Time for another "I'm getting too old for gaming" thread

[shortylickens]

Despite its art style, Kerbal Space Program is excellent for adults.

 

[Denithor]

Despite its art style, Kerbal Space Program is excellent for adults.

Have never really looked at this title, from Google images it looks like Minions + Minecraft in Space?

 

[TeknoBug]

I'm 40, not too old for gaming but too old for "certain" games. I also cannot even stand mobile games. I used to love Call of Duty, but hate it now.

 

[TheSlamma]

Have never really looked at this title, from Google images it looks like Minions + Minecraft in Space?

They are 3 alien guys that you use for your space program.

It is a very cerebral game.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I'm 33 and I worry about that happening to me eventually. Every time I think that might be the case for me I run into another game that I love though. It's mostly single player games that I like, but occasionally I'll get into a multiplayer game. I think I'm finally done with Mortal Kombat X after some 500 hours of playing it. Surprisingly, that's probably the first fighting game I really put in the time to get good at. Playing it online at a decently high level was great fun.

The problem with most single player games is that I burn through them so quickly. I really enjoy single player games with great atmosphere and well told stories. Games like Alien: Isolation, Bioshock, and Soma always hook me, but I finish them so quickly. Really good RPGs like The Witcher 3, Fallout, and The elder scrolls games offer more playtime, but once I finish them I rarely want to replay them.

Right now I'm trying to slog through Dark Souls again, but I don't think I'm going to make it. The trial and error gameplay is bad enough, but the fact that they put a few minutes worth of enemies between the nearest save point and every boss fight just makes it a boring and miserable experience most of the time. Trudging through the same stretch of level for the umpteenth time to face a boss you know you probably don't know how to beat yet kills my soul. I just don't get what people see in that game.

In any case, give gaming a rest for a while if you don't feel into it. It shouldn't feel like work. Eventually something you're excited about will come around and draw you back in naturally. No point in forcing it.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I haven't played Witcher 3, but most of the times when you see claims of '100+ hours' it doesn't mean that. Like in Fallout 3 and Skyrim, you can play for hundreds of hours, but I finished Fallout 3 in about 20 hours in a long weekend. Basically so-called 'open world' games are like that, you can do the main story in 20-30 hours, or you can forget the main story and just run around the map exploring. That's when you get those '100+ hours' claims.

I put over 180 hours into it at normal difficulty. The thing with TW3 is that, while there are many quests that are technically "side quests", they are as high quality as most RPG's main quests and reveal tidbits about the story and characters that you generally are interested in learning. It's a game where if you are enjoying playing it, you're pretty much guaranteed to get your 100+ hours of playtime because you'll naturally find yourself unable to stick to the just the main story.

 

[Harrod]

I feel like I am loosing interest in a lot of games. For some reason I really don't like any of the FPS that have been showing up lately, I feel like the pinnacle for me was in college playing Battlefield 1942 and Medal of Honor.

Here lately I play a lot of Skyrim or Kerbal Space Program, but it's hard in both games not to eventually cheat for me and basically ruin the character(build a ship that can land at 30m/s or create an OP character). I think I've restarted Skyrim about 7 times now, and Kerbal Space Program 8 or 9 times. In my opinion both games are great fun when you are starting out and your equipment choices are crap.

I'm looking forward to Just Cause 3 and Fallout 4. I remember back in the day thinking that the games were awesome and that it would be great once the hardware caught up, now it seems like the hardware has caught up and their are really few choices that I get excited about now.

I used to look back at past games on the NES/SNES and thinking that was the golden era of gaming, but now if you try to play them you realize how hard some of those games were, and the awesome part was the developers really weren't apologetic about the difficulty.

 

[shortylickens]

Theres plenty of mods that make Skyrim harder.

Also, you could just download mods with expensive homes. Selling all your loot to purchase them will keep you with minimal equipment.

 

[Omar F1]

Despite owning a somewhat cutting edge system and a Steam library of 250-games, it's unfortunate that it seems I finally gave up on gaming and it doesn't interest me much lately.

News and events around this region plus current financial crisis where I do work are main reasons to blame, much more that aging I think (I'm now 30).

While divided between historical/politics/novels reading and watching some TV-series (Stargate/24-Hours), I still hope that gaming may become fun again.

 

[moonbogg]

Went camping this weekend and it kicked ass. I played an actual competitive shooting game called "Annie Oakley" and I Pwnt hard winning 5 games. It was an absolutely exhilarating blast.
I came home Sunday, and then last night (on Monday night) finally decided to play a couple rounds of BF4 and I barely had the will to respawn. I did good for one game, but after that I just fell into a coma due to lack of desire. No biggie. As others have said, maybe I'll get excited about gaming again later.
I need to remember that I have done what I came for in BF4. I got the most out of it and did what I wanted to do. I'm just ready to turn the page I think. If the right game came out, I would get excited about it I'm sure.
The thought of a new futuristic BF game like 2142 would excite me I think. I would probably be all over that if they did it right.

 

[Chiropteran]

Having a kid has ruined my gaming more than getting old has.

However, I do hate the trend of new games to add "skill based elements" which really just means add things that require twitch reflexes and split-second aiming. I mean, that stuff has a place in action FPS games, but I am so tired of seeing RPG and puzzles games add these elements.

I'd love to see some good turn based pvp games. IMO hearthstone is a huge hit simply because it fits this rare niche.

 

[escrow4]

I can easily dedicate at least 30-40 hours a week if a decent single player game comes out but lately there haven't been that many.

DEATH TO MULTIPLAYER. :twisted:

 

[olds]

57 in December. I am more interested in multiplayer FPS but I do play single player games/modes.

Just got GTA 5 but there are so many keyboard controls it's going to take me a while to learn them. I find that boring and have given up on a game or two because of it.

 

[RaistlinZ]

35

I've always been more into RPGs than other games. I played games like Crystalis, Faxanadu, and The Legend of Zelda in the Nintendo days. I turned to Final Fantasy and Elder Scrolls in my late teens and early 20's. In recent years, Dragon Age Origins, Skyrim, and The Witcher 3.

I've also always been into MMORPGS like Dark Age of Camelot, Age of Conan, Rift, and Guild Wars 2. I never could get into FPS games much against live people. If you're not REALLY good you just end up being fodder, which isn't fun.

I think as you get older you value your time more, so you want your gaming experience to be worthwhile and enjoyable. Someone said it's like reading a good book, which is true. Give me single-player RPG with 100+ hours and a good story and you'll have a customer for life.

 

[mkmitch]

Got a lot of smiles reading through this thread as I am 66. A few years back talking to my doctor who is also a neighbor he suggested I get back into computer gaming to keep my brain active. No longer able to do much in the way of physical activities do to the ticker. I also build computers for friends and relatives as I enjoy putting things together and tweaking them to work well.

As far as games, no multiplayer for me unless you count DayZ. I enjoyed Skyrim, New Vegas and will play Fallout 4. I bought Arma 3 a year ago and have played about 1 hour and the same is true with games I got with the video cards.

 

[Nebor]

57 in December. I am more interested in multiplayer FPS but I do play single player games/modes.

Just got GTA 5 but there are so many keyboard controls it's going to take me a while to learn them. I find that boring and have given up on a game or two because of it.

Agreed. I find myself using an Xbox controller for driving\flying, but then there are some things that I don't know how to do with the Xbox controller and some things I don't know how to do with the keyboard. Then eventually I get tired of driving around from mission to mission and just get in a huge gun battle with the cops and wind up at the hospital. Usually in less than an hour I'm sick of it.

 

[shortylickens]

Got a lot of smiles reading through this thread as I am 66. A few years back talking to my doctor who is also a neighbor he suggested I get back into computer gaming to keep my brain active. No longer able to do much in the way of physical activities do to the ticker. I also build computers for friends and relatives as I enjoy putting things together and tweaking them to work well.

As far as games, no multiplayer for me unless you count DayZ. I enjoyed Skyrim, New Vegas and will play Fallout 4. I bought Arma 3 a year ago and have played about 1 hour and the same is true with games I got with the video cards.

if you have the time, play Fallout 3.

 

[ControlD]

I'm 46 and I still like to game, but I have found that a lot of games just don't register with me anymore. I find myself playing things like TOME or Dungeons of Dredmor more often than the latest and greatest AAA titles. I have been trying and trying to get interested in Witcher 3, it just bores me (maybe 10 hours played). I don't know what it is, brain rot or something. I like games I can play over and over and keep learning new things I guess. Sometimes a game like Borderlands 2 comes along and I can't get enough of it. It just seems like I have to wade through a lot of games to get that feeling these days.

 

[Zodiark1593]

For me single-player games are like reading a book. So I find myself gravitating towards the quality ones as I get older. Right now I'm just getting into the original Starflight series from the 80s (first time I've had to read a manual for a game), courtesy of GOG.

I find Valkyria Chronicles to be an excellent single-player game, and aside from one or two flaws, a fantastic story and fun battle system. The visuals are also absolutely gorgeous. They were great on the PS3, though on PC, I imagine the resolution bump will work very well with the canvas art style.

 

[TidusZ]

Having a kid has ruined my gaming more than getting old has.

However, I do hate the trend of new games to add "skill based elements" which really just means add things that require twitch reflexes and split-second aiming. I mean, that stuff has a place in action FPS games, but I am so tired of seeing RPG and puzzles games add these elements.

I'd love to see some good turn based pvp games. IMO hearthstone is a huge hit simply because it fits this rare niche.

I agree, it seems every MMO that comes out now has to be an action oriented mmo when really I'd just prefer WoW/Rift style

 

[JTDSR]

44 here.

I remember you from about 2 weeks ago Moonbogg. Someone on the NAM server by the name of SteelyDan said you were *unkillable*. I had a good time playing against you and we seemed to go head to head quite a bit.

Regarding the crux of your initial post:

I too play BF4 every single night, and on weekends still. I am able to manage work/wife/kids/responsibilities and still have a decent amount of time to play daily. What I miss personally, are the old school, open world MMO's where one could go and hunt for an hour or two, and bring back a sack full of rare loot to barter with. Games like Asheron's Call 1/2, Everquest, etc. I still enjoy a good FPS, and I did rather enjoy Battlefront and will be playing that when it releases. On the RPG/MMO front though, I find that needing to have large instanced raids for 3-4 hours a clip, at 3-4 times a week is no longer possible for me personally, and long for the good old days of solo grinding for the best randomized loot possible.

PS: Anyone know if there is a way to get my old Anandtech account by the name of Stylewar back from like 1999?

 

[Rhezuss]

It's weird but my newly bought PS4 just renewed my will to play games...Diablo 3 and Destiny coop with friends is really fun as are singleplayer games like Bloodborne.

Couch playing is great (yeah i'm late to the party).

 

[TheSlamma]

It's weird but my newly bought PS4 just renewed my will to play games...Diablo 3 and Destiny coop with friends is really fun as are singleplayer games like Bloodborne.

Couch playing is great (yeah i'm late to the party).

Can couch play on a Steam big picture machine what 2? 3 years ago?

 

[Pocatello]

I'm too old for certain games which require me to push buttons in a certain order very quickly to move to the next stage. Or games don't let you save whenever you want, but only in certain stages, so I have to repeat ad nauseam if my character keeps falling down trying to climb some broken radio tower.

 

[poofyhairguy]

However, I do hate the trend of new games to add "skill based elements" which really just means add things that require twitch reflexes and split-second aiming. I mean, that stuff has a place in action FPS games, but I am so tired of seeing RPG and puzzles games add these elements.

Amen. The game I put the most enthusiasm into the last ten years was South Park's The Stick of Truth, but then after weeks of playing it for a few hours a day I got stopped cold when I couldn't get through giving the abortion.

Every other month I get back into the game and try to get past the damn abortion and I can't. What is frustrating is everywhere else in the game if you don't have good timing it makes it super easy for you after you fail once or twice, but with the abortion sequence you die if you fail so it never gets easier.

I have actually considered paying a neighborhood kid to do it for me so I can beat the game, but I am in a religious neighborhood and I don't want some parent bitching at me because I paid their kid to help me perform an abortion.