I'm actually thinking about letting go of most if not all AAA gaming.
Cliff_Forster
Icrontian
So there has been a ton of hardware news that I have actually been following, and while it still excites me as a technology geek, I just don't see any reason to build a new PC or buy a PS5 just for me. The last truly fantastic AAA game I played was the PS4 Spider Man, which I had to dumb down to the lowest difficulty to get through it. I enjoyed the heck out of it and I have about a half dozen games on my shelf that I have invested in that I just don't feel like getting around to. I find myself more interested in just playing some music in the evening and reading a bit...
Has anyone else kind of hit the middle age gaming burnout? I still enjoy casual games. I have a Pac Man and Galaga Arcade 1up Machine and I still enjoy fooling around on those a bit. I do occasionally fire up Street Fighter V on the PS4 but what I'm actually starting to wonder is if my life would be more fulfilling if I just let it go, treat it as sort of a past identity.
It's a crazy thing we do, we all have our "backlogs of shame" and they kind of nag at you, like man, I bought that, I should like really play it... And it's not just that you lack the time, you just mentally have kind of gotten to the point where expelling the extra grey matter to play a complex 3D game just isn't that appealing anymore.
It's a weird thing, I almost want to go to gamestop, drop off all the crap I don't play anymore, get a gift card, give it to my kid who still plays a tiny bit, sell my gaming PC, buy a friggin mac or something and just let it go. It's so hard to do though. Like, it feels like a huge commitment to just say, okay, this is me now, accept it. That cool game is coming out, it looks amazing, but honestly, I'm not going to play it, why hold onto it any further.
Comments
I've considered giving up AAA gaming, but not because I'm old and don't want to play anymore; because the AAA game industry is a dumpster fire that mistreats its employees and cares more about bottom lines than advancing the art form. I already refuse to buy games from certain companies because of how I know they behave, but there are probably companies in the industry who are almost as bad or worse, and I just don't know it yet.
I find myself in an ebb and flow state with gaming. I love gaming, still. I have an absolute blast with new AAA games, like Paper Mario. I am still excited about new games coming out. I am RABID for the new Star Wars. I'm still excited about new hardware coming out.
What I don't give a fuck about anymore is a toxic AAA game that pushes patriarchal, misogynistic, or jingoistic agendas.
You both raise a good point about certain toxic aspects of the gaming culture. I've played a ton of Overwatch. I rarely talk because as soon as I do some kid insists I should go find my Geritol. Now I have a sense of humor about that, but the way some of the kids freak out about losing a video game, I think, if I ever walked into a room and heard Zoe to tell somebody online that they were trash or they should kill themselves... And it just puts it into perspective that this is a kids pastime that I've just sort of held onto because change is hard.
Also, the industry, you do read these stories about people working 100+ hour weeks to meet a deadline for what?? The market is flooded. How many of these games will be remembered in 10 years? When it's done right, they can be wonderful art, but it's kind of infuriating how much garbage you have to sift through to get to it.
I think that's why you are seeing these all you can eat streaming services. How do you monetize an industry that is 90% garbage, you do it the same way the rest of the entertainment industry is, make it an all you can eat buffet with cold crab legs and dry roast beef in the hopes that occasionally you sift through it all to end the meal with a decent slice of pie or something. It's like quality matters less than selection, and that's the entertainment industry as a whole, not just gaming.
Looks around ... disagree. I think there are plenty of ways to find community in games that aren't shitty, but you have to seek it out. There are trash people everywhere, so if you are playing with pubs in any game you're going to run across them.
You are right. I'm not saying it's universal, but if you were to take a sample of 100 competitive FPS gamers, I am sure i am a massive outlier. I just have so little in common with the average gamer at this point.
I have a different perspective on this, since my job puts me in direct contact with massive communities of young people who are making the next generation of video games for new audiences.
Gaming is about to explode with creativity. We are on the cusp of a renaissance in gaming, because an entire generation of people who were children not that long ago (during the times that defined this AAA gaming hellscape you're describing) are now young adults and they have huge and powerful resources to make fantastic gaming experiences, and they also have a community of peers that are positive, progressive, uplifting, and kind.
I would suggest looking away from the peak capitalism mess of white male AAA gaming, and you will find hope in young, diverse creators, and the energy and voice they're bringing to the next generation of gaming.
You know, this has given me something to ponder. I knew I was dissatisfied with the direction of gaming, but I could not entirely put my finger on the "why"... I know my tastes have changed a bit, but I do think maybe there is a point to what you are saying about the kind of traditional toxicity of the hobby.
I've sort of leaned towards more retro experiences. I think it connects me with the innocence of the hobby. I can play through Mega Man 2 once a year and that experience never gets old for me, but lately to try and trudge through a AAA shooter where I blow demons faces off.... As much as I used to love it, it just seems more laborious than the payoff is worth. I can watch a really thoughtful well made film in two hours and perhaps learn something or gain some perspective on a topic or even simply be entertained, or I can spend two weeks trying to get to the end of something where the payoff is, see you next year to shoot more demons from hell... and it's just lost it's depth of meaning for me.
I mean, it's a serious existential crisis here guys!! I may be growing up... Save me....
Ya gotta stop associating gaming with childhood or childishness, man
Embrace gaming as an adult! I think you have some inner conflict going on here 😁
I totally want to find a Ted Logan whoaaaa kinda mind blown meme right now.
I can't stand broshooters any more, and that's what I mostly associate AAA titles with. That, and loot boxes. I feel my gaming life has been vastly improved by avoiding both.
The BLM games bundle was a bit of an eye opener in that regard. There is an absolutely massive amount of games out there. I'd recommend nosing around and seeing if perhaps different genres or themes would appeal more strongly to you?
Because gaming is definitely, DEFINITELY for everybody
Yeah, I think that's the thing, it's more of a recognition that I've changed in some fundamental way, and it's kind of weird to acknowledge that this thing you have always loved just isn't your thing anymore, or maybe not as much that as I think it should not be, and defining that for yourself, is it gaming as a whole, is it a certain experience... I'm not even sure. It's one of those really introspective moments where you ponder a change. Coming home at night and not wanting to play a competitive PC shooter is weird for me. It's something I've done for two decades, but now I'm sort of left wishing I'd of done something else with that time. So you can acknowledge that to yourself, but changing is still really difficult. I'm a special kind of weird I guess, I figure some people would be like, well duh, do something else then... And it makes perfect sense, but I feel like this almost strange additive compulsion to something that I know gives me zero value in exchange, and part of me wonders if I just altogether said, okay, enough of that, traded it all in and walked away for a bit how different my life would be. I actually attempted to a year ago, I sold my gaming PC and my wife and kid kind of freaked out and were like, you are going to go nuts.... Could you please build a PC and game again... So I did, but I'm kind of looking back and saying, I think my gut instinct was right, it's like, here is this hobby, I've gotten everything I'll ever get out of it, maybe I should pick up an instrument, or start writing, hell, I even registered a website, crabbydadtech because my daughter and I were laughing thinking about funny names for a project for me, and a month later I still haven't done a thing with it. I almost feel like an addict, as long as I have access I'll stay down in that rabbit hole. My daughter was diagnosed with OCD about a year ago. I know it comes from me, even though I've never been officially diagnosed. For my, obsessions can be pretty extreme. Like this week Overwatch released a new challenge to get a new costume for Tracer, and for me to discipline myself not to bother with it, I'd almost need to just remove the access so I do something else.
See, this might be the core of the issue from my perspective: Why do you think you get zero value from gaming? You may be beating yourself up over it because you've convinced yourself your hobby might have zero value.... but what if it DOES have value? What if you considered it wonderful quality time spent where you've made friends, been able to share your hobby with a community of people, and have lots of wonderful moments that create lasting memories?
Exactly, something to ponder. Maybe it isn't the gaming as much to say maybe I'm doing it wrong.
When I buy a PS5 and this game I'm going to tell my wife that it is all your fault....
Now side question, what is up with that Unity Humble Bundle? Do I need that in my life? Can I really figure out how to make an awesome game and ultimately save humanity?
I don't think you need the humble bundle unless you already are comfortable with Unity. What I do suggest, though, is that you get Unity (free) and download and build and play the LEGO Microgame tutorial (also free). That will give you the footing you need.
As for: Do I believe that you can figure out how to make an awesome game? Absolutely yes. Almost anyone can.
@Cliff_Forster good time to remind everybody that Icrontic has an event calendar, and that @MiracleManS is doing a C#/Unity quickie primer on Wednesday the 23rd.
Well, some crazy shit happened... It's odd but I think some level of depression just made me feel meh about everything, and it was odd, I just found no joy in gaming and it was a confusing feeling if I'm being honest. Doc adjusts my meds a bit, a month ago I finally figure, I'll try and play the Last of Us Remastered, I never finished it, got to the end and the ending sort of stuck with me, I wanted to see what happened next, I just finished The Last of Us Part 2, and I'll say, it's the Unforgiven of video games. That game is a work of art. I'm back baby!! Nerd life gamer 4 Ever!!!