Outgrowing gaming?

There was a period of about ten years from the mid 90s to 2005 where I wasn't active in video gaming. I was actually pretty avid in using emulation to play classic games, but I wasn't following the modern video gaming scene.

Sometimes your interests just sort of cycle through your life. I've always loved video games, but during that time, it wasn't at the forefront of my general interests.
 
I've also noticed that I've been buying more than I've played lately. I thought about it and decided that my problem is that I'm spoiled by high-quality, good games. Recently, I've enjoyed Oblivion, Resistance, FFXII, MGS3, GT4/GTHD, Shadow of the Colossus, and so on...

To me, any game that isn't at least of that caliber, aren't worth playing. I'm not not entirely drawn-in by the story and gameplay, I just get really bored and quit a few hours in.
 
[quote name='lordxixor101']I really wonder something. For you guys "outgrowing" gaming, how old are you? I'm wondering if you're somewhere between 19 and 22.[/quote]

I'm 23.

It's more of a "I need to get out more" than anything. I look at my games now and can't get excited about playing them when there's other stuff that needs to be taken care of. So mr. ryles pretty much nailed it for me.

Pretty much going to be getting rid of a lot of games by the end of the year. Looking to cut my collection down from 414 to 100-125 games.
 
[quote name='jaykrue']I'm 30 and for me, I wouldn't say I've outgrown gaming. Rather, I've changed the types of games I play. Being an adult with precious few free time, I've got to cherry pick and hope I don't miss out on great games. This means less RPGs (my favorite genre) and RTS and more FPS or action games. :cry: Only rare RPGs/RTS of exceptional quality like Disgaea, FFT, or (the hopefully awesome) Starcraft 2 will I even bother to look at let alone purchase. Now it's all about Bioshock, Halo3, Soul Calibur 4, DoA4, Orange Box, etc. Life does intrude a lot and with dating, socializing w/ friends, and the time spent on work, I really doubt that'll change any time soon.[/QUOTE]I can understand what you are saying. I absolutely love RPGs, but I barely have the time to play them (or invest serious time) due to college work. Well, I usually play an RPG over socializing/dating many times (mostly because I just gave up on many people, like I said in another thread), but I still don't have enough time to play all that I have. As much as I disliked FPS and online games over the years, I've played them a lot more lately since I can play them in shorter sessions (like I've played Warhawk who knows how many times).

[quote name='tangytangerine']I'm 23.

It's more of a "I need to get out more" than anything. I look at my games now and can't get excited about playing them when there's other stuff that needs to be taken care of. So mr. ryles pretty much nailed it for me.

Pretty much going to be getting rid of a lot of games by the end of the year. Looking to cut my collection down from 414 to 100-125 games.[/QUOTE]I cut by collection down by almost 300 games. Unfortunately, I cannot cut down my collection anymore (I'm at 420 games).

What really bothers me is, years ago, as soon as I bought a new game I'd open it. Now, I'll be lucky to open a game within 2 weeks after I bought it. I just bought a new PS2 game over a week ago and still haven't opened it. :whistle2:(
 
I also just recently started cutting down my collection. Half a year ago I was bored, and I wanted to play a game. I looked at my collection of about 300 games and could not find one that I wanted to play. I figured it was time to get rid of some stuff just collecting dust.

The first thing that went was Valkyrie Profile for PS1. I sold it for $180 (which I thought was pretty good). Later I posted what I did in a "rare games" thread. A few people called me crazy for doing what I did. I figured I'd be crazy not to sell the game.
 
[quote name='Rodimus Donut']I also just recently started cutting down my collection. Half a year ago I was bored, and I wanted to play a game. I looked at my collection of about 300 games and could not find one that I wanted to play. I figured it was time to get rid of some stuff just collecting dust.

The first thing that went was Valkyrie Profile for PS1. I sold it for $180 (which I thought was pretty good). Later I posted what I did in a "rare games" thread. A few people called me crazy for doing what I did. I figured I'd be crazy not to sell the game.[/QUOTE]Yeah, I got $175 for my copy on ebay and bought a 360 with it (well, the money went towards a 360). I also got rid of my sealed copy of Tales of Destiny II (ToE) PS1 (I already had a non-sealed copy), 2nd copy of FFVII, a few Saturn games (like Albert Odyssey, which I beat but could no longer play due to losing my game save), Intelligent Qube, .Hack//Quarantine (since I never had MUTATION and OUTBREAK, I could not play it, only watch the DVD that came with it), and so on. I made $670 for 16 games, and that was definitely worth it. I don't miss a single one. I wish I could only own 200 games, but I cannot get myself to let my entire Suikoden series go (I never beat any of them), Shadow Hearts series, etc.
 
Less time means playing games I enjoy and different styles of gaming. I used to love powering through a Final Fantasy game over the course of a week or the Dragon Quest games, but now I can't sit down and play for hours and hours. I've pretty much dropped console gaming, except for the Wii (unique experience etc.), and switched back to my computer since I can always keep a game running and just alt+tab over whenever I need a break from work. I also bought a DS for gaming on the go. So, while I'm not giving up gaming, its certainly a style change.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Yeah, I got $175 for my copy on ebay and bought a 360 with it (well, the money went towards a 360). I also got rid of my sealed copy of Tales of Destiny II (ToE) PS1 (I already had a non-sealed copy), 2nd copy of FFVII, a few Saturn games (like Albert Odyssey, which I beat but could no longer play due to losing my game save), Intelligent Qube, .Hack//Quarantine (since I never had MUTATION and OUTBREAK, I could not play it, only watch the DVD that came with it), and so on. I made $670 for 16 games, and that was definitely worth it. I don't miss a single one. I wish I could only own 200 games, but I cannot get myself to let my entire Suikoden series go (I never beat any of them), Shadow Hearts series, etc.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I know how you feel. Somtimes it's tough getting rid of certian games. There are certian games that I doubt I'll ever play again but it's still hard to let them go. Feels like I'm getting rid of a child. I got rid of about 8 of my rarest games and ended up getting a Cobalt Flux DDR pad with the money (which cost around $300 - $350) Which I kinda regret now cause I barely use it. Most likely I'll end up selling that too.
 
Interesting topic - it's kind of like therapy!

I just turned 36, and battle with this exact topic almost on a weekly basis.

I've been gaming since the days of Pong, and have always (and will always) love it to some extent.

For me, there are three major reasons that gaming gets tougher and tougher:

1. Simply not enough time in a day.

Who the hell wants to start an 80 hour RPG at 10 pm at night, knowing they have to be up at 6 am the next day. And if you do, and for some reason don't play for a week or two - you have to remember what the hell was going on. AHH!

The games have gotten so long, and so involved (I think just for the sake of being long and involved), that it takes forever to play through them. And, if you're like me (retentive), you have to get as close to 100% completion as possible - side quests, items, etc. For example, I've sunk 50 hours into Paper Mario (GC) just to get everything, and I'm almost finished.

Sure, I could just fly through the game, but the point of playing is to enjoy what the developer has put into the game for you.

I hear about people knocking games that only have 10-20 hours of straight gameplay (i.e. PREY, Black, etc), and I don't understand why. Play it, enjoy it, and move on. If it's a price issue, then wait until it drops to $20 and get it then - that's what I do.

2. Too many choices.

When I do have time for a game, I stare at the 300 plus games that I have, and zone out. Do I want to play a sports game? RPG? Platformer? Horror? The list goes on and on.

I simply can't choose - so I don't.

Since I can't make a choice, I default to games that I can just play for a while and put down (Compliation games or puzzle games, mostly.)

Think about it - games come out at a ridiculous rate. Not just crap games either - solidly decent games. My backlog of games that most people would agree are "good" games is ridiculous - I still have Grand Theft Auto III, and Resident Evil 4 to play.

Because there are so many systems available, and the libraries are so big, it's almost impossible to play all of the games that I want to play. So, rather than be realistic in choosing which ones to buy and play...

I buy them when they're cheap, and put them on the shelf. For example, I have over 60 new/sealed XBOX 360 games, and haven't paid more than $19.99 for any of them except Eternal Sonata and HALO 3.

3. Complexity.

This is a big reason why gaming takes a back seat to movies now. Games are meant to be social. I used to play various games with friends (pre-online), and it was great. Sports, fighters, etc - everyone could pick up a controller and play.

Now, controls are so involved that sometimes it's too much - it distracts from the enjoyment of the game. Hell, my wife won't even play new games because of how hard it is to learn the controls.

For this reason, I can't find people to pay with locally, and lose that social aspect. I tried playing online (ie. HALO 2) and was tired of getting my ass kicked. Frustration does not equal fun.

So...

I've always been a collector, and games are no different. So, lately, I've found that the quest for cheap games is almost as much fun as playing them. I've also gotten into strategy guide collecting, as a way to add to the enjoyment.

I only buy games that I want to play, and everyone that I own is one that I intend to play someday.

However, when you have over 300 games and over 90% of them are sealed, the phrase, "Oh, I'll get to it eventually" starts to sound like wishful thinking.

I haven't lost interest in gaming - that's for sure.

It's just that the actual "game-play" isn't as important as it used to be.

Orri~
 
I was in gamestop the other day, picken up SKATE for 360. When I noticed the person infront and behind me were both double my age, I am 19. One was returning his broken intercooler and the other was pre-ordering halo 3. I started to talk to the one about the intercooler, telling him why he shouldn't use it and problems I have had when i used to use mine.

I thought about this thread when I noticed from how agitated they both were. They both seemed more excited about gaming then I was. I love SKate, but the guy behind me was asking very detailed questions about halo and the guy infront of me was very interested the techinical problems of the 360.

My second observation was that one was in a business suit while the other was with his sons.

I know that the average gaming buyer is between 38-40 and have some friends from xbox live that are older, but it was a great realization to me to see these gamers that have probably been gaming for years and were more interested in the future of gaming then me.

Made me think if I will actually get into gaming more as I get older, rather then the opposite of losing interest.
 
eh i think im more tired of the lack of innovation or originality than outgrowing gaming. im still waiting for an awesome zombie game and a game where what you do truly effects the world of the game and your game overall. god of war 1 and 2 were the last games i was blown away way oh yeah RAD too but with this latest round of consoles i havent seen much thats like holy shit i have to have it and im starting to worry if i ever will. im enjoying my ds lite alot though but console wise these developers need to step it up.
 
I've got the same problem as Orrimarrko, hopefully that doesn't mean I'm aging super fast.

A lot of days I just stare at my 200 titles (pretty small for CAG) and go online instead.
 
I always felt that games were a new national pastime. At first it was considered for kids, but when video games start bringing in high revenue, the industry itselt realized that more than kids are playing games. The more we shed that theory of games are for kids, you'll start to see more non gamers get into the mix. Games are for anyone who wants to play.. in the future I don't think you'll be able to "outgrow gaming" because by then [and party thanks to the Wii] there will be games for everyone. The fact that the OP feels that he can actually outgrow gaming inherently implies that in his mind there is a "games are for kids" stigma attached to games.
 
[quote name='Orrimarrko']1. Simply not enough time in a day.[/quote]Agreed. I love RPGs, platformers, some action, etc., but don't play them as much as I want to because before I play one, I think to myself that I need some hours to play it. At the same time, I'm thinking about projects and school stuff that needs to be completed (since I'm not done), so I can't exactly do that. Or if I do play them, I play them in very short sessions. Doing so is bad because I forget where to go next and make too little progress. One reason I was glad about Heavenly Sword being short is that I may actually have time to beat it. Seriously, it sucks that I've probably wasted over $2000 in video games I barely had the chance to play.

2. Too many choices.
Click to expand...
I definitely agree with that. When I use to own 206 PS2 games (now down to like 150+), I could never decide what to play (unless it was me trying to complete Xenosaga games). I pick one game, then put it away. I find myself looking at over 10 games and won't play any of them. Heck, I've wasted 45 minutes before debating what to play. Eventually, I force myself to play something and usually enjoy it. Not just my PS2 collection, I've done this to my Dreamcast, PSP, PS1, GBA, Xbox, etc. Too many choices is always a bad thing. This is kind of why I don't want a large selection of games on the next generation console I support most, for I don't have this same problem again (although it will eventually happen. Some may think I should just get of tons of games, but what if I see myself not wanting to play just a few games I own, then what do I do instead?
3. Complexity.
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I mostly agree. I think the controls in some games these days is becoming too much. I've had to struggle to learn controls in some games. In all reality, the majority of games these days, I couldn't tell you the control scheme after I played the game an hour ago. Yes I've enjoyed all my consoles, but the complex controls do hurt them (one reason I dislike many action games is because of controls). That's why I'm starting to want a Wii more, because maybe it will make me feel a bit better (I'll admit that I think Wii Fit looks fun).

Still, even if I don't like it, I'll force myself to game anyway, because I have nothing else better to do outside of college work. The only other interest I have is anime, but I own so little and watching lots of it will be hard (since box sets aren't cheap). I dislike cars/automobiles, most sports (except basketball and football to an extent), paintballing/guns, and many other popular hobbies.
 
Ever since 2000 I haven't really found a retail game I've found very fun on a deep level, that would make me replay over and over with little incentives like gamerscore whoring. Some of the best games I've ever played date 2000 or earlier, and I just can't seem to find any game to stack up them in each genre (Starcraft in RTS, Fallout in RPG, Deus Ex in FPS/RPG hybrid, etc.)

It's not really that I've outgrown. I just think the industry isn't doing "enough" to really entertain me anymore :\
 
[quote name='Orrimarrko']
1. Simply not enough time in a day.

Who the hell wants to start an 80 hour RPG at 10 pm at night, knowing they have to be up at 6 am the next day. And if you do, and for some reason don't play for a week or two - you have to remember what the hell was going on. AHH!

The games have gotten so long, and so involved (I think just for the sake of being long and involved), that it takes forever to play through them. And, if you're like me (retentive), you have to get as close to 100% completion as possible - side quests, items, etc. For example, I've sunk 50 hours into Paper Mario (GC) just to get everything, and I'm almost finished.

Sure, I could just fly through the game, but the point of playing is to enjoy what the developer has put into the game for you.

I hear about people knocking games that only have 10-20 hours of straight gameplay (i.e. PREY, Black, etc), and I don't understand why. Play it, enjoy it, and move on. If it's a price issue, then wait until it drops to $20 and get it then - that's what I do.[/quote]I hear you on this. That's one reason I am a fan of The Video Game Critic (link in my sig). He reviews games from the perspective of "joe everygamer," who has a job and a life and can't devote 80 hours to a game to get everything out of it.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']The only thing that's changed as I've gotten older is my patience. I remember when I was kid plowing my way through games like Super Ghouls and Ghosts, and Battletoads. Nowadays I just get so frustrated I stop playing games if I have too much of a hard time. I think a lot of it is due to the number of games I buy now compared to back then. 2-3 games a week is a lot more than the 3-4 a year I'd get from my parents![/quote]

yeah pretty much. if i get stuck i'll consult a walkthrough, but if it keeps on happening or the game starts annoying me i'll just stop now no matter how far i've gotten. also if the game doesn't "grab" me right away i'll just not play it at all.

if i lose interest in gaming oh well. but i think i'll be into it even when i'm old and gray.
 
10 years ago I had all the time in the world for whatever game I wanted....the thing is, I never had the money to buy what I wanted and I only got a game every 5-6 months (if that) and renting a game from blockbuster for the weekend was a HUGE deal.

Now I have the ability to buy whatever I want, whenever I want, and no time to play. I think the gaming community is facing a shift with on-the-go gaming becoming more prevalent and I find myself playing more PSP than PS2 or PS3.

So am I outgrowing gaming, no. I feel that as I get older and situations change my hobby, gaming, like other hobbies, just have to take the back seat to my career and life unlike 10 years ago when I could make my hobbies my life.
 
[quote name='ighosty']Made me think if I will actually get into gaming more as I get older, rather then the opposite of losing interest.[/quote]

At your age you have better things to do than play games. I lost a lot my interest in games during my college years (and to some extent High School as well). There was just too much going on with friends, girls, sports, school, etc.

However, now that I am older my interest has been renewed even though I don't have much free time. My current position is slow so I spend time on this site and others plus my kids are starting to get old enough to get into to it as well so that helps. I think for a lot people it is great to share an interest like gaming with their kids.
 
What's the difference between a game and a movie? Both are based on fantasy, and no one ever claims to outgrow or become too mature to watch movies. Women complain that video games are immature because they don't understand them. As a general rule, video games are more masculine in nature than feminine. Movies are often nuetral and there are an equal number of feminine movies versus masculine movies. The only difference between a movie and a game is that games require more time. How many games can you beat in two hours? How many movies are two hours long? As people get older they usually have less spare time as they take on added responsibilities and have less time to play games. It has nothing to do with maturity. It's as simple as that.
 
I def go up and down with interests. I don't know if this makes sense, but every so often (year or so?) I get real bored with it all. Then, it picks up again alot more then before. Repeat.

Maybe this is normal..? But who knows. To be honest, the gaming industry KNOWS it's market. The people from Atari & NES era won't be forgotten. Look at the Wii, it markets everyone. As we get older, they will try their very best to keep us gaming. Well, that's my opinion, at least :razz:
 
I just began my first full-time job last month; I have less time for gaming, sure, but I'd say that this has altered my gaming tastes rather than shift my desire to play. For instance, where I used to farm it up on WoW all night or sit down for an hour or two with an RPG, now I'll log in half an hour at a time with Katamari or play a DotA match. In other words, I've shifted from long-form gaming to single-serving gaming, the kind of games that ask only a small share of your free time. I'm now considering buying a DS: I gather that the portable market specializes in this kind of single-serving experience, the DS in particular.
Also of note, I teach at a high school, and earlier this week I found out about a clandestined group of History, English, and Math teachers who get together in a classroom at lunch and play Wii Sports.
Also also of note, my high school students? They had pokemon in goddamn kindergarten. I can't handle that.
 
Man... I know what its like to outgrow gaming.
I gamed really hard after HS.. then got into EQ, was like a life syphon.
Stopped playing EQ and games all together for about 2 years, then bought an Xbox for Ninja Gaiden. Then Forza.. Then Halo..
Then stopped for prolly a year.. till my GF got me a 360 last year for Christmas. I go on binges, 2monthes off, 1 hard month playing.

Gaming is one of those things that is kinda hit and miss... Personally, its fun to get online with Friends and race around, smash shit up, beat people down. Plus there are a lot of really compelling games out there (like Bioshock...) If your into FPS, there are plenty of games, fighting - not so much... racing, definitely. RPGs - no clue... leaving them alone. Guess it all depends on what you're into.
 
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