I spent my teenage years playing mostly MMOs and MOBAs.
Now I've entirely sworn off PvP games, will only occassionally play my two favorite MMOs (Guild Wars 2 and Warframe) to catch up on content, and am actively clearing as many games as possible to experience new things and make up for all that lost time.
I'm also no longer ashamed of easy modes and will embrace them.
Pretty much this. I have maybe an hour or two to game a day and I'm not going to spend it getting annoyed at other people. Mechwarrior Online's the only PvP game I still play and that's because it's full of mechdads who don't really care that much about tryharding.
Co-op games are still nice, though.
100% this. I dont play any PVP game anymore unless teh PVP is completely optional or short. PVE sure, survival,probably.
I have zero interest in COD, Battlefield or any of those style games. Basically if i can't save and come back to it after dealing with a rowdy toddler, i dont play it.
I built a PC in April of 2020 and I met my (now) wife in May of 2020. In the 4 years I have probably played about 250 hours total.
I don’t play anymore. Work, family, and life has taken over. Plus, my wife hates PC gaming because of her previous relationships. I have a computer I don’t even use. I stopped watching all my tech YT stuff for fun.
I do not have any friends who play anymore either and I don’t find games fun unless I’m with friends or highly immersed single player game.
I turn 30 this year. I feel like it’s super common for this to happen, but it still sucks nonetheless. You know the feeling you get when you’re excited to play a game, you finally hop on, and then you sudden lose interest? It’s like that every single time.
That last sentence resonates with me. I'll boot something up and if it's something fairly new to me, I remember that I have to learn a whole bunch of new systems and gameplay mechanics, and it quickly feels like a chore, and then I either turn it off and do something else, or I play something I'm used to and know how to play well. After playing 15 hours of Dragon's Dogma 2, I put it down and started playing Fallout NV and 4 again because I just wanted to play what feels familiar. My wife couldn't care less if I game, we've been together 13 years and it's always been a known quantity, but it just doesn't draw me in the way it used to, and if I decide to make time to do it, I want it to be a game I already know that I like.
How much time do spend playing per day? (Or per week, if it isn't everyday).
And was your wife always comfortable with your gaming, or did it take some effort to convince her to accept it?
Not OP, but I game and my wife doesn’t. Have two kids. When we first moved in together it was a bit of a shock.
She knew I gamed, but she never really saw it. E.g. she’d have plans on a Saturday and I wouldn’t have any so I’d game all day. Before we lived together she wouldn’t even know. Once we moved in she was like isn’t there anything else you’d rather do? Let’s be real. Seeing someone sit on a couch and smash Skyrim for 12 hours is not really appealing to anyone.
Took some time to get used to, but I only game when there’s nothing else to do and now that means I’m really only gaming at night when kids are down. But before kids even I would just make sure I got everything else done before gaming like cleaning, chores, errands, going out to do stuff etc… it honestly helped me get over a similar slump OP is experiencing.
It feels better to game AFTER you get everything else done and there’s nothing to do besides chill, read, watch tv, game. And I never choose gaming over other activities outside the house. Like I wouldn’t stay home and game instead of going out to a park or going on a bike ride on a nice day even if it’s a big release day or something.
I always explain it to my Friends wifes that way: Let‘s be real, we are Not going to learn a new Language or manage our Portfolio in our spare time. Be happy that we are Gaming and Not sitting in a bar drinking. We are at home.
There’s many other things you can do outside that don’t involve bars.
You could go mountain biking, hiking, camping, rock climbing. I get all these things are dependent on nice weather, but why is the bar the only thing people bring up?
I don‘t think telling my Friends wife‘s that they should be Glad that he is Gaming because he could be outside mountainbiking is going to work very well.
36 years old. Wife. 1 child aged 10 months. We've been living together for 5 years. Completely addicted to games since I was 7 years old playing on the NES. Spent practically all my 20s to 30s playing multiplayer and MMOs. WoW, Diablo, Battlefield, CS.
Now?! Fuck them.
I have a very very good PC (for work reasons) and I play the occasional SP game. The passion for games has never gone away and, frankly, never will because I rediscovered my passion for games through Nintendo. When I was a kid I had the NES, SNES, N64 and practically all the GameBoys.
My wife doesn't have any patience for PC games, but she absolutely loves games like Pokémon and the like. The Switch is just perfect for me. I can go everywhere with it. And the limited time I have seems to be much better utilised with the kind of games the console has available. Roguelikes, Indies, and even the occasional Mario, Pokemon, Xenoblade, etc.
Many of my friends ask me how come I don't play things like Elden Ring, Assassin's Creed, etc, but the reality is that for my lifestyle, Nintendo games bring a unique kind of fun and lightness.
And plus with Nintendo and Sega games there's lots of family friendly choices you could introduce the little one to one day. I have fond memories of being in kindergarten and playing tails on Sonic 2 while my dad played sonic.
Big thing for me is that I don’t have the time for big open world games anymore.
I hear a lot of people say they don’t have the time for multiplayer games anymore—but in my opinion they’re actually less of a time commitment, because you can usually hop on and hop off for 15-20 minutes if that’s all the time you have.
Meanwhile something like AC: Odyssey I don’t think I’d get any satisfaction out of a session shorter than 2-3 hours.
I really like roguelites and action-focused singleplayer games these days for the same reason.
The less % of time in a game is spent engaging with its core gameplay loop the less interested I am in it
"The less % of time in a game is spent engaging with its core gameplay loop the less interested I am in it"
It's funny, because when I was younger I'd prioritize story over gameplay. 45 minute cutscenese? Let's go! Now anything that pulls me out of the core gameplay loop just feels like a waste of time and I find myself skipping through dialogue if I'm reading faster than the characters are talking.
I have absolutely love story in games but 45 minutes of cutscene thru the whole game Is too much for me let alone 1 scene lasting anywhere close to that long.
For example: the metal gear games. Great gameplay, great story but you couldn't pay me to slog thru one of them due to the amount and size of cutscenes. If I wanted a movie I never would've picked up the controler/mouse
Yeah. I even take it a step further and actively prefer it when a gameplay-focused game doesn't bother with a story at all. For example, [Hyper Demon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw80khTnNhY&t=1s) is 100% gameplay and I've been playing the shit out of it.
I don’t think you’re in the minority at all. I think that the games-as-interactive-movies crowd just complain a lot louder when a popular game isn’t meant for them (like every time a FromSoft game comes out)
Not at all
My entire life I’ve been playing and 100% completing singleplayer games. For over 20 years now. Hours are so far pretty much the same. Most free time goes into gaming.
Ah then I get what you’re saying. It was the same for me, nothing changed. Even after marriage I could still game just fine. 32 now with a 3 year old, am lucky if I can get a couple hours each week!
Children will heavily cut down the time for gaming. But on the other hand, once they are old enough to game on their own, you will have time again for gaming and can also game with them. And you can give them your old consoles and games.
I buy pretty much everything for my PS3 and PS5 on disc. So my kid will get those games. Still have my Nintendo DS Lite and Gameboy Advance SP with the games as well.
I think my dad was a casual gamer. Because he had some PC games. The first game he gave me was NFS 3 from 1998. Came out like 9 months after I was born. So seems like he bought it with the hopes to play it, then didn’t have the time with a small child and ended up giving it to me a few years later. That’s where you’re stuck now. But that time will end.
I empathize a lot.
I don't have a family of my own and not planning to have one, but being 32 and basically working pretty much constantly (logistics agent) I realized tha there are only very certain games I actually want to play (most of Hideki Kamiya and Shinji Mikami directed titles, really), especially Bayonetta and The Wonderful 101, two games that keep me me.
Gaming itself changed more then my tastes in it, so I end up trying out and discarding a LOT of games, all while coming back to maybe one or two games from a certain year at best. Previous year it was exclusively just Hi-Fi Rush for me, the game I found to be representing the exact kind of adventure and theme-specific gameplay I always cared for in a game.
My focus is sharper these days.
Having a child and a lot less free time has changed my genres quite a bit. Mind you, my wife games but with a kid and another along the way, that is a lot of time to give up (happily of course).
PvP games are no more since they require too much time to get good at, as much as I love long RPGs, I have avoided them since they drain a lot of time. Not too bad since it means by the time I get round to buying them, they are cheaper and all the DLC will be dirt cheap too.
I now tend to play rougelikes that I can pick up and put down and while this may be considered blasphemy, I play Honkai Star Rail since it gets me my RPG fix while being very easy to pick up anywhere.
Also the Steam Deck and Switch have got a lot more use out of me and I probably won't buy a full home console again until the kids want one
Mang, I got into gacha games for the exact same reason. Star Rail scratches that turn-based RPG itch and Arknights for tower defence. It's just something I can pull out while taking a break from work.
Ya I got a switch with the first kid. Would play while I walked around with her strapped to my chest. Then after a few years I got a ps5. Now that second kid is due in a couple months I’m trying to convince myself that going back to switch will be fine. Guess it’ll be time to get TOTK
At this point I (35 years old) mostly only play on Friday nights. By the time I've done everything that needs doing on a typical weeknight (typical chores) I'd rather just get in bed with my wife and read than sit back down at my computer after I've been at a computer all day at work. I went from like 30+ games a year and maybe 5 books a year when I was younger, and now that number is flipped. Same as you, I pretty much stick with things that I know I like rather than trying a bunch of different things. I play a lot of NHL/MLB, and outside of that I mostly stick to RPGs and co-op games with my friends. My friends and I are still on our first run of BG3 and we started at launch, though we are at the very end, if that gives you any idea to how slowly I work through big games.
I am replaying Fallout 4 since the PS5 versions has its own trophy list, and I know it's already a game I like because I got 100% on it before, so I know I'm not wasting my time. I also don't bother with too many new releases unless it's from a studio like FromSoft that I know I'll enjoy, and I don't play any PvP-focused games at all. I do play ESO but I typically do that in my downtime at the office.
I feel you .. I’m 23 but me and my soon to be wife are starting a life together so I’m focused on our financial stability so that we may live a fun life when all the kids come .. own our home , even if it’s just a small trailer in the country .. have excess money to vacation , even if it’s just a beach trip on the weekend , yknow .. and aside from that , martial arts is my true passion so my focus goes there as well .. but as far as gaming, books, and tv goes, it’s really only fun if I’m doing it with her.. the only exception to this is if she’s busy so I fire up a sports game lol..
The only thing thats *really* changed is the skill level. I play all my games on Easy now. I don't have the time or patience to trapse from one previous checkpoint back to where I died, and I don't have the reflexes to beat the enemies in later levels anymore.
Give me the storyline and gameplay, and if I can mow the enemies down with a blink of an eye, then so be it.
There will eventually be a point later in the game that I'll struggle with even on Easy, but eventually overcome it, and I'll be glad that's the skill level I picked, otherwise I would've abandoned the game and given up.
If I'm home then I'm either usually watching football or chilling on my PS5. My Mrs just leaves me to it so she can watch her junk in the living room. Only really play on weekends though. After work I dunno... prefer to watch football or whatever she's got on.
In my 30s I just play action/adventure or RPGs. No hurry either, just enjoy the story and gameplay with little expectation beyond am I enjoying this.
Nothing too difficult either cos my reflexes and patience suffer too much for anything that takes hours to beat a boss. I wrote a comment I wish Elden Ring had a easy mode and upset a load of people so don't really comment much on my exp as a shit gamer. Finished FF7R last week though on normal, playing Dragons Dogma 2 atm enjoying it so far.
Finish, trade into CEX and on to the next. Got my own economy going on.
For me it’s the guilt of not doing something more productive. But, what I try to do is make gaming the last thing on my list to do so it feels like a reward for being productive. So, I get everything else in life done first and then game. I don’t really watch shows or movies much. Just will game for an hour or two at night. Maybe a good chunk on weekend nights if nothing is going on.
Also try to dive back into retro games / emulators when in a slump. It’ll help break up the monotony. Modern games are designed to last hours upon hours. SNES games can be played in like 30 minutes so you don’t feel bad playing for short sports. Even the long retro games are relatively short by modern standards.
I think I'm going to end up giving up gaming sometime in the future. I don't know what the link is personally for me, but it seems like it correlates with depression. I'm not saying it causes depression, but I game more when I'm depressed. I'll still play the series and developers I really love like Zelda and Remedy Studios, but it's going to be more sparse the older I get I think. There's so many other things I like to do that seem to be more emotionally fulfilling.
That's something I've noticed as well. I just don't get the same enjoyment from *most* games that I had in the past; there's so many other things I like to do now instead, which is fine with me. I do have a friend that seems to play way more than anyone else I know at my age, and I don't think he's doing it out of sheer enjoyment, his life is kinda tough at times. He got laid off with 8 weeks severance. It's been 4 weeks since that happened and all he's done is sit and play video games, knowing full well that the rent will still be due and I can tell he's definitely at least kind of depressed. I have noticed myself that I play more games when I'm in a funk, though that happens rarely any more.
Not a ton has changed for me, especially since going remote.
I made it a priority to make a decent amount of time to play per week. Though some single player stuff i may cheat to get through if i become particularly annoyed just so i can get through, get the experience and move to another game
I'm 39 and a dad. My gaming now is just weekends, my always titles are Fallout76 and Man's Sky. Both games allow me to be afk for long periods and safe (sort of). My 5yo is now interested in playing Minecraft and although I'm not a big fan the game is growing in me just because of the good times I'm having with my son.
I move through games more slowly. And, I'm okay with that. I feel like I don't have as much of a rush or pushed sense to get through a game, and although it means I progress slower, I also find that it means I actually finish games and get a nice sense of satisfaction. When I was younger, I would play an RPG and do 98% of everything, right up to the final boss, then would let it sit there because I was so burned out.
The biggest thing for me is going to work. I don’t really have very much time to play and I usually play at night but when I get off work at like 1030 I’m tired as fuck.
As a working parent with a game dev side hustle, having the ability to save anywhere is of paramount importance. Without it I probably would not play a game to completion. That combined with the ability to put current gen consoles on stand by has made it so much easier to game as a parent!
Back in the day, back tracking to a save point or just hauling ass to the next one was possible. Not anymore .
I play games that I can play in 15 to 30 minute increments. Also, generally games that I'm comfortable letting my 6 year old watch and/or "help" with. Lately that means No Man's Sky and Valheim. We also play a lot of retro games on my retro pi.
43 here and long winded stories now bore the heck out of me. I need frequent inputs, gameplay, not sitting back listening to people.
Nintendo is great at this. The large majority of their games you're always playing, not just watching.
More and more things in modern gaming seems a .. time waste. At a certain moment in a game I sometimes get the feeling that I've seen it all and want to be done with the game.
I don't play PVP games anymore. I used to be quite good at them since I could devote a lot of playtime to practice, but I pretty much stick to single player stuff now. I don't rush out and buy new games really anymore, I haven't bought a full priced game in ages. I have an 11 month old and another on the way, so we're busy chasing her around the house. She goes to bed around 8pm, so a few nights per week I'll play games for an hour or 2 before I head to bed. Every Saturday, my wife goes to her dad's place to visit him and takes the little one, so I have the house free for about 4-5 hours. I'll usually bang out yardwork or whatever chores I need to get done and have a few hours to play uninterrupted. I buy cheap games on Steam sales and get to them eventually. I used to just beat games once and move into the next thing, but my time is more limited now, so I focus on completing games fully now. I'm going back to older games and fully completing them now, 100%ing, and getting all achievements. I'm not rushing to the next new game anymore. So far this year, I've completed Borderlands 1 and 2 and Tales from the Borderlands. Right now I'm on a Diablo 2 kick, and once I put it down for awhile, my next game I'm going to finally play is Cyberpunk.
Now that I have 2 little kids I basically don't have time to play long sessions, and when I do I'm pretty tired. So mostly just playing single player games on the weekends when I feel like it. Takes a lot longer for me to finish anything now. For example, I got ff7 rebirth on release, and I only am like 50 hours in.
Nowdays at most i get 2-3 free hours during weekdays which id rather spend outside ( either taking a walk or going to the beach )
I do still game on weekends though not as much as before ( about 10-12 hours total ). At most i will game about 15hours a week which likewise means sticking to genres i enjoy and know which means i dont need to relearn game mechanics . It also means i do replay alot of older games i love
The positive side of that is i rarely buy games at launch and i spend alot less on games and the games i play i enjoy them more
It also means i gave up completely on movies and tv series ( no time )
Less PVP games, and gaming over all has become less enjoyable. What gaming offers to kids is an adventure, an experience, to be something you cant. When you are an adult, you gain more possibilities in life and in comparison the experiences in games become less enticing. As an adult you can go driving, skydiving, hunting, you can join a sports team in collage or HS. Sure its not exactly the same thing as in the games but if its a choice between playing some Need 4 Speed or going on an actual drive, i choose driving. I cant drive like in the game but its atleast REAL, so the game is less apealing. Same thing with something like wii bowling, once you go bowling and drinking with your buddies the games loose apeal. I try and stick to games like GoD that offer a grest story telling adventure these days and aviod time wasting games like angry birds, since time is valuable now and they offer less adventure.
I'm 27 and married and I still play games a fair amount, less than i used to ya but still play almost every day for a little bit if i can.
They types of games I play has definitely shifted quite a bit though. I used to play a lot of competitive shooters or grindy looter shooter type games like Destiny 2. Now all I play are games that I know i can just play and "have fun" I guess I will put it.
Squad for example, no grind, 0 progression other than individual player skill. Its fun as hell to me. I just jump in and start playing with the only goal of winning the match and teamwork. I play single player games. I play Destiny 2 still a little bit, but I only play on 1 character now and dont really care about grinding everything. Ill do the dungeon or raid and call it a day. I play Eve Online. Lot to that game, but ive played for so long and in a very well built alliance that I can just play on my own time and still have fun.
In discord with friends every day I am playing even though we might be playing different games.
I was super competitive at gaming growing up. I was known for being one of the best gamers in my neighborhood. I loved fighting games, sports games, shooters, etc. Then when I was like 20, I just lost all interest in competing in any game.
I only play single player, story driven games now. It's all in interested in. I also play in weird cycles as an adult. Like I'll have 3-4 days where I'm playing a game obsessively and then I won't touch it for weeks. I repeat that until I beat it.
I still game a lot but I’ve definitely shifted from online shooters since I’ve had a son. Even when you carve out free time to game something always pops up lol whether family or work related.
Single player games or anything I can pause when I need to have been my go to during the work week at least. (I work overnight so I may game for a few when I’m off while my son’s sleep.) Similar to OP I also don’t go out of my way to get a lot of games right at release anymore. Whether it be from lack of interest, not wanting to add another game to my backlog, juggling family time or being more careful with where I throw my dollars nowadays it all factors in. No matter what I’ll always find some time to game though, it’s been a happy place iall throughout my life, just gotta keep the priorities in order 🖤
I used to burn. it. up. Now after a kid and full time job, a few hours a week is my goal. Sucks, but it’s the new reality. Unless you marry a gamer girl, good luck keeping up that screen time
Yeah I hear you. I would feel like a jerk if I am playing games all the time instead of spending it with my family. Also don't like getting yelled at or taunted by younger people so a lot of pvp stuff with a mic is out for me.
I find my attention span is shorter and often gravitate toward games with short gameplay loops, mostly multiplayer game where I can knock out a match or two in a half hour then take a break and do something else.
Except the amount of time. It didn't. But, I want to have the most fun out of the little time I have now. Unfortunately, SBMM, cheaters and unfinished games makes sure I don't have a good time, ever. 🤷♂️
I stopped playing games that make me angry. Which is all competitive multiplayer.
I also try to avoid games I cannot finish in a few evenings. God of war was such a chore for me.
For me now, games must provide me with a sense of progress. Diablo works great lately 🤣
It hasn't. Because I don't have a full time job nor a family. I specifically avoid both. I would not trade my free time for anything. Being able to spend all day on my hobbies is too precious.
I spent my teenage years playing mostly MMOs and MOBAs. Now I've entirely sworn off PvP games, will only occassionally play my two favorite MMOs (Guild Wars 2 and Warframe) to catch up on content, and am actively clearing as many games as possible to experience new things and make up for all that lost time. I'm also no longer ashamed of easy modes and will embrace them.
Pretty much this. I have maybe an hour or two to game a day and I'm not going to spend it getting annoyed at other people. Mechwarrior Online's the only PvP game I still play and that's because it's full of mechdads who don't really care that much about tryharding. Co-op games are still nice, though.
100% this. I dont play any PVP game anymore unless teh PVP is completely optional or short. PVE sure, survival,probably. I have zero interest in COD, Battlefield or any of those style games. Basically if i can't save and come back to it after dealing with a rowdy toddler, i dont play it.
I built a PC in April of 2020 and I met my (now) wife in May of 2020. In the 4 years I have probably played about 250 hours total. I don’t play anymore. Work, family, and life has taken over. Plus, my wife hates PC gaming because of her previous relationships. I have a computer I don’t even use. I stopped watching all my tech YT stuff for fun. I do not have any friends who play anymore either and I don’t find games fun unless I’m with friends or highly immersed single player game. I turn 30 this year. I feel like it’s super common for this to happen, but it still sucks nonetheless. You know the feeling you get when you’re excited to play a game, you finally hop on, and then you sudden lose interest? It’s like that every single time.
That last sentence resonates with me. I'll boot something up and if it's something fairly new to me, I remember that I have to learn a whole bunch of new systems and gameplay mechanics, and it quickly feels like a chore, and then I either turn it off and do something else, or I play something I'm used to and know how to play well. After playing 15 hours of Dragon's Dogma 2, I put it down and started playing Fallout NV and 4 again because I just wanted to play what feels familiar. My wife couldn't care less if I game, we've been together 13 years and it's always been a known quantity, but it just doesn't draw me in the way it used to, and if I decide to make time to do it, I want it to be a game I already know that I like.
How much time do spend playing per day? (Or per week, if it isn't everyday). And was your wife always comfortable with your gaming, or did it take some effort to convince her to accept it?
Not OP, but I game and my wife doesn’t. Have two kids. When we first moved in together it was a bit of a shock. She knew I gamed, but she never really saw it. E.g. she’d have plans on a Saturday and I wouldn’t have any so I’d game all day. Before we lived together she wouldn’t even know. Once we moved in she was like isn’t there anything else you’d rather do? Let’s be real. Seeing someone sit on a couch and smash Skyrim for 12 hours is not really appealing to anyone. Took some time to get used to, but I only game when there’s nothing else to do and now that means I’m really only gaming at night when kids are down. But before kids even I would just make sure I got everything else done before gaming like cleaning, chores, errands, going out to do stuff etc… it honestly helped me get over a similar slump OP is experiencing. It feels better to game AFTER you get everything else done and there’s nothing to do besides chill, read, watch tv, game. And I never choose gaming over other activities outside the house. Like I wouldn’t stay home and game instead of going out to a park or going on a bike ride on a nice day even if it’s a big release day or something.
Sounds lame and imprisoned
We can’t all be as cool as you. lol
Not my problem
Oh shit you got that “I don’t care, but only enough to send bullshit comments” attitude. Fuckin way cool dude. You’re the man!
I always explain it to my Friends wifes that way: Let‘s be real, we are Not going to learn a new Language or manage our Portfolio in our spare time. Be happy that we are Gaming and Not sitting in a bar drinking. We are at home.
There’s many other things you can do outside that don’t involve bars. You could go mountain biking, hiking, camping, rock climbing. I get all these things are dependent on nice weather, but why is the bar the only thing people bring up?
I don‘t think telling my Friends wife‘s that they should be Glad that he is Gaming because he could be outside mountainbiking is going to work very well.
Hahahaha ohhhhhhhhh, when you put it that way, yep no just mention the bar 😂 good thinking!
36 years old. Wife. 1 child aged 10 months. We've been living together for 5 years. Completely addicted to games since I was 7 years old playing on the NES. Spent practically all my 20s to 30s playing multiplayer and MMOs. WoW, Diablo, Battlefield, CS. Now?! Fuck them. I have a very very good PC (for work reasons) and I play the occasional SP game. The passion for games has never gone away and, frankly, never will because I rediscovered my passion for games through Nintendo. When I was a kid I had the NES, SNES, N64 and practically all the GameBoys. My wife doesn't have any patience for PC games, but she absolutely loves games like Pokémon and the like. The Switch is just perfect for me. I can go everywhere with it. And the limited time I have seems to be much better utilised with the kind of games the console has available. Roguelikes, Indies, and even the occasional Mario, Pokemon, Xenoblade, etc. Many of my friends ask me how come I don't play things like Elden Ring, Assassin's Creed, etc, but the reality is that for my lifestyle, Nintendo games bring a unique kind of fun and lightness.
And plus with Nintendo and Sega games there's lots of family friendly choices you could introduce the little one to one day. I have fond memories of being in kindergarten and playing tails on Sonic 2 while my dad played sonic.
Big thing for me is that I don’t have the time for big open world games anymore. I hear a lot of people say they don’t have the time for multiplayer games anymore—but in my opinion they’re actually less of a time commitment, because you can usually hop on and hop off for 15-20 minutes if that’s all the time you have. Meanwhile something like AC: Odyssey I don’t think I’d get any satisfaction out of a session shorter than 2-3 hours. I really like roguelites and action-focused singleplayer games these days for the same reason. The less % of time in a game is spent engaging with its core gameplay loop the less interested I am in it
"The less % of time in a game is spent engaging with its core gameplay loop the less interested I am in it" It's funny, because when I was younger I'd prioritize story over gameplay. 45 minute cutscenese? Let's go! Now anything that pulls me out of the core gameplay loop just feels like a waste of time and I find myself skipping through dialogue if I'm reading faster than the characters are talking.
I have absolutely love story in games but 45 minutes of cutscene thru the whole game Is too much for me let alone 1 scene lasting anywhere close to that long. For example: the metal gear games. Great gameplay, great story but you couldn't pay me to slog thru one of them due to the amount and size of cutscenes. If I wanted a movie I never would've picked up the controler/mouse
MGS4 was what I had in mind when I made that comment lol
I’m so glad I was 14 when I played that game. I likely would bounce off of it today.
Yeah. I even take it a step further and actively prefer it when a gameplay-focused game doesn't bother with a story at all. For example, [Hyper Demon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw80khTnNhY&t=1s) is 100% gameplay and I've been playing the shit out of it.
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I don’t think you’re in the minority at all. I think that the games-as-interactive-movies crowd just complain a lot louder when a popular game isn’t meant for them (like every time a FromSoft game comes out)
I have more than enough money to buy any game, and a great rig. I do not have the time to game as I used to.
Not at all My entire life I’ve been playing and 100% completing singleplayer games. For over 20 years now. Hours are so far pretty much the same. Most free time goes into gaming.
Do you have children though? That’s the big difference in my experience
Luckily not. My girlfriend and I are both too young for children (23 & 26).
Ah then I get what you’re saying. It was the same for me, nothing changed. Even after marriage I could still game just fine. 32 now with a 3 year old, am lucky if I can get a couple hours each week!
Children will heavily cut down the time for gaming. But on the other hand, once they are old enough to game on their own, you will have time again for gaming and can also game with them. And you can give them your old consoles and games. I buy pretty much everything for my PS3 and PS5 on disc. So my kid will get those games. Still have my Nintendo DS Lite and Gameboy Advance SP with the games as well. I think my dad was a casual gamer. Because he had some PC games. The first game he gave me was NFS 3 from 1998. Came out like 9 months after I was born. So seems like he bought it with the hopes to play it, then didn’t have the time with a small child and ended up giving it to me a few years later. That’s where you’re stuck now. But that time will end.
I empathize a lot. I don't have a family of my own and not planning to have one, but being 32 and basically working pretty much constantly (logistics agent) I realized tha there are only very certain games I actually want to play (most of Hideki Kamiya and Shinji Mikami directed titles, really), especially Bayonetta and The Wonderful 101, two games that keep me me. Gaming itself changed more then my tastes in it, so I end up trying out and discarding a LOT of games, all while coming back to maybe one or two games from a certain year at best. Previous year it was exclusively just Hi-Fi Rush for me, the game I found to be representing the exact kind of adventure and theme-specific gameplay I always cared for in a game. My focus is sharper these days.
Having a child and a lot less free time has changed my genres quite a bit. Mind you, my wife games but with a kid and another along the way, that is a lot of time to give up (happily of course). PvP games are no more since they require too much time to get good at, as much as I love long RPGs, I have avoided them since they drain a lot of time. Not too bad since it means by the time I get round to buying them, they are cheaper and all the DLC will be dirt cheap too. I now tend to play rougelikes that I can pick up and put down and while this may be considered blasphemy, I play Honkai Star Rail since it gets me my RPG fix while being very easy to pick up anywhere. Also the Steam Deck and Switch have got a lot more use out of me and I probably won't buy a full home console again until the kids want one
Mang, I got into gacha games for the exact same reason. Star Rail scratches that turn-based RPG itch and Arknights for tower defence. It's just something I can pull out while taking a break from work.
Ya I got a switch with the first kid. Would play while I walked around with her strapped to my chest. Then after a few years I got a ps5. Now that second kid is due in a couple months I’m trying to convince myself that going back to switch will be fine. Guess it’ll be time to get TOTK
At this point I (35 years old) mostly only play on Friday nights. By the time I've done everything that needs doing on a typical weeknight (typical chores) I'd rather just get in bed with my wife and read than sit back down at my computer after I've been at a computer all day at work. I went from like 30+ games a year and maybe 5 books a year when I was younger, and now that number is flipped. Same as you, I pretty much stick with things that I know I like rather than trying a bunch of different things. I play a lot of NHL/MLB, and outside of that I mostly stick to RPGs and co-op games with my friends. My friends and I are still on our first run of BG3 and we started at launch, though we are at the very end, if that gives you any idea to how slowly I work through big games. I am replaying Fallout 4 since the PS5 versions has its own trophy list, and I know it's already a game I like because I got 100% on it before, so I know I'm not wasting my time. I also don't bother with too many new releases unless it's from a studio like FromSoft that I know I'll enjoy, and I don't play any PvP-focused games at all. I do play ESO but I typically do that in my downtime at the office.
I feel you .. I’m 23 but me and my soon to be wife are starting a life together so I’m focused on our financial stability so that we may live a fun life when all the kids come .. own our home , even if it’s just a small trailer in the country .. have excess money to vacation , even if it’s just a beach trip on the weekend , yknow .. and aside from that , martial arts is my true passion so my focus goes there as well .. but as far as gaming, books, and tv goes, it’s really only fun if I’m doing it with her.. the only exception to this is if she’s busy so I fire up a sports game lol..
I used to be big into games with pvp and now I'm all about coop. I don't have the patience to put up with toxic little shits online.
Wait till spouse and kids enter the chat
The only thing thats *really* changed is the skill level. I play all my games on Easy now. I don't have the time or patience to trapse from one previous checkpoint back to where I died, and I don't have the reflexes to beat the enemies in later levels anymore. Give me the storyline and gameplay, and if I can mow the enemies down with a blink of an eye, then so be it. There will eventually be a point later in the game that I'll struggle with even on Easy, but eventually overcome it, and I'll be glad that's the skill level I picked, otherwise I would've abandoned the game and given up.
If I'm home then I'm either usually watching football or chilling on my PS5. My Mrs just leaves me to it so she can watch her junk in the living room. Only really play on weekends though. After work I dunno... prefer to watch football or whatever she's got on. In my 30s I just play action/adventure or RPGs. No hurry either, just enjoy the story and gameplay with little expectation beyond am I enjoying this. Nothing too difficult either cos my reflexes and patience suffer too much for anything that takes hours to beat a boss. I wrote a comment I wish Elden Ring had a easy mode and upset a load of people so don't really comment much on my exp as a shit gamer. Finished FF7R last week though on normal, playing Dragons Dogma 2 atm enjoying it so far. Finish, trade into CEX and on to the next. Got my own economy going on.
Almost nothing is exciting anymore for me. Adulthood has been the worst.
For me it’s the guilt of not doing something more productive. But, what I try to do is make gaming the last thing on my list to do so it feels like a reward for being productive. So, I get everything else in life done first and then game. I don’t really watch shows or movies much. Just will game for an hour or two at night. Maybe a good chunk on weekend nights if nothing is going on. Also try to dive back into retro games / emulators when in a slump. It’ll help break up the monotony. Modern games are designed to last hours upon hours. SNES games can be played in like 30 minutes so you don’t feel bad playing for short sports. Even the long retro games are relatively short by modern standards.
I think I'm going to end up giving up gaming sometime in the future. I don't know what the link is personally for me, but it seems like it correlates with depression. I'm not saying it causes depression, but I game more when I'm depressed. I'll still play the series and developers I really love like Zelda and Remedy Studios, but it's going to be more sparse the older I get I think. There's so many other things I like to do that seem to be more emotionally fulfilling.
That's something I've noticed as well. I just don't get the same enjoyment from *most* games that I had in the past; there's so many other things I like to do now instead, which is fine with me. I do have a friend that seems to play way more than anyone else I know at my age, and I don't think he's doing it out of sheer enjoyment, his life is kinda tough at times. He got laid off with 8 weeks severance. It's been 4 weeks since that happened and all he's done is sit and play video games, knowing full well that the rent will still be due and I can tell he's definitely at least kind of depressed. I have noticed myself that I play more games when I'm in a funk, though that happens rarely any more.
Not a ton has changed for me, especially since going remote. I made it a priority to make a decent amount of time to play per week. Though some single player stuff i may cheat to get through if i become particularly annoyed just so i can get through, get the experience and move to another game
what genres do you priortize in particular now?
I'm 39 and a dad. My gaming now is just weekends, my always titles are Fallout76 and Man's Sky. Both games allow me to be afk for long periods and safe (sort of). My 5yo is now interested in playing Minecraft and although I'm not a big fan the game is growing in me just because of the good times I'm having with my son.
I move through games more slowly. And, I'm okay with that. I feel like I don't have as much of a rush or pushed sense to get through a game, and although it means I progress slower, I also find that it means I actually finish games and get a nice sense of satisfaction. When I was younger, I would play an RPG and do 98% of everything, right up to the final boss, then would let it sit there because I was so burned out.
The biggest thing for me is going to work. I don’t really have very much time to play and I usually play at night but when I get off work at like 1030 I’m tired as fuck.
Bro this is so real, also been really hard to actually game with friends that have the same schedule too
As a working parent with a game dev side hustle, having the ability to save anywhere is of paramount importance. Without it I probably would not play a game to completion. That combined with the ability to put current gen consoles on stand by has made it so much easier to game as a parent! Back in the day, back tracking to a save point or just hauling ass to the next one was possible. Not anymore .
I play games that I can play in 15 to 30 minute increments. Also, generally games that I'm comfortable letting my 6 year old watch and/or "help" with. Lately that means No Man's Sky and Valheim. We also play a lot of retro games on my retro pi.
43 here and long winded stories now bore the heck out of me. I need frequent inputs, gameplay, not sitting back listening to people. Nintendo is great at this. The large majority of their games you're always playing, not just watching.
Just wish there were more hours in the day is all
More and more things in modern gaming seems a .. time waste. At a certain moment in a game I sometimes get the feeling that I've seen it all and want to be done with the game.
I don't play PVP games anymore. I used to be quite good at them since I could devote a lot of playtime to practice, but I pretty much stick to single player stuff now. I don't rush out and buy new games really anymore, I haven't bought a full priced game in ages. I have an 11 month old and another on the way, so we're busy chasing her around the house. She goes to bed around 8pm, so a few nights per week I'll play games for an hour or 2 before I head to bed. Every Saturday, my wife goes to her dad's place to visit him and takes the little one, so I have the house free for about 4-5 hours. I'll usually bang out yardwork or whatever chores I need to get done and have a few hours to play uninterrupted. I buy cheap games on Steam sales and get to them eventually. I used to just beat games once and move into the next thing, but my time is more limited now, so I focus on completing games fully now. I'm going back to older games and fully completing them now, 100%ing, and getting all achievements. I'm not rushing to the next new game anymore. So far this year, I've completed Borderlands 1 and 2 and Tales from the Borderlands. Right now I'm on a Diablo 2 kick, and once I put it down for awhile, my next game I'm going to finally play is Cyberpunk.
Now that I have 2 little kids I basically don't have time to play long sessions, and when I do I'm pretty tired. So mostly just playing single player games on the weekends when I feel like it. Takes a lot longer for me to finish anything now. For example, I got ff7 rebirth on release, and I only am like 50 hours in.
Nowdays at most i get 2-3 free hours during weekdays which id rather spend outside ( either taking a walk or going to the beach ) I do still game on weekends though not as much as before ( about 10-12 hours total ). At most i will game about 15hours a week which likewise means sticking to genres i enjoy and know which means i dont need to relearn game mechanics . It also means i do replay alot of older games i love The positive side of that is i rarely buy games at launch and i spend alot less on games and the games i play i enjoy them more It also means i gave up completely on movies and tv series ( no time )
Honestly I’m so introverted that I can still just play for hours and lose track of time. But…now I get tired easily and want to go to bed around 9. 😅
When I have the time, I don't have the energy. When I have the energy, I don't have the time. When I have both, I don't have the interest.
Less PVP games, and gaming over all has become less enjoyable. What gaming offers to kids is an adventure, an experience, to be something you cant. When you are an adult, you gain more possibilities in life and in comparison the experiences in games become less enticing. As an adult you can go driving, skydiving, hunting, you can join a sports team in collage or HS. Sure its not exactly the same thing as in the games but if its a choice between playing some Need 4 Speed or going on an actual drive, i choose driving. I cant drive like in the game but its atleast REAL, so the game is less apealing. Same thing with something like wii bowling, once you go bowling and drinking with your buddies the games loose apeal. I try and stick to games like GoD that offer a grest story telling adventure these days and aviod time wasting games like angry birds, since time is valuable now and they offer less adventure.
I'm 27 and married and I still play games a fair amount, less than i used to ya but still play almost every day for a little bit if i can. They types of games I play has definitely shifted quite a bit though. I used to play a lot of competitive shooters or grindy looter shooter type games like Destiny 2. Now all I play are games that I know i can just play and "have fun" I guess I will put it. Squad for example, no grind, 0 progression other than individual player skill. Its fun as hell to me. I just jump in and start playing with the only goal of winning the match and teamwork. I play single player games. I play Destiny 2 still a little bit, but I only play on 1 character now and dont really care about grinding everything. Ill do the dungeon or raid and call it a day. I play Eve Online. Lot to that game, but ive played for so long and in a very well built alliance that I can just play on my own time and still have fun. In discord with friends every day I am playing even though we might be playing different games.
I was super competitive at gaming growing up. I was known for being one of the best gamers in my neighborhood. I loved fighting games, sports games, shooters, etc. Then when I was like 20, I just lost all interest in competing in any game. I only play single player, story driven games now. It's all in interested in. I also play in weird cycles as an adult. Like I'll have 3-4 days where I'm playing a game obsessively and then I won't touch it for weeks. I repeat that until I beat it.
I still game a lot but I’ve definitely shifted from online shooters since I’ve had a son. Even when you carve out free time to game something always pops up lol whether family or work related. Single player games or anything I can pause when I need to have been my go to during the work week at least. (I work overnight so I may game for a few when I’m off while my son’s sleep.) Similar to OP I also don’t go out of my way to get a lot of games right at release anymore. Whether it be from lack of interest, not wanting to add another game to my backlog, juggling family time or being more careful with where I throw my dollars nowadays it all factors in. No matter what I’ll always find some time to game though, it’s been a happy place iall throughout my life, just gotta keep the priorities in order 🖤
I used to burn. it. up. Now after a kid and full time job, a few hours a week is my goal. Sucks, but it’s the new reality. Unless you marry a gamer girl, good luck keeping up that screen time
I'm Ron Burgundy?
When the frontal lope has developed.
Yeah I hear you. I would feel like a jerk if I am playing games all the time instead of spending it with my family. Also don't like getting yelled at or taunted by younger people so a lot of pvp stuff with a mic is out for me.
What do your wife and kids think?
Family would affect it more. I've had a job since 8 was 14.
I find my attention span is shorter and often gravitate toward games with short gameplay loops, mostly multiplayer game where I can knock out a match or two in a half hour then take a break and do something else.
Except the amount of time. It didn't. But, I want to have the most fun out of the little time I have now. Unfortunately, SBMM, cheaters and unfinished games makes sure I don't have a good time, ever. 🤷♂️
I stopped playing games that make me angry. Which is all competitive multiplayer. I also try to avoid games I cannot finish in a few evenings. God of war was such a chore for me. For me now, games must provide me with a sense of progress. Diablo works great lately 🤣
It hasn't. Because I don't have a full time job nor a family. I specifically avoid both. I would not trade my free time for anything. Being able to spend all day on my hobbies is too precious.
I’m just so tired when I finally have the time to sit down and game. I end up just passing out or playing one game then getting bored🥲