The nongaming/postgaming gamer

FAST6191 · Jun 25, 2013

It has been building for a while but today I bring it out into the open, I realise this is dangerously close to a "move it to the blogs" situation but I am more after general discussion than anything else. It has occurred to me that I no longer really play games. My 360 has not been powered in months, I have not purchased a game that was not a present since Christmas (none of which I have played), I put away the front room gamecube, my PC is still http://gbatemp.net/threads/new-pc-time.42858/ save with 4 gigs of ram, different DVD drives, new hard drives added on from dead systems and it is now a single R5450 graphics card I got about a year ago to drop the power bill a bit, my PSP plays audiobooks or reads books and even my DS went unpowered for months as I was too bone idle/unconcerned to solder a single wire to get a charger working (now I have I played about 2 hours of tetris and ignored it ever since). Time is not an issue and money is equally a non issue in all this, I have never had pirate's fatigue/syndrome or anything resembling it.

However, despite being laughably or even contemptibly underdeveloped in almost all regards, I find the business, science (as in game theory and design), technology (as in 3d hardware, general systems architecture, programming and such), politics and culture of games to be fascinating, I still pull apart games of all stripes, I still hack loads of systems and follow the hacking world as it applies to games more than anything else. To remove all that would leave a gaping hole in my free time. I realise most of my news comes from this site (USN types the signal to noise ratio is amazingly good so keep it up), occasionally floating around youtube channels, if something pops up on more general/tech news sites and going to gamasutra if I am in need of a laugh (ramshackle ivory tower would be how I probably describe that place).

There is a phrase in skateboarding circles that runs an old skateboarder never dies, they just open up a skate shop. There are similar things for many other fields and I think I may have found myself in the gaming equivalent.

BORTZ · Jun 25, 2013

I dont think im quite ready to open up my own skate shop, but I do find myself edging that way. It kinda sucks if you ask me, but there are things i do (read: play) that i feel, keep me alive as a gamer. Halo on Monday nights with the group, and replaying Super Mario Galaxy right now. Or Rage Fest '07 whatever you want to call it.

But i find myself feeling that the thrill from games comes not from playing them anymore, but modding systems and setting up all of my roms and emulators with all the games i would ever need if there was an apocalypse. I dont know, maybe im not all that dead yet... but ive certainly felt the age.

Little · Jun 25, 2013

I'm finding myself in a similar situation - I still love gaming, identify as a gamer and am booked to attend events focused on gaming (LAN parties)... but when it actually comes to gaming? I can't remember the last time I've really sat down and specifically played a game for a length of time. When I do play games it lasts for a small amount of time before I get distracted, and I don't think it particularly entertaining. For me I think it's a general time issue and tiredness thing. When I do have leisure time, I'm normally too tired to do something that needs a lot of active engagement. I prefer just consuming information - watching videos and reading stuff - and quite often it's videos and information about gaming.

Guest0000 · Jul 3, 2013

As for me, gaming comes in seasons with long intervals--we're talking years of hiatus here. The past many months have been the return of console gaming for me (and it's still gaming season right now). It started when I first experience Wii. Yep, I'm a late comer. There was a short (months I believe) hiatus before I bought the PS3 for teh first time ie the super slim.

Before the Wii and PS3, I mainly play on iOS. Now not so interested but it was fun while it lasts. iOS isn't strictly a gaming machine; it's more of a computer to be exact so I did many things too on iOS.

Before iOS, (take in mind all this 'before' sentences implies a hiatus in between them), I mainly game on PC playing Sims 1/2/3 and xmen legends. And some Harry potter too.

Before that, I believe it was PSone, the slim one. Yep, me a triple late comer. Buying PSone when everyone else were buying PS2. I played Tekken 3, a bit of alone in the dark new nightmare before got scared to touch it again, and final fantasy origins.

Before that, I played Pokemon blue and crystal mainly on game boy color.

Not long before, I play the original game boy for a not so long time.

Before that, it was PC on windows something something. I play Maui mallard cold shadow and some Disney games like Aladdin and emperors new groove. The populous with shaman too I think.

Before that, it was also PC but older windows where I play captain dynamo before windows completely boots up. Was it ms-dos because I have memories watching people play 1992's alone in the dark. My, it was scary that time!

Pardon any historical and factual inaccuracies ;-)

Sop · Jul 3, 2013

I sometimes feel like this.

Blaze163 · Jul 3, 2013

To quote Joey from Friends; 'Get out. I couldn't stop if a meteor hit me.'

But in all seriousness, I don't play anywhere near as much as I used to. I still fire up my 3DS every day for Animal Crossing and maybe a quick game of FIFA or Monster Hunter, but I used to go on epic week-long gaming sessions every time I got a new RPG or something. But to be fair back when I was a full-on gaming hermit I had literally nothing else going on. Ever. Now I have my home, my job, my fiancee and our daughter on the way. I flat out don't have time or money to be using up on gaming marathons any more. I still make time where I can to check out new releases and such, but gaming doesn't hold the power over me it used to. I've no plans to buy any more consoles. I'm not even replacing the ones that have finally died on me recently like my PS2 and PSP. I'll grab a new 3DS game from time to time. That's about it, really.

Guess I'm just getting more mature. Used to be scary but now when I'm wandering through the game stores cruising for a bargain and I check my wallet, there's the scan of my daughter in there to remind me that maybe there are more important things than games now.

Having said all that, it's pay day today and I've already paid all the bills, paid for Freya's crib, bought the lady friend a present and restocked the cupboards for the next few weeks, and I still have money to spare. I might just treat myself....one last time.

Guest0000 · Jul 3, 2013

Blaze163 said:
To quote Joey from Friends; 'Get out. I couldn't stop if a meteor hit me.'

But in all seriousness, I don't play anywhere near as much as I used to. I still fire up my 3DS every day for Animal Crossing and maybe a quick game of FIFA or Monster Hunter, but I used to go on epic week-long gaming sessions every time I got a new RPG or something. But to be fair back when I was a full-on gaming hermit I had literally nothing else going on. Ever. Now I have my home, my job, my fiancee and our daughter on the way. I flat out don't have time or money to be using up on gaming marathons any more. I still make time where I can to check out new releases and such, but gaming doesn't hold the power over me it used to. I've no plans to buy any more consoles. I'm not even replacing the ones that have finally died on me recently like my PS2 and PSP. I'll grab a new 3DS game from time to time. That's about it, really.

Guess I'm just getting more mature. Used to be scary but now when I'm wandering through the game stores cruising for a bargain and I check my wallet, there's the scan of my daughter in there to remind me that maybe there are more important things than games now.

Having said all that, it's pay day today and I've already paid all the bills, paid for Freya's crib, bought the lady friend a present and restocked the cupboards for the next few weeks, and I still have money to spare. I might just treat myself....one last time.

Good to hear that, mate! I'm sure you'll be a good father and husband. I hope we can all see where our needs and wants lie. Moderation is good for everything. Make sure to not completely throw gaming away, I'm sure your daughter will grow up to like it--as is everyone.

As for me, I'm making a guide for all the consoles (inc. games list) for everybody else's reference in case I'm absent--and the consoles are still working in the future

PityOnU · Jul 3, 2013

Scary fact: the average gamer is now more than 30 years old.

Arm73 · Jul 3, 2013

PityOnU said:
Scary fact: the average gamer is now more than 30 years old.

I know I'm 39, soon to be 40 !
And I know exactly how FAST6191 feels.

Sometime I realize I spend more time on the internet looking for game related news and articles then actually playing the games.
I also own a lot of system but they are all boxed now and I mostly use the PC for gaming, Wii for old school emulators on a 27" Nokia CRT TV ( for that authentic feel ) and sparingly the DS ( I still have to finish the last Professor Layton ) or PSP.

But yeah, it has happened trough the years to lose interest for a few months and then find it again when the right game came along.
Right now the solution would be less talk and more play, I still have a huge backlog of games to finish !

And.....
I know it's silly but the internet is kind of the root of all problems.
Sometimes I just want to quickly check something and the I spend hours on forums and youtube.

Last year I visited my brother in Netherlands for a month and half, and he doesn't have an internet connection in his house !
How did I survive ?
Luckily I brought my Wii with me and a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles.
Without any distraction from the internet, I managed to put 130 hours into it and to me it was the longest I've ever played a game in my life ( I don't usually play jRPGs ).

So here's the solution:
Try to limit your time on the internet, and you'll find yourself playing more and more

FAST6191 · Jul 3, 2013

Arm73 said:
So here's the solution:
Try to limit your time on the internet, and you'll find yourself playing more and more

The thing is though I do not want to play more and I am not even all that close to viewing it as a problem.

No internet also means no spending hours and hours watching lectures, no endless research as I pull things apart and chat with those that do, no hours and hours reading books, wikis, forums and general sites on all manner of subjects and similar such things.

Blaze163 said:
Guess I'm just getting more mature. Used to be scary but now when I'm wandering through the game stores cruising for a bargain and I check my wallet, there's the scan of my daughter in there to remind me that maybe there are more important things than games now.

I am never quite sure what mature means unless it is in a discussion about cheese and most of the examples that have been offered to me seem like something I would not go in for. I dare say it is a spin on the old phrase of "getting old is mandatory, growing up... less so".
That said I still have zero attachments to anything, no commitments and no responsibilities (from your example the world is a better place if I do not spawn). That has always been the case though so I am not sure what might have changed, if anything actually has.

Panzer Tacticer · Jul 7, 2013

You can't do anything indefinitely.

I like making models, it's my default activity. When I feel like doing nothing much, I end up making a model.

But I find myself in a funk and unable to make models periodically.

I have the same result with anime, I can binge watch a series and then just stop watching anime for a time. I have had some years when I seem to obsess over it.

I have played some games to death, and then gone for a long while not gaming.

Occasionally something will happen in my life and it basically puts me in a mood where I just don't want to do anything at all.

But I have been around since before most of our modern world's forms of entertainment were around. I used to think everything was tonka trucks

I think a lot of our forms of entertainment are due for some serious shakeups. The world has not stopped evolving, and a lot of the old ways of doing things have managed to make it into the present day intact. I recall the days before video rentals and now video rental is mostly dead, replaced by things like Netflix. I can actually see a day when used games are no longer required, because you don't need to own the media to begin with. And I have seen what a 3d printer can do where model making is concerned. I have seen anime stop being something I needed to get from a fan sub service. I used to feverishly download the stuff, but now Crunchyroll like options are easier.

I think a lot of change is on the horizon.

Biggest change for me though, was I realized I was never the person I thought I was.
It's done a lot to dramatically impact a lot of the things I do.

ii-c-going · Jul 7, 2013

Panzer Tacticer said:
Biggest change for me though, was I realized I was never the person I thought I was.

Want a blue or a red pill panzer?

But seriously, i get wat you mean. I've always concidered myself a real 'gamer', since the two things that got me trough my childhood were my passion for drumming and my passion for videogames. Both stayed an important part of my 34 year old live.

I was fortunate enough to expand both my hobbies into paid jobs, as a employee in a computerstore and as a percussion instructor as a sidejob. Since about 3 years allot has changed. I was forced to switch my dayjob, and as a result i needed to cut down on my instructing job. I also became a father, and my son made me aware of other (more) important things in life.

For a while i was afraid to let go of the things i adored in my childhood, but now i can look at them as good memories. I try to see it this way: If you try to continue doing everything you ever did, and everything you pick up along the way, by the time you're 50 you would go nuts!

That said, i still enjoy lurking the temp, and pulling my :psp:

out for some retro action from time to time...

Celice · Jul 8, 2013

I'm in a similar position. I've been playing videogames since I was at least three years old, and remember my parents finishing Super Mario Bros. 3, and bringing home the brand new SNES.

So I've been on games for essentially my entire life. Pretty early on I figured out the genres that really turned my head: the RPG and the strategy versions of them. But I enjoyed pretty much any game that was fun, no matter the genre and no matter the style. I will confess though that Sega was fucking weird and I could not grasp its freakish three-button layout. It felt awkward and lacking, like your first craigslist meetup.

Now, I just finished up some undergrad studies in Literature and Philosophy, and I've been turning more and more insight towards videogames as a medium, rather than entertainment. I recognize the two are strongly interwoven, but there are some games that people love--namely Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite--that I find to be pretty mediocre, really. I've played these games before. They're made fantastically well, and execute all the right gameplay, but it brings nothing fresh, and in a way, it's just another rehash of the same game I've already played, countless times.

That's not to say I don't play new games. I love the Metro 2033 series, I fell in love with the stalker games two summers and have been playing them non-stop ever since (they have the best goddamn modding community around). Minecraft was great find for me back in 2010. And I'm sure there will be new games coming that I'll love, like Serious Sam 4, due out next year.

I don't think it's so much about me, however. It's that the industry has turned into this strange mixture of popular media and appeal to consumer markets. I could understand it in terms of the economic problems that began some years back, but many publishers seem desperate to turn cash on as little risk as possible, and that's been churning out these somewhat flat games, as far as I've experienced them. And it's not only me that's been feeling this way--the past few months, I've heard a lot of people complaining that they've lost an interest in gaming, that it feels like they're just playing a movie. Game design has turned from chaotic and organic into linear and meticulous. Some games, this works very nice, like Metro--but the gameplay and the narrative are intertwined in this limited fashion. Other games use it as a means to service the consumer gamer, to show them they're great at the game, but also to get by with putting less than stellar gameplay in their product.

I can only say I'm eagerly looking forward to countless fan mods and projects which have been yearning towards a more nostalgic, non-popular standard of gaming. The definition of "fan" has also become quite broad, considering you have old developers starting their own independent projects: I'm really looking forward to Wasteland 2, for example.

Or you just have damn-good games. Dark Souls 2, don't be a disappointment.

Panzer Tacticer · Jul 8, 2013

"If you try to continue doing everything you ever did, and everything you pick up along the way, by the time you're 50 you would go nuts!"

Interesting you should say that

I'm 51, but I have turfed some interesting things out of my early life at least.
Still, it isn't always easy to juggle it all.

The nongaming/postgaming gamer

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