Giving up on modern gaming?

I don't know if others think the way I do, but my enjoyment of gaming has basically gone down the craphole for me this generation. And I don't mean because of the quality of the games. I think the overall quality of the games themselves has been better than ever. It's basically everything else thats caused me to basically just want to give up on modern gaming. For example:

1. Quality of hardware. (Before this generation, it was a rare occurrence for a console to just die. Now it's the norm for people to have to buy 3+ consoles in one generation. Not to mention some consoles are noisier than my PC).

2. Developer greediness. (The tidal wave of DLC. For some titles it feel as if you aren't finishing the main story of the game without buying the DLC. I like it when DLC gives you a nice bonus, but not when part of the main story itself costs you more money. Castlevania LOS is a good example of what I mean.)

3. The hackings. (You want to play Halo tonight? TOO BAD. Some douchebag hacked your account and now you get to deal with Microsoft for a month along with having to cancel your credit card and changing all your passwords.)

Theres probably a bunch of stuff I'm missing, but because of these big 3 I think I might be done buying consoles after this generation ends. It seems like I was alot happier sitting down and playing a game during the PS2 era when things were simpler. And I don't want to even mention the SNES era, which was when I was the happiest, although the fact that I was 7 probably has something to do with it.

Well this is all rather sensationalist, isn't it? And none of the three you mentioned is even related to the quality of the software -- you know, the fun part.

1. Can't say I've ever had hardware issues, as I entered with a PS3 slim. Everyone was on their 3rd 360 by then, so that's what kept me from jumping on that bandwagon. But don't tell me the disc read error wasn't a prevalent issue of last generation, especially on the PS2.

2. DLC is never as extreme as people make it out to be. A good game will feel complete after I finish it, sans DLC. If they ask for $10 for another hour or two, well that's up to me. Usually it's not worth it, I agree, but at least I have a complete game, and a choice to add on to it if the extra content is well made. There have been examples of awful DLC and incomplete games, but thankfully that's rarely the case.

3. I don't know man, that sounds like a specific personal problem rather than extensive one of this entire generation.

although the fact that I was 7 probably has something to do with it.

Click to expand...

This is probably the real issue here.

All 3 of your points can easily be applied to pretty much any console generation.

You're just getting older and not into gaming as you once were. Happened to me too.

Agree that one and 3 are annoying. Ive had one RROD and have been locked out of my Xbox Live account since October 25th when it was hacked and had points stolen and the account migrated to Russia. Consoles going online opened the door for these kinds of issues unfortunately.

the second I don't agree on as for the most part I think DLC adds life to games and the nickel and dime crap is easy enough to just skip.

Game wise I think this generation has been outstanding. Gaming is no longer my top hobby, but the best games this generation are some of the best I've played in any generation.

The minute I played Bioshock I was sold.

I can understand giving up gaming because you got a life, but the stuff you mention just sounds like bitching.

And honesly it sounds like you are a 360 owner who is bitter that you chose the wrong side in the console warz.

These are legitimate concerns, ones that I share. In fact, I just sold both of my 360s because I just don't play them anymore and frankly I grew tired of waiting for them to die. That being said, my gaming time has significantly reduced over the years so I find myself gravitating towards iOS gaming to make up for the lost time. When I do have pockets of time to play, I will fire up WoW or Steam to get my fix. At least then I can fix my own hardware issues and I know the equipment will last me a long time.

Peoples interests and habits and hobbies change, nothing wrong with that.

1) I'll agree the original 360 hardware was crap. I went through 3 and I know I'm on the low end. But the games and the experience made it worth dealing with it. I even had to send my Wii in for overheating. Whereas if I hook up my Atari 7800 or PS1 or even Dreamcast, they will still play. Then again, the modern consoles are so much more powerful than those devices.

2) Successful DLC is still relatively new to the industry, publishers and consumers are still figuring out what works and what's "fair". Used well, it can really help keep a game alive for a reasonable cost. Implemented poorly, consumers feel screwed. It'll be a couple years and just requires us consumers to be more diligent about our purchases.

3). Knock wood, I've never been hacked. I think the more widespread issue is playing with random a-holes and d-bags.

Sounds like you need to take a break from gaming for a little bit. Nothing wrong with that.

The funny thing is, I was just talking to a coworker recently, saying that the last few months have been more full of more great or at least good games at great or at least good prices than they have been in a long time. I've gotten like 6 new games (new to me) in the past month, when prior to that I got maybe 1 or 2 in six months. Those games are what make me deal with and risk your negative points.

I've never been a huge PC gamer except for Diablo and HoMM, so while I bought the Fallout, HoMM, and M&M games from GOG, when I want to game, I'm playing my Xbox.

im tired of all the halfassed sequels and clones. and dlc whoring is a big issue they sld the concept to us as " expanding the life and playtime of your games" all its become is a cash grab system where they hold things out so they can charge you for it later.and the prices for alot of the dlc are ridiculous.


then you got the companies who feel like making their mp into cod whether it fits or not and im also tired of companies like capcom making 3 or 4 versions of the same game with slight changes.

then the ultimate bs of this gen is the online pass so now you can play online unless you pay 60 bucks for a game that may or may not be worth it r buy a pass for 10 bucks so you can get it used.

its also very annoying how companies are purposely releasing games broken or buggy because they know ( or think) they can fix it later with a patch. if you didnt know whatever but alot of times you cant see how a company could miss the problems some games have on release.


i may stop after this gen to or at the very least invest in a kick ass pc becaue many multi plats go cheap on pc very quick and are just as good if not better.

This topic seems to be popping up more and more, or perhaps I am simply noticing it more as I feel the same way.

The gaming landscape has changed so much this gen especially for dyed in the wool console gamers. Tons of famous Japanese devs faded away, retired, or gone bankrupt. As games have gotten more and more complicated a lot of the 'craftsmanship' in old games has faded away and we're getting more cookie cutter ideas than last gen. Even the 'wacky' stuff this gen is pretty tame compared to what we got last gen. Takahashi said something along the lines of 'there are now more games and more ideas than ever, but it all seems a bit dull' and I've got to agree with that.

It's kind of a drag...but it is what it is. I would say take a 6 month cold turkey break and if you feel the same way when you come back it's time to move on. Personally I have switched over to almost entirely handheld gaming (still play some Famicom and Super Famicom games from time to time) and picked up other hobbies. With the exception of WiiU (for Dragon Quest X....barring an IP block) I think I am all set with home consoles from now on.

Good luck and I hope things work out for you.

[quote name='camoor']

And honesly it sounds like you are a 360 owner who is bitter that you chose the wrong side in the console warz.[/QUOTE]

I know you hate Microsoft, but that's just BS. The Wii and PS3 also had their fair share of hardware failure problems, DLC is just as bad on the PS3 as it's third party developers that are the main offenders, and PSN gets hacked as well.

It just seems in general like hardware quality isn't what it used to be and the rest is just negatives that have came with the move to online consoles. That's overall been a big negative for those mainly in to single player games.

I guess it's like some have said.....I'm just not that into gaming anymore. I started playing Gears 3 alot more since I posted the topic, so I sorta got into that. Guess I'm not done with gaming for now. Personally I've never had my account hacked, but I listed it as a reason due to all the topics that have been popping up all over the place about people getting hacked.

[quote name='camoor']And honesly it sounds like you are a 360 owner who is bitter that you chose the wrong side in the console warz.[/QUOTE]

I have both PS3 and 360. I'm guessing you didn't notice the giant sig I have listing all my PS3 trophies.

For me it's been the releasing broken games and then patching the crap out of them that's been my biggest gripe this gen. Right behind that is the feeling that some devs are leaving out portions of the game just so they can nickel and dime you for that content later on. A prime example of this was using a one time DLC code for the Catwoman content in Arkham City, yet this was a portion of the game that they pushed heavily before it's release.

If you wanna play it, you gotta pay them $10 or have bought the game new/sealed(or used from GS if they're still giving out the CW content with purchase used).

The quality of the hardware is another issue I wish would be resolved already. But unfortunately when you make consoles that push the envelope and do all of the things that the ones this gen do, they more than likely will need more power to run and as such run hotter.

But it's absolutely ridiculous how much warm/hot air two of the major 3 consoles this gen push out(360/PS3). On a cooler fall/winter night when I had my PS3 up in my bedroom and the heat was turned down to the mid 60's to lower 70's it would make my room at least 5 or more degrees warmer within thirty minutes. That's just INSANE.

I can somewhat related to this and see where you are getting at, but I think my desire for wanting to give up stems from two things.

1) Being overwhelmed - I now have the money to buy whatever game I want whenever I see it. So if there is a real good sale on some games that I know I want to play at some point, I pick them up anyways. And my backlog continues to grow. Back in the Dreamcast days and prior to that, I was not as well off financially so I had to pick and choose what to get on the rare occasion that I was able to get a new game. This meant I spent more time with a game than I do now. Now with the large amount of games I have in my backlog I always feel like I need to rush through the game and not spend too much time straying from the storyline, because I have more games I need to get to. This is my own fault, and more a result of me being older and having a job and a life with less time to allow me to game.

2) Fondness from days gone by - Growing up from the Atari era and on, many of us have been through the entire history of gaming so far (or pretty close to it). Games are more complicated these days and more immersive with more emphasis on story and multiplayer than from the days of the NES or Genesis (that is if you weren't playing too many RPGs). Having been through that and looking at what we have now, sometimes I just want to go full retro because I remember having more enjoyment with that stuff. My first point comes into play here too, because I was completely at the mercy of my parents when it came to adding new games to my collection.

Additionally I was a kid and could dedicate every waking moment to gaming whereas now I have a family and in the few times where I can find a brief moment of time to myself, sometimes I am just too worn out to get involved in focusing in on playing some games. Sometimes I just want to stare blankly at my laptop or the TV.

Of course with the rise in the importance of multiplayer, I am driven further away as I never really cared for playing multiplayer. This is also the first generation where I bought multiples of one console because the earlier launch models died or stopped working as well. My Dreamcast, N64, SNES, Game Boy, (and several others that I have tired recently) all still work just fine and I never had to buy replacement systems for them.

Overall I think maybe it is primarily the aging factor for me that is edging me away from modern gaming, but I also feel that I am most likely in the minority on that one.

In regards to your number 1, that's just a habit you need to get out of.

I did that last gen and got burnt out as gaming felt like a chore with trying to get through the backlog. I've done a better job of not building a backlog and taking my time with games I really love and have gotten back into gaming more as a result.

season passes.. from being able to play online or buying all dlc at 33% off

i hate you...

[quote name='Deefuzz'] My Dreamcast, N64, SNES, Game Boy, (and several others that I have tired recently) all still work just fine and I never had to buy replacement systems for them.
[/QUOTE]
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