Am I the only one like this?

[fatsquirrel]

Hello there!


Let me introduce myself, Im almost 30 years old and Ive been a gamer for all my life. I love games and everything connected with them. Always did, always will. But lately Ive started to see this problem.
Im searching for good games to play all the time, however no matter how good the game is I get bored and put it aside. I haven’t finished a game for several years now. Whats happening. Am I growing too old for games?! I know it’s a stupid thing to post on forums but still, is there anyone else like me out there in the wild?

 

[GameWinner]

You're not the only one.
I have several PS3 and 3DS (now Wii U) games that I have yet to beat.
I strangely finish all my Vita games. Or at least try.

 

[pokefloote]

I'm 22 and have "gamed" all my life. Same feeling I guess. Are you pirating them? It also happens to me, but only on systems that I can pirate games on. I think that overload or ease of access to any game in a system's library lessens the entertainment effect on each game somewhat. Spend $60 on a game = try to enjoy your money's worth, or just trade it back in. Pirate = Well, there's a thousand other things to try.

At one point I was spending more time searching for new games and downloading than I was playing them. That time has passed and now I love buying games.

http://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-beat-pirates-syndrome.292389/
Made that thread ages ago, the responses are pretty interesting. So many people have felt that way when it's so easy to get any game.

Of course if this has nothing to do with pirating then I don't know what advice to give ya.
I suppose gaming has changed direction drastically from even 10 years ago, working towards a cinematic storytelling type of game instead of the to-the-point storytelling of earlier games. (Most popular games, anyway.) Could just be a change of taste, or your interests have just stayed the same and everything else has changed.

 

[Taleweaver]

"too old for games" is just stupid. I'm 34 and I enjoy it as much (or even more) as 20 years ago. However, it has become more of a pass-time rather than something that absorbs all my free time.

To a degree, the point of any game is that you will get bored of it sooner or later. The fun in the game is learning and honing certain skills. If you keep playing the same game over and over again, that fun-appeal will drain out. It also sort of explains how experienced gamers can get bored of a game much faster than a casual gamer: they already learned all the game had to offer for a challenge.

My own solution to this is to play a variety of games. I play platformers, puzzle games, open world games, FPS...and so on. Don't stick to just one genre, but diversify. That can help.

@pokefl
(if that sounds contradictionary to the above: it's not. Always limit yourself to 2 or 3 games at most. Just make sure those are completely different from one another)

 

[slingblade1170]

Happened to me as well. I'm 25 and have gamed all my life too and since I beat Skyrim back in 2011 I haven't really been sucked into a game that I couldn't stop playing. I have to force myself to turn on and continue playing a game that I like now days.

Its kind of depressing that I have to think about which console to buy or game is going to be the best, when in my childhood I bought and played them all.

 

[fatsquirrel]

Its kind of depressing that I have to think about which console to buy or game is going to be the best, when in my childhood I bought and played them all.

This exactly

 

[migles]

looks like i am not the only one, i am 22 and when i was a kid i missed school so many days to stay home playing on computer, and now i have nothing to do and lots of games (specially bought) and everytime i find a new game i have really a lot of fun in the first day i try, but the next day i forget i have that new game to play and i will not touch it for weeks.. later i remember i have that game eventually i play it again for a day but the same happens and i don't finish it

the reason i think this happens is because i have an old computer which doesn't run anything now, so i am stuck with laggy fps some even unplayable and is frustrating to play new games which i quit...

but now i have my 3ds and i managed to end zelda and one or another, i am addicted to anymal crossing, but i miss the old times on the computer gaming...

 

[lismati]

You're never "The only one like this" if you post on such a big message board.

For me, it's like buying games cheaply (eg. summer sale) doesn't motivate me to beat them, like I still haven't touched like 40% of my steam library. On the other hand, when I buy a game for its full price, like Thief, lately, I keep on pushing on to finish it, even through that god damn chapter 5, which is kinda hard, given that I hate horror games, and this asylum part is hella creepy.

(this post is an invitation to call me a pussy)

 

[Clarky]

Being a similar age I can relate, a lot of it is the mind set that at your age you should be doing more than sitting around playing video games, which is why you are finding yourself bored or uninterested in playing any. One of the few ways I found to remedy this is by taking up a few other hobbies too

 

[weavile001]

No, you´re not the only one...
From all my games, 70% of them are Pirated, of course, Most games here cost over R$200 ( 100$) , So i just buy 3-4 through the year.
but when i Buy one, expect 200 Hours of gameplay, whether it takes 10 hours to finish or 100 hours, I normally don´t bother to finish the Pirated ones

One thing that motivates me to play games is the soundtrack, I have Persona 1-4 on my PC, I Play them as if I had Bought them, because the Boss battle themes are Freakin.Epic.

 

[PolloDiablo]

however no matter how good the game is I get bored and put it aside.

what types of games you like?

 

[Guild McCommunist]

muh childhood.

Just pick up other hobbies, having a singular hobby gets very boring and uninteresting. Like I like video games but I like a lot of television and movie stuff and play Magic. So I'm able to meet a lot of people with somewhat diverse set of hobbies.

Like I don't spend much time on video games any more honestly, between work and school my free time is precious and I usually spend it on Magic or with friends or even both. Maybe once a week I'll sit down to play video games, but that's rarely.

 

[Foxi4]

You have your expectations bar set too high. As you grow older and gain experience (lel, game reference), you gradually become harder and harder to surprise. Eventually you hit the point where you've seen it all, nothing surprises you and by proxy, little amuses you. Instead of going for quality, you instinctively reach out for quantity - you simply move on to the next game on the list, waiting for something to amuse you... and this moment never comes.

The problem isn't in games, it's in your approach. This sounds terribly hippie, but bare with me for a moment. Dim the lights, get a nice drink and some snacks, settle into your favorite sofa or armchair and... no, this is not an intro to a porno, I told you to bare with me! Flush your mind, boot up a game and take it for what it is. You have to enjoy it as a child would, you have to re-awaken that childhood wonder that made you amazed by whole 5 frames of animation. If you don't have that curiosity of a child, you instinctively take things as a snob would, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - some people like to be snobbish, but you clearly have a problem with this.

The problem isn't that you've forgotten how to have fun, rather that you've forgotten how to be amused by all the small things. You have to try and put yourself in the right mindset and savour whatever game you choose to play. It would obviously help if it was a good game, so it's not a bad idea to act on recommendation here.

 

[Hells Malice]

Well i'm 22. I can't just no-life games all day like I used to, as such I have plenty of unfinished games.

I think it's actually because too many good games are coming out. I keep jumping from one game to the next instead of sitting on one till completion. I am doing my best to curb this...but it ain't working so far.

As i've said to a friend before, I get too easily distracted by shiny things. That's definitely not something caused by age...actually you'd think getting older would fix that.

 

[slingblade1170]

You have your expectations bar set too high. As you grow older and gain experience (lel, game reference), you gradually become harder and harder to surprise. Eventually you hit the point where you've seen it all, nothing surprises you and by proxy, little amuses you. Instead of going for quality, you instinctively reach out for quantity - you simply move on to the next game on the list, waiting for something to amuse you... and this moment never comes.

The problem isn't in games, it's in your approach. This sounds terribly hippie, but bare with me for a moment. Dim the lights, get a nice drink and some snacks, settle into your favorite sofa or armchair and... no, this is not an intro to a porno, I told you to bare with me! Flush your mind, boot up a game and take it for what it is. You have to enjoy it as a child would, you have to re-awaken that childhood wonder that made you amazed by whole 5 frames of animation. If you don't have that curiosity of a child, you instinctively take things as a snob would, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - some people like to be snobbish, but you clearly have a problem with this.

The problem isn't that you've forgotten how to have fun, rather that you've forgotten how to be amused by all the small things. You have to try and put yourself in the right mindset and savour whatever game you choose to play. It would obviously help if it was a good game, so it's not a bad idea to act on recommendation here.

I don't think this is the solution entirely, while I agree with this thats not all. Developers tend to make their games now days to be just like every other game because of the money it made. I can easily boot up a SNES/N64 emulator and have a blast playing a game that I never played on my actual SNES or N64. So many of game genres had been played out quite a bit too much, especially FPS games.

Now, from a medical and psychological standpoint its normal from people our age to have these feelings. In early and mid 20s mental development is happening in a similar way to becoming a teenager. You will rethink most things you loved your entire life and feel differently about it, depressed and unsatisfied. So, for most of us we will get over it by age and chances are games will become much more appealing and "fun" again.

 

[Foxi4]

I don't think this is the solution entirely, while I agree with this thats not all. Developers tend to make their games now days to be just like every other game because of the money it made. I can easily boot up a SNES/N64 emulator and have a blast playing a game that I never played on my actual SNES or N64. So many of game genres had been played out quite a bit too much, especially FPS games.

Now, from a medical and psychological standpoint its normal from people our age to have these feelings. In early and mid 20s mental development is happening in a similar way to becoming a teenager. You will rethink most things you loved your entire life and feel differently about it, depressed and unsatisfied. So, for most of us we will get over it by age and chances are games will become much more appealing and "fun" again.

Booting up an old game and having a blast is wearing nostalgia glasses - it's a blast from the past experience, not a "genuinely good game" experience. Developers have been after your money then as much as they are now - video game development is a business. If anything, games became more complex, more elaborate and more polished over time. I find the statement that "back in my day games were better!" as debatable as "back in my day, we listened to classical music, not this loud and obnoxious rock 'n roll crap, you devil worshipper!". There are good games out there, you just need to have an open mind. Remember that the experiences you had earlier in your life are exaggerated in your mind simply because back then, 16 colours on-screen and 10 animation frames were nothing short of a technological miracle and having six buttons instead of two was considered a game-changer. You were more easily amazed and this amazement stays ingrained in your memories.

 

[slingblade1170]

Booting up an old game and having a blast is wearing nostalgia glasses - it's a blast from the past experience, not a "genuinely good game" experience. Developers have been after your money then as much as they are now - video game development is a business. If anything, games became more complex, more elaborate and more polished over time. I find the statement that "back in my day games were better!" as debatable as "back in my day, we listened to classical music, not this loud and obnoxious rock 'n roll crap, you devil worshipper!". There are good games out there, you just need to have an open mind.

I didn't say back in my day games were better, they felt different. I know the entire video game industry is out for cash, i'm not an idiot. Also, its not really nostalgia when its a game I never played. Of course there are good games out there but 99% of the time they are identical to a game that has been played out.