I just got my notes out a month ago because someone was sharing their FFXII collection. It has so many switch names, one-way markings, and strike-throughs where I messed up and realized I went in a big circle. I’m so glad I didn’t use a guide for that.
I don’t think I’m alone in this, but what I’m really wondering is if this is a result of getting older? Or is it because the gaming space itself has changed?
Both. When you’re older you don’t have as much time to play video games so you want that time to be more meaningful and for the games you play to be more concise. In addition, a lot of games have added “hundreds” of hours of content by large and relatively empty open worlds that are full of worthless autogenerated side quests and collectible trinkets, which is undoubtedly a worse gameplay experience.
a lot of games have added “hundreds” of hours of content by large and relatively empty open worlds that are full of worthless autogenerated side quests and collectible trinkets, which is undoubtedly a worse gameplay experience.
I loved the first game but I had significantly more spare time back then. I picked up TOTK on day 1 but I just couldn’t connect with it because it’s too big. The map is too big, there’s just too many options it overwhelms me now. I maybe can spend one or two hours a day playing and I really enjoy it now if the game just takes me by the hand and guides me. These massive open world games are not for me any more I’m afraid.
Yep, kids changed it for me too. Picked up RDR2 on sale and just can’t get into it. I have like an hour to play a game at a time, and I don’t want to spend 20 minutes riding a horse to a destination.
I always check howlongtobeat.com before investing in a game. 10-20 hours is perfect. 80+ sounds terrible to me.
I am a student and can’t get into rdr2 either, because I know that I have to play for a few hours to get to a big, epic, story mission. I gave up after the first two missions. For me, the game would’ve been better if it didn’t have an open world, bur rather, you just get send from mission to mission. Like Call of Juareze Gunslinger (which is also western themd), where it’s just a bunch of story missions. Nice 5-6 hour adventure iirc.
As someone who loved BOTW, there’s no way I’m playing TOTK. Just for so many reasons.
I hate crafting and building. I can’t deal with such a massive world right now. And I think what it really comes to is that, while I can enjoy periods without narrative, I’m just not the kind of person who thrives in a “make your own fun” situation. Sandbox games never appealed to me, and TOTK is even more of a sandbox than BOTW was.
I think I was just lucky to be in the right frame of mind when it came to BOTW.
I'm always juggling 2-3 games of various time commitments for this reason. It's works well for me tbh. I just stopped caring about my "backlog" or finishing a game. Video games have been way more fun for me ever since.
Me too. Definitely comes from having less flexible free time now compared to when I was younger. Having a kid (and wife, and responsibilities) really sees me only having about an hour a day that i truly can kick back. And then I am too tired to do anything.
Backlog: finish Elden ring (I am 110h in). Finish BoTW (I am 100h in). TLOU2, God of War 2, Cyberpunk, finish Persona 5 (I’m in 50h in), crosscode, mass effect trio,
Want to play: Metroid dread, a plaque tale requiem , nier replicant. Armored Core, Hollow knight silk song
Look, I am not complaining, things are great. Just need to find a way to play all this inmensive quality. Maybe when I am stuck in a retirement home.
Kinda unrelated, but retirement homes will be way better in the future than they are right now. Imagine all the VR equipment, video game consoles, and PCs. With the right neighbors, it could be like a LAN party all the time
It’s definitely both for me, time management and responsibilities definitely play a part in what I’m able to dedicate to a game and some games definitely have subjectively useless filler for me.
I’ve definitely moved from playing RPGs and competitive shooters to just RPGs as I’m done with grinding for the most part and don’t want to spend my limited time that way lol. Totally get that a lot of people like rogue likes and souls type stuff where the grind is more the point, but it’s not really my cup of tea anymore.
I also see that there’s a trend for studios to just pack their games with a lot of content (Red Dead Redemption 2 having had some more interesting filler, to me, and stuff like Assassin’s Creed getting more grindy).
I find my gaming is more like how I consume books, now. I’ll have a couple RPGs going at a time (usually a replay of something I’ve enjoyed and want to reexperience and another that I’ll be trying out of my backlog) and just play what strikes my fancy.
I get what you’re saying with the bundle kinda thing where you may just skip a game if it’s not something that really grabs you.
I’ve definitely had a few false starts and games where I just kinda saw what they were about and didn’t want to continue or wasn’t super interested.
There are definitely games I’ve put on my docket that I’m more interested in because of their history and relation to the gaming industry, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines and S.T.A.L.K.E.R for example.
I think most of it is that I’ve needed to extend my playthroughs to make them work with my life as I’m no longer able to just come home from school and game for like 3 hours a day. I mostly want to either get into (or back into) a cool plot or story and/or consume some older gems I had not been exposed to earlier as I definitely don’t have as much free time.
I’m in a similar boat. I like to focus on more unique and interesting games nowadays (e.g., Outer Wilds), and let me tell you, Vampire The Masquerade is surely one them. I loved that game despite the jank, even if it won’t be your cup of tea, there’s nothing like it. (and STALKER is great too)
Haha I actually kind of loved the jank at points. It was also delightfully early 2000s campy (love those kinds of movies and still show 10 Things I Hate About You in my Shakespeare unit).
Big fan of STALKER so far and I’m slowly getting through the trilogy lol.
I don’t mind 30-40 hours as long as it has a definite end to it. I might play side quests if it’s a really good game and I don’t want the finale of reaching the end yet.
Welcome to the Patient Gamers world. Now that I’m in my late 30s with responsibilities, I’ll take a short linear game (e.g. Mafia Definitive Edition) with a compelling story over long, repetitive games (e.g. Assassin’s Creed). Quality over quantity for me. Since I don’t have a lot of time, I want to spend some quality time with the game.
I don’t really see how what you’re describing relates to patient gaming – isn’t patient gaming moreso to do with waiting until games drop in price, then getting them patched up with all their DLC?
I have to say, it’s also a subculture of it. When I used to participate in r/patientgamers, a lot of people (myself included) realised that we didn’t care about the latest releases because of our responsibilities (and maturity), and many of us preferred short to long.
I’d say it’s parallel to or supportive of patient gaming.
Like, that commentor has less time to dedicate, so they’ll go for games with plots they may have heard were good/engaging which may not always be the latest, pricey, AAA content. They may also return to a game they’ve already bought because they enjoyed it so much.
In researching games that they’re interested in, they’re already making value decisions based on content, so it makes sense that they may add in value considerations based on pricing as well.
I stopped playing AAA games because there is so much filler. I would prefer if games went for 3-6 hours for playtime with a clean and tight plot.
I don’t read books that have a cool intro, 300 pages explaining how everything works, 1000 pages of characters just doing random stuff for random people, and then a return to actual plot in the last 100 pages.
I stopped playing AAA games because there is so much filler. I would prefer if games went for 3-6 hours for playtime with a clean and tight plot.
I don’t read books that have a cool intro, 300 pages explaining how everything works, 1000 pages of characters just doing random stuff for random people, and then a return to actual plot in the last 100 pages.
I hope for a world where fun and optimization are prioritized over length and graphics
Tbh I think that in the world, games would be cheaper and micro-transactions would be seen in a better light. I think people don’t mind supporting a developer who makes an actually good title
Even when it’s a small developer, I’d still rather buy the whole game/expansion at once. It’s easier to find reviews that way, and less immersion-breaking. I don’t want to be reminded of real world-money while playing.
I was thinking about getting one but then I saw Retroid’s line of products. They run Android instead of using FPGAs so you can play regular Android games (including modern re-releases as well as Steam’s Remote Play) but they dual-boot a stripped-down version of Android for running emulators with better performance.
Was hella fun playing MediEvil on the flight from the US to India and that was with the Retroid Pocket 2, they have a much larger model out now.
The gaming space may have changed but I’d say it’s because you changed.
You brought in your decision the “worth playing”. Is this game worth to buy or is this game worth my time. When you can give your time a value, you can also compare it to what you are doing and if it’s worth to do that.
I tend to not really do that too much, because gaming is a hobby. If I start to compare it to what I could earn, well it doesn’t give the most “value” in monetary gain or maybe knowledge gain. But that is why it is a hobby for me, not work.
On the other side, is it worth playing? What is the comparison? The price? If you like the game? For me, if I can enjoy it, and come back to it, even if it’s very long (Warframe for example is the one where I have the most hours played), well it’s worth playing to me.
Tho some games are very expensive for the experience they give and some are really s* recently (gollum *cough) and those are not worth playing.
And is it worth playing compared to your other games? Maybe, maybe not? If you wait you can get discounts (at least on pc), and increase the value. And play your backlog in the meantime.
I think that playing the most recent games can be enjoyable but not always the best “value”. Tho I still play “newer” even if I have the backlog, which I use as a filler between releases and “patient gamers” style.
I think you’ve nailed it by outlining the worry of kids without an income of their own - if you can’t buy what you want whenever, game length is a plus, but when you’ve got disposable income, summer sales, the odd free game, and new good titles coming out all the time, brevity’s more valuable than each game being a forever-game.
Yeah, I feel the same. When I was younger I loved RPGs because they usually gave you 40+ hours of content just for the main story. Now I kind of dread playing them because it takes so much mental effort.
Then again, Long Covid also gave me brainfog. But I also felt that way before I had it. I guess back then my mental capacity was taken up by work.
Dude! Long COVID messed me up too, I had some serious brain fog for about six months and then it slowly lifted. I don’t think I’m the same for sure, but it’s gotten better.
I know it’s different for a lot of people so I’m hoping for the best for you!
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