How your gaming changes over the years

General and high profile video game topics.
Rev1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

How your gaming changes over the years

Postby Rev1 » February 22nd, 2015, 9:32 pm

I don't think my gaming tastes have changed that much in the last couple decades but I think my mentality on finishing a game sure has. When I was a kid, any game that we rented at the game store, I would play all weekend, whether it sucked or not. Even if I hated the game I would still try and beat it because that was the only game I had to play. Nowadays, if I find a game daunting (usually due to scope) or boring/bad I will drop it right away. I'm sure this has to do more with the amount of games I have at my disposal now. I only had a few games as a kid and now I have an entire room full. Plus, time constraints of being an adult play a factor as well.

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VideoGameCritic
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How your gaming changes over the years

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 22nd, 2015, 10:08 pm

I would like to echo the sentiments of Rev.  This 40-hour workweek is pretty putting a crimp on my gaming!  Who invented that?

On one hand I wish I were independently wealthy so I could play/review games all day.  On the other hand, if I were I probably wouldn't appreciate games half as much.  When I get home playing games feels like a luxury.

It's a rare day that goes by that I don't play at least one game.  But I just don't have time to finish most games.  Once I start to lose interest, I have to finish that review and move on (or use a cheat code).

Vexer1
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How your gaming changes over the years

Postby Vexer1 » February 22nd, 2015, 10:36 pm

I used to give up on games that didn't catch my attention at first, but I stopped doing that a few years ago as I felt like I wasn't giving certain games a fair chance. For example I once got Manhunt for PC, it didn't grab my attention initially so I got rid of it, then I got the urge to try it out again a few months later and I ended up getting another copy to give it another chance and i'm really glad I did as it was a great game, then I ended up going back to other games I had previously given up on and enjoyed them as well.

Nowadays I always play a game from start to finish no matter what, though I don't feel the urge to get 100% on every single game(I.E. time trials, bonus challenges, finding every single hidden item, etc), even with having lots of games, I still can't bring myself to give up on a game without seeing it through to the end, because I know if I do give up on it i'll just end up coming back to it later on anyways.


Bluenote1
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How your gaming changes over the years

Postby Bluenote1 » February 23rd, 2015, 12:22 pm

[QUOTE=videogamecritic]I would like to echo the sentiments of Rev.  This 40-hour workweek is pretty putting a crimp on my gaming!  Who invented that?

On one hand I wish I were independently wealthy so I could play/review games all day.  On the other hand, if I were I probably wouldn't appreciate games half as much.  When I get home playing games feels like a luxury.

It's a rare day that goes by that I don't play at least one game.  But I just don't have time to finish most games.  Once I start to lose interest, I have to finish that review and move on (or use a cheat code).[/QUOTE]

Just curious Critic, if you didn't have this site, would you be more compelled to finish more games? 

JustLikeHeaven1
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How your gaming changes over the years

Postby JustLikeHeaven1 » February 23rd, 2015, 2:37 pm

For me the single biggest thing that has changed is that gaming is almost entirely a solo experience for me now.

When I was a child I had a brother that was always around to play games with.   I also had a couple of friends and neighbors who were big gamers.  So I constantly had someone to play games with.  Even single player games were multiplayer affairs.  We would take turns after someone died to see how far we could get in our favorite games.  I actually think gaming should always be done with friends.  It makes it more social...you have more memorable moments.  People to share the emotional highs with.

As an adult very few of my friends still play videogames.  Most of them play stuff on Steam like DOTA 2 or iPad games like Hearthstone.  I live about 40 mins from my brother and when we get together we rarely play videogames anymore.  I also completely abhor online play so that is something I completely ignore.  Games are meant to be played with the person in the same room as you.  Online gaming doesn't quite capture this...besides none of the games I play are things my brother or friends are interested in.

So to me the single biggest change is no longer having accessible gaming friends.  If anyone has ever watched James and Mike Monday's on Cinemassacre.com that is what I think gaming should be.  Two guys just shooting the breeze playing some games.  For me that's a rarity these days.   

LS6501
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

How your gaming changes over the years

Postby LS6501 » February 23rd, 2015, 5:11 pm

I find that whereas I used to spend hours and hours parked in front of the computer or console playing games, I just don't have the time or patience.  Some of my co-workers spend hours every evening playing modern games such as Bioshock or Skyrim.  They look very interesting and technically advanced - but really, who has time? 

Most evenings I fire up one of my old 8-bit consoles, pop in a cartridge or two, play some classic old 8-bit games for maybe 20-25 minutes, and that's enough for the day.

Voor1
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How your gaming changes over the years

Postby Voor1 » February 23rd, 2015, 5:17 pm

[QUOTE=JustLikeHeaven]For me the single biggest thing that has changed is that gaming is almost entirely a solo experience for me now.

When I was a child I had a brother that was always around to play games with.   I also had a couple of friends and neighbors who were big gamers.  So I constantly had someone to play games with.  Even single player games were multiplayer affairs.  We would take turns after someone died to see how far we could get in our favorite games.  I actually think gaming should always be done with friends.  It makes it more social...you have more memorable moments.  People to share the emotional highs with.

As an adult very few of my friends still play videogames.  Most of them play stuff on Steam like DOTA 2 or iPad games like Hearthstone.  I live about 40 mins from my brother and when we get together we rarely play videogames anymore.  I also completely abhor online play so that is something I completely ignore.  Games are meant to be played with the person in the same room as you.  Online gaming doesn't quite capture this...besides none of the games I play are things my brother or friends are interested in.

So to me the single biggest change is no longer having accessible gaming friends.  If anyone has ever watched James and Mike Monday's on Cinemassacre.com that is what I think gaming should be.  Two guys just shooting the breeze playing some games.  For me that's a rarity these days.   [/QUOTE]


Agree 100%. I love James and mike Mondays for that reason. It recaptures the feel of playing with someone else, which I don't have access to now either. This isn't a sad thing for me, lol, just a reality of life. Anyway, when you play with other folks, the quality of the game is 2nd to the social experience of having fun with your buds. Even playing crappy games and making fun of how poor they are is a good time.

Atarifever1
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How your gaming changes over the years

Postby Atarifever1 » February 23rd, 2015, 6:09 pm

[QUOTE=Voor][QUOTE=JustLikeHeaven]

So to me the single biggest change is no longer having accessible gaming friends.  If anyone has ever watched James and Mike Monday's on Cinemassacre.com that is what I think gaming should be.  Two guys just shooting the breeze playing some games.  For me that's a rarity these days.   [/QUOTE] Agree 100%. I love James and mike Mondays for that reason. It recaptures the feel of playing with someone else, which I don't have access to now either. This isn't a sad thing for me, lol, just a reality of life. Anyway, when you play with other folks, the quality of the game is 2nd to the social experience of having fun with your buds. Even playing crappy games and making fun of how poor they are is a good time. [/QUOTE]

That was the case for me for a long time.  Now that I've moved back to my hometown, where almost all my best friends are, along with babysitting from two sets of grandparents, it has become very, very common.  I have semi-regular WWE game sessions with the same friend I used to rent NWO Vs. WCW with, and weekly, or twice weekly, couch Halo gaming with another friend.  I've even gotten some multiplayer Smash Bros gaming in.  I am living in a couch gaming renaissance right now.  

And that's not all.  Turns out, all our couple friends have become board game fanatics, so everything from Yahtzee to Cards Against Humanity is being paired with drinking (in my case, copious amounts of it) on Friday nights.   Good times.  

Vexer1
Posts: 883
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

How your gaming changes over the years

Postby Vexer1 » February 24th, 2015, 3:20 am

Gaming was always a solo experience for me, I never really had any friends in school that came over to my house(I once got invited to a birthday party in fifth grade, but that was about it) to play games, so i've always played by myself and prefered it that way(still do now).

I quite enjoy Hearthstone myself, I usually play a couple of games every night before bed, and that game actually can be played with friends in the same room(there's even a Fireside Gathering card back you can earn from playing three games with a local LAN group of friends), just cause it's online doesn't mean it can't capture it.


JustLikeHeaven1
Posts: 2971
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

How your gaming changes over the years

Postby JustLikeHeaven1 » February 24th, 2015, 11:46 am

[QUOTE=Atarifever][QUOTE=Voor][QUOTE=JustLikeHeaven]

So to me the single biggest change is no longer having accessible gaming friends.  If anyone has ever watched James and Mike Monday's on Cinemassacre.com that is what I think gaming should be.  Two guys just shooting the breeze playing some games.  For me that's a rarity these days.   [/QUOTE] Agree 100%. I love James and mike Mondays for that reason. It recaptures the feel of playing with someone else, which I don't have access to now either. This isn't a sad thing for me, lol, just a reality of life. Anyway, when you play with other folks, the quality of the game is 2nd to the social experience of having fun with your buds. Even playing crappy games and making fun of how poor they are is a good time. [/QUOTE]

That was the case for me for a long time.  Now that I've moved back to my hometown, where almost all my best friends are, along with babysitting from two sets of grandparents, it has become very, very common.  I have semi-regular WWE game sessions with the same friend I used to rent NWO Vs. WCW with, and weekly, or twice weekly, couch Halo gaming with another friend.  I've even gotten some multiplayer Smash Bros gaming in.  I am living in a couch gaming renaissance right now.  

And that's not all.  Turns out, all our couple friends have become board game fanatics, so everything from Yahtzee to Cards Against Humanity is being paired with drinking (in my case, copious amounts of it) on Friday nights.   Good times.  [/QUOTE]


Nice!  That sounds awesome man.  That is exactly how I would like to experience my games. 

It's funny you mentioned boardgames, because I think that has finally usurped videogames as my primary hobby.  It's mostly for the social experience.  I love getting together with friends and people have way less hangups about a boardgame night.  Me and Mrs. JustLikeHeaven routinely host boardgame nights with plenty of food and drink for all.  We mostly do party/social games but every now and then we try something from my boardgame collection that people freak out about.  I have two large bookshelves FULL of boardgames and when people see them they're always like, "I never knew there were so many different boardgames!"  That hobby is going through a sort of golden age at the moment so it's pretty cool.  If you and your friends haven't played The Resistance or Cash n' Guns...I'd recommend doing so.  Easy to learn games, that will leave you reaching for the Advil from laughing so hard.  You'll have a great time!


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