Do you still enjoy games

[nightmare_gorilla]

This may sound rediculous but latley i've found myself avoiding coming to the good old escapist when i want to talk video games. As far as i know Yahtzee is the only one being paid to make snarky comments about games yet it seems to me as of late almost everyone around here is talking about what they don't like about the new games, i understand not everything being made now-a-days is fantastic heck alot of it is pretty bland. but it seems to me even when a game is good or just generally fun it is being trashed here on the forum. hell the only thing i've seen people talking up in a while is half life which is fine if you like it but please don't tell me this is a video game forum based off the love of just one game. i may be overreacting i may just have really wierd tastes in stuff but seriously i just thought i might point out all the pessimism i'm seeing going around.

 

[Saskwach]

I'd talk about the games I like more if I didn't know that every game I like would be reviled loudly by at least 30% of the forum. I get sick of hearing about half life too.
I'm thinking of giving a positive review for defcon though! If you want some perking up I'll get right on it (in a week or so).

 

[stompy]

Uh, I suppose my tastes in gaming have become more selective now-a-days, but maybe that's just due to my tastes refining. Regardless, I enjoy certain games as much as I enjoy Donkey Kong back in the day.

- A procrastinator

 

[iamnotincompliance]

Everything was better when 2D was the only way to go, talking characters involved dragging your eyeballs across text boxes, and the term "first person shooter" didn't exist, what can I say?

Okay, that may be pushing the point a bit, hell, it may be the wrong point altogether, but it seems as though games made the grade or failed on their own merits back when they were simpler. I grow weary of what few semi-modern games I have. Oblivion has none of the fundamentally game altering elements (even as early as choosing the sex of your character can have repercussions later) Morrowind had. Okay, Shivering Isles kind of re-implements that. In Morrowind it takes too damn long to get anywhere, and you'll likely get lost attempting to do so (although Oblivion makes things a bit too easy sometimes). Tomb Raider Anniversary, well, Yahtzee's review says it all except for the completely non-intuitive boss battles. Tomb Raider Legend: all the flaws of Anniversary PLUS linearity! Grand Theft Auto (3, VC, and San An), while fun, look horribly outdated even when brand new. Portal, while a few miracles away from godhood, has challenges which are, without a doubt, impossible. Getting through test chamber 14 in 10 steps or less cannot be done (and if any of you have, be aware of my sheer, unadulterated hatred for you).

Having seemed to have sadly covered my semi-modern library, except for utterly obscure titles (Chrysler West Coast Rally, anyone?), let me also say I can dust off my old Genesis and slam my way through Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles ANYTIME! Sure, it only does one thing, but it does it very well. I think it's a bit much to ask new games to be perfect at everything they do, since they all so much now, hence all the complaints, but if they ever do (or, like Portal, come painfully close), I guarantee it will garner instant classic status with replay value for years to come. But since such lightning can't strike every single time, I foresee continued bitching in the Escapist forums until some time in the future when the internet becomes irrelevant.

[EDIT] Since I took forever typing that, it seems TheNecroswanson made most of my points in eerily similar fashion. I'm feel sorry for him, and anyone else who does things my way.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Eh, there aren't many new and good (enough) games to keep me going, I've even stopped replaying my old favorites, and I have many games left unfinished. I'm not growing out of it, that's for sure, but, it's becoming less interesting and I don't have much time for it except for the time where it's just inconevnient (like late at night for example..y'know..right now!) and it's not worth spending much money on. Even GTAIV doesn't have me that excited (mainly because everyone else is so excited that they are bleeding through their anuses, and I know that on April 29, the world will explode with so many fanatics that I'll have to avoid my social life for a while to not hear something about GTAIV or see a gigantic poster about it, just because it has a God Damn "IV" at the end of it., and also when major releases are coming up, and now that it's almost here, almost everyone just seems to press the "act like an idiot" button somewhere in their brain.)

and most of the games that haven't made me quit playing...are being delayed and have a release date around the time of judgement day.

 

[Ultrajoe]

I love Halo

id only feel safe saying that here on escapist, i say i love the gameplay, someone rotes off the 'been done before' spiel i say i love the music, there's always someone with a 'witty' response, i say i like anything i can guarantee 90% of the time there will be retribution

the worst part is, the moment i try to defend it, i become a fanboy, and the moment i get slightly passionate about it, or even bite to anothers flame, i become 'that Halo troll' and everyone can immediately dismiss my opinions. Everyone is an expert on everything wrong with the Halo games, and is certain that this allows them to discredit all its pros, especially on its hype (its not even a gameplay aspect! why mark down a game on hype?)

sorry for the outburst, but it seemed the opportune time

 

[Irrok the Wide]

As long as games keep it fresh, I'll still enjoy them. Fresh is relative though. Relative to the individual.

I myself can't fully enjoy a sequal to a game I've played for 3 years straight. Halo for instance(though I beat both sequals once and do love the music), it isn't the same after you exploited every glitch and hack, it's not new anymore. For other ppl it's different of coarse. But like I beat ocarina of time 8 times, and I only beat twilight princess once (last week finally) and don't want to do it again. Though I actually agree with TheNecroSwanson that TP is a masterpiece..


*sums up*
I'll never be able to enjoy games as much as in the past, but I still enjoy them.

 

[Akas]

Perhaps it's just a matter of information nowadays. Back when we were younger, there was only our friend's words and perhaps EGM or Nintendo Power magazine. So it REALLY sucked when you got a piece of shit game (see Angry Video Game Nerd), but those moments when you got a game that was brilliant, that made everything just that much better.

Nowadays, it seems before someone can think of a game idea, people are already posting trailers, screenshots, models, interviews, and all sorts of spoilers. Before a game is even finished, there are people so sick of the hype that they dismiss it completely BEFORE THEY PLAY IT. Sequels are "rehashes", remakes are "worse versions of the original", and no game with any sort of press release can receive unilateral praise unless it's being paid for by companies (see gametrailer's section on game journalism). Yes I sound bitter, but it might be the truth.

What's the last enjoyable game you've played? Now, what's the last enjoyable game you've played that you hadn't heard about beforehand? If you have these two experiences, doesn't it feel to be a bit more fun, playing an unknown gem (this is speculative, yes, but by personal experience it's been reliable)?

Try an experiment next time you hear about a game you like coming out: block out as much info as possible about the game (some asshats may try and spoil it for you, but that's beside the point). Ignore it as much as possible, don't track it's movements at all. Then on release day, play the game. You hate it? Then that's fine, you can probably get a decent portion of your money back by selling it back (read 1 review of it by an unbiased source if you don't want to shell out the cash). You like it? Then enjoy the game for what it's worth, not what people have already critiqued about it or any other impressions made by any other person. Perhaps you might start to enjoy your games a bit more if you do that.

 

[jim_doki]

I am a skinny white guy from Australia who's childhood couldn't very well be described as Physically Fit. In fact the only reason i volunteered for a sports team (basketball) was at the time on the tv they gave away a SNES to whoever answered the rules based question correctly. For me video game parties where a bunch of 9-12 year old kids could get together and bust out on Sega Megadrives nes's and snes's were very similar to the bonding experience one feels from team sports. you know what i mean, you have your freind who's got your back in battletoads, the rival who always kicks your arse at Mortal Kombat...

my point is that a lot of the fun in gaming for me came from social interaction. in today's age where the internet rules multiplayer and the internet is filled with dicks, it seems kind of hard to recapture those memories.

This does not mean all games today are bad. there are several games out there that are trying to recapture the "spirit" of games, ie, fun, interactivity and clever writing/design, it's just there is a wider audience to satisfy now. people who see gaming in the same way they view watching a movie. a way to waste time. and these people often only require the depth of a spoon to be happy

 

[CarrierII]

Last enjoyable game - Portal. Why? Innovation. EA have rehashed the damn BF format a thousand times.

 

[Shajinn]

I guess games are as much fun as you allow them to be. Believe me, you can make ANY game fun with a couple of friends (2-3 would be perfect) and a few bottles of beer.

 

[Fire Daemon]

I've only been gamming for around 7 years. I started with a N64 that i got because a lot of my friends had one and couldn't stop talking about it. Some of my best memories where playing my friends on Donkey Kong 64 (yes it had multiplayer) and working together to beat OoT and Baldurs gate 2. These where fun times. Now I have Xbox Live and since my friends (not the ones I started I gamming with, they are long gone) have started playing WoW I find myself playing with strangers more.

THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT NOT AS FUN AS PLAYING WITH PEOPLE YOU KNOW!

I think gamming as become a two way thing. You have your Single Player focused games and your online Multiplayer focused games. No one wants to play in the same room anymore, and if we are its playing shallow games like Guitar hero. Even if you do try and play with other people face to face then what good games are you going to play. Nothing really seems that good compared to things played off a brick because of this fact alone.

Like I said I've only been gamming for 7 years and have therefore missed out on a lot of games so it is possible that I am wrong. Maybe games where at their peak when I started, have declined slightly but are still much better then they once where. Or maybe they are constantly falling.

I can't see me living a happy life without gamming though. They are fun, very fun and I think they will always be fun. Although maybe they could be better, maybe its people like us who realise that gamming could be better who go on to make gamming better.

 

[PurpleRain]

No. I don't enjoy games. I play them gfor no reason other then drain the last intellegent cells in my brain.

I was just kidding people. I fooled you all! I like games and I have Condemned 2 waiting in my room right now tempting me to punish the poor for their ways! Wait... why am I still here? See you all in a few days; I hear the voices calling.

 

[Sammich]

I don't enjoy games as much as I used to, to be honest. I get bored very VERY easily so games that keep average gamers busy for months are dull to me in a matter of weeks. Especially since it's all been done before really. I got into gaming quite late, around 12-13. Then everything was new and exciting and special and now most games are just 'eh'. On the other hand this means I look forward to different, innovating games even more than I used to so that balances it out really.

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

Portal, while a few miracles away from godhood, has challenges which are, without a doubt, impossible. Getting through test chamber 14 in 10 steps or less cannot be done (and if any of you have, be aware of my sheer, unadulterated hatred for you).

I can dust off my old Genesis and slam my way through Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles ANYTIME! Sure, it only does one thing, but it does it very well. I think it's a bit much to ask new games to be perfect at everything they do, since they all so much now, hence all the complaints, but if they ever do (or, like Portal, come painfully close), I guarantee it will garner instant classic status with replay value for years to come.

Portal IS perfect at everything it does. The challenges and achievements are merely an extension of the main game, a bit like going back to Sonic 3 and Knuckles and saying "Beat the game using only 300 jumps." The core gaming experience in Portal is what's presented in the main game, which is perfect.

 

[PhoenixFlame]

Some of this depends on age, honestly. I'm nearing 30 and I've been playing games for over 20 years in some console or PC form or another. When you've been at it for so long and played so many games it's easy to get a little jaded.

The way the industry markets, promotes, and otherwise sells games has changed as well. Making a video game that is successful now has the obligatory media machine behind it, and with the advent of the Internet, this is pretty apparent.

But I do think part of it is also that it is much easier to criticize a game than it is to praise it. Lots of people fear being "part of the crowd" by liking a game everyone else likes (that's not particularly true here at TEF, but it is in other places), therefore it's easier to crap on a game in a futile attempt to be unique.

Personally, my tastes have gotten a lot more specific - mostly because I have bought too many games that I didn't enjoy that everyone else seemed to, and partially because I'm an "adult" with practical responsibilities - a mortgage, a spouse, and like everyone else, bills. I like mostly RPGs and FPSs, and don't really have an interest in other games enough to buy them, so I rent them or borrow them from friends if I really want to play them. I still enjoy gaming quite a bit, though, so even though I'm critical of some games, that doesn't mean I dislike the industry in general.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

I was just going to say "Yes, of course I do, that's why I play them," but I realised that that's not 100% true. On more than one occasion I've completed a game a didn't like out of sheer stubbornness.

So I'll say, Yes, most of the time.

 

[Necrohydra]

Do I still enjoy gaming? Of course I do; if I didn't, I'd have moved on and found a new hobby long ago.

As has been pointed out by several people in this thread - lots of people here have been gaming for a long time. I myself have been gaming for near 20 years now. When you've been doing something for THAT long, you tend to develop tastes, preferences, and most noticeably of all, standards. You know what you like to play and what you don't like to play. You know what you'll find acceptable in a game, and what will outright turn you off. This is expected - anyone that does a hobby long enough will develop tastes and standards for his performance of that hobby for maximum enjoyment. In short, just in playing games for so long, many of us gamer have become critics and connoiseurs, simply because we know very well what we like.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can do much about the arguing and hating - people seem to like disagreeing. Bring up coke and pepsi in a conversation with the phrase "which is better", and see how long until the sparks fly.