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I used to be really into strategy games. When Starcraft 2 came out, I went hard on the competitive ladder. Then I got my first management job, and overnight I f
by madrox 6y ago
I used to be really into strategy games. When Starcraft 2 came out, I went hard on the competitive ladder. Then I got my first management job, and overnight I felt like I had no energy to play strategy games anymore. I found I needed to play FPS games to relax, which I had never done before. It was comical how immediate the switch was.
In the past year, I've taken a sabbatical from work in a conscious attempt to slow my life down. When the Stardew Valley 1.5 update came out, I tried to get back into it, having fond memories of the game years ago. I found it to be the most stressful experience. I couldn't handle playing something with such loosely defined goals.
The more time I spend analyzing what games hit and why, the more I feel like this is a poorly understood phenomenon that typical game design analysis cannot comprehend. 2020 saw many games hit purely because they complemented quarantine life well, for example. Among Us and Animal Crossing exploded in ways they wouldn't had we not felt like the world was chaotic and isolating. Stardew, I think, has a similar appeal that goes far beyond its game loops.
- samvher 6y agoExactly the same thing happened to me! I only used to play games like civilization, XCOM etc and had zero interest in shooters. Now my job includes management and got a lot more stressful and I also got into FPS for the first time ever (Half Life 2). I’m absolutely terrible at it but having to think less makes it much easier to focus on when I’m tired.
- doppp 6y agoThat's a very unique take that I agree with. It would also explain why I just couldn't get into management games (I played them to death when I was a kid), Zachtronics games (reminds me of my day job) etc. What games would you suggest playing aside from FPS? I don't usually have a lot of time to sink in front of a PC anymore and have just been playing mobile games during my commute. I essentially went from hardcore gamer to a casual one as I got older.
- madrox 6y agoIn addition to most FPS games, I found that roguelikes, platformers, and RPGs were still pretty satisfying. Basically, any game I could simply react to that didn't require thinking more than a couple seconds in advance. A lot of Nintendo games are still that way. If you don't have a Nintendo Switch, you may find that you would enjoy it on your commute.
- pm90 6y agoI think its the duality between macro and micro. In strategy games, you're often concerned with the macro game. Yes there's "micro" in strategy games, but you can't ever take control of a single pawn and play as them (I think the one game that tried to do this was Dungeon Keeper 2, where you could "possess" a minion and play a limited fps-style game in your dungeon). FPS gives you a quick, short term escape from reality as you're transformed into a different, perhaps more controlled reality with very well defined and measurable objectives. Strategy and open world games like Factorio, Stardew Valley, Minecraft etc. let you go nuts, with no real objectives except those that you make yourself. I'm guessing human brains like variety. So if you have to strategize too much at work, you're likely to want a mindless romp through zombies with a machine gun. If you're doing mindless enterprise coding, maybe you're likely to want to plan, build and optimize a gigafactory in factorio to feel more in control of your world.