and anxiety over time restraints. These are holding you back.

Not that I'm some sort of psychologist or anything, it's just an observation. I'm sure you'll figure out what's really burning you out soon enough.

[kmay]

with FFR/SM my wrist started hurting. so i quit. and xbox is a lot more entertaining because you can talk to people why you play. never got into other PC games though

[ReikonKeiri]

I've always approached it mathematically. I'm going to spend money on things that either A) Keep me alive / B) Give me pleasure. Oftentimes the two coincide though for example: I'm not going to just buy 20lb bags of rice all day so I have more pleasure money. I'll just spend extra for food that gives me pleasure like a Baconator. Mmmmm.

But then a Baconator is what? $6 to make me feel good for 10 minutes? On steam summer sale that's pretty much any indie game that could give me pleasure for like 5 hours minimum. Maybe 20+ if I'm lucky. It's a pretty ridiculous comparison.

This is a fairly antisocial approach though rofl. Also, it assumes the prerequisite that games give you pleasure which I assume many people in this thread may still have in question. I still love games despite feeling like I SHOULD be too old for it.

As a result, Lord Gaben currently has my wallet hostage. RIP

tl;dr Gaming is the most cost efficient hobby in this day and age. Probably will only become even more so in the future to the point that the only recognizable cost will be time.

[Frank Munoz]

Originally Posted by dragon890x

I think life has you forgetting what's most important when it comes to playing games, that being entertainment. You're playing to enjoy your time spent, to have fun. It seems like your current life changed your perspective on how you choose which actions to take. If you don't believe me, read what I quoted above.

You're worrying about missing secrets and having to replay parts the game. I see issues of completionist ideals and anxiety over time restraints. These are holding you back.

Not that I'm some sort of psychologist or anything, it's just an observation. I'm sure you'll figure out what's really burning you out soon enough.

I blame kongregate

Knowing that rubix was very active there, obtaining countless "badges" to achieve a goal common to us all, prolly forces him to think that he needs to complete every game 100% (which isn't bad, but ina way it's sorta competing with the game itself) and since he's been doing this for so long it's now a hobby turned into a job/chore. or something like that. I'm totally talking outa my ass

[Nullifidian]

Originally Posted by ReikonKeiri

tl;dr Gaming is the most cost efficient hobby in this day and age. Probably will only become even more so in the future to the point that the only recognizable cost will be time.

I think you're mistaken in what you pay for when you buy a game. A high-end game will have experienced people working on a game for a long period who have a valuable resource called skill. It's not so much the cost of the game products (case and disc and what not) that you pay for, but the skill and time involved to make said game.

It's actually funny how many people think that costs of expertise will decrease over time (and often used as an excuse for piracy "They're not losing any physical products over me downloading it, are they!?"). My uncle recently said that the cost of a 3D modeller's work will probably lower as well in relation to the cost of 3D printing lowering. 3D printing devices are a physical and (increasingly) mass-produced product, but the 3D modeller has something you can't mass produce, which is skill. The price for that will stay relatively the same.

[Yulanik]

I just recently completed Shenmue on my Dreamcast after a whole 3 months, I remember it as a kid but I never played it because it looked too hard XD. I only played it maybe 25-30 mins each day, even though I wanted to play more, I treated it as if you had to wait for the next episode of your favourite tv show. I enjoyed every bit of the 25-30 mins because I know once I put it down, I'll have something to look forward to the next day, and the day after that. Not so much if I beat the game all in one or two days. The game has a great story, soon I'll be starting on Shenmue 2 and follow the same routine.

[ReikonKeiri]

Originally Posted by _.Spitfire._

I think you're mistaken in what you pay for when you buy a game. A high-end game will have experienced people working on a game for a long period who have a valuable resource called skill. It's not so much the cost of the game products (case and disc and what not) that you pay for, but the skill and time involved to make said game.

It's actually funny how many people think that costs of expertise will decrease over time (and often used as an excuse for piracy "They're not losing any physical products over me downloading it, are they!?"). My uncle recently said that the cost of a 3D modeller's work will probably lower as well in relation to the cost of 3D printing lowering. 3D printing devices are a physical and (increasingly) mass-produced product, but the 3D modeller has something you can't mass produce, which is skill. The price for that will stay relatively the same.

That's an interesting and valid point. So how does steam get away with such ridiculous deals on games that only just came out relatively speaking (bioshock infinite, etc)

I can understand that point for all these indie games floating around, but these massive price reductions are coming out for the high-end games as well. I'm not doubting that expertise will never decrease in value, but steam has definitely found a way around it that seems to be getting even more intense every year.

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by Frank Munoz

Knowing that rubix was very active there, obtaining countless "badges" to achieve a goal common to us all, prolly forces him to think that he needs to complete every game 100% (which isn't bad, but ina way it's sorta competing with the game itself) and since he's been doing this for so long it's now a hobby turned into a job/chore. or something like that. I'm totally talking outa my ass

Nah, that's pretty much correct -- I consider myself a completionist, although I've actually gotten a little more lenient with it nowadays. For example, in a game like, say, the new Tomb Raider, I only care about beating the game and don't care about hidden tombs and whatnot.

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by ReikonKeiri

That's an interesting and valid point. So how does steam get away with such ridiculous deals on games that only just came out relatively speaking (bioshock infinite, etc)

I can understand that point for all these indie games floating around, but these massive price reductions are coming out for the high-end games as well. I'm not doubting that expertise will never decrease in value, but steam has definitely found a way around it that seems to be getting even more intense every year.

It's pretty cheap to distribute a game when you're doing it entirely online (as opposed to creating a disc and shipping it to a store), and it's also very easy for them to adjust the price and gauge how much extra volume they'll get (typically resulting in higher gross revenue).

They adjust to demand levels very quickly (and can do so instantly), as opposed to setting a static retail price. Also, steep discounts help spur sales and get people excited to buy shit ("Holy crap Deus Ex: Human Revolution is only ten bucks now?!").

Of course, if you want to be one of the first to play a game, you'll probably pay near full-price, but that's the trade-off.

If a new game is getting gouged early on, it's usually because it isn't selling as well. They don't keep the price high "just because it's new." They listen to what the data tells them.

[Frank Munoz]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Nah, that's pretty much correct -- I consider myself a completionist, although I've actually gotten a little more lenient with it nowadays. For example, in a game like, say, the new Tomb Raider, I only care about beating the game and don't care about hidden tombs and whatnot.

Oh yea, I felt the same way on the new tomb raider.
except, I did the secret/optional tombs. >>

all for the magnum handgun mmmmm baby it was sexy.

[Nullifidian]

Originally Posted by ReikonKeiri

That's an interesting and valid point. So how does steam get away with such ridiculous deals on games that only just came out relatively speaking (bioshock infinite, etc)

I can understand that point for all these indie games floating around, but these massive price reductions are coming out for the high-end games as well. I'm not doubting that expertise will never decrease in value, but steam has definitely found a way around it that seems to be getting even more intense every year.

Basically, once everything is set up, steam only has to pay for the bandwidth of distributing more copies. They don't have a physical production cost other than that, and the developers get royalties on every copy sold. Physical products don't have that much extra costs individually but if you count millions of copies, the costs do add up (and have to be paid back). These costs are eliminated resulting in lower prices overall (see the 49,99 digital games instead of 59,99 physical games).

After a certain point, where the cost of making the game has been covered by sales (covering the cost to keep the studio running as well of course), anything else sold after that is pure profit.

The huge discounts on games are possible because they've either covered their costs already, or the game isn't doing too well and sales are drying up because of the high price. A lot of the time, consumers do want to buy and play the game but the price is a tad too high for them. Often enough, with a discount these games attract more customers than their full price would. So much that the amount of customers become disproportionate to the discounted amount, meaning they'll make more money than they would selling the game at the full price. It's either no risk at all (when the income has covered the costs already) or a calculated risk depending on demand for the game.