The best part of video games back in the day was making memories with your friends, now it all feels like structured fun. “This is how you play the game and this is when you are supposed to have fun” Idk if that makes sense.
Burnout is definitely a thing. Try cutting back, taking a break or switching genres. Dust off that real-time strategy that’s been gathering dust in your library, or try something completely new. Take care of yourself my guy.
I might offer a slightly different take on this than you tend to see. Yes, it is very common for enjoyment of entertainment to be based on external factors (free time, friends, family). But the modern gaming landscape has changed overall quite a lot. It is entirely possible that the type of games you truly enjoy have gotten lost in the sauce, and just aren’t made as much these days. Likely a combination of the two, but if you’re having the feeling, trust it. That feeling is valid, and claims that everything is the same, you just have external differences feels a bit gas-lighty. Good luck out there~
I quite like your answer and tend to agree. Just wanted to add that while popular games have changed over time, the sheer amount of games that get made these days is insane. I would recommend to see what strange indie stuff is being made, this is something that helped me when I had similar feelings. When not bound by large budgets or investors, really awesome experiences are still possible.
Examples: A Short Hike, Vampire Survivors, Outer Wilds, Undertale, Stardew Valley, Rocket League …
Any imaginable genre is still getting new and interesting stuff IMO, it’s just that mainstream gaming has gotten worse (again, IMO).
But it is true that you shouldn’t simply discard what you’re feeling! I really love that about your answer.
The small indie titles are what is saving my passion for gaming since quite some time now. It’s also what’s saving my wallet as usually they focus on good gameplay more than flashy presentation which helps in not having to spend a ton on a “competitive” hardware.
I've found that my enjoyment in gaming started to wain last September and by April this year I completely stopped. I've tried a couple of games I used to really enjoy but get nothing from them. Nothing recently has grabbed me. There are a couple coming that I might try but overall I've switched to watching old shows like Star Trek and X- Files and reading.
Will see what the new Trek FPS as the story is apparently very good and the upcoming Trek Stellaris type game are like but honestly I'm not holding out much hope.
It strongly depends on what kind of person you are and how you get your enjoyment out of things. If you understand this, then you can find games that fulfill that.
For example, some people get a dopamine hit when they see numbers go up. Be it level grinding, kill/death ratio, optimize builds. Others like the feeling of exploration. Others want immersion/role-play.
It has nothing to do with "today games bad". Part of that is childhood and nostalgia. You won't get that back.
Figure out what you enjoy. If you like social games and making friends, then you need to lean towards that style of game. RuneScape 2007 is still very much alive today.
Nintendo are the masters of this kind of game. They don’t need flashy graphics or deep plots, they just make very well-designed, innocent fun games. Their first party titles, anyway.
I got sucked in by TOTK and Elden Ring so I can’t say I’ve had the same experience. I basically haven’t played a multi-player fps since I graduated university though, so that must count for something? I played a ton of those back then.
Learning about the concept of enshittification (https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/) made me suspect that this might be going on with games too. I mean these always online and monetisation trends seem to suggest so.
Though for me it‘s also the age and work, quest logs remind me of ticket systems and grinding of more repetitive work and it all lost it‘s shine. I enjoy games still, but less often I would say.
Aside from nintendo related products, I have stopped playing most AAA titles for this reason. The only reason I have stuck with nintendo is because I can still get excited and be impressed with what they release, though this isn't as much of a guarantee as it used to be.
I usually play indie games when I'm looking for something fresh, or I play retro titles when I want to revisit my roots and remind myself why I fell in love with gaming in the first place.
I also have a selection of comfort titles I reach for when I'm feeling down and nothing else is bringing me joy. Stardew Valley, Earthbound, Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Skyrim are my shortlist.
I think you've just played too many games. You know how they work now, you have a sense of what's behind the curtain. You can see the way the dev is trying to talk to you through specific camera angles and lighting placements, and you resent it and wish for the days you didn't notice that stuff.
I get it. It's valid. But it's a personal thing. Games didn't get less fun, you just aren't enjoying them anymore. They've always been like that.
May I suggest cheating? No, seriously: Download some mods, cheat tables, or trainers. Play the game the way you want to play it. Break out of the devs' carefully-packaged little box, even if it makes the game easier or makes people sneer at you. Go out of bounds. Give yourself infinite health and see how long it takes to beat the last boss naked and unarmed or using a DDR pad.
Don't cheat in multiplayer though. There's a special hell reserved for those who ruin others' experiences.
This is a common thread and question that I've seen pop up all over the internet since I first joined message boards in the early 00s. It's you and I dont mean that in a judgmental way, but it sounds like you're probably burned out or being brought down by other factors in your life.
I said it in 2002 on gamefaqs, I said it in 2005 on my small local game message board, I said it in 2010 on reddit, and I'll say it again. The best time for gaming is now. Because there are still good games coming out regardless of the bad contemporary trends, and the indy revolution of the 10s has only made that more true. On top of that all the classics you know and love are still behind us and playable.
I think you need to take a step back and try to figure out exactly what it is about gaming that you used to enjoy and try to figure out why you may not be enjoying games anymore. It could be the type of game youre playing, it could be that you're just burned out, and it could be external factors in life.
Did you used to play games with friends and family that have drifted apart as you got older? Does work leave you drained and with little time and energy to play your long playsession single player experience? Is the game that you're playing one with a toxic community? Do you feel unfulfilled in other parts of your life and feel guilty that instead of working on that you're engaging in your hobby? Are you experiencing other mental health issues like depression or anxiety that might be tinting your enjoyment of things?
There are a number of reasons you might fall into and out of gaming. I'm in my 30s and I personally go through seasons and times when I play a lot of games and when I focus my hobbys on something else. Ive felt like "maybe I'll never get that immersive feeling again like I did at 18" a bunch of times in my life and then picked up games I couldnt put down. Once you find out the why you can try and tackle the problem.
I’m not OP, but I feel like I want to add on to this if that’s alright. I think it’s often easy to get into this mindset when a trend seems to overtake a lot of the industry. For instance, personally I’ve noticed a common game that seems to get churned out a lot in recent years: it’s open world, but has nothing in it and is given light RPG elements that don’t really add anything. That doesn’t mean every game is like that, of course, but I think it can be easy to fixate on what we’re tired of seeing. Eventually, someone will come up with a new trend, and the empty open world games will fade out, and the cycle will continue as it always has. It’s also interesting to point out that humans tend to remember the past more fondly, so it’s easy to remember old gems and ignore the flops. Anyway, thanks for entertaining my ramble.
I started avoiding games that make it hard to play without choosing the meta. I look for indie games where solving mysteries about the game made it more interesting. Its not for everyone but it could be a breath of fresh air for anyone looking to get away from games that expect you to play a specific way or to grind for new stuff.
I understand where you're coming from when you look at the games with the most marketing, but we also live in the age of Minecraft, not to mention the countless games and genres it inspired. The stuff you're looking for is out there.
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