It doesn’t fit well into my life. With work, the kids and all the responsibilities that comes with it I can’t afford to sink a lot of time into it, so if I get a game I’ll focus on single-player games, or I’ll go with multiplayer games with a co-op to at least enjoy the game without it being a competition.
I hear you on the competitive games piece, but competitive games where i can play with friends gives me a similar feel. As long as you can all laugh at losing. lol
Did you ever have a time where competitive gaming was an interest or pastime for you?
Here’s my advice as someone that quit drinking about 6 years ago due to my inability to drink responsibly.
Do you want to quit? If you feel like you can’t handle playing a game in moderation, maybe it’s time to think about quitting it entirely. If you feel like playing other genres of games will eventually draw you back into playing more addictive games like WoW, then you could think about quitting that too, it’s up to you. If certain music makes you think about playing WoW and you can’t control yourself if you listen to it , make a sacrifice and don’t listen to it. I avoided bars for years and still don’t really love being around when people are drinking. The sacrifices I make are well worth it though and I’m much much happier as a result.
Have a long, honest conversation with yourself about what you want from life and how video games fit into it. That’s what I did with alcohol and realized I didn’t want to waste my life on stupid shit any more and decided to quit.
You’re probably too young to remember when computers were a huge pia to use. Your MIL probably knows more about PCs than you do if she worked in an office in the 80s and 90s.
It is odd being in the gen X and millenial cohorts and being two generations trapped between ones that either had little to no experience with computers or have only used smart tech that simplified everything down.
I’m 18, so also Gen Z I guess. But growing up all I did was try to bypass WiFi and device time limits & content filters. Later I got more into programming (due to mental health I’ve been letting that slip unfortunately), and currently I’m looking to study AI and CompSci.
And I constantly wonder why other people aren’t as interested in this stuff. And are completely helpless in troubleshooting. I kind of want to buy a PC for my siblings to get them interested too, but I don’t have high hopes of it working…
I don’t know if I was trying to make a point here but I’ll post anyways, enjoy
There’s always going to be people interested on computing more so than their average cohort, if there weren’t boomers into it we wouldn’t have got anywhere with the tech to begin with.
However simply owning a computer between the 70s to 2010 odd meant you had to do a lot more problem solving and fiddling that lead to a better understanding of how stuff worked across the generation as a whole in comparison. Whether it was learning to use BASIC on your micro computer or having to mess about with drivers in Win 98.
The exception rather than the rule. I’ve seen several articles claiming your lot don’t know that computers have a file system. Ie they use the search function to find their files and don’t pay attention to where things are saved. Ie the computer is a large bucket full of my shit and the only way to access it is by telling the computer to rummage through it.
It’s fine for me. I just got hired as a “programmer” despite having extremely basic python skills and ability to use Linux. I’m quite happy to be “settled for”.
With the risk of being tagged as a car analogy, its similar to the experience with internal combustion engine cars, shifted by two generations. My parents (boomers) and the Silent gen often knew cars backwards and forwards because it was the only way to get them to work reliably, not unlike computers of the (60s) 70s and 80s. Those older were pretty resistant/baffled, and those after tend to just see them as appliances - being regularly ridiculed by boomers for things like not knowing how to change the transmission fluid (no longer necessary in many CVTs), drive a stick shift (rare on modern US vehicles), or brake “properly” (aka pumping brakes, which in an ABS enabled system is not recommended).
“lifetime” fluid doesn’t mean what you think it does. It means the lifetime of the transmission, which will fail if you don’t change the fluid at some point.
Any time a manufacturer has said that it has turned out to be b.s. and someone figures out that some off the shelf fluid works better than the stuff they put in at the factory.
lifetime fluid usually means “lifetime of the warranty” There are incredible high tech oils now that can easily last 100k mi in their intended use but they don’t work forever.
while we are on this topic the Detroit recommended oil change interval for the semi I drove was 85k miles, so basically slightly more than anually. Completely blew my mind, though in between oil changes they also took samples and tested them which is a big part of what makes that possible otherwise you’d change it at 35k to be safe. also the things took 5 gallons of motor oil, so a smaller proportion of the oil is being pummeled by the crankshaft bearings and piston seals, at least that’s how it was explained to me.
Screen is not the best, but everything else is superior. SteamOS is much better than Windows, IMO. Though I don’t play multiplayer games and I’ve read some anticheats don’t run on Linux. The only multiplayer game I play from time to time is Fall Guys and it works. Emulators are actually where Linux shines and especially Steam Deck - there’s an app called EmuDeck that sets up all the emulators you could think of and makes it work really easily. For Epic and GOG games I use Heroic Games Launcher and it works well, I played Spider-Man and Fall Guys from Epic and most of my library is on GOG.
I’m reminded of something that Binding of Isaac does that I wish more games would do: If you’re anywhere in the main menu (even drilled into it), if you just mash the B button/Esc key, it will keep backing out, up to and including exiting the game if you press it on the main menu. I hate games that make me click 3 times and say “are you sure??” when I just want to quit the dang program.
“REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE NEVER DO THAT” - FromSoft games
At least Elden Ring added a “Quit to Desktop” option. Any games before that… no you have to exit back to the title screen and be subjected to several seconds of extremely loud gothic chanting before you’re allowed to exit the game. God help you if your network connection is down because it will try to connect to the network for an entire minute before it fails and lets you exit.
Hey just an FYI “reeee” is “autistic screeching” i.e. it’s pretty ablelist/shitty to say. Not sure if you are aware, I only learned that pretty recently.
I’m sorry but what? I’m not OP but that is a record scratch. End of story. There is no ableism even in the vicinity of OPs statement without someone shoehorning it in there.
Sorry, wrong nomenclature. We are talking about the same subject (use of Reee) but I used the term OP in reference to the commenter you responded to. Sorry for the confusion.
My point was that calling out using Reee as ableism is uncalled for, in my opinion, because it is used to signify a record scratch (if this is not general usage and confined to my bubble of experience , I do apologize). Pointing out the possibility for offense when there clearly is no offense implied, and no one stating that they are offended, smacks of white knighting.
I feel like your comment came with good intentions, but to me it seems like unnecessary language policing. It’s a harmless onomatopoeia that could just as easily apply to the unrelenting tinnitus that rages inside of me.
I have never heard of “reeee” being a record scratching sound.
“Reeeee” being a joke about autistic screech, like a lot of old shitty jokes, originated on 4chan but made its way to reddit and twitch and basically any other site where pepe the frog got traction. It eventually got mainstream enough that shows like South Park and I think Family Guy referenced it as such. Search “reeeee” on google or youtube, it’s going to be almost all references to a joke about autism.
Also, correcting someone making offensive jokes isn’t white knighting. It is a good thing that more people should do. Just because someone from the targeted group isn’t vocal in the comments doesn’t mean harm isn’t done. It isn’t the sole responsibility of the people targeted in situations to vocally defend themselves. Informing others of harm they might be doing to others is a core part of building a community.
I worked the 1’s and 2’s for years and I never, ever heard someone say “reeeee” to refer to scratching. And in what world is the above a record scratch? It doesn’t even make sense in context.
pointing out the possibility for offense when there clearly is no offense implied, and no one stating that they are offended, smacks of white knighting. but to me it seems like unnecessary language policing.
You came rushing to the defense of another user. The white knighting is not happening on my end. And what’s worse, you’re defending something that can easily be verified as a bad thing to say. But sure, go ahead and die on the hill of defending “REEEEEEE.”
I made it clear that I am assuming it was not their intention. But language is not all about intention. If you know something is offensive, just don’t say it. It’s not that difficult.
That use of the term was clear. It had no other interpretation. But please keep lecturing me, someone who is on the spectrum (which is not a requirement for speaking up by the way), about how I am White Knighting over a shitty 4chan meme making fun of autistic people.
Your ignorance of a term does not suddenly make it innocuous. Especially not when someone is standing here telling you exactly what it means and you could easily verify it with a cursory Google search because it’s that prominent and known now. But no, instead of trying to understand this you chose to lecture people on what they can and can’t be upset about. I’m sorry we didn’t meet your arbitrary bar.
Thank you for mentioning this. I try/want to but it's so tiring dealing with the crap people throw at me just because they can't stand to ever think about the crap they spew.
Here's a cupcake to help make up for you getting jumped on instead :3 🫴🧁
Yesterday I was playing with some buddies in chat. Another buddy that isn't playing with us asked if we were doing the main quest line or side quests. I responded, "There aren't any main or side quests. You just kinda play". At that moment it finally clicked. BG3 is a game where you just enjoy yourself without a conception of what you're doing mattering or not. You put your own weight into your experiences.
Frankly, it depends on how micro or macro you’re willing to think, and how much that personally bothers you. At the end of the day we live in multiple systems of oppression and exploitation that make it very hard - and sometimes outright impossible - to properly consume something without being unethical. From The Good Place:
“Life now is so complicated, it’s impossible for anyone to be good enough for the Good Place. These days, just buying a tomato at a grocery store means that you are unwittingly supporting toxic pesticides, exploiting labor, contributing to global warming. Humans think that they’re making one choice, but they’re actually making dozens of choices they don’t even know they’re making!”
From my personal point of view, there’s a few choices. The first is, you can just not consume. There’s more than enough indie games, as well as plenty of old-AAA games that won’t directly benefit their companies anymore. You can also pirate, if that’s not an online game.
From a more cynical point of view, your individual purchase (and, frankly, even a organized boycott) won’t make a difference to these companies. Modern capitalism doesn’t rely on genuine profit, just on the idea that an IP or corporation is profitable, and that’s enough to attract investors and investments, and inflate its share price as well as its value in the eyes of capitalists. This is a gross oversimplification, and generally only applies to the largest names, but still sadly relevant.
So at the end of the day, you have to think to yourself: Does it bother you to consume something? I won’t buy or play anything related to Harry Potter media because JKR disgusts me, but I see no issue with indirectly supporting WotC. Likewise, while the decision to not support Blizzard products is very easy (they don’t really make that many), I can’t say their scandals forced me to stop playing any more than their lack of dedicated support to their products.
There’s rarely an absolute moral good when it comes to consuming products, even indie ones; Publishers like Chucklefish and Dangen had their own share of abuse and neglect, and sometimes individual creators are just, well, assholes.
Xbox’s Backwards Compatibility is definitely a big deal; but as someone who loves old games as a concept and has never thrown out a console, it’s not as big a selling point as you would think/ hope.
I personally wanted to try some of the PS2/PS3 only games and didn’t have a PS3, so I bought one used a while back. I probably only logged maybe 10 hours in it before getting completely side tracked by my backlog of modern games. And while I know that’s anecdotal evidence, it really seems like the allure of classic games might not be enough of a selling point.
This is something I think Xbox had the right idea about. While BC is very useful in concept, there aren’t so many classic games that would draw people away from modern games; so you only have to support those few games.
With that in mind, I think Sony could offer BC for their relevant PS2/ PS3 exclusives since they would only need to guarantee emulator performance for a much smaller number of games. I don’t think it’s likely for Sony to do this until they are no longer the dominant console, though, as they can make more money selling their PS3 subscription service.
From a game presentation standpoint, BC is a huge issue and I would personally love to see it happen for the PS5 (and I’d like to see it expanded to all games for the Xbox as well); but I doubt there would be much return on investment for developing the BC features, and that’s the only motivation for corporations.
You’re absolutely right. However I will add to your initial point. If I could have paid an extra $100 - $150 (for the hardware) in order to have PS1-PS3 games play on my PS5, I would have just so I could have it as an option. Bonus points if the entire PS3 digital library (especially the PS1 classics) were still available.
Not the original commenter, but I did pay the extra $100-150 for the PS3 for backwards compatibility. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have. I played maybe like 3 PS2 games on it. I was far more interested in then current-gen games. I sorta got swept up in the hype of BC back in the day, especially when Sony stopped production of BC PS3s. I literally ran out and got one before they all disappeared; I still have it.
Looking back, the option wasn’t worth it. But we’re different people, different consumers. Our needs and wants differ.
3D Platformers. We get maybe one or two every few years, and most of them are usually pretty short. last big one was probably A Hat in Time. if y’all know more beyond that let me know. just grabbed Koa and the 5 Pirates of Mara.
so desperate for one i’m considering learning how to make 3D games so i can make my own lol
I assume you’ve played or heard of Yooka-Laylee. There’s also Clive n Wrench. Neither of those are great though.
I haven’t heard of Koa before, but it looks interesting. I’ll have to check it out.
But I really want a new Banjo game, however I doubt that ever happens at this point. I recently started working on my own Banjo clone in the Godot game engine because I don’t see anyone making the kind of game I’m looking for.
Hat in Time is probably the last big indie 3d platformer, but I’d say Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a decent 3d platformer, unless you meant collectathon style 3d platformer a la what Rare made on the N64 etc. since you mentioned Hat.
Social and conversational engines (think Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing) tend to make me feel a lot lonelier than straight NPC dialogue. I think it’s because NPCs are shallow enough that I don’t see them as people, just people-shaped quest dispensers, but when you add social systems on top they’re inevitably going to fall short and that friend-shape turns into an NPC and my brain realizes I was playing alone the whole time. I’m really looking forward to the integration of language models into games so I can actually socialize with these characters, even when they’re more shallow than real people.
I think it’s fun to work down a questline for an NPC, but I agree that attempts to make it more that a simple branching dialogue tend to fall a bit flat. I also tend not to like the gift giving grind a lot of games do. I much prefer to go do things with an NPC and often that forms a better bond than an NPC with more dynamic dialogue.
If you want to save, you gotta be able to take the current state of everything and serialize it, then read what you’ve serialized and put it back. If you only do checkpoints, you can make assumptions about game state and serialize less.
Generally, it is much easier to develop AI and such when you never have to pull it’s state out and then restore it, because if that is done improperly you get bugs like the bandits in STALKER forgetting they were chasing you after a quicksave-quickload because their state machine is reset.
With checkpoints, you can usually say “right, enemies before here? Dead or dealt with. Enemies after here? they’re in their default state. Player is at this position in space. Just write down the stats and ignore the rest.”
And autosaves just make it one less menu to fiddle with.
I really dislike being set back far when I die or mess up. I can handle a fair bit of repetition, but replaying the exact same thing over and over because I died is frustrating and boring.
Which means that I particularly dislike when games have lousy checkpointing or save systems. I also dislike when games are too difficult and I can’t turn the difficulty down to at least get past whatever is giving me a hard time. And of course, unskippable cut scenes right after a checkpoint are a classic pain in the ass.
Examples:
I just finished Outer Wilds and found that game’s checkpointing to be pretty frustrating. So many boring trips to Brittle Hollow because I lost my footing. I almost gave up because it was so bad.
I never finished GTA 4. I got stuck in some mission where there was like a 5 minute drive and then some difficult combat. I kept dying and having to redo the very boring drive over and over killed my motivation. I don’t even know why it was so hard. I played GTA 5 twice with no issues.
I tried Dark Souls once. Lol, lasted maybe an hour before giving up. Now I’m very wary of any game that doesn’t have configurable difficulty levels. Thankfully, most games these days are actually progressing to more granular or meaningful difficulty levels.
GTA 4 is definitely such a big motivation-killer because of these issues. Apparently it used to have no checkpoints, but then when the PC port was released they added just one checkpoint per mission apart from the bank robbery which has a whopping two checkpoints. And in typical rockstar fashion like 99% of the missions start with really long walking or driving sequences, so I agree that it got really tedious on the harder missions.
The worst thing is that it’s often just that one specific mission that has shitty checkpoints. The rest is generally fine, but then you hit that wall and you want to do PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. At least that’s been my experience.
I’m actually new to this whole “Federated” thing, so I did not hear about it here, but it’s good to see people discussing it. How do I access that link from the instance I’m currently in? I click it and it asks me to make a Beehaw Account.
The way I did this was going to Communities, searching Gaming so I would get gaming@beehaw.org, and clicking Next until I found the post. That’s how I found the post on Beehaw, too.
There may be a more efficient way to do this. That’s just how I did this.
I just want a high quality horse game. Is that so much to ask? :( Apparently so.
And I mean, specifically focused on the horses, not an adventure game with unusually well done “horses as cars” like RDR2 or Zelda BOTW. A “girly” horse game, like one where you take care of and breed horses and participate in horse jumping or whatever, or one where you ride a horse around a forest and it has an actual personality and acts like an animal and not just a mode of transportation (Shadow of the Colossus is the one game I can remember feeling anywhere close to this, and even that was very minimal).
It’s maddening because the minute someone makes one it’ll sell like hotcakes - there are so many horse enthusiasts dismayed by the lack of quality horse games just waiting in the wings - aaaaand yet here we are. Sigh.
I’m not sure if you’re bringing this up because of the new Sims 4 expansion, but I thought Sims 3 Pets did a pretty good job with the horses and comes close to what you’re describing, but I’m guessing you want something more in line with a traditional RPG.
Have you seen www.themanequest.com? It’s aimed at people like you trying to find a high-quality horse game. Tons of reviews of horse games on that site. I’m not even into horses but the website captivated me anyways.
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