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Tangential question, does anyone have any tips for someone who has lost all interest in video games? I used to like them as a teenager and whenever I pick up a

Tangential question, does anyone have any tips for someone who has lost all interest in video games? I used to like them as a teenager and whenever I pick up a game now (I'm in my early 40's) I am just completely bored. Part of it I think is because it requires some form of mental engagement after a day's hard work?

ramblerman 7y ago
Nah, then they would be fun on a Saturday morning. I think it's just age. I still buy the occasional title on steam, but hardly play beyond the 1h mark. The only ones that caught me surprised were Factorio and dota2 both of which I then ended up playing far too much. The first singleplayer, and the second with a group of RL friends.
ghaff 7y ago
I think at least part of it is that whether its fast twitch or dense strategy/simulation, it takes a fair commitment to really get into a lot of games. Personally, I've always liked the idea of complex games (especially strategy and simulation) but I mostly didn't have the patience for them and that's even truer today. I did like Infocom games though I didn't finish most of them.
sethammons 7y ago
Similar. 37 yo. I loved NES, Sega, and SNES. I really enjoyed Doom. Later, half life and a couple counterstrike mods. Heros of might and magic, StarCraft 1 and 2. Nowadays, nothing perks my interest really. I did really enjoy Breath of the Wild and Ori and the Blind Forest. Everything else is just kinda meh. I have scarce time. Something has to be really worth it to take away from family time, home projects, chores, work, professional development, working out, and hobbies (reef aquarium, banjo, audio books, and smaller interests like ATV, bows and guns, and emergency prep).
_thejrk 7y ago
Try new genres. I used to love FPS and action/adventure games but now I play cities skylines or satisfactory and have a lot of fun.
padthai 7y ago
Prioritize games without grinding or fluff. Short games or skill based. Start with games that can be finished in an day or afternoon: Mirror's Edge 1, Braid, Machinarium, Hotline Miami 1... And if you do not enjoy games anymore, that's fine. Plenty of things to do in the world.
UweSchmidt 7y ago
Same. My reasons: 1. I understand software better and can see that my in-game actions are mostly changing variables, or values in a database. 2. Games are 'balanced' and therefore limit the upside for a potential great strategy I might come up with. 3. Nothing new under the sun: How many more pseudo-scifi research trees or weapon mechanisms or unit capabilities am I supposed to learn in my lifetime? 4. They don't make them like they used to. Older games had a hardcore element to them, were often quite difficult and unforgiving (a result of less market pressure and less polish). Instead of online guides and pro streamers showing how they are played, the games had a mystery about them; we often didn't even have a manual for a game we copied. 4. Less need to prove myself in competition with my peers through games and play (which is aparently a fundamental thing for children) 5. Less magic: The first game that had real voice actors, the first real 3D game seem to have had a greater impact than today's incremental improvements. 6. Limited time and energy. I find it tough to spend the prime energy of a day for a game. 7. Computer work makes me want to get away from computers eventually. I do watch streamers and youtube videos of the games of the 90ies occasionally and find entertainment and closure (through experiencing games I never got to play).
- johnchristopher 7y ago
  > 4. They don't make them like they used to. Older games had a hardcore element to them, were often quite difficult and unforgiving (a result of less market pressure and less polish). Instead of online guides and pro streamers showing how they are played, the games had a mystery about them; we often didn't even have a manual for a game we copied. Right. Pick up a copy of Dead Cells and come back here in 100 hours.
- schwap 7y ago
  > 2. Games are 'balanced' and therefore limit the upside for a potential great strategy I might come up with. Wouldn't a 'balanced' game make the impact of strategy even greater? Many of the most strategic games in the world like chess or go are balanced. > 4. Less need to prove myself in competition with my peers through games and play (which is aparently a fundamental thing for children) It's never been easier to find and compete against the best in the world at games. If you're good enough at an online game you can find yourself essentially playing pick-up basketball against LeBron James. > 7. Computer work makes me want to get away from computers eventually. Yeah agreed on this one for sure.
jemorya 7y ago
After a little more than a decade away from video games, I'm finding myself really enjoying 1st person horror games with no combat element: Soma, Amnesia: Dark Descent, and Outlast. This didn't really exist before, at least not games that were so immersive and terrifying. Soma is especially great. It's utterly scary, it's beautiful to explore (per my taste), and the way the story unfolds really pulled me in. SubNautica somewhat qualifies if you have a hint of thalassophobia. There is a very small combat element that you can entirely ignore. Most other games bore my adult self as well, but the above are so compelling that I only play them in the right conditions so that I really enjoy them: alone at night with headphones.
magduf 7y ago
Easy: you used to like games decades ago, so get an emulator, get the games you used to like back then (I'll leave the specifics out here), and play the games you used to enjoy. Then get some other games from that era that you never got a chance to enjoy, and try those. Actually, I think archive.org has a lot of those old games, playable directly through a web browser, so it depending on the game it may be much easier than what I wrote above.
zackmorris 7y ago
The same thing happened to me. In my case, I've basically been in chronic burnout since 2000 because of some poor business and career decisions where I spent too much time working for too little. So every task began to feel like work, and just separated me from what I wanted to do (invent things). I still can't hardly play video games, but I've been between gigs this last year and have been working with my hands building stuff. That's done more for my psyche than anything, even the self-help reading material that I immersed myself in to recover from burnout, depression and anxiety. I worry for people living in big cities or around too much technology with no creative outlet. So if you are reading this and thinking "crap I don't even have a garage", try finding a local group into the same stuff you are. I got lucky that there's a local Burning Man group where I live. But there are almost certainly maker spaces or startup enthusiasts somewhere near you. Older folks are surprisingly good at this, so you might get lucky and find a mentor to bounce ideas off of. I would play video games with any of the interesting people I've met lately. So maybe it's not the games, it's the immediate company.

ramblerman 7y ago

Nah, then they would be fun on a Saturday morning. I think it's just age. I still buy the occasional title on steam, but hardly play beyond the 1h mark. The only ones that caught me surprised were Factorio and dota2 both of which I then ended up playing far too much. The first singleplayer, and the second with a group of RL friends.

ghaff 7y ago

I think at least part of it is that whether its fast twitch or dense strategy/simulation, it takes a fair commitment to really get into a lot of games. Personally, I've always liked the idea of complex games (especially strategy and simulation) but I mostly didn't have the patience for them and that's even truer today. I did like Infocom games though I didn't finish most of them.

sethammons 7y ago

Similar. 37 yo. I loved NES, Sega, and SNES. I really enjoyed Doom. Later, half life and a couple counterstrike mods. Heros of might and magic, StarCraft 1 and 2. Nowadays, nothing perks my interest really. I did really enjoy Breath of the Wild and Ori and the Blind Forest. Everything else is just kinda meh. I have scarce time. Something has to be really worth it to take away from family time, home projects, chores, work, professional development, working out, and hobbies (reef aquarium, banjo, audio books, and smaller interests like ATV, bows and guns, and emergency prep).

_thejrk 7y ago

Try new genres. I used to love FPS and action/adventure games but now I play cities skylines or satisfactory and have a lot of fun.

padthai 7y ago

Prioritize games without grinding or fluff. Short games or skill based. Start with games that can be finished in an day or afternoon: Mirror's Edge 1, Braid, Machinarium, Hotline Miami 1... And if you do not enjoy games anymore, that's fine. Plenty of things to do in the world.

UweSchmidt 7y ago

Same. My reasons: 1. I understand software better and can see that my in-game actions are mostly changing variables, or values in a database. 2. Games are 'balanced' and therefore limit the upside for a potential great strategy I might come up with. 3. Nothing new under the sun: How many more pseudo-scifi research trees or weapon mechanisms or unit capabilities am I supposed to learn in my lifetime? 4. They don't make them like they used to. Older games had a hardcore element to them, were often quite difficult and unforgiving (a result of less market pressure and less polish). Instead of online guides and pro streamers showing how they are played, the games had a mystery about them; we often didn't even have a manual for a game we copied. 4. Less need to prove myself in competition with my peers through games and play (which is aparently a fundamental thing for children) 5. Less magic: The first game that had real voice actors, the first real 3D game seem to have had a greater impact than today's incremental improvements. 6. Limited time and energy. I find it tough to spend the prime energy of a day for a game. 7. Computer work makes me want to get away from computers eventually. I do watch streamers and youtube videos of the games of the 90ies occasionally and find entertainment and closure (through experiencing games I never got to play).

johnchristopher 7y ago
> 4. They don't make them like they used to. Older games had a hardcore element to them, were often quite difficult and unforgiving (a result of less market pressure and less polish). Instead of online guides and pro streamers showing how they are played, the games had a mystery about them; we often didn't even have a manual for a game we copied. Right. Pick up a copy of Dead Cells and come back here in 100 hours.
schwap 7y ago
> 2. Games are 'balanced' and therefore limit the upside for a potential great strategy I might come up with. Wouldn't a 'balanced' game make the impact of strategy even greater? Many of the most strategic games in the world like chess or go are balanced. > 4. Less need to prove myself in competition with my peers through games and play (which is aparently a fundamental thing for children) It's never been easier to find and compete against the best in the world at games. If you're good enough at an online game you can find yourself essentially playing pick-up basketball against LeBron James. > 7. Computer work makes me want to get away from computers eventually. Yeah agreed on this one for sure.

jemorya 7y ago

After a little more than a decade away from video games, I'm finding myself really enjoying 1st person horror games with no combat element: Soma, Amnesia: Dark Descent, and Outlast. This didn't really exist before, at least not games that were so immersive and terrifying. Soma is especially great. It's utterly scary, it's beautiful to explore (per my taste), and the way the story unfolds really pulled me in. SubNautica somewhat qualifies if you have a hint of thalassophobia. There is a very small combat element that you can entirely ignore. Most other games bore my adult self as well, but the above are so compelling that I only play them in the right conditions so that I really enjoy them: alone at night with headphones.

magduf 7y ago

Easy: you used to like games decades ago, so get an emulator, get the games you used to like back then (I'll leave the specifics out here), and play the games you used to enjoy. Then get some other games from that era that you never got a chance to enjoy, and try those. Actually, I think archive.org has a lot of those old games, playable directly through a web browser, so it depending on the game it may be much easier than what I wrote above.

zackmorris 7y ago

The same thing happened to me. In my case, I've basically been in chronic burnout since 2000 because of some poor business and career decisions where I spent too much time working for too little. So every task began to feel like work, and just separated me from what I wanted to do (invent things). I still can't hardly play video games, but I've been between gigs this last year and have been working with my hands building stuff. That's done more for my psyche than anything, even the self-help reading material that I immersed myself in to recover from burnout, depression and anxiety. I worry for people living in big cities or around too much technology with no creative outlet. So if you are reading this and thinking "crap I don't even have a garage", try finding a local group into the same stuff you are. I got lucky that there's a local Burning Man group where I live. But there are almost certainly maker spaces or startup enthusiasts somewhere near you. Older folks are surprisingly good at this, so you might get lucky and find a mentor to bounce ideas off of. I would play video games with any of the interesting people I've met lately. So maybe it's not the games, it's the immediate company.