Anyone else losing interest in videogames?
 

I'm starting to lose interest in videogames. I don't feel the rush when I play games anymore. The last game I bought was Panzer Dragoon Orta and I loved it for like the first day. Then, I lost interest and haven't played it in like 2 weeks. I lost interest in Splinter Cell after 2 levels, haven't finished the first level in MGS Substance, quitted playing GTA Vice City after I got my own mansion. I even got sick of Madden 2003, for god's sake! I haven't played that game in like 2 months. My network adapter got loose and haven't bother to fix it.
Maybe it's because I'm getting older (almost 20) and videogames are not doing it for me anymore.

Anyone else starting to lose interest in games?

I've been feeling the exact same way the past few weeks. Haven't bothered to finish Vice City. Left Need for Speed: HP2 after the first week. The last game I really enjoyed playing was ICO I think. Maybe I'm outgrowing games or maybe it's just a phase... :) A new Gran Turismo would with online play would probably help my gamer libido. Or maybe if Nintendo would come out with Mario Kart I'd actually have to buy a GC instead of going over to my friend's place.

Anyway, either I'm getting too old for them or my expectations are too high. I dunno which one.

Definitely.

I just haven't had the same passion for gaming this generation as I have in the past.

It just seems like most games just have that "been there, done that" feel, and games that are different or innovative just don't seem fun to me. Another issue is that I've never gotten into 3D games as much as I did 2D games. Of course I was a kid in the 2D era, so maybe I'm just outgrowing them finally (I'm 24).

I mean I still have fun playing games (metroid prime was a blast), but I just don't get sucked in and want to play all the time. I'm lucky if I even play 5 hours a week. Hell, sometimes I even find myself prefering to read ahead in my grad school work than play a game in free time. :eek:

At any rate, I'll definitely have to put some thought into whether to buy a system next generation. I've already decided that I'll only buy one system at most next-gen (in all likelihood Nintendo's next offering) as I don't play games enough now to justify owning two current systems. I might pick up an X-box and play the games I missing now if Nintendo still has 3+ months in between big releases next gen as even in my limited gaming time this generation the GC hasn't offered enough good games to keep me satisfied by itself.

Yup...I used to be a SERIOUS gamer. I mean, I used to live on my PC or on the Nintendo. Now, I like to get them just to check out what nifty things game programmers are doing nowadays. Only games I have interest in anymore are brief multiplayer games (like Bomberman, Worms Blast, Quake 3) and also internet board games (esp Reversi). All can be played quickly, and ALWAYS against someone else. Not having much fun with adventure games anymore. The long final cut scenes just aren't rewarding enough to me anymore.

One more thought just occured to me. Games nowadays are not as FUN anymore. I'm talking generally of course. But, for some reason, the old school games like Pac-Man, Asteroids, Space Invaders were all much more fun. I'm not sure why, but I think it was because they were SIMPLE to play. Now, every game is trying to be as realistic as possible and throwing in a gazillion commands and options. I want to be able to play a game WITHOUT having to study an instruction manual for an hour.

To be honest, I really miss 2D.

For example, I enjoyed Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine, but they don't even come close to how much fun I had playing Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World....not close at all.

I agree totally about the Mario games. The 3D ones aren't even in the same ballpark.

I'm thinking maybe the Gameboy adapter for the Gamecube will be the best "next-generation" platform ;-)

I'm just playing Zelda on GBA at school. I think I just got more lazy, which made me lose interest.

I think it's because we are being bombarded with so many different game choices. What happened is gaming went big time main stream. When companies saw how much money could be made in games, everyone flooded the market. I don't have any numbers but it seems to me that there are 2x as many games available for PSX as there were for anything before it.
Games are just too long and the world is too busy for most of us to really have the time to sit down, enjoy, and finish a game. So I figure why even start unless it's going to offer me something new.
The last game that really compelled me was Max Payne when it was released for PC. I spent just about every free minute playing the game. I guess then again that would support the argument of been there done that-- since Max Payne had something we'd never really seen before in Bullet Time. Then again the game wasn't too long as well. I played MOHAA until I made it through Normandy b/c that was why I bought the game and I havent ever been able to get back into it. How many games before MOHAA re-created Normandy?
I also think you have too much freedom in games these days that it sort of creates boredom. I used to love to play games because it was like solving a puzzle and you had to get it right in order to make it through, now you can pick tons of different ways to get through. Now, you don't even have to perform any tasks in games to play them (IE Vice City). Games used to have boundaries, now everyone wants to create a game that provides infinite freedom. We have that in life and don't need it in video games.

I agree about the freedom issue too. I've pretty much hated every open-ended game I've played. I greatly prefer old school, go from point a to point b (with a little exploration along the way ala Super Metroid), kill a boss, go to the next level/area gameplay.

I'm not.

I have to agree with that as well. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I enjoyed being forced to move along in side-scrollers and face whatever came at me...now you can just go roll around in the meadows all day before you figure out what the objective is.

I haven't lost any interest... I just don't have the free time that I had when I was younger.

I lost interest during the summer time until Suikoden III came out. Then I beat that game and then lost interest again, until I got Metroid Prime.

Now I'm more into games than ever with Tenchu 3, ZOE2, Xenosaga, and Zelda coming out in the next 2 months.

I admit that at times I long for just being able to pop in a new game and play it. when I do that now I end up having to look at the manual to see what I need to do to play it right.

I actually started losing interest just before the current generation of systems. I even debated whether I should get any of the current systems.

I agree with Josh Hinkle that most games have that "been there, done that" feel and I don't want to feel it again.

I also agree with hahn. Games now-a-days take too much thinking instead of being simple. What happened to the days when you could pop in a game and have mindless fun?

For me, I enjoyed the Sega Genesis period the best. I popped in game after game and never got tired of playing.

Now, I am very selective about the games I buy.

Im not either. But i tend to fall in and out of gaming sometimes. Like now for instance, for the past 6 months ive been game crazy. But now i feel a little drained. I just finished playing DOAXBV and although not as great as the first, im enjoying playing now DMC2 but after i play that, im gonna take a break for a while. Any other purchases i make wont be until the last quarter of this year when the good stuff comes out. Although i agree with you guys that the good ol games were siimplistic and way fun, im enjoying the games of today and the promises of the games of tomorrow. Sure i loved walking around mindlessely punching and kicking people in Kung-Fu on the NES but i also love infiltrating the CIA headquaters un-noticed in Splinter Cell. Alot of the games of today offer some very rich experiences that make them worth thinking and concentrating over.

I had a lag time between 2000 and Dec 2002 when all i had was a n64/psx that i hardly played at all. (once every month)

When i picked up the xBox in Dec, I bargin shopped on eBay to pick up Rallisport, PGR. I also bought Adent Under Fire and Halo at a B&M.

Earlier this month i sold PGR, Rallisport on eBay because i just could not "get" back into racing games.

However, i picked up GR, Nightfire, SeriousSam, MOH because I absolutely LOVE playing the FPS. II just got connected with DSL/xBox live, and even though i have a 50/50 doieser on GR, LIVE has breathed incredible life back into the game, and as long as they keep on making FPS/coop/live games, i may be hooked for quite some time.

I must admit that at age of 25, working 40 hours a week, going to the gym 4 days a week, finding the time to game is hard. It is EVEN harder when you are dating someone.

I am sure that those of you losing interest will be back, but your other things on your mind right now that are taking presedence.

2d vs 3d: another issue i see is that when i was younger i could play mario for 5-8 hours a day! After about 3 months, i knew EVERYTHING. Now, 3d games are too big, to open ended, and i just dont have the time to explore/learn it all.

I'm not losing interest in games, just the marginal games.

Now that I'm 20 and don't have nearly as much free time, I've become much more selective about what I play. Almost all games are sold after I beat them. At the moment I only own 1 GCN game, 2 for Xbox and 0 for PS2. Games now are as good as ever IMO and I've had great fun with PDO and SMB lately.

I usually take gaming time off in between each generation so that helps to ward off overexposure. I'm also trying to round out my collection with all of the classic games that I loved while they are still affordable.

The last game that I got really excited about was NBA Street. It's innovative gameplay and fresh approach to a tired genre made it FUN to play, unlike most of the crap out right now. I also like Halo's multiplayer, but it's not groundbreaking. Fortunately, I have played more Madden and NCAA 2003 than ever this year, so I feel like I've gotten my money's worth out of the systems.

I am actually in a gaming renaissance myself. I went thru a period of almost no gaming from age 18 to 21. I was in college, a frat, and all I did was drink, study, and work. Funny, once I was legal, I really was out of the drinking (or at least the drink til you puke) scene and my parents gave me a Sega Genesis. It was late in the Genesis game but my buddies and I played Road Rash until our fingers bled.

I got burned by Sega CD and 32X and took another break from about 24 to 27. My parents (late again) bought me a PS1 but I really did not play it much.

I was almost 29 when I got my Xbox and my buddies and I discovered Halo and system link gaming. We played constantly for about 6 months. Now I am keeping up with the new games coming out and I am as excited about gaming since I played on my Atari 2600 when I was 7. Granted I probably play only 10 to 15 hours (late nights on weekends) a week but it is more than I have played in years.

Now that my wife is talking "baby," I do see my playing dropping off quite a bit when that happens. :(

Not really losing interest, but finding the time is much harder to do now at 31. Too many other things to do besides play games.

I find myself less patient with games for some reason lately. I can almost see why game companies are making games easier because I find myself less likely to overcome frustration in games than I did when I was younger. Back in the NES days playing games like Battletoads I played those speeder levels so many times I had the pattern memorized.

What draws me to games today are good multiplayer. That's probably why my favorite game released lately is still Halo. I just love playing a good 2 on 2 match with some buddies. I just wish I could get everyone together at once and do some linking up. I like one player games, but I don't like playing them by myself. I like having an audience so it's still more of a social experience. Is anyone else like that? I can deal with frustrating parts of games if someone else is there to make fun of my screwing up.

I think there is some truth to the "phases" theory. There hasn't really been any really blockbuster news for the past few months that got me excited about a game. Where's the Metal Gear announcements, the Halo 2 gameplay footage, the new F-Zero screens. Part of it is that back in the day you could use splashy graphics to generate interest, but now that most graphics look pretty amazing, it's hard to do that any more. Speaking of which, where are the "budget" re-releases of Golden Axe and the old Sega stuff?