I am finding games dissapointing because i'm getting older or because they aren't as good?

[Beltaine]

I'm 31 and starting to feel that way. However, I've played everything from the original Atari on up to today's consoles, from the days of DOS and the 8088 processor to my current Quad-core dual-GPU setup.

Lately, it comes down to time. There's so many games to choose from that if I start playing one that isn't quite as fun as I thought it'd be, I start thinking it would be better to spend my time with one of the other games I haven't completed yet but is more fun to play. So, I turn it off and go back to whatever other game I'd rather waste my time playing at the moment.

 

[VonBrewskie]

I think as I've gotten older I've become more obsessed with real world adventures like bills, girlfriends, and maintaining my employment. The carefree days of Twisted Metal 2 and Mountain Dew are long in the past and now when I play games I hear a little voice nagging in the back of my mind: "You could be using this time to make some money!" even after work! I think the visual representation of games has improved dramatically, but there are soooooooo many sequels and sequels of sequels, and remakes, and games that are remakes but are sold like they aren't remakes...innovation in games hasn't really improved and I think we the consumers are largely to "blame". The games that sell the most units these days are derived from familiar formulas rehashed slightly with all holy RPG elements to give them the illusion of being new ideas. Money talks, as they say. The high cost of development for new games makes innovation a little hard to come by in mainstream titles. (The Xbox arcade and PSN are chock full of cool nine dollar innovations, but those are classed as "indie" games, if I'm not mistaken.) Games are making more money than movies now. It doesn't surprise me that companies keep releasing sequels to games that have made money in the past.

 

[i never thought so]

I would say both. most people lose interest in games and starting to think they are pointless when the get older. Also games haven't changed much, sure they have better graphics and you can do more in them, but they are still the basic same idea with a different storyline.

 

[Credge]

I think when you look at why they changed GTA from a bright and colorful, cheery with dark humor, doing insane stuff and going up in the world game to a dark and depressing, dark with dark, depressing and dark game where you do some insane stuff while going up in the world game I think you'll find your answer.

 

[Zersy]

Lately i've seen quite a few threads about how games have either; lost their spark, becoming shallower or don't have the substance they used to. When i look at my experience with games it seems to be a bit of a Decrescnedo, not a drastic one, but a decrescendo nontheless. It's not that i hate every game that's released nowadays, but i find myself being more and more dissapointed and less and less impressed. I remember when i was a kid and getting the N64, and even games that i probably wouldn't play for the life of me now, seemed impressive at the time. It just seems that in my life, with age i've come to question and be far more picky about video games (i'm 19 btw).
Just to take an example, i played COD 5 for the first time, and whilst it's an alright game (just personally), i wasn't hugely impressed. But i imagined that if i had played that same game as a kid i would've loved it. Though sometimes i think that games seem to be doing a bit of a downward slope in quality. When i look back at the games of the previous generation consoles and on PC, the games on the seventh generation consoles just seem really meek in comparison. So i just wanted to see what people's thoughts were, and if they are experiencing something similar.

Your being desenzitized thats what happens to everyone so what happening to you is a uncontrollable process where you just get used to things

Take a look at the past games ,,, weren't they pridictable in what to expect ?
games are getting better but were just getting used to the expectations

so games are still great it's just that our expectations of them have changed

my recommendation is do what yahtzee does "Expect everything to be shitty untill it proves itself otherwise"

 

[zauxz]

Perhaps its both?

 

[Rickyvantof]

Experience does that. It makes things ... lame.

 

[massau]

maybe because most of the games have health regenerating things and i like the health bar with health packed more. and some stuf like that made al games easier

 

[hamster mk 4]

I think it is getting old. Look at the glee of an eight year old who is wrapping them selves around Pokemon. Wasn't that the same glee you experienced when you played Mario? No doubt your elders looked upon you in the same disapproving fashion as you look upon the Pokemon child. Except you remember what it was like to embrace the game, so you should be more understanding right?

 

[Iwamori]

It's easy to understand why people like me (and presumably, you) become jaded with gaming.

We defeated Dr. Robotnik. We saved the Princess (in fact, we saved several princesses, several times). We won World War Two more times than we care to count. We defeated the legions of Hell. We became the ruler of Hell and saved it from the heroes. We've run Theme Parks and Hospitals and Cities and Any Colonies. We've lost track of how many worlds we've saved with sword and sorcery. We defeated Ganon. We won the First Tiberian War (one way or the other). We've slain so many Orcs and Goblins Khorne could build his palace out of our trophies alone.

We've reached the point where we approach the task of saving the day with a matter-of-fact calmness and justified self-assured swagger; we beat the Bydo, why should the Locust or Chimera worry us?

In short, we feel that we've seen it all, and done it all... and thus we are jaded, and with that comes a lack of appreciation for the medium. We think old games were better not because they were, but because every game felt new and wondrous to us.

Oh, and anyone who can work out each reference in that list, Kudos indeed to you!

Sonic, Mario, Medal of Honor/Call of Duty/Battlefield 1942/Wolfenstein/etc, Diablo 1+2, Dungeon Keeper (?), Theme Hospital/Theme Park/Sim City/SimAnt, Might and Magic/DnD/Golden Axe/Etc, Legend of Zelda, Command and conquer and countless RPGs.

Yes, it's a jaded life we lead, but if we do not lead it, the amateurs of today cannot become the experts of tomorrow.

 

[Wargamer]

It's easy to understand why people like me (and presumably, you) become jaded with gaming.

We defeated Dr. Robotnik. We saved the Princess (in fact, we saved several princesses, several times). We won World War Two more times than we care to count. We defeated the legions of Hell. We became the ruler of Hell and saved it from the heroes. We've run Theme Parks and Hospitals and Cities and Any Colonies. We've lost track of how many worlds we've saved with sword and sorcery. We defeated Ganon. We won the First Tiberian War (one way or the other). We've slain so many Orcs and Goblins Khorne could build his palace out of our trophies alone.

We've reached the point where we approach the task of saving the day with a matter-of-fact calmness and justified self-assured swagger; we beat the Bydo, why should the Locust or Chimera worry us?

In short, we feel that we've seen it all, and done it all... and thus we are jaded, and with that comes a lack of appreciation for the medium. We think old games were better not because they were, but because every game felt new and wondrous to us.

Oh, and anyone who can work out each reference in that list, Kudos indeed to you!

Sonic, Mario, Medal of Honor/Call of Duty/Battlefield 1942/Wolfenstein/etc, Diablo 1+2, Dungeon Keeper (?), Theme Hospital/Theme Park/Sim City/SimAnt, Might and Magic/DnD/Golden Axe/Etc, Legend of Zelda, Command and conquer and countless RPGs.

Yes, it's a jaded life we lead, but if we do not lead it, the amateurs of today cannot become the experts of tomorrow.

Near-perfect answer! Two of them I can accept as technically right, so I'll give you 90% of a cookie.

 

[Lullabye]

Hmmm,alot of you seem to think the quality of games is declining. It's not(mostly). But what is declining is our ability to come up with original games and not be afraid to play them. I mean, recently I've found that whats happening is the devs are sticking to a...er kind of game template, then, if they want to try something new theystick it in the game but only if there is enough tried and true stuff in there to keep the game safe and ensure it sells a decent amount. Which in itself seems to be the tried and true method of game dev & evolution. But with new games(and i mean, completley new) coming out more and more often as non-mainstream developers become more and more mainstream, I feel that a more risk vs reward gaming market is going to emerge and we will only benfit from it. It sucks for people who are currently mainstream gamers but because the games industry is expanding at such a stupid fast rate, I don't think the current fad genres will be affected. With games like InFamous and Prototype(YES!) just on the horizon, there's hope yet to be had.

 

[Shepard's Shadow]

COD 4 and COD 5 are pretty much the same game in different settings.

 

[BolognaBaloney]

COD 4 and COD 5 are pretty much the same game in different settings.

Yep, but as long as you package it differently, you could probably sell the same game ten times to the same person....wait a second NINTENDO! YOU BASTARD!

 

[UnderOath1617]

It's tough to say. I know that I've become inreasingly disappointed with games lately. Farcry 2, Fallout 3, etc. I mean sure they have a storyline rivaling B movies and the graphics are impeccable, but I don't enjoy them as much as I enjoy Super Mario Bros. 3 or Punch-Out the original.

Maybe it's the nostalgia, but I can easily play through SMB3 multiple times through and still enjoy it. Games today have no replay value because no one wants to sit through the storyline again after all the suprises have been uncovered.

But at the same time I know that it seems like games have just become more unimaginative. I'd like to see a developer pitch the idea, "Say we have an italian plumber who eats mushrooms in a quest to save a princess" and they execs would think he or she were crazy. Now if you have a guy with biceps the size of a small child and a gun that looks like it could destroy the world, then you have a game that appeals however it may not be as fun.

 

[Shepard's Shadow]

COD 4 and COD 5 are pretty much the same game in different settings.

Yep, but as long as you package it differently, you could probably sell the same game ten times to the same person....wait a second NINTENDO! YOU BASTARD!

lol. That's true. Same goes for sports games. Your basically paying $60 for a 1 or 2 innovations and updated rosters.

 

[snakeys]

Hmmm,alot of you seem to think the quality of games is declining. It's not(mostly). But what is declining is our ability to come up with original games and not be afraid to play them. I mean, recently I've found that whats happening is the devs are sticking to a...er kind of game template, then, if they want to try something new theystick it in the game but only if there is enough tried and true stuff in there to keep the game safe and ensure it sells a decent amount. Which in itself seems to be the tried and true method of game dev & evolution. But with new games(and i mean, completley new) coming out more and more often as non-mainstream developers become more and more mainstream, I feel that a more risk vs reward gaming market is going to emerge and we will only benfit from it. It sucks for people who are currently mainstream gamers but because the games industry is expanding at such a stupid fast rate, I don't think the current fad genres will be affected. With games like InFamous and Prototype(YES!) just on the horizon, there's hope yet to be had.

I have talked about this before with friends, and maybe even on this forum. Games today simply cost too much to make. The devs cannot afford to take too many risks, because if it fails, then it's their asses on the line. You have to take the exact right kind of gameplay and creative risks, and if they fail, the game fails. How do you know what the "right" risks are? Given the financial risk the devs and pubs that, there is not much room for error. However, when they get it "right," the payoffs are big. Exhibit 1, COD4. I don't know how much money Activision spent publishing that title, but I am fairly sure it wasn't $780 million (13 million untis sold x $60, which figure doesn't even include DLC). This kind of game props up an entire company.

Personally, for me, I think my 20+ years of gaming experience has spoiled some of the more marginally good stuff out that I might have otherwise enjoyed had I not been tainted by the ghosts of games past.

 

[BolognaBaloney]

COD 4 and COD 5 are pretty much the same game in different settings.

Yep, but as long as you package it differently, you could probably sell the same game ten times to the same person....wait a second NINTENDO! YOU BASTARD!

lol. That's true. Same goes for sports games. Your basically paying $60 for a 1 or 2 innovations and updated rosters.

Yep, thats why I own....let me count....zero sports games.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

It's not you that's getting older, it's the games. Trust me, we may be in a new-ish age of gaming technology and everything is sparkly, but games have been around for a looooooooong time now...they're maturing in ways that are leaving us behind. I play games for the escape from reality, I can enter my own little zone, but now...games aren't as immersive and are very gritty, much like real-life, meaning that I can't enjoy the child-like buzz anymore.

This one of the reasons I liked Saints Row 2, it was colourful, and happy...ish.