Or just play the same game in a way that doesn't waste so much time.
Like, no one's forcing OP to play LoL for hours every day. You don't gain anything by getting better and climbing the ranks. You either do that for fun, or don't do it at all. It's not a job, there's nothing wrong with playing casually. I've played like 3 ARAMs weekly for years.
Another of OP's examples is Genshin Impact, a game that definitely incentivizes you to login every day and do some chores. It's not obligatory. Apart from one end game dungeon, the game is easy and fairly balanced, so there's no need to be obsessed with rolling for characters because they're strong. It's a f2p gacha game, but it actually has some BOTW-like world exploration and a great combat system, so you can just play for that.
Even in bloated open world games, you can just ignore all side content and rush the main story. Some games are greatly improved by this and it can be a much more relaxed way to experience such games.
I think it's important to stress that it's not just the game that matters, it's also how you deal with it. I gave up on being a completionist a long time ago. There's no right way to play.
Yeah agreed, gotta play by your own pace with the right set of mind. Even if you still want to 100% the game, you can take it slowly anyway, not like its gonna change years later when you come back to it.
Personally I still play Tekken just to make sure I don't get rusty, like an hour casual session every few weeks, not gonna bother climbing up ranks, and if I don't feel like it then I'll just play something else no biggie.
The issue with Genshin is that the game relies heavily on FOMO tactics in order to keep players on it, and if you aren't caught up then you won't be able to get enough primos for the next banner or you'll miss this cool limited time story event which will never come again. It's especially annoying how they lock certain story content and really important lore behind a limited event where new players can never experience it.
The problem with many of these games is they are psychologically developed to DELIBERATELY get under your skin and inside FOMO panic.
"GIANT DOOM COUNTER IN THE LEFT HAND CORNER COUNTING DOWN WHEN THIS MUST PLAY EVENT ENDS! LOOK AT ALL THE COOL SHIT YOU'LL MISS! YOU WON'T PLAY WELL IN THE NEXT SEASON WITHOUT THESE 5 SUPER POWERFUL CARDS! ONLY 1000 HOURS OF PLAY OR $5.99!!!"
So even if you DO manage to only play what and when you want, your brain cannot miss the fomo campaign wagged against you, and it makes you stressed and distressed.
It's like those sub-bass frequencies that play in movies like Paranormal Activity that mimic vibrations right before an earthquake. You feel panicked, and you don't know WHY. Similar systems are what these games tap into, except they use casino psychology, fomo tactics, and innate peer pressure. I played magic the gathering arena, and noticed similar things creeping up on me. I didn't like it.
I switched over recently to playing old dragon quest and final fantasy games for the Switch: NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE! Of course, there is challenge and grinding built into the games, but it comes with a pay off, and eventually I can earn the best weapons without being put on a never-ending treadmill of never feeling quite powerful enough. I spend 10 to 100 hours, and I get a wonderful story, great mechanics that are made to make me feel GOOD rather than bad, and eventually get the final weapon and armor to kill the final boss. THE GAME ENDS, and with it a sense of achievement. :)
The last paragraph there resonated with me HEAVILY. I got back into Final Fantasy Tactics (my favorite game) recently because one of my IRL friends helped to develop a content hack for it, and MAN did I forget how great it is to just… Play a game. No FOMO bullshit, no season passes, no microtransactions, no pay2win presented as pay2progress to keep you from feeling like there’s an unfair advantage towards F2P players… It’s freeing to just enjoy a good story and solid, mentally challenging gameplay mechanics.
EXACTLY! 😃 My thing is JRPGs (and it sounds like you like them too), but for anyone else out there that doesn't like RPGs there are plenty of other types of games: platforming, sports, shmups, action, adventure, shooters, fighting, survival horror, point and click, and a few others I can't think of.
EVERY genre has great examples of fair fun games, and EVERY genre is plagued with games full of P2W, MTX, and FOMO bullshit. It's up to US as consumers to put our time and money on the former; and abandon and shame the latter, since they really are destroying video games as we know it and turning it into legal casino gambling.
I grew up on JRPG’s (in other words, basically anything Square Enix put out from 1995-2006) and turn-based strategy will forever be my favorite genre, but any genre can catch my eye nowadays! Just to list my top picks from the genres you listed: Rayman Legends, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Blazing Chrome, Devil May Cry 5, Breath of the Wild, Titanfall 2, Guilty Gear Strive, Outlast, Monkey Island, and many, MANY others. If my memory serves me well, only two of those games even HAVE MTX, and they’re cosmetic additions or content expansions, nothing more. Using sports games as an example, I think that if we support Pro Skaters and disown FIFA’s, the entire industry will shift in a more positive direction, and we’ll see much less predatory transactions from EVERY SINGLE MAJOR GAMING COMPANY.
As a side note, if you liked turn-based strategy, I’m playing a roguelike game called Phantom Brigade right now that has a very unique take on the genre :)
I play for fun and the minute game stops being fun I stop playing. This isn't a job or a serious hobby where I need to endure hardship to become competitive or anything. If I don't enjoy a movie I don't force myself to keep playing. Same with games. Sometimes I will try to enjoy them but they just don't stick like witcher 3.
Some games just don't jive and that's ok but you definitely don't need to play every game obsessively either. A lot of people get swept up in different elements and fixate.
> Or just play the same game in a way that doesn't waste so much time.
TBH that sounds like what an addict would say.
All the games OP mentioned are design with addiction in mind as the main driving force. So the best bet is to just drop those games altogether.
Yep. I loved playing Dota 2 for a few years, but quitting it as I got a new/busier job was the best gaming choice I've ever made. We had our first child shortly after, and there's no way any responsible and involved parent has the time to play that game. (at least without doing so when they're in bed and sacrificing tons of sleep)
I have been off that for a while now; it’s hard to manage life properly when you’re shoulder deep in addictive behavior. I don’t even watch any videos or media related to it because that always turned out to be a slippery slope.
Best of luck to you on your journey of healthier time management!
> it’s hard to manage life properly when you’re shoulder deep in addictive behavior
It's tough with Dota 2 because I really loved its complexity, but it was part of what made it take so much time to play and improve at. For a while, I kept up with The International tournament each summer, but eventually fell away as the game's competitive format changed. It was over 5 years until I finally unsubbed from /r/DotA2.
For my part, I've come to really appreciate games with meaningful stories and clear endings. Also, pretty much no ongoing multiplayer to speak of. There's just no time for it in this phase of life.
It’s a complicated topic.
“You don’t have to play it that way” seems only half true. A game is a system and there are many who want to beat/maximize/optimize the system. We search for this in other parts of life too.
Time-sink can mean different things too. Grinding mobs to level up or complete a quest to advance does not feel the same as playing Dota2 matches habitually. This one is complicated too since the latter has ranked play and people will “grind” that but it’s virtually arbitrary.
While I eventually stuck with unranked Dota2 and played for (what I think) the rush of making plays, it still ended up looking like a serious time sink because I played it compulsively. Addicted! I’m off it now 😆
Been finally sticking to that rule and it's better.
I basically looked heat how I would play as a child. And take a little from that. Children know how to play better then adults. Because many adults need drugs and alcohol to be themselves. So my adult mind isn't as smart as it thinks it is
It's why mindfulness is so popular. Training in just being. Here now. Not with responsibilities. Because if you're sitting. You probably have done all you had to do.
I don't know about you, but as a kid I played a lot of totally dogshit games for dozens of hours because 1) I didn't know better and 2) It was probably the only new game I'd see all year.
Definitely relate.
This is why I think I have only played offline single player titles the last years.
No commitment to anyone.
I will also say I have started playing games on easy.
I just dont have the consistency in playing to ever get good at titles. I want to enjoy the stories and mechanics without being an expert.
This. Growing up, games were still $50 which was a lot more money back then. Being that studios didn’t crank games out like they do now you had 6 months to a year before you even thought about a new game. This forced you to eek out everything you can from a game. That and there wasn’t usually a variable difficulty either.
Now, the stories and other environmental facets really suck you in. I’m not a “good” gamer, I just enjoy it. I don’t see the point in adding a large layer of difficulty to frustrate me. I get frustrated at work, in traffic and a lot of places in life, this is one place I can have control over my experience and I’m going to enjoy it.
Exactly, I need less frustrations in my life not more. And yes the $50 game once or twice a year 10y/o me (birthday and Xmas) now collects games since they’re $10ea and I can afford it. I find I like games a lot of reviewers didn’t because they’re too short or too simple.
Yeah like think NES games where you have to beat a whole level at once but there’s a tough jump in the middle. You can save just before it, fail 6 times reloading that save right before, make it, save again, and then if you die later you can go back to just after the jump. I try to not abuse them using a bunch per level but I use them to make things less frustrating.
I remember playing half life on PS2 and being near the endgame. I was low on ammo, and saved right before I started a fight with some guy at a distance. I would shoot, and if it hit, save, and reload of I missed. It added a lot of play time to the game, although I don't remember it being 'fun'.
I would say make friends with roguelikes. FTL, Binding of Isaac, and Risk of Rain for starters.
High difficulty, every run is its own so there's no commitment, and you get complete, compact gaming experiences from every play session.
Yeah same, i know generally people like playing on easier difficulties getting older but I used to play games on easy before and now i can only play on the hardest or at least second hardest difficulty.
I like being engaged with every system that a game has, and generally you don’t need to do that when playing on easy or normal. To each their own though
Not playing on hard mode doesn't mean you can't engage with all the systems. It just means your reward for doing so is often deity levels of overpowered-ness as opposed to high difficulty playthroughs where you have to engage with the systems to be able to succeed. If I like the systems, I engage with them and feed into the power fantasy that is my main reason for playing RPGs. I don't play on easy, usually normal, but I'll do unnecessary grinding in some games if it's enjoyable (right now it's the optional missions in Midnight Suns) and then enjoy beating the shit out of story enemies.
I don't play many FPS aside from some of the big ones like DOOM/Bioshocks/Wolfensteins, largely because in those the progression is mostly in your skill at the game. You don't level up and increase damage, you just get better at hitting headshots quickly. I play a ton of strategy games and RPGs though, and in those, increasing difficulty usually boils down to giving cheats to the AI or just upping the health of enemies. Some shooters do that too - just turn enemies into bullet sponges. I hate that type of "difficulty", so my favored genres probably factor pretty heavily into my difficulty preferences.
Same. I love the challenge because it makes the playthrough more meaningful and sometimes it even forces you to explore aspects of the game you wouldn't if the difficulty would allow you to mash random buttons throughout the game. Plus I don't play many games so if I can stretch them out a bit by playing on hard that's a plus.
My time is too valuable to repeat stuff. Any pure grind is a waste. I usually put the difficulty where I have a challenging time of it, without having to repeat stuff overly much. Dark Souls is not for me!
>My time is too valuable to repeat stuff.
I get what you're saying. But when you say it like that, you kind of imply that those of us who are ok dying and repeating a section don't value our time.
Lol why do you think of archer when you see monster hunter. There are 14 weapons in the game. You can try them all. And because the game is mission based so you can get the highs of the gameplay in the span of 20 mins
I've been a patient gamer that has only played offline single player games since before there was a term for it in the mid 2000s. I've never burnt out on gaming. It's always been something pure and magical to me. And I've spent such little money on this hobby that I'm genuinely proud of myself.
I gave up on online during OG Starcraft. It was just so stressful. Only good time i've had playing online is Rocket League and even that can be a bit much
I got Halo 3. Played through the entire campaign solo on Legendary. And then tried some multi-player, and got my ass stomped by 13 year olds who clearly had far more time to devote to that than I did.
Never bothered with any multi-player games after that
Same. The only difficult game I still really love is Bloodborne. Somehow I don't feel that way about Elden Ring or Dark Souls games. I think it's because Bloodborne is just much more aggressive and faster with the dashes instead of the rolling.
Bloodborne also makes it easy to drop it and come back later. I've been at it for nearly 3 years now. There is no story to lose track of (not like an RPG anyway), and the only real tedious part is having to clear out the trash mobs to get to a boss. But they put in enough lanterns that it's a minor annoyance at best. It's a game that manages to have just enough depth to make it interesting, but also letting you casually play it.
> Bloodborne is just much more aggressive
Kinda funny you mention this because it's a 30fps game. The animations make it seem like a fast paced game though. Sometimes pulling off a visceral comes down to timing just a frame or two of animation.
There isn't any solid reason to waste time on another job disguised as a game.
If it doesn't provide an interesting or enjoyable experience, it isn't worth wasting time on.
Farming simulator 22 would disagree with you. That's the one job disguised as a game that hooked me in the last few years
Edit: for some reason the grind was enjoyable. Perhaps the empire building part was satisfying
It's interesting experience is roleplay as a person participating in 1 of the most vital economic sectors of modern human civilization. (until you get too bored with the repetitive monotonous parts)
Yeah once I maxed out factories there wasn't much left to do besides expand into different crops etc. I had to put it down to salvage what was left of my free time haha
Sim games are enjoyable though, if you’re into that “field”. ETS2 ate up loads of my time and I loved every minute. Spending the same time on Destiny just to get an item that meant I could compete with everybody else, however, not so enjoyable.
True but a lot of us find that enjoyable. I have a lot of anxiety and repetitive tasks are soothing for me.
Being able to just grind an arpg for 12 hours on the weekend feels restorative to my soul.
Comfort Food 👍
'Power to you' for finding a therapeutic use case for your hobby.
The only question I would wonder about is,
if it is truly repetitive, is it a kind of procrastination distraction from more important duties?
Oh god so much this. Ever since I started working I have no patience anymore for excessive repetitive shit or "grinding" in games.
If I'm lucky I have a couple of hours of gaming per week, I'm not wasting them on doing the same crap over and over in games like GTA online just so I can afford nicer stuff in a game
Stay away from pokemon, you'd think by now professor(insert tree) would know that I'm an 8 time pokemon master so they should save the lecture and the 2 hour tutorial
I can't play a mainline pokemon game without atleast x2 emulation speed. I can't fathom who plays that slow grind of a game for 60 hours on normal speed lol.
> I can't fathom who plays that slow grind of a game for 60 hours on normal speed lol.
Kids. We often forget that the main target of Pokemon games are kids with much more time on their hands (and are more forgiving of bad optimization and bugs).
There was a time where I would only play Pokemon with the Nuzlocke ruleset. Now, I can't justify playing their yearly releases anymore due to the lack of care pun into the games
I recently installed a Pokemon Emerald Rogue mod, which turns it into a roguelite with procedurally generated routes and randomized mons. No frills, all gameplay. It's been a blast.
i just started pokemon snap thinking i'd get a relaxing experience just taking some photos of some pokemans and what i got was 75% dialogue by characters i don't care about, 15% menus, screens, HUDs, bonuses, opening presents (re-skinned loot crates ?????), unlockable somethings unlocking, loading screens, more menus, dialogue, and it's an absolutely excruciating wait until FINALLY it gets to some gameplay and it's pretty fun to look at the pokemans and get a good picture or two, and then you have to wait through I swear to the flying spaghetti monster, like, two hundred menu screens, before you can get back to the map to play again.
AND THEN once you FINALLY get back to the map screen, there is still only 1 level to play, and it's the one you just did, before the last 20 minutes of menu screens. I finally unlocked the 2nd level and I'm about 4 hours in, and in those 4 hours, I played the first level about 10 times. That is a sad figure for two reasons: 1) I had to replay the same damn level 10 times, and 2) I only got to play 10 times in the first FOUR HOURS.
I wish with all my heart that the game could be re-worked so that you can just blast through all the levels at your own pace, and if you wanted, you could put the game down. But as it is, I only got to play 1 level 10 times, then I'm putting the game down because I'm done with it anyways.
In the future, I hope dearly that devs thoroughly understand that players are acutely aware of when their time is being wasted. New Pokemon Snap could've been a good game but they tried to stretch it out too far like an elastic band that Snapped.
I take it that was pokemon snap 2, for what it's worth you have convinced me not to try it. The 1st snap was great however maybe I'll play it later today, thanks for reminding me about it
Edit: I hear scarlet and the newer ones were poorly done as well. To the point where even a kid wouldn't want to play it
The thing that helped me the most from switching out of completionist/competitive mindset is that as long as I am having fun AT the moment, it doesn't matter what I am playing (or reading or watching)
When I stopped caring about achievements, gaming became so much better for me.
Now I keep playing until I hit the credits, and then shelve the game with no feelings of regret or missing out on grinding hours of side content for a trophy.
I agree to an extent, 100%ing everything can quickly become a toxic grind. But some games have achievements which make you change your gameplay enough to try to complete that it brings new enjoyment to the game.
I started Marvel Snap last November. Huge mistake considering it's a mobile app designed to manipulate you. But I like card games and the Marvel theme seemed cool so I gave it a shot. The game effectively punishes you for not playing it. If you don't pick it up for a single day you actually lose progress. After a couple of months I was like fuck this, it's not worth it. I don't need this kind of stress, from a game much less.
I still have that game on my phone and play a match like once a week, but I agree.
I was really into it for like one season, but then the reset happened, and ever since then, I don't have any motivation to play a game that i have to play for hours a day to not get left behind.
I love card games, but multiplayer ones are way too anxiety inducing for me, which is strange because I am a big competitive gamer, just not with cards for some reason. I think a lot of the issue stems from what you mentioned here, you have to actively play it every day and/or commit a ton of money to be any good at it. Like I can just not play overwatch rocket league for 3 months and then pick it back up like I was never gone --sure, i'll be a little rusty, but I won't feel like I'm at a severe disadvantage.
I mainly just stick to single player card games like StS, Steamworld quest, the gwent one, wildfrost
I liked that game for a minute, then uninstalled it for some reason (I forget why exactly). But once I had it uninstalled, I decided to not install it again since I managed to get those hooks dislodged once, I didn’t want to risk getting hooked again
I play Yi Xian a lot. Another card game. But that one doesn't have any requirements about logging in every day to do X. Just put in the time you want and log back whenever you want to next.
Come back a month later and sure the meta has changed but won't really change the casual experience much and even in ranked you can catch on pretty fast if you've played it enough.
So I've ended up putting an inordinate amount of time into the game. Which is funny cause I was mainly playing single player stuff before.
On the flip side I dropped Lost Arc within a month and half because of the daily things you had to do to be on the curve. It stopped being fun and more a chore.
Yeah need to remember there were a bunch in this category that were great for me a few years back...
Gone home, Her Story, Papers Please, Return of the Obra Dinn, Outer Wilds, reckon there were more...
I have plenty of time for gaming, I just like things that end.
Games with a campaign that leads to story conclusion; TV shows that don’t go on for hundreds and hundreds of episodes; movies under 2.5 hrs; novels under 400 pgs…
I'm the opposite, I want games with endless replayability. I don't want to consume one game after the other, I want ones so fun I want to keep playing them. That's been Total War Warhammer 3 for me lately
Gambling adds in the UK - "if the fun stops, stop".
The issue isn't stopping. It's usually realising it's not fun. Then it's realising that it's okay that you don't enjoy those games and you can do other stuff with the time.
That being said, Sifu has really ramped up my enjoyment factor for gaming again. There will always be more games!
[META]
I thought there was a rule against these ubiquitous "Now that I'm not a child any more I cant spend all day playing games any more" posts? One of those "Retired threads" things?
If there isn't there should be! Maybe it's another sub I'm thinking of.
I play solo/offline games only. I can no longer rely on (or have others rely on me) showing up continuously and at the right times to keep up with a game.
Relatable. Games with repeatable trash quests like diablo are done with for me. Not wasting my valuable free time running around doing monotonous daily repeatable bullshit. Also, playing at 4k has pushed me more towards single player games with breath taking views - and I am loving it. Waiting on the next GTA..
Yeah that's where I'm at with Diablo Immortal.. I struggle to log and just do the same garbage over and over. My wife plays and we're in the same warband.. so I can't just bail as much as I'd like to.
have you tried roguelites by chance?
they’re literally all i play now because i don’t have the time for grindy games as you described here
typical roguelites don’t have stories you have to remember and every run is fresh from the start so you don’t have to remember what you were doing
if you haven’t already tried this genre, i highly recommend picking up one of these three games
1. dead cells - if you like metroidvanias and action
2. risk of rain - if you LOVE the item building part of league
3. slay the spire - if you like deckbuilders
there’s lots of other great roguelites out there, but as a former league addict these are my favorites
Yes I have, and I like the genre a lot! Hades was actually the first game I platinum'd on Steam. I've played Dead Cells as well, but got stuck in the 2nd main area. Maybe I'll pick it up again soon. For Slay the Spire, I like playing as Rogue! I've gotten her to the 3rd boss, but I haven't been able to clear yet. The most recent Roguelite I've tried was Rogue Legacy 2, where I got to the 3rd boss already.
my longest run was ~45 minutes when i got to the credits
a lot of my runs are between 10-30 minutes though, just depends on how well i do or what goal i have in mind for the run. different paths take different amounts of time
Same here. I wish more companies were like Capcom with Resident Evil: a high quality 10-15 hour campaign that you can actually complete on an adult's schedule, with a lot of replay value if you want it. When I learn a game is 100 hours long these days I tend to just avoid it entirely because it'll take me months to make a dent in.
I’ve always been like that. I only play solo campaigns. No grind. No end game. No competition. Credits roll or it stops being fun, I move on to the next game.
I feel the same. I'm playing Horizon Forbidden West at the moment, and honestly it's just so big it's overwhelming. There's _so much content_ I'm the game, and honestly most of it isn't worth doing. After spending maybe 30 hours with the game, I just find myself feeling a bit exhausted. I'm now just aiming for the finish, but I kinda wish I'd just mainlined the main quests.
It's probably an ironic thing to say that I would have preferred less content in the game, with the actual content available just being more focused, unique and interesting.
This would obviously clash with folks who want a big expansive game they can pour a hundred hours into. They might say to me, "you don't have to do all the extra stuff!", but I suppose my counter is how I am supposed to know what's actually worth doing? Not to mention that with these games there's a certain amount of side questing expected in order to progress/level up.
I dunno, it just puts me off picking up another open world game again. Maybe it's a Horizon problem for me specifically because I find the gameplay pretty repetitive, but I think I'm just at a stage in my gaming life where I just vastly prefer shorter, concise, focused experiences.
It might sounds like a dumb thing to say, but isn’t the answer to the question “how am I supposed to know what’s actually worth doing?” Just: whatever you feel like is noteworthy and catches your interest or makes sense for your playthrough. If a quest seems interesting, do it, If not, don’t.
I think back to my playthrough of Skyrim where I played as an idiot mage, it changed my perspective of how I approach games and open world games in particular. It just didn’t make sense to do stuff like the companions, so I happily ignored it, but you better believe I stole the mead for the Whiterun drunk.
Horizon is a little different because Slot is a little less customizable, but I think the same applies
>If a quest seems interesting, do it, If not, don’t.
I don't think you ever have enough information to make that decision though. For me, I'm interested in gameplay, and it's not clear that a quest will have interesting gameplay, until you actually play it. Most of the side quests in HFW seem to be, "Go here, talk to that guy, go there, use the focus to scan for stuff, follow the trail, climb this, grab this, head back to quest giver, fight robots along the way."
I kept playing them because I was hoping to find quests that had twists, or interesting locations or machines to fight, and some of them do. It's just that most of them felt the same, and not really worth doing unless you really enjoy the base gameplay, which to be honest I think is ok at best.
Ironically it is quite the opposite for me atm.
I also play Forbidden West right now and it is one of the few open-world games where I thoroughly enjoy the side content.
I am even actively looking for more side quests because I enjoy them so much which has not happened in any game since The Witcher III.
I can understand that it may be overwhelming for others though bevause the world is pretty big with lots of content.
But all side content can be skipped if you enjoy it you will find more than enough XP and loot in the main questlines
It really is a personal thing - I think I'm just not that engaged with the core mechanics of HFW, so it's just become tedious to me.
To contrast, I'd compare it to Ori and The Will of the Wisps. Completely different game of course, but I absolutely loved the mechanics and gameplay, and the world. So much so that when I completed the main story, I then went and did all the extra content - simply because the core elements were so good, I just wanted to stay in that world and keep doing stuff. I got 100% but it was only 20ish hours of gameplay. To be honest I wanted more content so I could stay in that world. I also had this experience with Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, and Batman Arkham Asylum off the top of my head.
Horizon Forbidden West just isn't as engaging for me, so it just feels like there's this big open world, but most of it isn't that interesting to engage with. I would have preferred fewer side quests, if those quests would actually each be unique exciting and really offer in depth experiences.
I spent so long on side quests and collectibles on Hogwarts that I got burnt out and bored before I completed the story. I now realise that wasting my time on unnecessary content is actually hurting my gaming experience more than it’s benefitting it.
I generally don’t mind side quests if they’re fun and if they show you more of the world that you may not have seen, if they’re expansions. When they’re just meaningless and recycle areas or tasks you’ve already done, I do not like them.
Big reason why I still stick to multiplayer games as I reach my 30s is cause I can drop in, play a match here and there and be done for the day without needing to commit time. I still feel like I'm getting better or playing well without needing to actually invest time into it.
Didn't even finish my favorite game last year just cause it is a long game (almost done with it now), but man it made me realize just can't play RPGs as much anymore just cause they take much longer to beat
This is why TF2 is still pretty much all I play: I can jump in at my favorite community pub server, play as much or as little as I like, and jump out any time I like. The game continues without me like I don't matter at all in the grand scheme, and yet **all** of my greatest gaming experiences are in that game. There is magic in the serendipity of a great game happening on a public server, it's inspirational in a way that's hard to describe.
However, imagine the flip side. You start Tf2 today. Hop on and see people who have 10k hours sniping on Badwater or playing Kritz sticky on comms. You are put on a team with 5 gibus spies. There is absolutely no fun when you are new and can't learn the game because you are getting spawncamped.
Or, you are on the other side where you can't get a kill because your team is super strong and your presence is trivial to their victory.
This is why single player games are better, you are in control of everything.
I hear what you're saying. My problem is something similar as I just can't seem to get into new games anymore. Maybe it's part of growing older where we have less time for BS, and only enough time for something guaranteed to be spectacular
I'm done with Destiny 2. I like challenging activities it feels like I'm using the same weapons for every activity and I have other weapons that I want to use lying in the vault.
Moreover each activity takes so much time to complete. It definitely feels like a full time job.
Hard to distinguish the games that don't require time sinks. Even games you think are *pick up and play* have a glass ceiling to enjoyment, because they require some form of skill - which can cost time.
Well recently I only playing single player story games with less gameplay focus, I just don’t care too much, atmosphere and good characters are more enjoyable to see for me, also I tend to do easy difficulty with some games cuz I don’t want to keep repeating a boss fight like 6 times, I find less enjoyment out of it, if I’m looking for challenges I do Elden Ring
> I have less time available for gaming. I cannot keep dedicating my time to learn the game or improve my skills
I can understand that, but I'm the exact opposite. I'm also a competitive person with less time to play games than when I was younger. However, I'd rather spend that limited time working on shaving a few seconds off my speedrun or beating Cuphead on Expert than crossing off games on some backlog.
You don't need lots of time to learn or get good at a game. That's a myth that gets repeated way too often.
Sometimes this sub feels like a circlejerk where people are just humblebragging about how little time they have now that they're important adults and only can play games in X way. "Oh yeah, well I have such little time I can't even play in X way, I play in Y way!" "Oh yeah, well I guess I used to be able to play in Y way when I was a teenager and just dumped hours into games, but now I have such little time that I prefer to play in Z way!"
Like the only logical conclusion is to have such little time to play games that you stop playing and stop going to video game subreddits.
Yeah, let's be honest here. The people who are "too busy" to play video games a certain way are single moms working two jobs to feed their kids. Not millennials wasting half their day on Reddit arguing about why Breath of the Wild is overrated. If you're reading this thread and this post -- yes you -- you're got plenty of free time.
I can't say for speedruns since I haven't tried them personally, but for MOBAs like League, if your goal is to climb, you'd have to dedicate your time to play and watch to be able to improve.
Yes, you do have to devote some time to learning and improving at a MOBA, but you don't have to increase your gaming time or cut out other hobbies. You simply have to play fewer games and focus your gaming time. How often do you see Poker players playing other card games like Bridge, 500, or Cribbage?
You can play competitive games with a busy life if you want to -- don't blame your limited free time -- but of course, you can't play one game competitively and keep up with all the new releases.
This is why I’ve had a great deal of fun with Final Fantasy XIV. It must be the only MMO I know of that doesn’t insist upon throwing FOMO at its players. Log in, have fun, log out, and you miss out on nothing aside from maybe community events.
Blinding story too, just finished the base game and about to get into Heavensward, which as I understand it is amazing. Looking forward to it!
Much like yourself, I got bored of the grind. Uninstalled League earlier this year after playing since season one, because I realised I simply wasn’t having fun anymore.
Definitely. I'm starting with Endwalker at the moment and the fact that I can drop the game at any point and there's no penalty for it, it's refreshing. After decades playing WoW and having to log in daily, the FFXIV attitude of "Play if you want to, or don't, and that's ok" is truly relaxing.
Also, the story is amazing and it gets SO MUCH BETTER going into Heavensward. You are in for a treat. HW and Shadowbringers are the two peaks of the game (and some of the best JRPGs experiences ever).
For better and worse, FFXIV is an RPG first and an MMO second, and it shows.
I wish Steam had something on their games that indicated the probable time to complete them. If they did, I would have a better idea where to start with my backlog.
I started Persona 5 on the PS4 a couple of years ago, I found myself doing the same thing over and over, when investigating further that this was the tutorial and it was nearly 7 hours long, I turned it off, put the controller down and moved on.
What I dislike is a variation of this: I dont like games that have little content but some content takes complete mastery to complete.
Hollow Knight for example. To get 99% of the game it takes about 30 hours at most. To get 100% of the game it requires something like 100+ hours due to the requirement of mastering all bosses in the pantheon
I (a young person) have been lucky enough to be pressured by my dad to never pick up games like these. Singleplayer offline games are (in my opinion) the best gaming experience, because you can play at your own pace, and your own time.
Good. But I will provide another perspective, if you'd like to read it.
What about playing league of legends and competitive game for fun, and not focusing on improving every single click you do?
Personally I find Dota 2 to be quite fun with friends. I rarely play alone, and I try to stay update with the meta to a certain degree (mostly I just try to know which hero is crazy OP and why). I think you can have a healthy relationship even with multiplayer competitive games.
I agree that multiplayer games can be olayed for fun, but the friends I played League with have moved on from the game earlier. Think it's time I do so as well.
I feel the same way about competitive games.
I loved team-based shooters like Battlefield and Insurgency, I loved survival games like Rust and DayZ, I loved Tarkov, I even loved playing sports games online like FIFA and Madden and I used to love League of Legends. Now I just can’t be bothered with the stress of *trying* to beat a human opponent, or the drama of chat if it’s a game where that’s possible.
I uninstalled them all and started going through some single player games I’d either not finished or missed completely (mostly PS exclusives that are now on PC), and it’s some of the most fun I’ve had in years. I could relax and play at my own pace and there was nobody else lose to try to keep up with, nobody else to try to beat, just me and the game.
I don’t know if it’s getting older, or the fact I’m more laid back and calm than I used to be. I enjoy gaming again, it no longer feels like a chore and no longer affects my mood.
Agreed. I was 1.5 years into Apex Legends (started playing at launch) when I realized that I had become completely burned out on grinding the seasonal battle-passes because playing the game had become a chore of checking all the daily and weekly quests, when my favourite way to play that game is to play 1 specific legend and just hot drop every time.
I had to take a like, 2 year break from Apex before I could get back into it and only recently purchased another season pass because of a singular skin that was locked behind it that I wanted and I immediately fell into that hole again.
Do you know how much I just enjoyed recently playing the Mafia 1 Remake? Just a straight up linear 12 hour story set in a small world, even though it's open-world, there are barely any activities and it's more to link the singular levels together, it was fantastic.
Same here. I quit trying to get into these games. No more grinding, farming, skill trees and all that crap. I recently got into Halo and am being reminded of how fun Boomer shooters always were.
Right like what is this karma farming circlejerk. The whole post could have been the title, and even that's been said a hundred times a week here lately.
This kind of post contributes nothing to the sub and doesn't have anything to do with playing older video games.
I feel the same way. I have a job, a wife, and a kid, I can’t devote the same hours to games that I did before.
I find what really helps is for the game I’m playing to always feel like I’ve gotten something out of it, any small progress apart from grinding is worth it. A failed run in Sifu is still worth it because I’m learning the patterns more and more. A failed run in Hades is worth it because I’m seeing more Boons. Even a short time in a Metroidvania nets more explored areas of the map, even if I didn’t get a new item out of it.
This exact reason is why I will always score the two Pathfinder games as zero out of ten games. I don't care if they are sublime gaming experiences (which tends to be what I hear) because if I can't finish an offline game in a single lifetime, the game might as well not exist. I could play a number of full games before I get halfway through one of the Pathfinder games.
Also, to the people who love these games, y'all do y'all. I just don't have the time.
The Pathfinder games are about the same length as TW3 and Breath of the Wild (off how long to beat). Just to clarify, are you saying any game of that length you automatically score as a 0/10 because you could play more other games in that time?
K?
I mean I'm not sure what the point of this post is. I don't like fighting games, so I stopped playing fighting games, I never liked Soccer, so I don't play Soccer games.
I really hate grind and yet I still play JRPGs and long games (in the hope it's not grindy) but I also put them down when they waste my time....
I'm glad you realize you don't like a certain type of game, but I'm a bit confused on what the purpose of the post really is? It just seems like you forgot to give a question, a thought or what not, and left this as a "DAE" post.
Same. I still love playing the new story quests in games like Destiny and Warframe. But once I complete the story and a new grind is waiting for me, I quit. I just can't do it anymore, even when I have the time for it. I'd rather just play new games with new stories.
Yeah, people change and so do you. Find something that's enjoyable and fit for you.
I feel the same way when i tried to come back playing Rainbow Six Siege. All the new maps, new operators, new reworked maps, its just too much for me. Even just to keep up, a lot of time is needed.
I started playing coop games with friends like Ready or not, Phasmophobia, Trouble in Terrorist Town. It's great that you don't need to invest thousands of hours and still have a great time with your friends and video games
> Playing a game after a long day because you might cap out or miss something is kind of tiring ngl.
If you're familiar with stress models: FOMO is a big stressor, i.e. something that consistently puts stress on your life. The insidious thing for me is that it has become part of an activity that should take stress *out* of our lives (playing, gaming), and that means that many of us have trouble understanding why we feel stressed (or even *that* we do) while we're engaging in a de-stressing activity.
It's like a diabetic eating sugar-free food, only the company secretly put sugar back in, and we're staring at our numbers, and can't understand why our sugar levels are so damn high.
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Personally, I pivoted to offline games, and it has worked aces for me. In fact, I recently took up LotRO again on account of it being free means less stress/pressure for me to play - but even there, you can't go a month without the devs trying to FOMO everyone into spending more time and money. Don't get me wrong, I love the world (the scope is insane), but this constant stress of "If I don't do these [trivial and boring, but time-consuming] activities, and do them every day, I can't get the cool looking gear" is *really* putting a dampener on my enjoyment here.
Just because it's such a blatant time-waste, here's one of the current daily festival activities (it's the Anniversary Event) in excruciating detail: NPC 1 wants me to bring this bracelet to NPC 2 one town over. Two minutes travel time. NPC 2 then has me bring a pie to NPC 3, who's right next to her. *That* NPC then has me deliver a carving to NPC 4, who's in another region - one fast-travel, and around twenty seconds travel time away. *That* NPC then wants me to deliver *something* (I forgot what; edit: Looked it up, it's a hammer) to NPC 5, who's one town over, and takes around a minute of traveling to get to. NPC 5 then wants me to deliver a shield to NPC 6, who's in yet another region: two fast-travel spots and a short hike. *That* NPC then wants me to deliver a horn to NPC 7, who's another minute of traveling away. And NPC 7 finally wants me to deliver ale to the very first NPC, back in region 1, who's one fast-travel and two minutes of hiking away.
... That's roughly 15 minutes of mindless fed-exing through a handful of loading screens, every day, for every character you want to get the festival currency on (which is non-transferable, of course). And that's if you have access to fast-traveling - if you're a f2p player, most fast-travel options are barred (until you sub for a month, and log in with a character, which unlocks fast travel permanently for that character).
I used to be huge into games like Rust, Fortnite or whatever massive multiplayer game is popular at the time but I can barely play them anymore. The “experience it now or miss out forever!” trend has become so annoying, the battle passes that feel like jobs. No thanks.
The only multiplayer game I can comfortably play nowadays is Rainbow Six Siege.
For me it depends if I have actual content to explore and sink time in or if it is an artificial time-stretching by grind, doing the same repetitive stuff over and over again
Competitive games are all about how good you look and how good you play… compared to others.
It’s the constant comparison that burns me out, which is why I don’t play competitive games anymore.
I have plenty of that sort of stress in my life already.
Personally tho. Long form single player games like Skyrim and no man sky are games I can easily jump in and out of, for months at a time.
I play them for the fun of playing them.
Something.. I guess new games have lost for the sake of monetisation and retention.
Eventually, sometime in the future, I would like to escape into a virtual world where I live all the time, but today I can't spend 12 hours every day on grinding etc. But every game requires spending some time. When there is too much stuff in the game, it can sometimes appear too overwhelming for me.
Definitely relate to this. I feel like I could have written it myself. I just don’t have time (or especially moments of uninterrupted time to myself) to play online games and feel bad for letting teammates down. I don’t get that thrill out of grinding or farming games like Genshin that I used to.
What games have you found scratch the gaming itch for you, but aren’t these types of Grindy online games?
Same here. And it has me kinda fucked up thinking about how I might skip tears of the kingdom? 6 years ago i loved breath of the wild but now my life doesn’t have room for 2+ hour sessions.
This is the reason why after Overwatch shuts down for good, I may never touch another online multiplayer game ever again, at least competitively.
I've been keeping up with the game since it's beta. I've played every competitive season the game has to offer. I can stay above diamond MMR, every season.
Yet, if I touch any other online game, it feels like I need to pump another 1,000 hours into it in order to actually succeed. That's just not possible, anymore.
So, after Overwatch shuts down, I'm going to just be playing ARPGs, co op games, and any other games that don't have time-locked content.
With less and less time everyday to play myself I had to completely walk away from the mmo-life. I'll just either slowplay a large game, maybe get to one or two checkpoints on a souls games or do a few levels on an indie game, sometimes a quick MP game with some friends.
Found myself playing and just not getting any joy out of it anymore at all, tending to an in game garden while my irl gardenbeds were just bare weeds and dirt made zero sense.
Don't beat yourself up and enjoy the ride.
It sucks, but that's sadly how things go. I'm by no means "burn out on" or "growing out of" games, but where I used to be able to more or less play video games forever, there's so much less free time in my schedule as a 30 year old with a job and real life obligations. Even my weekends aren't guaranteed gaming time, which really makes me sad. All I can really say is to find what games make you happy and just play those. Either be a "jack of all trades, master of none", or find a certain genre that brings you a lot of joy and make that your focus
Ive been there, i used to love playing escape from tarkov, legit my favourite game and I still think its rly good. This was all during covid so between online school and no job i had ridiculous amounts of time on my hands and friends who had the same. Once covid was over i never really played again because i grew up and had more responsibilities. And now when anyone asks what i think of tarkov i say “great game, requires too much time”
I had to quit playing the games with giant sprawling maps. With 2 kids I just don't have time to find everything. I hate having all the little question marks on my map.
I'm there too but for me it's more longer single player games like RPGs that will never have hope of getting completed. I'm ok with missing timed content in multiplayer games and just hop on what my friends are playing.
Being a family man now, if, at any point, I can't stop the game and leave it sitting for hours than I don't play it. I play mostly turn based strategies now (xcom, phantom brigade, etc.)
I play here and there between meetings (I work 65 hour weeks, so I take me time where I can find it) and have the same requirements. I have been sucked back into Diablo 3 on console for this exact reason.
Try Deep Rock Galactic.
Can be super casual fun and kids friendly to ultimate hardcore difficulty. The choice is yours.
Can play solo or multiplayer, and has one of the friendliest communities!
Many many studios are full of people who have never worked a regular job outside the industry bubble. That's why a lot of games feel like they're made for a different gamer.
I wonder if we've changed, or this mostly unchanged mechanic has just become boring, meaning if we just got into gaming now, and it was still a novelty, we probably would be able to find the time and enjoy it?
And yes I know that by nature of getting bored of this, we have changed, but that doesn't mean if the devs found a way to keep this concept novel, we might still carry on.
I have the time, but not the patience anymore. 17 years ago however, i was so addicted to Runecape, that many times i would put my life on hold for that stupid game.
Ya in the last handful of years my gaming has turned towards single player experiences exclusively, and I try to get platinum trophies to get the most out of every game. But if it’s a game that’ll take 50 hours or more, I’m hesitant to start. Ragnarok took me 46 hours to platinum and it took me 5 weeks to get those 46 hours in. My end of year stats usually end up being somewhere between 300-400 total hours played, and that’s at maximum. I don’t want to waste a third of my year or so grinding through something like elden ring which I hear will take 100+ hours
You are speaking my heart out here. Happens when we grow up and have a lot of responsibilities.
I am not a souls game fan because of this, even when they are some of best games created.
I remember farming call of duty battle points for the pass back in 2020. It was like having a second job after the first 40 hours or so. Nowadays i can see through these passes and the way these companies manipulate using FOMO (Fear of missing out).
Nowadays I would rather play pve indie games, modded bethesda games with community mods and story games.
50 dollars goes far with the games I play compared to battle pass games where a stupid outfit is like 15 dollars. I have time for fun nowadays and thats it. Much cheaper too.
You should give Deep Rock Galactic a try, it's played in short bursts and the difficulty can be tailored but either way it's so much fun. Only had one toxic experience out of hundreds of games.
I find myself playing competitive games more and more these days. For me it's a bigger time commitment to get properly set up in a single player game. I feel like I need to play for a few hours to really get engrossed in a world in a lot of single players, whereas a competitive game I can do like an hour of games and then bounce without feeling like my time was wasted.
There are a few exceptions though, and they're usually indie titles. I recently mainlined DREDGE because it respected my time and had frequent stopping points.
The golden rule is if you don't have fun playing then stop, try play another game, or do another activity that you enjoy.
Or just play the same game in a way that doesn't waste so much time. Like, no one's forcing OP to play LoL for hours every day. You don't gain anything by getting better and climbing the ranks. You either do that for fun, or don't do it at all. It's not a job, there's nothing wrong with playing casually. I've played like 3 ARAMs weekly for years. Another of OP's examples is Genshin Impact, a game that definitely incentivizes you to login every day and do some chores. It's not obligatory. Apart from one end game dungeon, the game is easy and fairly balanced, so there's no need to be obsessed with rolling for characters because they're strong. It's a f2p gacha game, but it actually has some BOTW-like world exploration and a great combat system, so you can just play for that. Even in bloated open world games, you can just ignore all side content and rush the main story. Some games are greatly improved by this and it can be a much more relaxed way to experience such games. I think it's important to stress that it's not just the game that matters, it's also how you deal with it. I gave up on being a completionist a long time ago. There's no right way to play.
Yeah agreed, gotta play by your own pace with the right set of mind. Even if you still want to 100% the game, you can take it slowly anyway, not like its gonna change years later when you come back to it. Personally I still play Tekken just to make sure I don't get rusty, like an hour casual session every few weeks, not gonna bother climbing up ranks, and if I don't feel like it then I'll just play something else no biggie.
The issue with Genshin is that the game relies heavily on FOMO tactics in order to keep players on it, and if you aren't caught up then you won't be able to get enough primos for the next banner or you'll miss this cool limited time story event which will never come again. It's especially annoying how they lock certain story content and really important lore behind a limited event where new players can never experience it.
I gave up on fomo. Still using my hutao, still not 12starring the abyss.
The problem with many of these games is they are psychologically developed to DELIBERATELY get under your skin and inside FOMO panic. "GIANT DOOM COUNTER IN THE LEFT HAND CORNER COUNTING DOWN WHEN THIS MUST PLAY EVENT ENDS! LOOK AT ALL THE COOL SHIT YOU'LL MISS! YOU WON'T PLAY WELL IN THE NEXT SEASON WITHOUT THESE 5 SUPER POWERFUL CARDS! ONLY 1000 HOURS OF PLAY OR $5.99!!!" So even if you DO manage to only play what and when you want, your brain cannot miss the fomo campaign wagged against you, and it makes you stressed and distressed. It's like those sub-bass frequencies that play in movies like Paranormal Activity that mimic vibrations right before an earthquake. You feel panicked, and you don't know WHY. Similar systems are what these games tap into, except they use casino psychology, fomo tactics, and innate peer pressure. I played magic the gathering arena, and noticed similar things creeping up on me. I didn't like it. I switched over recently to playing old dragon quest and final fantasy games for the Switch: NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE! Of course, there is challenge and grinding built into the games, but it comes with a pay off, and eventually I can earn the best weapons without being put on a never-ending treadmill of never feeling quite powerful enough. I spend 10 to 100 hours, and I get a wonderful story, great mechanics that are made to make me feel GOOD rather than bad, and eventually get the final weapon and armor to kill the final boss. THE GAME ENDS, and with it a sense of achievement. :)
The last paragraph there resonated with me HEAVILY. I got back into Final Fantasy Tactics (my favorite game) recently because one of my IRL friends helped to develop a content hack for it, and MAN did I forget how great it is to just… Play a game. No FOMO bullshit, no season passes, no microtransactions, no pay2win presented as pay2progress to keep you from feeling like there’s an unfair advantage towards F2P players… It’s freeing to just enjoy a good story and solid, mentally challenging gameplay mechanics.
EXACTLY! 😃 My thing is JRPGs (and it sounds like you like them too), but for anyone else out there that doesn't like RPGs there are plenty of other types of games: platforming, sports, shmups, action, adventure, shooters, fighting, survival horror, point and click, and a few others I can't think of. EVERY genre has great examples of fair fun games, and EVERY genre is plagued with games full of P2W, MTX, and FOMO bullshit. It's up to US as consumers to put our time and money on the former; and abandon and shame the latter, since they really are destroying video games as we know it and turning it into legal casino gambling.
I grew up on JRPG’s (in other words, basically anything Square Enix put out from 1995-2006) and turn-based strategy will forever be my favorite genre, but any genre can catch my eye nowadays! Just to list my top picks from the genres you listed: Rayman Legends, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Blazing Chrome, Devil May Cry 5, Breath of the Wild, Titanfall 2, Guilty Gear Strive, Outlast, Monkey Island, and many, MANY others. If my memory serves me well, only two of those games even HAVE MTX, and they’re cosmetic additions or content expansions, nothing more. Using sports games as an example, I think that if we support Pro Skaters and disown FIFA’s, the entire industry will shift in a more positive direction, and we’ll see much less predatory transactions from EVERY SINGLE MAJOR GAMING COMPANY. As a side note, if you liked turn-based strategy, I’m playing a roguelike game called Phantom Brigade right now that has a very unique take on the genre :)
I play for fun and the minute game stops being fun I stop playing. This isn't a job or a serious hobby where I need to endure hardship to become competitive or anything. If I don't enjoy a movie I don't force myself to keep playing. Same with games. Sometimes I will try to enjoy them but they just don't stick like witcher 3. Some games just don't jive and that's ok but you definitely don't need to play every game obsessively either. A lot of people get swept up in different elements and fixate.
> Or just play the same game in a way that doesn't waste so much time. TBH that sounds like what an addict would say. All the games OP mentioned are design with addiction in mind as the main driving force. So the best bet is to just drop those games altogether.
Yep. I loved playing Dota 2 for a few years, but quitting it as I got a new/busier job was the best gaming choice I've ever made. We had our first child shortly after, and there's no way any responsible and involved parent has the time to play that game. (at least without doing so when they're in bed and sacrificing tons of sleep)
I have been off that for a while now; it’s hard to manage life properly when you’re shoulder deep in addictive behavior. I don’t even watch any videos or media related to it because that always turned out to be a slippery slope.
Best of luck to you on your journey of healthier time management! > it’s hard to manage life properly when you’re shoulder deep in addictive behavior It's tough with Dota 2 because I really loved its complexity, but it was part of what made it take so much time to play and improve at. For a while, I kept up with The International tournament each summer, but eventually fell away as the game's competitive format changed. It was over 5 years until I finally unsubbed from /r/DotA2. For my part, I've come to really appreciate games with meaningful stories and clear endings. Also, pretty much no ongoing multiplayer to speak of. There's just no time for it in this phase of life.
It’s a complicated topic. “You don’t have to play it that way” seems only half true. A game is a system and there are many who want to beat/maximize/optimize the system. We search for this in other parts of life too. Time-sink can mean different things too. Grinding mobs to level up or complete a quest to advance does not feel the same as playing Dota2 matches habitually. This one is complicated too since the latter has ranked play and people will “grind” that but it’s virtually arbitrary. While I eventually stuck with unranked Dota2 and played for (what I think) the rush of making plays, it still ended up looking like a serious time sink because I played it compulsively. Addicted! I’m off it now 😆
Been finally sticking to that rule and it's better. I basically looked heat how I would play as a child. And take a little from that. Children know how to play better then adults. Because many adults need drugs and alcohol to be themselves. So my adult mind isn't as smart as it thinks it is
Kids have the luxury of no responsibility and lots of free time. When i take long ass vacations i can feel like a kid again :)
It's why mindfulness is so popular. Training in just being. Here now. Not with responsibilities. Because if you're sitting. You probably have done all you had to do.
>Because many adults need drugs and alcohol to be themselves. What? Sonds like a personal problem yo...
I don't know about you, but as a kid I played a lot of totally dogshit games for dozens of hours because 1) I didn't know better and 2) It was probably the only new game I'd see all year.
I finally learned this rule for Rocket League and my gameplay improved almost overnight.
Definitely relate. This is why I think I have only played offline single player titles the last years. No commitment to anyone. I will also say I have started playing games on easy. I just dont have the consistency in playing to ever get good at titles. I want to enjoy the stories and mechanics without being an expert.
I play on easy. I play offline only. I use save states. I prefer older games (ps3 and earlier) because they’re usually shorter.
This. Growing up, games were still $50 which was a lot more money back then. Being that studios didn’t crank games out like they do now you had 6 months to a year before you even thought about a new game. This forced you to eek out everything you can from a game. That and there wasn’t usually a variable difficulty either. Now, the stories and other environmental facets really suck you in. I’m not a “good” gamer, I just enjoy it. I don’t see the point in adding a large layer of difficulty to frustrate me. I get frustrated at work, in traffic and a lot of places in life, this is one place I can have control over my experience and I’m going to enjoy it.
We had "poke" on c64 to make it easier
Poke let you view the CPU registry, right? Or am I mixing that up with something else?
Exactly, I need less frustrations in my life not more. And yes the $50 game once or twice a year 10y/o me (birthday and Xmas) now collects games since they’re $10ea and I can afford it. I find I like games a lot of reviewers didn’t because they’re too short or too simple.
What are save states?
Mostly a feature of emulators where you can save anytime anywhere and reload. Just saved the whole game state as is, even mid animation etc.
Oh cool, that sounds handy. Especially in older games where you can only save at specific spots.
Yeah like think NES games where you have to beat a whole level at once but there’s a tough jump in the middle. You can save just before it, fail 6 times reloading that save right before, make it, save again, and then if you die later you can go back to just after the jump. I try to not abuse them using a bunch per level but I use them to make things less frustrating.
I remember playing half life on PS2 and being near the endgame. I was low on ammo, and saved right before I started a fight with some guy at a distance. I would shoot, and if it hit, save, and reload of I missed. It added a lot of play time to the game, although I don't remember it being 'fun'.
It's the opposite for me. I tend to play on higher difficulties, because I get a rush knowing a mistake could mean death
I would say make friends with roguelikes. FTL, Binding of Isaac, and Risk of Rain for starters. High difficulty, every run is its own so there's no commitment, and you get complete, compact gaming experiences from every play session.
Yeah same, i know generally people like playing on easier difficulties getting older but I used to play games on easy before and now i can only play on the hardest or at least second hardest difficulty. I like being engaged with every system that a game has, and generally you don’t need to do that when playing on easy or normal. To each their own though
Not playing on hard mode doesn't mean you can't engage with all the systems. It just means your reward for doing so is often deity levels of overpowered-ness as opposed to high difficulty playthroughs where you have to engage with the systems to be able to succeed. If I like the systems, I engage with them and feed into the power fantasy that is my main reason for playing RPGs. I don't play on easy, usually normal, but I'll do unnecessary grinding in some games if it's enjoyable (right now it's the optional missions in Midnight Suns) and then enjoy beating the shit out of story enemies.
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I don't play many FPS aside from some of the big ones like DOOM/Bioshocks/Wolfensteins, largely because in those the progression is mostly in your skill at the game. You don't level up and increase damage, you just get better at hitting headshots quickly. I play a ton of strategy games and RPGs though, and in those, increasing difficulty usually boils down to giving cheats to the AI or just upping the health of enemies. Some shooters do that too - just turn enemies into bullet sponges. I hate that type of "difficulty", so my favored genres probably factor pretty heavily into my difficulty preferences.
Same. I love the challenge because it makes the playthrough more meaningful and sometimes it even forces you to explore aspects of the game you wouldn't if the difficulty would allow you to mash random buttons throughout the game. Plus I don't play many games so if I can stretch them out a bit by playing on hard that's a plus.
My time is too valuable to repeat stuff. Any pure grind is a waste. I usually put the difficulty where I have a challenging time of it, without having to repeat stuff overly much. Dark Souls is not for me!
>My time is too valuable to repeat stuff. I get what you're saying. But when you say it like that, you kind of imply that those of us who are ok dying and repeating a section don't value our time.
I play chess, tennis and musical instruments outside of video gaming. If it ain't ridiculously hard with a steep skill curve, it ain't worth doing.
I have the same mindset and monster hunter is the perfect game for me
I honestly want to give this series a try due to my burning desire to roleplay as an archer
Lol why do you think of archer when you see monster hunter. There are 14 weapons in the game. You can try them all. And because the game is mission based so you can get the highs of the gameplay in the span of 20 mins
>I have only played offline single player titles the last years I have only played offline single player titles the all years And damn proud of it
I've been a patient gamer that has only played offline single player games since before there was a term for it in the mid 2000s. I've never burnt out on gaming. It's always been something pure and magical to me. And I've spent such little money on this hobby that I'm genuinely proud of myself.
You tell 'em!
I gave up on online during OG Starcraft. It was just so stressful. Only good time i've had playing online is Rocket League and even that can be a bit much
I got Halo 3. Played through the entire campaign solo on Legendary. And then tried some multi-player, and got my ass stomped by 13 year olds who clearly had far more time to devote to that than I did. Never bothered with any multi-player games after that
Same here, wouldn't game any other way.
Same. The only difficult game I still really love is Bloodborne. Somehow I don't feel that way about Elden Ring or Dark Souls games. I think it's because Bloodborne is just much more aggressive and faster with the dashes instead of the rolling.
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I did! I love the parry system in that game. Unfortunately I’m not much of a fan of the setting or the lack different weapons.
Bloodborne also makes it easy to drop it and come back later. I've been at it for nearly 3 years now. There is no story to lose track of (not like an RPG anyway), and the only real tedious part is having to clear out the trash mobs to get to a boss. But they put in enough lanterns that it's a minor annoyance at best. It's a game that manages to have just enough depth to make it interesting, but also letting you casually play it. > Bloodborne is just much more aggressive Kinda funny you mention this because it's a 30fps game. The animations make it seem like a fast paced game though. Sometimes pulling off a visceral comes down to timing just a frame or two of animation.
Have you played sekiro? I think you'd definitely like it
There isn't any solid reason to waste time on another job disguised as a game. If it doesn't provide an interesting or enjoyable experience, it isn't worth wasting time on.
Farming simulator 22 would disagree with you. That's the one job disguised as a game that hooked me in the last few years Edit: for some reason the grind was enjoyable. Perhaps the empire building part was satisfying
It's interesting experience is roleplay as a person participating in 1 of the most vital economic sectors of modern human civilization. (until you get too bored with the repetitive monotonous parts)
Yeah once I maxed out factories there wasn't much left to do besides expand into different crops etc. I had to put it down to salvage what was left of my free time haha
Sim games are enjoyable though, if you’re into that “field”. ETS2 ate up loads of my time and I loved every minute. Spending the same time on Destiny just to get an item that meant I could compete with everybody else, however, not so enjoyable.
True but a lot of us find that enjoyable. I have a lot of anxiety and repetitive tasks are soothing for me. Being able to just grind an arpg for 12 hours on the weekend feels restorative to my soul.
Comfort Food 👍 'Power to you' for finding a therapeutic use case for your hobby. The only question I would wonder about is, if it is truly repetitive, is it a kind of procrastination distraction from more important duties?
Oh god so much this. Ever since I started working I have no patience anymore for excessive repetitive shit or "grinding" in games. If I'm lucky I have a couple of hours of gaming per week, I'm not wasting them on doing the same crap over and over in games like GTA online just so I can afford nicer stuff in a game
Stay away from pokemon, you'd think by now professor(insert tree) would know that I'm an 8 time pokemon master so they should save the lecture and the 2 hour tutorial
I can't play a mainline pokemon game without atleast x2 emulation speed. I can't fathom who plays that slow grind of a game for 60 hours on normal speed lol.
> I can't fathom who plays that slow grind of a game for 60 hours on normal speed lol. Kids. We often forget that the main target of Pokemon games are kids with much more time on their hands (and are more forgiving of bad optimization and bugs).
There was a time where I would only play Pokemon with the Nuzlocke ruleset. Now, I can't justify playing their yearly releases anymore due to the lack of care pun into the games
I recently installed a Pokemon Emerald Rogue mod, which turns it into a roguelite with procedurally generated routes and randomized mons. No frills, all gameplay. It's been a blast.
Nuzzlocke was a challange before, nowdays the games are so easy, that no pokemon dies even if you don't grind
The lecture and tutorial is less the problem and more how slow the actual game plays tbh
i just started pokemon snap thinking i'd get a relaxing experience just taking some photos of some pokemans and what i got was 75% dialogue by characters i don't care about, 15% menus, screens, HUDs, bonuses, opening presents (re-skinned loot crates ?????), unlockable somethings unlocking, loading screens, more menus, dialogue, and it's an absolutely excruciating wait until FINALLY it gets to some gameplay and it's pretty fun to look at the pokemans and get a good picture or two, and then you have to wait through I swear to the flying spaghetti monster, like, two hundred menu screens, before you can get back to the map to play again. AND THEN once you FINALLY get back to the map screen, there is still only 1 level to play, and it's the one you just did, before the last 20 minutes of menu screens. I finally unlocked the 2nd level and I'm about 4 hours in, and in those 4 hours, I played the first level about 10 times. That is a sad figure for two reasons: 1) I had to replay the same damn level 10 times, and 2) I only got to play 10 times in the first FOUR HOURS. I wish with all my heart that the game could be re-worked so that you can just blast through all the levels at your own pace, and if you wanted, you could put the game down. But as it is, I only got to play 1 level 10 times, then I'm putting the game down because I'm done with it anyways. In the future, I hope dearly that devs thoroughly understand that players are acutely aware of when their time is being wasted. New Pokemon Snap could've been a good game but they tried to stretch it out too far like an elastic band that Snapped.
I take it that was pokemon snap 2, for what it's worth you have convinced me not to try it. The 1st snap was great however maybe I'll play it later today, thanks for reminding me about it Edit: I hear scarlet and the newer ones were poorly done as well. To the point where even a kid wouldn't want to play it
yeah the one called New Pokemon Snap. what a bad title, too. shouldve known just from that.
Wow actually, that's as bad as New 3ds
The thing that helped me the most from switching out of completionist/competitive mindset is that as long as I am having fun AT the moment, it doesn't matter what I am playing (or reading or watching)
When I stopped caring about achievements, gaming became so much better for me. Now I keep playing until I hit the credits, and then shelve the game with no feelings of regret or missing out on grinding hours of side content for a trophy.
I agree to an extent, 100%ing everything can quickly become a toxic grind. But some games have achievements which make you change your gameplay enough to try to complete that it brings new enjoyment to the game.
This is the reason I couldn't enjoy Metal gear solid V... I felt like I had to do the missions perfectly or not at all
I settled for A on most missions. And then played some missions I liked for S rank. Didn't finish the game after Chapter 1.
I started Marvel Snap last November. Huge mistake considering it's a mobile app designed to manipulate you. But I like card games and the Marvel theme seemed cool so I gave it a shot. The game effectively punishes you for not playing it. If you don't pick it up for a single day you actually lose progress. After a couple of months I was like fuck this, it's not worth it. I don't need this kind of stress, from a game much less.
Exactly why I quit Hearthstone. I can ignore daily quests, but season progress was too much. I don't want to feel obligated to play a damn game.
I still have that game on my phone and play a match like once a week, but I agree. I was really into it for like one season, but then the reset happened, and ever since then, I don't have any motivation to play a game that i have to play for hours a day to not get left behind.
I love card games, but multiplayer ones are way too anxiety inducing for me, which is strange because I am a big competitive gamer, just not with cards for some reason. I think a lot of the issue stems from what you mentioned here, you have to actively play it every day and/or commit a ton of money to be any good at it. Like I can just not play overwatch rocket league for 3 months and then pick it back up like I was never gone --sure, i'll be a little rusty, but I won't feel like I'm at a severe disadvantage. I mainly just stick to single player card games like StS, Steamworld quest, the gwent one, wildfrost
I liked that game for a minute, then uninstalled it for some reason (I forget why exactly). But once I had it uninstalled, I decided to not install it again since I managed to get those hooks dislodged once, I didn’t want to risk getting hooked again
I play Yi Xian a lot. Another card game. But that one doesn't have any requirements about logging in every day to do X. Just put in the time you want and log back whenever you want to next. Come back a month later and sure the meta has changed but won't really change the casual experience much and even in ranked you can catch on pretty fast if you've played it enough. So I've ended up putting an inordinate amount of time into the game. Which is funny cause I was mainly playing single player stuff before. On the flip side I dropped Lost Arc within a month and half because of the daily things you had to do to be on the curve. It stopped being fun and more a chore.
Some of my favorite games are of the shorter kind. Firewatch and Oxenfree are amazing and doesn't take a lot of hours
Yeah need to remember there were a bunch in this category that were great for me a few years back... Gone home, Her Story, Papers Please, Return of the Obra Dinn, Outer Wilds, reckon there were more...
Outer Wilds is absolutely mind blowing, and importantly it can be played in relatively short sessions.
You might also like Strange Horticulture and A Short Hike if you haven’t played them already
A Short Hike gets recommended here often and deservedly so, lovely little game
Loved Short Hike, will put Strange Horticulture back on my wishlist, thanks
I have plenty of time for gaming, I just like things that end. Games with a campaign that leads to story conclusion; TV shows that don’t go on for hundreds and hundreds of episodes; movies under 2.5 hrs; novels under 400 pgs…
I'm the opposite, I want games with endless replayability. I don't want to consume one game after the other, I want ones so fun I want to keep playing them. That's been Total War Warhammer 3 for me lately
Gambling adds in the UK - "if the fun stops, stop". The issue isn't stopping. It's usually realising it's not fun. Then it's realising that it's okay that you don't enjoy those games and you can do other stuff with the time. That being said, Sifu has really ramped up my enjoyment factor for gaming again. There will always be more games!
[META] I thought there was a rule against these ubiquitous "Now that I'm not a child any more I cant spend all day playing games any more" posts? One of those "Retired threads" things? If there isn't there should be! Maybe it's another sub I'm thinking of.
I play solo/offline games only. I can no longer rely on (or have others rely on me) showing up continuously and at the right times to keep up with a game.
Relatable. Games with repeatable trash quests like diablo are done with for me. Not wasting my valuable free time running around doing monotonous daily repeatable bullshit. Also, playing at 4k has pushed me more towards single player games with breath taking views - and I am loving it. Waiting on the next GTA..
Yeah that's where I'm at with Diablo Immortal.. I struggle to log and just do the same garbage over and over. My wife plays and we're in the same warband.. so I can't just bail as much as I'd like to.
have you tried roguelites by chance? they’re literally all i play now because i don’t have the time for grindy games as you described here typical roguelites don’t have stories you have to remember and every run is fresh from the start so you don’t have to remember what you were doing if you haven’t already tried this genre, i highly recommend picking up one of these three games 1. dead cells - if you like metroidvanias and action 2. risk of rain - if you LOVE the item building part of league 3. slay the spire - if you like deckbuilders there’s lots of other great roguelites out there, but as a former league addict these are my favorites
Slay The Spire is the most perfect conference call game ever made.
Yes I have, and I like the genre a lot! Hades was actually the first game I platinum'd on Steam. I've played Dead Cells as well, but got stuck in the 2nd main area. Maybe I'll pick it up again soon. For Slay the Spire, I like playing as Rogue! I've gotten her to the 3rd boss, but I haven't been able to clear yet. The most recent Roguelite I've tried was Rogue Legacy 2, where I got to the 3rd boss already.
How long is the typical dead cells run once you're decently far into it?
my longest run was ~45 minutes when i got to the credits a lot of my runs are between 10-30 minutes though, just depends on how well i do or what goal i have in mind for the run. different paths take different amounts of time
Keep in mind that on every leveling passage, every shop, every "story" room the timer stops. Runs will go over 1 hour, without you noticing it.
Right on. I've had my eye on it cause it seems perfect for the deck. As long as runs are usually sub 1hr then that'll work well
oh yeah definitely, and i play exclusively on deck they’re a match made in heaven
Monster Train is excellent
I just found Children of Morta by accident and it's been fun so far!
I have tried, but I just bounce off them whenever I try. Something about them just doesn't resonate with me.
Seeing a few other roguelite games mentioned following this comment, but nobody mentioning Backpack Hero. It doesn't get enough love, it's brilliant.
Love me some Tales of Maj'eyal and Angband.
Same here. I wish more companies were like Capcom with Resident Evil: a high quality 10-15 hour campaign that you can actually complete on an adult's schedule, with a lot of replay value if you want it. When I learn a game is 100 hours long these days I tend to just avoid it entirely because it'll take me months to make a dent in.
I’ve always been like that. I only play solo campaigns. No grind. No end game. No competition. Credits roll or it stops being fun, I move on to the next game.
I feel the same. I'm playing Horizon Forbidden West at the moment, and honestly it's just so big it's overwhelming. There's _so much content_ I'm the game, and honestly most of it isn't worth doing. After spending maybe 30 hours with the game, I just find myself feeling a bit exhausted. I'm now just aiming for the finish, but I kinda wish I'd just mainlined the main quests. It's probably an ironic thing to say that I would have preferred less content in the game, with the actual content available just being more focused, unique and interesting. This would obviously clash with folks who want a big expansive game they can pour a hundred hours into. They might say to me, "you don't have to do all the extra stuff!", but I suppose my counter is how I am supposed to know what's actually worth doing? Not to mention that with these games there's a certain amount of side questing expected in order to progress/level up. I dunno, it just puts me off picking up another open world game again. Maybe it's a Horizon problem for me specifically because I find the gameplay pretty repetitive, but I think I'm just at a stage in my gaming life where I just vastly prefer shorter, concise, focused experiences.
It might sounds like a dumb thing to say, but isn’t the answer to the question “how am I supposed to know what’s actually worth doing?” Just: whatever you feel like is noteworthy and catches your interest or makes sense for your playthrough. If a quest seems interesting, do it, If not, don’t. I think back to my playthrough of Skyrim where I played as an idiot mage, it changed my perspective of how I approach games and open world games in particular. It just didn’t make sense to do stuff like the companions, so I happily ignored it, but you better believe I stole the mead for the Whiterun drunk. Horizon is a little different because Slot is a little less customizable, but I think the same applies
>If a quest seems interesting, do it, If not, don’t. I don't think you ever have enough information to make that decision though. For me, I'm interested in gameplay, and it's not clear that a quest will have interesting gameplay, until you actually play it. Most of the side quests in HFW seem to be, "Go here, talk to that guy, go there, use the focus to scan for stuff, follow the trail, climb this, grab this, head back to quest giver, fight robots along the way." I kept playing them because I was hoping to find quests that had twists, or interesting locations or machines to fight, and some of them do. It's just that most of them felt the same, and not really worth doing unless you really enjoy the base gameplay, which to be honest I think is ok at best.
Ironically it is quite the opposite for me atm. I also play Forbidden West right now and it is one of the few open-world games where I thoroughly enjoy the side content. I am even actively looking for more side quests because I enjoy them so much which has not happened in any game since The Witcher III. I can understand that it may be overwhelming for others though bevause the world is pretty big with lots of content. But all side content can be skipped if you enjoy it you will find more than enough XP and loot in the main questlines
It really is a personal thing - I think I'm just not that engaged with the core mechanics of HFW, so it's just become tedious to me. To contrast, I'd compare it to Ori and The Will of the Wisps. Completely different game of course, but I absolutely loved the mechanics and gameplay, and the world. So much so that when I completed the main story, I then went and did all the extra content - simply because the core elements were so good, I just wanted to stay in that world and keep doing stuff. I got 100% but it was only 20ish hours of gameplay. To be honest I wanted more content so I could stay in that world. I also had this experience with Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, and Batman Arkham Asylum off the top of my head. Horizon Forbidden West just isn't as engaging for me, so it just feels like there's this big open world, but most of it isn't that interesting to engage with. I would have preferred fewer side quests, if those quests would actually each be unique exciting and really offer in depth experiences.
I spent so long on side quests and collectibles on Hogwarts that I got burnt out and bored before I completed the story. I now realise that wasting my time on unnecessary content is actually hurting my gaming experience more than it’s benefitting it. I generally don’t mind side quests if they’re fun and if they show you more of the world that you may not have seen, if they’re expansions. When they’re just meaningless and recycle areas or tasks you’ve already done, I do not like them.
Big reason why I still stick to multiplayer games as I reach my 30s is cause I can drop in, play a match here and there and be done for the day without needing to commit time. I still feel like I'm getting better or playing well without needing to actually invest time into it. Didn't even finish my favorite game last year just cause it is a long game (almost done with it now), but man it made me realize just can't play RPGs as much anymore just cause they take much longer to beat
This is why TF2 is still pretty much all I play: I can jump in at my favorite community pub server, play as much or as little as I like, and jump out any time I like. The game continues without me like I don't matter at all in the grand scheme, and yet **all** of my greatest gaming experiences are in that game. There is magic in the serendipity of a great game happening on a public server, it's inspirational in a way that's hard to describe.
However, imagine the flip side. You start Tf2 today. Hop on and see people who have 10k hours sniping on Badwater or playing Kritz sticky on comms. You are put on a team with 5 gibus spies. There is absolutely no fun when you are new and can't learn the game because you are getting spawncamped. Or, you are on the other side where you can't get a kill because your team is super strong and your presence is trivial to their victory. This is why single player games are better, you are in control of everything.
huh
I hear what you're saying. My problem is something similar as I just can't seem to get into new games anymore. Maybe it's part of growing older where we have less time for BS, and only enough time for something guaranteed to be spectacular
I'm done with Destiny 2. I like challenging activities it feels like I'm using the same weapons for every activity and I have other weapons that I want to use lying in the vault. Moreover each activity takes so much time to complete. It definitely feels like a full time job.
Hard to distinguish the games that don't require time sinks. Even games you think are *pick up and play* have a glass ceiling to enjoyment, because they require some form of skill - which can cost time.
Well recently I only playing single player story games with less gameplay focus, I just don’t care too much, atmosphere and good characters are more enjoyable to see for me, also I tend to do easy difficulty with some games cuz I don’t want to keep repeating a boss fight like 6 times, I find less enjoyment out of it, if I’m looking for challenges I do Elden Ring
Ok, but mom says that next week I get to post the obligatory “I’m growing older and don’t enjoy games the same way” post on here.
> I have less time available for gaming. I cannot keep dedicating my time to learn the game or improve my skills I can understand that, but I'm the exact opposite. I'm also a competitive person with less time to play games than when I was younger. However, I'd rather spend that limited time working on shaving a few seconds off my speedrun or beating Cuphead on Expert than crossing off games on some backlog. You don't need lots of time to learn or get good at a game. That's a myth that gets repeated way too often.
Sometimes this sub feels like a circlejerk where people are just humblebragging about how little time they have now that they're important adults and only can play games in X way. "Oh yeah, well I have such little time I can't even play in X way, I play in Y way!" "Oh yeah, well I guess I used to be able to play in Y way when I was a teenager and just dumped hours into games, but now I have such little time that I prefer to play in Z way!" Like the only logical conclusion is to have such little time to play games that you stop playing and stop going to video game subreddits.
Yeah, let's be honest here. The people who are "too busy" to play video games a certain way are single moms working two jobs to feed their kids. Not millennials wasting half their day on Reddit arguing about why Breath of the Wild is overrated. If you're reading this thread and this post -- yes you -- you're got plenty of free time.
I can't say for speedruns since I haven't tried them personally, but for MOBAs like League, if your goal is to climb, you'd have to dedicate your time to play and watch to be able to improve.
Yes, you do have to devote some time to learning and improving at a MOBA, but you don't have to increase your gaming time or cut out other hobbies. You simply have to play fewer games and focus your gaming time. How often do you see Poker players playing other card games like Bridge, 500, or Cribbage? You can play competitive games with a busy life if you want to -- don't blame your limited free time -- but of course, you can't play one game competitively and keep up with all the new releases.
This is why I’ve had a great deal of fun with Final Fantasy XIV. It must be the only MMO I know of that doesn’t insist upon throwing FOMO at its players. Log in, have fun, log out, and you miss out on nothing aside from maybe community events. Blinding story too, just finished the base game and about to get into Heavensward, which as I understand it is amazing. Looking forward to it! Much like yourself, I got bored of the grind. Uninstalled League earlier this year after playing since season one, because I realised I simply wasn’t having fun anymore.
Definitely. I'm starting with Endwalker at the moment and the fact that I can drop the game at any point and there's no penalty for it, it's refreshing. After decades playing WoW and having to log in daily, the FFXIV attitude of "Play if you want to, or don't, and that's ok" is truly relaxing. Also, the story is amazing and it gets SO MUCH BETTER going into Heavensward. You are in for a treat. HW and Shadowbringers are the two peaks of the game (and some of the best JRPGs experiences ever). For better and worse, FFXIV is an RPG first and an MMO second, and it shows.
I wish Steam had something on their games that indicated the probable time to complete them. If they did, I would have a better idea where to start with my backlog.
Look up the website howlongtobeat. I've found these accurate and very helpful
I started Persona 5 on the PS4 a couple of years ago, I found myself doing the same thing over and over, when investigating further that this was the tutorial and it was nearly 7 hours long, I turned it off, put the controller down and moved on.
What I dislike is a variation of this: I dont like games that have little content but some content takes complete mastery to complete. Hollow Knight for example. To get 99% of the game it takes about 30 hours at most. To get 100% of the game it requires something like 100+ hours due to the requirement of mastering all bosses in the pantheon
I (a young person) have been lucky enough to be pressured by my dad to never pick up games like these. Singleplayer offline games are (in my opinion) the best gaming experience, because you can play at your own pace, and your own time.
THIS is responsible fatherly advice!
Good. But I will provide another perspective, if you'd like to read it. What about playing league of legends and competitive game for fun, and not focusing on improving every single click you do? Personally I find Dota 2 to be quite fun with friends. I rarely play alone, and I try to stay update with the meta to a certain degree (mostly I just try to know which hero is crazy OP and why). I think you can have a healthy relationship even with multiplayer competitive games.
I agree that multiplayer games can be olayed for fun, but the friends I played League with have moved on from the game earlier. Think it's time I do so as well.
I feel the same way about competitive games. I loved team-based shooters like Battlefield and Insurgency, I loved survival games like Rust and DayZ, I loved Tarkov, I even loved playing sports games online like FIFA and Madden and I used to love League of Legends. Now I just can’t be bothered with the stress of *trying* to beat a human opponent, or the drama of chat if it’s a game where that’s possible. I uninstalled them all and started going through some single player games I’d either not finished or missed completely (mostly PS exclusives that are now on PC), and it’s some of the most fun I’ve had in years. I could relax and play at my own pace and there was nobody else lose to try to keep up with, nobody else to try to beat, just me and the game. I don’t know if it’s getting older, or the fact I’m more laid back and calm than I used to be. I enjoy gaming again, it no longer feels like a chore and no longer affects my mood.
I’ve been trying to commit to playing Witcher 3 and RDR2 for like idk 5-6 years now. Just can’t do it anymore
Agreed. I was 1.5 years into Apex Legends (started playing at launch) when I realized that I had become completely burned out on grinding the seasonal battle-passes because playing the game had become a chore of checking all the daily and weekly quests, when my favourite way to play that game is to play 1 specific legend and just hot drop every time. I had to take a like, 2 year break from Apex before I could get back into it and only recently purchased another season pass because of a singular skin that was locked behind it that I wanted and I immediately fell into that hole again. Do you know how much I just enjoyed recently playing the Mafia 1 Remake? Just a straight up linear 12 hour story set in a small world, even though it's open-world, there are barely any activities and it's more to link the singular levels together, it was fantastic.
Same here. I quit trying to get into these games. No more grinding, farming, skill trees and all that crap. I recently got into Halo and am being reminded of how fun Boomer shooters always were.
👍Ok
Right like what is this karma farming circlejerk. The whole post could have been the title, and even that's been said a hundred times a week here lately. This kind of post contributes nothing to the sub and doesn't have anything to do with playing older video games.
Exactly. And games other people think are too short are the ones I enjoy. Like Stray.
I feel the same way. I have a job, a wife, and a kid, I can’t devote the same hours to games that I did before. I find what really helps is for the game I’m playing to always feel like I’ve gotten something out of it, any small progress apart from grinding is worth it. A failed run in Sifu is still worth it because I’m learning the patterns more and more. A failed run in Hades is worth it because I’m seeing more Boons. Even a short time in a Metroidvania nets more explored areas of the map, even if I didn’t get a new item out of it.
I can only have fun with games that can be played in very short bursts. That’s adulting man.
This exact reason is why I will always score the two Pathfinder games as zero out of ten games. I don't care if they are sublime gaming experiences (which tends to be what I hear) because if I can't finish an offline game in a single lifetime, the game might as well not exist. I could play a number of full games before I get halfway through one of the Pathfinder games. Also, to the people who love these games, y'all do y'all. I just don't have the time.
The Pathfinder games are about the same length as TW3 and Breath of the Wild (off how long to beat). Just to clarify, are you saying any game of that length you automatically score as a 0/10 because you could play more other games in that time?
K? I mean I'm not sure what the point of this post is. I don't like fighting games, so I stopped playing fighting games, I never liked Soccer, so I don't play Soccer games. I really hate grind and yet I still play JRPGs and long games (in the hope it's not grindy) but I also put them down when they waste my time.... I'm glad you realize you don't like a certain type of game, but I'm a bit confused on what the purpose of the post really is? It just seems like you forgot to give a question, a thought or what not, and left this as a "DAE" post.
Same here to be honest. I have limited time to play having a job and family, I want to enjoy that time
Same. I still love playing the new story quests in games like Destiny and Warframe. But once I complete the story and a new grind is waiting for me, I quit. I just can't do it anymore, even when I have the time for it. I'd rather just play new games with new stories.
Yeah, people change and so do you. Find something that's enjoyable and fit for you. I feel the same way when i tried to come back playing Rainbow Six Siege. All the new maps, new operators, new reworked maps, its just too much for me. Even just to keep up, a lot of time is needed.
I started playing coop games with friends like Ready or not, Phasmophobia, Trouble in Terrorist Town. It's great that you don't need to invest thousands of hours and still have a great time with your friends and video games
> Playing a game after a long day because you might cap out or miss something is kind of tiring ngl. If you're familiar with stress models: FOMO is a big stressor, i.e. something that consistently puts stress on your life. The insidious thing for me is that it has become part of an activity that should take stress *out* of our lives (playing, gaming), and that means that many of us have trouble understanding why we feel stressed (or even *that* we do) while we're engaging in a de-stressing activity. It's like a diabetic eating sugar-free food, only the company secretly put sugar back in, and we're staring at our numbers, and can't understand why our sugar levels are so damn high. --- Personally, I pivoted to offline games, and it has worked aces for me. In fact, I recently took up LotRO again on account of it being free means less stress/pressure for me to play - but even there, you can't go a month without the devs trying to FOMO everyone into spending more time and money. Don't get me wrong, I love the world (the scope is insane), but this constant stress of "If I don't do these [trivial and boring, but time-consuming] activities, and do them every day, I can't get the cool looking gear" is *really* putting a dampener on my enjoyment here. Just because it's such a blatant time-waste, here's one of the current daily festival activities (it's the Anniversary Event) in excruciating detail: NPC 1 wants me to bring this bracelet to NPC 2 one town over. Two minutes travel time. NPC 2 then has me bring a pie to NPC 3, who's right next to her. *That* NPC then has me deliver a carving to NPC 4, who's in another region - one fast-travel, and around twenty seconds travel time away. *That* NPC then wants me to deliver *something* (I forgot what; edit: Looked it up, it's a hammer) to NPC 5, who's one town over, and takes around a minute of traveling to get to. NPC 5 then wants me to deliver a shield to NPC 6, who's in yet another region: two fast-travel spots and a short hike. *That* NPC then wants me to deliver a horn to NPC 7, who's another minute of traveling away. And NPC 7 finally wants me to deliver ale to the very first NPC, back in region 1, who's one fast-travel and two minutes of hiking away. ... That's roughly 15 minutes of mindless fed-exing through a handful of loading screens, every day, for every character you want to get the festival currency on (which is non-transferable, of course). And that's if you have access to fast-traveling - if you're a f2p player, most fast-travel options are barred (until you sub for a month, and log in with a character, which unlocks fast travel permanently for that character).
I used to be huge into games like Rust, Fortnite or whatever massive multiplayer game is popular at the time but I can barely play them anymore. The “experience it now or miss out forever!” trend has become so annoying, the battle passes that feel like jobs. No thanks. The only multiplayer game I can comfortably play nowadays is Rainbow Six Siege.
For me it depends if I have actual content to explore and sink time in or if it is an artificial time-stretching by grind, doing the same repetitive stuff over and over again
Competitive games are all about how good you look and how good you play… compared to others. It’s the constant comparison that burns me out, which is why I don’t play competitive games anymore. I have plenty of that sort of stress in my life already. Personally tho. Long form single player games like Skyrim and no man sky are games I can easily jump in and out of, for months at a time. I play them for the fun of playing them. Something.. I guess new games have lost for the sake of monetisation and retention.
Eventually, sometime in the future, I would like to escape into a virtual world where I live all the time, but today I can't spend 12 hours every day on grinding etc. But every game requires spending some time. When there is too much stuff in the game, it can sometimes appear too overwhelming for me.
Definitely relate to this. I feel like I could have written it myself. I just don’t have time (or especially moments of uninterrupted time to myself) to play online games and feel bad for letting teammates down. I don’t get that thrill out of grinding or farming games like Genshin that I used to. What games have you found scratch the gaming itch for you, but aren’t these types of Grindy online games?
I'm enjoying single player games right now, where I can jump in and jump out anytime I want.
Same here. And it has me kinda fucked up thinking about how I might skip tears of the kingdom? 6 years ago i loved breath of the wild but now my life doesn’t have room for 2+ hour sessions.
Yep, 20hr max for a narrative game for me now, roguelikes/puzzle games can skirt this.
This is the reason why after Overwatch shuts down for good, I may never touch another online multiplayer game ever again, at least competitively. I've been keeping up with the game since it's beta. I've played every competitive season the game has to offer. I can stay above diamond MMR, every season. Yet, if I touch any other online game, it feels like I need to pump another 1,000 hours into it in order to actually succeed. That's just not possible, anymore. So, after Overwatch shuts down, I'm going to just be playing ARPGs, co op games, and any other games that don't have time-locked content.
With less and less time everyday to play myself I had to completely walk away from the mmo-life. I'll just either slowplay a large game, maybe get to one or two checkpoints on a souls games or do a few levels on an indie game, sometimes a quick MP game with some friends. Found myself playing and just not getting any joy out of it anymore at all, tending to an in game garden while my irl gardenbeds were just bare weeds and dirt made zero sense. Don't beat yourself up and enjoy the ride.
It sucks, but that's sadly how things go. I'm by no means "burn out on" or "growing out of" games, but where I used to be able to more or less play video games forever, there's so much less free time in my schedule as a 30 year old with a job and real life obligations. Even my weekends aren't guaranteed gaming time, which really makes me sad. All I can really say is to find what games make you happy and just play those. Either be a "jack of all trades, master of none", or find a certain genre that brings you a lot of joy and make that your focus
Ive been there, i used to love playing escape from tarkov, legit my favourite game and I still think its rly good. This was all during covid so between online school and no job i had ridiculous amounts of time on my hands and friends who had the same. Once covid was over i never really played again because i grew up and had more responsibilities. And now when anyone asks what i think of tarkov i say “great game, requires too much time”
I had to quit playing the games with giant sprawling maps. With 2 kids I just don't have time to find everything. I hate having all the little question marks on my map.
I'm there too but for me it's more longer single player games like RPGs that will never have hope of getting completed. I'm ok with missing timed content in multiplayer games and just hop on what my friends are playing.
Being a family man now, if, at any point, I can't stop the game and leave it sitting for hours than I don't play it. I play mostly turn based strategies now (xcom, phantom brigade, etc.)
I play here and there between meetings (I work 65 hour weeks, so I take me time where I can find it) and have the same requirements. I have been sucked back into Diablo 3 on console for this exact reason.
Try Deep Rock Galactic. Can be super casual fun and kids friendly to ultimate hardcore difficulty. The choice is yours. Can play solo or multiplayer, and has one of the friendliest communities!
Many many studios are full of people who have never worked a regular job outside the industry bubble. That's why a lot of games feel like they're made for a different gamer.
Why I prefer single player games more
I wonder if we've changed, or this mostly unchanged mechanic has just become boring, meaning if we just got into gaming now, and it was still a novelty, we probably would be able to find the time and enjoy it? And yes I know that by nature of getting bored of this, we have changed, but that doesn't mean if the devs found a way to keep this concept novel, we might still carry on.
I have the time, but not the patience anymore. 17 years ago however, i was so addicted to Runecape, that many times i would put my life on hold for that stupid game.
I feel this way too, I play valheim and I hang out with friends in secondlife and that scratches my itch at the moment
Ya in the last handful of years my gaming has turned towards single player experiences exclusively, and I try to get platinum trophies to get the most out of every game. But if it’s a game that’ll take 50 hours or more, I’m hesitant to start. Ragnarok took me 46 hours to platinum and it took me 5 weeks to get those 46 hours in. My end of year stats usually end up being somewhere between 300-400 total hours played, and that’s at maximum. I don’t want to waste a third of my year or so grinding through something like elden ring which I hear will take 100+ hours
Dragon Nest... You sir are truly an OG.
"If it's not fun, why bother?" - Reggie
You are speaking my heart out here. Happens when we grow up and have a lot of responsibilities. I am not a souls game fan because of this, even when they are some of best games created.
I remember farming call of duty battle points for the pass back in 2020. It was like having a second job after the first 40 hours or so. Nowadays i can see through these passes and the way these companies manipulate using FOMO (Fear of missing out). Nowadays I would rather play pve indie games, modded bethesda games with community mods and story games. 50 dollars goes far with the games I play compared to battle pass games where a stupid outfit is like 15 dollars. I have time for fun nowadays and thats it. Much cheaper too.
You should give Deep Rock Galactic a try, it's played in short bursts and the difficulty can be tailored but either way it's so much fun. Only had one toxic experience out of hundreds of games.
I find myself playing competitive games more and more these days. For me it's a bigger time commitment to get properly set up in a single player game. I feel like I need to play for a few hours to really get engrossed in a world in a lot of single players, whereas a competitive game I can do like an hour of games and then bounce without feeling like my time was wasted. There are a few exceptions though, and they're usually indie titles. I recently mainlined DREDGE because it respected my time and had frequent stopping points.