I fear I'm growing bored with video games...

[DudeistBelieve]

Let me be frank, at 26 years with very little social life and very little desire to leave my house beyond errands and work, this is a bit of a problem. Video Games are my primary means of entertainment, and lately I've found little enjoyment in them.

I'm an Xbox One user (Money being the primary issue here) but I don't think the problem is the console. I felt this way prior to my upgrade from the 360. There just hasn't been something that has really hooked my brain in, and truthfully I thought the new console would perhaps solve that.

Sunset Overdrive was a disappointment, I was expecting a more Saints Row type of romp instead this is more Tony Hawk with guns... fair enough until I got the tower defense bits, and how I loathe tower defense. It's sitting on my shelf, unfinished.

Forza Horizon 2 is gorgeous but as far as racing goes, my heart is still with Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition. Fact is, any of the cars I drive don't end up feeling like my cars. I like downloading skins off the internet, but... eh...

Shadow Warrior... This one I picked up on a whim because I really like Devolver as a publisher. Fine game, it just doesn't click....

Grand Theft Auto V/Advanced Warfare/Destiny... I'm a huge GTA: Online fan, and while I still play this it's plagued with connection issues that make it a pain. The other two I'll play in short bursts, but I just don't care about them.

then there's TellTale's The Wolf Among Us, this was another whim purchase and I wish the second season was out already because I loved it. I suppose maybe I should pick up the rest of the telltale stuff, but the hard pill to swallow is I've already played the Walking Dead games.

Then theres Dragon Age: I, my latest pick up. I'm really not a fan of Fantasy games with Swords and elves and bullshit. Once I got out into the first location I enjoyed doing just quest after quest, clearing out the whole area of things to do. There's a certain exploration element like Fallout 3/Vegas that I enjoyed, and I really like that there is a degree of handholding and I've rarely yet been stuck... But the combat leaves a lot of be desired. I basically feel like the game is playing itself and I'm just pushing the trigger button.

I really desire a game like the Fallout series, or something with the tone of The Wolf Among Us. A genre science fiction game or something. I look at the coming releases this year the only two that really seem to peak my interest is the Hotline Miami sequel and the new Batman game.

What do you recommend I do, fellow Escapists?

 

[seris]

if you have a half decent pc and love sandbox games you should check out garrysmod, ive sunk way too much time into that game

 

[remnant_phoenix]

I think it's normally for gaming passion to ebb and flow at your age. I'm not saying this as some super-old gamer; I'm nearly 30, not much older than you, but it was when I hit about your age that I found that tapping out from gaming for a while (in my specific case, a month) not only broadened my horizons (I caught up on reading, picked up my guitar that I hadn't touched it ages, just had a small but significant change on my outlook on life), but when I returned to gaming, it was like greeting an old friend that I had missed.

It's weird and a bit counter-intuitive, but I think sometimes you need to miss something every once in a while to really understand why you love it.

 

[ffronw]

OK. As a SUPER old gamer (I'll be 40 this year), I can say this: You hit these lulls. I've spent the last 11 years with playing games a part of my job, and I still get burned out from time to time. One of the best ways I have found to "rediscover" a love for gaming is to switch things up in a major way. I once went to playing Zelda titles on the DS, something I would normally not do as a regular part of my gaming.

Sometimes, as Remnant_Phoenix said, you just have to try something different for a while. Watch a movie, visit a friend, something like that. When you come back, you may find a renewed love for the games you're playing.

 

[Mimic]

I agree with what's been said, maybe take a break from gaming for a bit. I think I'm in a similar stage too at the moment (I'm 28 - if it is an age thing). I have a couple of games I want to play through but I never seem to get around to it at the moment. Even though I have the time I just keep putting it off. Hopefully after a while something will grab you and get you excited to play again; if not then no matter, you get to try out some new fun hobbies.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Let me be frank, at 26 years with very little social life and very little desire to leave my house beyond errands and work, this is a bit of a problem. Video Games are my primary means of entertainment, and lately I've found little enjoyment in them.

SNIP

Video Games are my primary means of entertainment, and lately I've found little enjoyment in them.

You've sort of answered your own question here.

You're bored with games because your entire life except for work and errands basically revolves around them. You need to get out there and try something else, because then when you play video games, they're something you don't do to an excessive degree, and therefore they're more fun and the time you spend playing with them is more meaningful than simply "I'm just doing this to kill time because I have nothing else to do".

To give you an example: I love Snowboarding, and I live near the mountains where I can go snowboarding basically whenever I want. But if I went snowboarding every single day, I'd start to get bored of it very quickly. The fact that I only go once every 2 weeks or so is a large part of what makes it fun.

 

[Godhead]

Take a month off, find a few books to read, go take a walk in nature, learn how to make a chair or something. Do something that isn't gaming. Alternatively, if this is just due to a restrictive library and you have a little bit of technical know how, you could easily build yourself a computer for like $100 and make a little gaming pc for older games, like Star Wars Dark Forces or Baldur's Gate.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

The biggest question would be so what? With the exception of reviewers we do this for fun. Find something else to entertain if you arent having fun you theres a world of options.

 

[The_Waspman]

It happens. I'm 35 now, and I didn't really get back into gaming until I got a ps3 about five years ago. Sure, I played the odd low requirement pc game, things like Civilization and StarCraft, but getting a console is really what sucked me in.

And for a while it was fun. Kinda what ruined it for me is whats ruined a lot of other entertainment outlets for me. I've mentioned this before on other threads, but its the 24/7 social media news cycle. Everything is processed and analysed waaaay before release. Theres also the drm issue.

I remember the exact break for me. It was when I bought Darksiders 2 (don't hate me for that!) From putting the disc in the console to actually starting the game, it took me 40 minutes. And that wasn't even the install time! This was wading through end user license agreement crap, and signing up for the website, and the newsletter, and downloading the day one patch. All stuff which breaks immersion. Like when you're in the middle of a game and you get some notice up asking if you want to download this, or that, or go to the store to get the latest dlc.

Compare that to games I got with my console, Like Prince of Persia or Dead Space. Disc in, title screen, press start, you're in the game.

I mean, I bout DA:I too, and I'm sorta enjoying it, but really, its just going through the motions.

The key is, as others have said, maybe take a step back, find some other interests, I also read a lot, and write (or try to - I should be doing that now) watch some movies, whatever. Let gaming become a part of the greater fabric of your entertainment options.

 

[freaper]

If you still want to find your entertainment within this medium try switching up genres; if you usually play RPGs go for a sports game, a strategy game or a puzzle game. Mix things up a little.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I feel these kinds of threads are just a pass for complaining about The State Of Videogames or This Generation Sucks.

Do whatever you want to do. You don't HAVE to play videogames if you don't want to. You don't have to remedy your lack of interest like it's a disease or something. Find another hobby.

 

[Risingblade]

Go find another hobby to keep you busy till FO4 comes out. Or if you could go back and try to play those games you missed out from previous generations.

 

[Signa]

Sounds like you got the AAA blues. Try some retro titles, or indie and see how you feel. Taking a break isn't a bad idea either. I know I've felt the same several times over recent years, and revisiting my SNES was the breath of fresh air I needed.

 

[gigastar]

Best advice i can give is to find a F2P to sink your teeth into.

Its not a perfect solution, but its been holding me over through dry patches throughout the last 3 years.

That or use your half-decent PC and get some cheap inde titles on Steam.

 

[sneakypenguin]

I'm bored to death with them, single player games suck and there hasn't been a good MP game drop lately. I'm still playing black ops 2 cause its actually balanced.

 

[Luminous_Umbra]

Echoing what some have said, I've found two ways to deal with being dissatisfied with gaming:

1. Take a break: Like many have said, you might just want to stop for a while. The only issue is that it might be difficult to tell when to attempt to return.

2. Try something very different: I've done this a couple of times and found that it can work. While the risk does exist that you flat out will not like the game, success can give you a very enjoyable play of a game. Risky, but takes less time.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

You're playing too many AAA titles and too many western ones at that. At least for my tastes.


Get into fighting games or jrpgs or something. Those are the games I play and I'm far from bored. (though admittedly, there's barely any of those in xbox systems, especially X1, do you have a 3ds or something?)