Are your gaming tastes/habits changing as you get older?

I'm turning 30 this year and mine have changed for sure. I don't think it's directly related to getting older, more just getting sick of the same stuff and branching out. It's not really being more mature or having less time that's changed what I play.

For instance, I used to love platformers, JRPGs, Nintendo franchises etc. Thus I bought a Wii, but I really didn't dig it.

Picked up a 360 last fall and have been playing FPS and western RPGs, gaming online and having a blast. That was all stuff that last gen and before I would have said was not my cup of tea. Pretty much a total change.

I still like platformers ok, JRPGs and turn based games in general I have no patience for anymore. So it's pretty weird how much my tastes flip flopped. Maybe in another generation I'll be sick of FPS etc. and just done with gaming unless something new has came along to re-pique my interest.
 
Honestly, not really.

I guess over the past few years I've been more open to the first person genre thanks to games like Halo, Bioshock, and Half Life 2, but besides that it's been the same.

Platformers/action adventures like Ratchet and Clank and Beyond Good and Evil remain my gaming rock, but if something interesting to me arrives that's a different genre I'm all game too.

I guess I've always known my niche as a gamer.
 
I used to be a huge fan of JRPG's, now I don't play any. I'm sick of them. Now I tend to play more stuff online or something that doesn't take a huge time commitment.
 
[quote name='Fragonard']I used to be a huge fan of JRPG's, now I don't play any. I'm sick of them. Now I tend to play more stuff online or something that doesn't take a huge time commitment.[/QUOTE]That has actually been me, as of late, but I still love JRPGs.

Platformers use to be my very favorite genre, then JRPGs took over. I've been playing more online as of late, but I still like JRPGs and platformers. Only reason I have trouble playing JRPGs is time.
 
I know I've become far less patient since I started, which means less RPGs and sandboxes. I still like hardly games that make fanboys froth at the mouth, and brightly colored adventure games.
 
I used to be really into RPGs, but now... not as much, though I'm convinced that it's because most current RPGs are dog shit.

Other than that... my tastes haven't really changed outside of that I hate companies like Midway even though I used to like them.
 
My habits have definitely changed. I no longer have any real interest in playing JRPG's or shooters even though I loved both genres for years. It's kind of disappointing but I'm really only drawn to games in which I can achieve 100% in less than 15 hours.
 
A little bit, I use to love FPS but now I find most of them boring. I also use to buy a shit load of games to add to my collection as well but I stopped doing that. For one I realized I would never have enough time to play/beat all of them, and number two I was wasting money by buying tons of them at a time. Now I only stick to the AAA stuff and games I know I will enjoy regardless of the rating they get.
 
I used to be interested in RPGs & platformers mostly in my teens. But now as I'm getting in my mid-20's and don't have the time for them anymore. I tend to play FPS & action games more now, since they usually short and simple.
 
mine have most definatley changed..when i was younger i used to love,i mean LOVE JRPGs. but now, they just make me sick...i literally fall asleep while playing them...i love FPSs and online shooters, stuff like that..i cant even put time in for playing MMOs
 
Haven't changed much except I've lost nearly all interest in 3D platformers. Only exception I can think of is ones with FPS dualstick controls. Ala Ratchet and Clank 3 and Ratchet: Deadlocked. I LOVED the latter one. Prolly my favorite 3D platformer, overall.
 
The main way in which my tastes have changed is game length.

When I was a kid, and on thru College, when I had plenty of time and not alot of money, I wanted long term value from my games. I scoffed at paying full price for a 10 hour singleplayer game with no multilayer component. I demanded the hundreds of hours of gameplay you got from a fighting or sports game for my $50.

Now that I work 60+ hours a week, and have enough money to buy any game I want, but not unlimited time to play it, I tend to enjoy a game that is a condensed, more cinematic experience. I like a nice 12-20 hour singleplayer game that I can beat in a week or two. God of War, or Bioshock for example. I havent touched those games since I beat them, but I dont for one second regret paying full price for them.

I still enjoy longer games, but I only have soo much gaming time these days. I got my hands on GTA IV a week before release, and I'm still less than 50% done with it. I havent played anything else since it came out. It dominates 100% of my gaming time. My CoD4 multiplayer skills are deteriorating, and I have a sealed copy of MarioKart Wii staring me in the face since launch. But I'm loving every minute of it! I just wish I had more minutes to spend with it.
 
I'm going to be a quarter of a century in another year. I would say my habits are changing. I feel like I am playing less than used to when I was a teen. Gaming was just about all I knew about when I was young. That is until I found about girls, games took a back seat then. The Wii brought back that love of gaming I used to have. Now, I can't wait to get a PS3. My fear is that I will either be that old gamer or so out of touch with new games.
 
There are games that I simply love, and can still play today regardless of when they were made, and there are some games out there that are just plain garbage in my opinion.

What has changed is the time that I have to actually play the games I buy. When I'm short on time I'll pop in an arcade classic game or two, or race around with Mario Kart for a while. When I have some serious time I'll play a bit of GTA IV or some RPG game on my backlog for a bit.

So to answer the question have my tastes changed? No, but my time to play them sure has.
 
I think the only thing that has changed is that I wont waste my time with anything that I don't consider to be AAA material since there are quite a lot of great games out there.
 
I do a lot more research into what i'm buying. I can generally gauge how much I'm going to like a game before I play it. It takes away some of the pleasant surprises, but it keeps me from buying games that I won't like.

I don't really rent games anymore, because I'd prefer to stretch out the experience instead of a straight marathon to finish.... there's just not enough time for that for every game. I'm not a stranger to marathon sessions, but it doesn't happen that often anymore.
 
I have less and less time to play longer games that require a sit down... Nowadays I see myself jumping for some practice mode in fighting games or a quick fix of other things ;/
 
[quote name='MarkMan']I have less and less time to play longer games that require a sit down... Nowadays I see myself jumping for some practice mode in fighting games or a quick fix of other things ;/[/QUOTE]

same here... the only games I can dedicate a good amount of time to though is portable titles since I ride public transit all over the place from college to art openings etc... I barely even touch my home consoles, and when I do it's either for a title I'm really liking alot, or a downloadable game equivelent to XBLA, Wii VC, or PSN titles...
 
i would say lack of time has changed my gaming tastes, I still love my nintendo games and the nhl series'. I need things that don't take forever to play and I have quick save features, like my ps2 is on alot cuz I have to run out in the middle of an nhl game quite often soooo it's nice to just drop and go, then come back and finish, you can't do that in alot of things.
 
Lack of time definitely influences my play, as does the fact that I don't have buddies come over to play on a daily basis. But, not sure if my tastes have really changed.

But, I've always been a person who liked a wide variety of games. When I was younger, I played a lot more sports games (pretty much every 2 years, got a new game in the 4 major sports), and put 100 hours easy into each of them. But, back then my buddies and I played these continuously.

During college, had time to play, but my gaming buddies all went to different schools, and I went to a commuter school, so no dorms for big gaming parties. During this time, I got heavily into RPG's, etc.

Now, with a family and working, less time for gaming. I'm definitely into shorter games now. Doesn't mean I won't crack out a 50 hour game, but it has to be excellent to hold my attention, since I have to play it over a month. Now, it almost feels like I have ADD gaming, tons of games, but it takes a special one to really grab my attention.
 
I used to love turn based RPGS, but now I can't stand them aside from a few really good ones like Skies of Arcadia and FFIV. After playing a few action RPGs I just can't go back to turn based, it's just too boring. I've tried going back with the new Pokemon game since I really loved the series when it first came out in the US but I just couldn't get into it.
 
Yes, but not directly because of my age. My habits have changed because instead of being able to come home after school until bedtime, I now have to work, support a family, cook, etc, etc. Basically, all my gaming time has disappeared. That's not to say I'd like to get rid of all the other stuff and get my gaming time back, but it's just forced me to change and adapt. So now, instead of plowing through a 80 hour RPG in one week, I find myself playing games that I can play for 30 minutes at a time. More family oriented games. I still buy my RPG's, but usually for portable systems so I can take them on the go (vacations and whatnot). I still have a stockpile of games, but I'm saving them for 50 years from now when I retire :roll:.
 
Yes. After getting married and having a child, I'm lucky if I get a half hour a night to play.

When I was single, I used to play for 2-3 hours a night, and tons on the weekend. I'm also more selective of the games I buy, checking the rankings for the best games, and waiting for serious price drops.
 
I used to be into FPS on the pc but when I recently picked up a PS2 and sequentially a PS3, the majority of the games I have bought have been jrpg's.
 
Sorta.
I've always been hardcore Nintendo and still am. With them really really milking everything Mario and everything Nintendo in terms of games, I find myself playing a lot more.

But as I got older I started to appreciate RPGs more. The only one I ever liked was Mario RPG..and that was because it was Mario :lol:

But other then that, no.
 
I've reverted back to emu's and MAME. I've been long tired of the minor "graphics" updates to games. I'd much rather break my thumbs in track and field 2 or skid out in some rad racer than fall under the grips of garbage that get's good reviews because of the money races from the big boys. Hell, I've got about 4 games still in shrink wrap because I don't have the time now that I think about it. ah well, I blame Bush....lol. Good topic.
 
My gaming tastes haven't really changed.
With my friends I play stuff like halo 3, gta and guitar hero, but when I game alone I play JRPGs and weirder action platformers like ICO or okami.
 
Not much. The only thing that has really changed has been more of a switch from pc to console gaming. I just don't have the time and mentaly energy to keep up with needing to know how much ram I need, what video cards are best, etc. It's easier to just bring out the ds/ps2/wii play for a half-hour once the kids are asleep. Plus, stretching out on the sofa is far more comfortable than sitting in a computer chair.
 
I haven't changed much. The only change is that I now prefer to play as older characters than than the teens we see populating most JRPGs. I still like the genre, but I hope more games go with adult characters like Kaim from Lost Odyssey.
 
I asked this same question on the last Live Cagcast....

I have noticed as I grow older, my reflexes have slowed slightly, and I don't have hours each day to practice the latest FPS.I get my ass routinely kicked by seventeen-year olds who power up their characters in days, if not hours.

My love for retro games is still strong. I still but every classic collection.

I enjoy more strategic-oriented games now, and have played a few RPGs.
 
My tastes haven't really changed much at all as I've gotten older. The amount of time I have to play games and my attention span has though.
 
Tastes? No. Habits? Yes. I simply don't have time to play all the games I used to as a kid/teen (which was pretty much every genre except sports - I actually would prefer to play these in real life instead). Most of the stuff I play now are portables on PSP & DS, especially games I've played on home consoles like God of War or Final Fantasy Tactics. I rarely touch my home consoles and that's only on the weekends/holidays when I'm free. I definitely would like to play those 600 hr jrpgs but I can't simply devote the time to. On rare occasions, I'll play a 4X game like Galactic Civ II. But if I'm at home w/o something to do and not play on the portables, I'll play something on emu/MAME for a quick game fix.
 
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