My Declining Interest in Video Games

Some thoughts from awhile back regarding video games and where they have gone over the last few years for me as a person.
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[@DVSPress]

Also, so everyone knows, I made this video awhile back but never uploaded it due to audio issues (which I have fixed). Since then I have played the new Zelda game. It's pretty good. Nintendo continues to try hard to create good game experiences, even when their hardware is weak. Worth thinking about.

[@scottpoet]

(paraphrasing a reprinted interview I read long ago) When the NES came out in the 80s, a question was brought up as to why they used older tech and programming language compared to the upcoming Sega Genesis. Their answer was that more programmers and designers were familiar older tech, so it would be easiest for anyone who wanted to make a game to do it on their older but proven console technology.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

Echoed with the Cell issue with the PS3 - technically more impressive, but harder to code for.

[@Y2Kr4SHM4N]

David Stewart If you like cyberpunk, checkout Deus Ex Human Revolution. Its intelligent, has a vast, seedy world ripe for exploration and the plot is... well its what's missing from games nowadays.

[@planescaped]

Deus Ex Human Revolution and Mankind Divided aren't actually very good games. I used to think Human Revolution was, but I realized when the sequel came out, and I replayed the original, that it wasn't as good as I remembered. Then I remembered that Human Revolution released during a severe game drought. When there's nothing else to play, anything can seem good.

[@Brandonwc20]

A recent game I enjoyed was mad max. Didn't expect much going in but was presently surprised.

[@motorcycleislife8296]

I think as we get older the stress of life hits and when you finally have time to play a game you realize you can be doing something more productive that has meaning for your life

[@mrteal3070]

well it is an opinion of whats meaningful to you, theres people out there who still deal with life and play video games because its what they enjoy.

[@sgnitzlennahv]

Exactly what I feel.

[@victorvera5864]

I think that's what happened to me. I tried playing a videogame today and I realized I got bored easily and could do something else, as you say, more productive.

[@volarex5311]

You just described my situation perfectly. Thanks!

[@swiitchy511]

I've got all the time in the world, but games just don't seem as good anymore. They don't hold my attention like they used to, and I can't say that's a bad thing.

[@shecklesmack9563]

Games up until about ten years ago were brimming with character. One series that started this way and ended up soulless was Fable. The first one (which is probably one of my favorite games ever) had SO MUCH character and life to it that its sequels simply lack. That's how most video games used to be, they felt like labors of love. Now it seems developers just want to make Hollywood Blockbuster versions of video games, and all other attributes (gameplay, story, music) are an afterthought compared to that. Shame.

[@durkadur27]

Fable is still one of my favorite games of all time I replayed about 10 times so far and go back in every year or two.

[@osmanhempwick]

I remember fable 2 being “good” but in no way could live up to the hype.

[@memoryhero]

Older games were like juicy, stacked-high homemade burgers with amazing toppings. Modern games are like heat lamp travesties from McDonalds.

[@DVSPress]

But the packaging is so pretty, I mean, when it's not a choppy 30fps slideshow.

[@memoryhero]

FWIW I recently had a decent time with newcomer 'Prey'. But I mean, come on. What did it do that Bioshock didn't already do a decade ago fresher, better, cleaner, leaner....

[@fakegeek5462]

Don't forget the clunk and thinking man if they only remade this for modern standards. Then you play recent releases of good games and great games then you'll realize man my nostalgia glasses are too tight. Then you revisit old games and remember how groundbreaking they where and wish games can be groundbreaking again.Then again there are a lot of crappy old games and a lot of crappy new games. Fuck i'll play good games new and old.

[@Hazmatt4700]

This mirrors a lot of my thoughts about modern gaming. I also think it's a lot of the same process that has made modern RPG design for table top so awful. But then again I've seen kids raised on video games that can't play table top because there isn't a reward after every encounter and a constant level up thrill to be had.

[@XXXpallisterXXX]

Mainstream video games have, sadly, gone the same route as mainstream music, film and television - all front with no substance. I feel that more and more developers are no longer concerned with making games that they want to see and love, but rather conforming to the publisher's standards and making a product that will generate profit and a sequel. The Last of Us and The Witcher 3 are the most recent games I played that I really really enjoyed and felt were made by genuine gamers for gamers.

[@jonuiuc]

same.

[@jaywest3734]

Agreed. I hate mainstream "blockbuster" movies now. This console generation is the worst one yet. Gaming has gone past the threshold where it had become too mainstream now. Its more about pleasing everyone than pleasing actual gamers. There are still good games being made, but honestly, I'd rather play budget/free titles than anything AAA.

[@s0lid_sno0ks]

There are plenty of good mainstream games.

[@Baseshocks]

Naughty Dog is owned by Sony, the studio is kept small, they focus on one project at a time. Naughty Dog is pretty much how every gaming studio should be run and maintained.

[@fakegeek5462]

@@Baseshocks They went woke now i'm boycotting them.

[@luke8608]

This man is spitting PURE FACTS. I miss storytelling. Actually no, that isn’t it. I miss substance in general.

[@Supersayan21]

In my case, I started playing videogames as a way to get away from life. Eventually I matured and stopped running away from life itself, and I kinda stopped enjoying them as much as I did before. I like videogames, they're just not a fundamental part of me anymore.

[@davidvila5053]

I have the sensation that the peak on everything in modern life was around 2005. This includes videogames, music, motor, and many other worlds. It's sure that many good things are yet to come but I have the feeling that we lived the best creative era already and also the era where we really felt FREE. We can feel lucky about it.

[@DVSPress]

Peak of main culture was 1997. Games lasted another 10 years and ground zero was 2007.

[@DOMINOSMOFO]

I have felt the same way for a long time now, a long time. I find myself playing my Sony Xperia with old SNES games more than my Pc/console games. And playing them eagerly, not just casually. That said, The Witcher 3 is the last truly great game I played, and have recommended it to many friends and they have also come to love the game-play and story. I would suggest you try it out. I don't even like fantasy settings, but this one is genuinely above par.

[@lonewolf8271]

Great game.

[@happydappyman]

Yep, I've been feeling the exact same thing. It used to be that every console generation brought something new to the table. Now it seems like the better the hardware gets and the better the graphics get, the worse the gameplay gets. I got the new deus ex on pc and holy crap, it was so boring i stopped about 4 hours in and never touched it again. The other thing is everyone is on the photorealistic graphics train, but good artstyle trumps photo realism every time. Games with super realistic graphics look stupid within a year or two, but something with good artstyle lasts forever. A good example of that is the zelda games or mario. Another thing is studios focus on multiplayer and microtransactions at the expense of story. What happened to games like half life that sucked you into an intriguing story? Or your excelent example of the elder scrolls games? I was a huge halo fan when it first came out, but i remember thinking after halo 3 that i didn't give a single shit about any of the characters since. Some of them being so annoying i was glad when they died but then had to sit through a cutscene about how terrible it is they're dead. Another example: the new starwars battlefront game. It had like 4 maps, no story, no space missions, a stupid system to get vehicles. The old game was literally better in every way except graphics. And they charged 60 bucks when swbf2 came out. It's like 90 bucks where i am for a AAA pos now. The only good games these days seem to be indi games. As for AAA? Press 'F' to pay respects. Edited for readability (im on my phone)

[@DVSPress]

Well said.

[@jsrrrmg]

I loved the Halo series until 5. I don't know what they were thinking with that game. No part of it seemed like "Halo" to me. I used to get enthralled with the story line! And I loved how Master Chief was treated different than the other characters. Halo 5 just lost it with me. I was so excited to find out what was next for Master Chief and how he was going to recover Cortana. With Halo 5 all of that was lost. The game didn't ever seem to be about him anymore, not to mention the terrible game play and quick time events added in!

[@bobrob1825]

I want to play a game to escape reality. It doesn't have to be serious. I can still play simple good classic games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid. Those type games still keep me in. Doesn't have to be serious.

[@DVSPress]

You can get my hard scifi book for a little while by joining my mailing list - dl.bookfunnel.com/pyiwm5x1jn

[@malbowz1257]

I feel much the same way about video games now that I'm in my late 30's. They just don't satisfy me as much as they once did, and I don't necessarily think it is the game's fault either. Rather, I think my changing as a person has more to do with my growing disinterest in video games than the games themselves. For example, Just Cause 3 is a AAA game that I was very excited about playing. I had a lot of good memories of playing Just Cause 2 several years ago, so naturally my anticipation for the sequel was very high. But once I bought Just Cause 3 I played it for a grand total of about 10 hours all within the first 3 days after buying it and didn't pick it up for several months after that. The new game, while technically superior to the old, just didn't provide the same level of satisfaction that I so fondly remembered. I think as I age and grow into a different role in life as a father and husband my idea of life satisfaction is changing too.

[@DVSPress]

Undeniably the change of pace of my life has changed my perspective, but I try to put that aside - the approach to gaming has definitely changed, but even if it hadn't I wouldn't be able to play the same games in the same way. Vanilla WoW is more time than I am willing to spend. It seems like indy games are the only ones generating a meaningful, limited experience for me right now, which fits my life needs.

[@_koschwarz]

It's even more true in 2020, for me at least. Most of the new games are just dumbed down, boring, uninspiring, chore, busy work. I actually have stopped buying any new game recently. At first, they look promising, nice graphics, a bunch of things to do, but sooner than later you realise you don't want to play them on. I still DO play video games - The Witcher 3 was good, Metro Exodus was OK-ish (though i liked the first two better), i hope Cyberpunk will be good, i hope Hangar13 doesn't fuck the Mafia remake up - but i always end up replaying good ol' games. Like i just started to play Oblivion again... after 13 years and i'm genuinly enjoying it.

[@handsomeblackman255]

After about 60% of game playthrough, they become repetitive. You find yourself becoming annoyed with completing missions, just playing to reach the end. Sometimes even getting mad when the end doesn't happen after a near end mission. The game becones more of a chore than fun.

[@Rantsnrambles808]

I'm upset I bought my first season pass ever for halo wars2 thinking that that extra 30 bucks meant I'm going to get all of the extra content. But apparently season pass is meant literally and if I want the entire game it's going to cost like 110-120. I've been playing more steam. 20 bucks and I get a fully functional game mode.

[@Maxthepal]

I'm with you here. I still play games of course, but I have also noticed this declining interest in games. I'm now only interested in specific genres like strategy (isometric), third person action games (like dark souls) and fighting games. Also, games that are recommended based on their superb story are always of interest to me. The reason why games are worse now... well, there are many reasons. Graphics are valued over gameplay and story. Gameplay must be simple to understand so everyone can play and finish the game, as there are more and more people playing games these days. Games are made for the masses, and thus they start to lose their focus. Game creators also take fewer risks, because they "must" get a profit over everything else. Of course, there are still developers who create games that are still worth your while, but those are difficult to come by. Since you were looking for recommendations I would say try Nier: Automata. It's fun, and it delivers a thought provoking story, accompanied with one of the best soundtracks to any game ever. It's one of the more unique games to come out in a long time. (PS4 version is superior though) You said you liked old school games. Pillars of Eternity 2 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are games that you should be paying attention to. I can't say whether they'll be great when they come out, but see what reviews say at the time when they release. As for smaller titles, I recently played a game called LiEat, a game made with RPG maker I believe, and it delivered a short and sweet story. Don't expect anything mind-blowing, though. Tekken 7 is also a great game, but I highly doubt you would play it.

[@DVSPress]

My friend chad loved Nier. Why is the PS4 version superior? I have a PS4. I liked Divinity, but didn't have time to really play it.

[@Maxthepal]

Japanese PC ports always have some issues. Nier is no exception. Also for some reason, the game hasn't been patched for quite some time (reference if you need it: www.vg247.com/2017/07/10/4-months-later-nier-automatas-rough-pc-port-still-doesnt-have-a-patch-nor-even-a-promise-of-one/). Basically, you can run it if you are lucky, and if you are lucky to run it, it might still have problems holding a solid FPS. I played it on PS4 without problems. And yeah, Divinity is a bit long-winded. Solid game nonetheless.

[@atonalosprey]

I can relate to this. For me, I think there's also an element of I've seen most of the mechanics out there by this point (shoot guys, take over a map, grind a character, etc.), and I don't find as much novelty as I used to. It's easy to complain that games aren't as good as they used to be, but I've tried to take a little more ownership of the issue and face the fact that I may not be the target audience anymore. Interested to hear your thoughts

[@DVSPress]

I felt this way about WoW - I'm clearly no longer who they want to make a game for. I found by playing vanilla the world had moved on, but I hadn't. Of course, I believe the market should provide those missing experiences, but I also know that early WoW can't quite be delivered again, because although those who were there would want a similar gameplay experience, they are all older and probably wouldn't have the same ability to play a game like that. Early MMOs were a product of the players, the time they were released, and the age of the players at that time.

[@TheOldirishfan3130]

Do you ever play any of the Dark Souls games or Bloodborne? Miyazaki has to be one of my favorite developers of all time.

[@clemsonalum98]

Maybe connected to attention span decline of population so games are developed with less depth and more wiz bang?

[@DVSPress]

Maybe the substitution of stimulation for satisfaction?

[@Maerahn]

This is exactly how I feel! I LOVED the levelling system in Morrowind - totally geeked out to customising my character's skills so I could be as good as I could be at the skills I WANTED to be good at (I even made an Excel spreadsheet to track my skills going up, so I could always get the maximum bonus points with each level up.) I was GUTTED when they nixed that system in Oblivion (plus the game ran like a donkey on the PC I had at the time.) And I gave up on World of Warcraft just before Cataclysm came out. For me, it felt like it had got too clique-y; if you weren't decked out in Full Epic Gear you'd won from raiding, no-one wanted you in their dungeon/raid groups (which meant you couldn't get the Full Epic Gear you win for raiding so you couldn't join - etc., ...) I play a Windows 10-compatible version of Planescape: Torment from time to time (AWESOME game, AWESOME story,) but the graphics on that are eye-burningly awful now, which takes the shine off it. And I NEVER thought I'd say that about a game.

[@DVSPress]

Yeah, I still go and play my "ultra graphics" version of Morrowind from time to time. The feeling of that game when it was new was such a cool thing, but with those original graphics... it's hard in 2017. There was so much to the game. I remember getting vampirism, and being upset at how it DESTROYED the normal game, but then there was a whole game inside of that based around being a vampire, all hidden below the surface and non-obvious. In Skyrim they make you wherewolf on the like the third quest, and made vampirism just give you a stamina debuff. Oblivion still has the attribute bonuses that Morrowind had, but it's not told to you in-game. I did a video on how to operate the rpg system in it, but I liked Morrowind's system a lot as well. Skyrim was a great game, but I hated the leveling system. I remember at the end of wrath I could see how things were going in WoW - gearscore, gearscore, gearscore, and it got 100X worse with WoD when they started cross-server everything. Back in the day with WoW it was about who the player was. I still have friendships from that time. Now it's all about your gear. There is no consequence to being inter-personally repulsive. The deeper layers of the game have been stripped away to focus everything on the raid, an experience that is hollow when you have no guild or team that you have to contribute to in order to succeed.

[@joannamarieart]

I'm really not much of a gamer (and don't do first person shooters), but just wanted to drop a note that I really really loved Horizon Zero Dawn as an open world adventure game. The gameplay was pretty fun and diverse, and the story was really engaging. Not sure if that's the kind of game you enjoy, but I definitely think it's worth a play!

[@VNTomVideo]

Did you try Witcher 3? It is a bright ray in the kingdom of darkness! Guess its like Poland in Europe lol

[@LurchyScott]

He wouldn't have the time to play such a vast game. I'm not as busy as David and even I found Witcher 3 was an exhausting adventure, even though I really enjoyed the game. I never beat it.

[@DVSPress]

I love the first 2 Witcher games. I avoided witcher 3 simply because of the time investment. I've been really busy the last few months with books and other work.

[@gallendugall8913]

I received the second Witcher game for free. It plays like a love letter to terrible console games with linear gameplay devoid of player agency, button mashing twitch combat, unskippable cutscenes, awful dialog, in a rush voice acting and worst of all QUICK TIME EVENTS. It's the second worst game experience I've ever had. Not worth playing even for free. Then I found out that the Witcher series was plagiarized from Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone series and so I moved from hating the game to hating the entire community that supports it.

[@VNTomVideo]

Understood, if you have a chance, it is worth trying, I was busy too and only recently bought it. And what a game it is! It can certainly be played slowly a little bit at a time. If you want a game to redeem your faith, this is it :)

[@KhasrouhRecords]

Gallen Dugall : the Witcher 2 is the best game i have ever played . are you fucking nuts ? or a casual gamer who plays Cod all the time ? Witcher 2 and 3 are the best RPG GAMES in this Generation and i think you played it on Xbox 360 ? = its the worst port . unskippable cutscenes, awful dialog ? Really ? the best thing in witcher 2 are the cutscenes and the Dialog .. if you are a young teenager dont talk to me please because i think your age is between 12 - 16 . go drink your milk before you go to bed pumpkin !!

[@rhaenyrareigns2200]

Reasonable amount of time? Released in 2017: * HELLBLADE: Senua's Sacrifice; * Prey (2017); * Pinstripe.

[@theodentherenewed4785]

I'm here because I'm losing interest in video games too, I just play some titles over and over again and can't get really into any new ones. I think the reason for modern games being less immersive is that game developers thought of a strategy to make more money. To put it simply - companies sell more games in general simply because players get bored with them more quickly. If they were to make a single player game with a great replay value, it would mean that customers would buy fewer games and would keep replaying what they already bought. The strategy is too keep the hunger for great games never fully satisfied. Marketing sells products nowadays, not the quality.

[@rhaenyrareigns2200]

Retitle: My Declining Interest in Video GEAmes. PewDiePie style.

[@SuperEndiku]

I enjoy the same types of games and have had the same experience. Loved older style RPG's even back into the 90's which relied far more heavily on actual RPG mechanics to pull you into the game. Games used to exist on a smaller market of enthusiast players. Companies have decided to swap complexity for larger audiences who want more visual experiences with less complex systems. Hence we have the pure story-telling games on console. PC is still where it is at. I tried Witcher 3 because I heard good things and it unplayable because it is a console port. I'm curious what Skyrim mods you used to enhance your RPG experience. There are so many to choose from. I would recommend the Total War Warhammer series. Great quality in both game mechanics, depth, and graphics.

[@jamesreed2366]

I know the feeling, I don't play many videogames mainly because I find them distracting and I don't want to get addicted. Also the fact that games have become less about passion and more about making money is why I've become more withdrawn from games. On very rare occasions do good games come out and there are favorite gaming franchises I still follow.

[@lasekundes]

Just finding I lose interest in video game and I search that in KZbin and I saw you... I really feel the same as you do. Especially with the cutscene, I found that I go back to th phone and when the cut scene finish I pick up the controller again and thinking... This is very boring..

[@clearsmashdrop5829]

I rarely play video games anymore. Earlier this year I did buy the By the Sword expansion for Civ4 and it made the game even more addicting than before. I think one reason I play less is because 8 hours a day I sit at computer. When I go home I'd rather get outside or if I'm gonna sit in from the of the computer do something passive to avoid using my mouse hand and arm.

[@matthieuwilliams7043]

You should play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The good part about that game is that it engages you on every level. It has RPG leveling systems, a super rich environmental setting , multiple variations of the ending. Wonderful characters, enjoyable side missions that don't actually feel like a chore. Even the mini games in this world are fun and have a mission attached to them.

[@KingThor128]

I realize this is a 3 year old video but there's definitely a great CRPG revival in recent years. I reccomend Disco Elysium

[@letzplayer112]

I turn 18 in almost one month exactly. I built a brand new pc 3 days ago. I tried so many games. Dead Space 3 was short and i guess that was sort of fun. I tried a jrpg called Ni no Kuni II and it was so slow and painful. I tried ark today and it was so boring. I dont know if im depressed and thats why im not playing them anymore I dont understand whats going on. I need help with trying to figure it out.

[@rolandbioc3024]

I lost interest in video games especially fps games, I tried to get back on gaming but it just became boring.

[@Kenny-yu6gc]

same dude. had times where I get games that end up being so boring and this occuring so frequently that I started thinking that maybe I'm too old for the new games, but I'm barely in my twenties then I'd drop the game after a few hours and get pissed I wasted money on this game that didn't deliver. later I realized that nope it's just that these game companies aren't being run by people who love to make games but instead by people who just want churn out game after game on a consistent basis not caring for the quality. they'd rather hype the shit out of the game with false af repersentations of the game in trailers and then under deliver like clockwork for every damn game for every god damn year than actually make a good, unique and memorable game. you know the game devs aren't running the show when they're subjected to 60-80hr weeks of crunch time for months at a time

[@DVSPress]

After more study, things started going off the rails after 2007. I didn't change; games did. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hp2veqZsp7h1ntE

[@Puelof]

Hotline Miami, not a rpg. But it's cool retro style top down shooter similar to smash TV. Telltale games have kinda done their own thing with point and click, it's more like a interactive movie with "choices" but the story is usually really enjoyable. I'm assuming you've played KotOR, if not you probably should if you are looking for a older game and that feels games that hits hard. And one of my favorite games is "call of Cthulhu dark corners of the earth" It's not very complex but it's cthulu so yea. seriously tho, should check it out.

[@DVSPress]

+Puelof KOTOR is a top 10 game for me. Hotline Miami was great. I wish a top game company could have that kind of dedication to a concept.

[@Puelof]

Have you tried the Talos Principle?

[@Puelof]

I'm sure you have gotten your fair share of suggestions in the comments, but i have one more to offer you. I can't believe I let this past my original comment. Steve Jackson's sorcery Very unique, exciting, story driven, and the chooses you make actually impact the game unlike most other RPGs

[@kavikkang9411]

If you haven't played Faster Than Light, it is one of the best games made in the last 5 years or so. Look it up on Steam. it is a rouge-like space ship game. It plays quickly, if you manage to win that only takes about 90 minutes or so. If you've ever played the table top game Star Fleet Battles, Faster Than Light is essentially an SSD and EA form from SFB flying through a rouge-like game. It is one of the all-time classic computer games.

[@schwarzerritter5724]

I tried getting back into World of Warcraft recently. But before I pay, I played the demo. There was no choice which skills to pick when levelling up and we just blasted through dungeons, because there is equipment everyone can use for all their characters.

[@roman2011]

I quit or lost interest because time started to feel much more precious at mid age than when I was a teen. Greying hair, wrinkles, wharts... Physical changes is an eye opener to what's important in life. It's not that the games got worse, it's my life that's degrading and that changed my perspective on what's fun and Worth doing.

[@OmegaMouse]

David! I know exactly what you're talking about. I went to school to learn 3d animation and have been self learning Unreal Engine 4. Omega Mouse has been in development now for 1 year. I've made a lot of progress and I've very excited about it. Game play is the most important aspect - right along with an engaging story. Omega Mouse will be an action RPG. My inspirations are Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6 & 7, Legend of Gaia, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Landstalker & the Diablo series.

[@ArtificialDuality]

Yep. Everything you said are also my thoughts. But, probably because I have more time, I've been able to find games that work. Some may still be more dumbed down than I think they have the potential to be, but they take a different enough approach that I feel it's not as important. I'm still not sure how I feel about Civ V vs VI, but the dumbed down thing is definitely there. Games like Cities Skylines, Kerbal Space program, FTL, Planetary Annihilation, Prison Architect, and 7 Days to die - to name a few, either have done things well, or are doing things well with potential. It also seems like there is a divide that is widening. If you really want games that are not dumbed down, they are available. But they're typically the games that most wouldn't give a fair shake. For example, try Crusader Kings 2. It's actually quite fun, once you climb the learning cliff. Try Dwarf Fortress, I even gave up on it because I guess I'm not the intellectual I thought I was.

[@thevisi0naryy]

Anyone who feels that gaming has become a stale experience for them, I HIGHLY suggest playing Dark souls or Bloodborne. It will absolutely get your blood moving, they are just different than other games.

[@fightfannerd2078]

true that's one game I still want to play

[@Oldgames1000]

Mass Effect 1 was such a hardcore RPG. Tons of loot, story, and leveling was the best. Mass Effect 2 was such a step back. It is literally just a series of missions, completely takes me out of the open planet classic bioware style of ME1

[@I_Am_The_Social_Reject]

Finally someone else that realized 2 was a step back. So tired of everyone acting like it improved everything by stripping features and turning it into Gears 2.0

[@Omegaroth666]

I'd like to see a follow-up on this subject, or even a couple. (Top tens, comparative analyses, etc.) Also, I would watch you play Diablo 2 until I died.

[@xDXPxJOEx456x1]

Indi is where all the fun is at in my opinion I haven't purchased a triple A game in years.

[@LordBaktor]

Nowadays I only play games that I can play with my best friend. I moved to another country, so playing games together is the way we keep in touch. And that feels weird having grown up playing exclusively single player, story driven games. I haven't even finished Zelda Breath of the Wild and it's supposedly my favorite franchise.

[@stahlsparre]

Hello David. I'm 100% on your side in this and I've given it maybe even more thought. The reason you feel uninspired is because many games are so uninspired. You can feel the teams are just playing it safe, doing something old but with less soul. That's why you need to calm down, and get yourself Dark Souls 1-3. Play them in order. Those games have such effort built into HOW a story is told through gameplay, not booring cutscenes. Every review you've made about cinema hints me at you being, like me, the target audience of these games. They have a reputation of being hard, but not like the old NES generation hard. They are amazing, and punishing if you rush. Take your time and savor them and you'll have a renaissance of how a video game should feel! Big kudos to the foreshadowing and subtle narrative that's driven through what you see, rather than what you're told in cutscenes. Don't expect the booring narrative of modern games. This is a real story with the world itself being the villain of sorts.

[@PerTrygveMyhrer]

I have almost gone to one game but have more than 2k hours in factorio, it is not a simple game where you need to think to make it great, and if you want it harder there are some mods that makes the complexity crazy hard.

[@Nightsoul115]

I'm 20 and I still play video games and never lose my gaming life. I will still play games until the day I die, however, it's different because now I have more responsibilities when it comes to being an adult except getting married because that is too much plus I'm not rich, but I do have money. I just have to choose wisely.

[@lodagin]

Agree on Mass Effect. I leved them all anyway, the story was great and characters were awesome but i really missed the RPG type of levelling and even the clunkiness of the gameplay of the first one. I'm way younger so i still enjoy some games but overall i agree, the quality in terms of fun and playability is going way down in exchange for better graphics and performances, which are nice but useless without a fun experience.

[@bobjones56]

Spot on man, swear that at least 75% of games that come out now days have back-tracked.

[@mrredisa.d.d.8566]

Great points. THANK you for bringing this up. I was thinking more along the lines of games with too much repetitive gameplay, but you're right: gameplay in general has gone downhill. Also: open world games, where more than half of the time is spent traveling, get on my nerves.

[@Hiraghm]

Actually, the game I play most anymore is "Everquest" on Project 1999 (basically EQ as it was in 2001 with Kunark and Velious).

[@DD93AFC]

This comment is 6 years later, and the ending of the video where you spoke about the sweat on the cheek, but the frame rates are abysmal, rings home so true. I guess now the PS5 is around, and tech is generally a lot better now, there is more of an influx of 60FPS now, but they're still making poor games. Too much remakes and remasters, massive franchises still chugging out the next game in the line, clones of the last big success causing an increase in cash grabs, micro transactions, DLC's, extortionate RRP's, season passes, battle passes, trendy teenage tik tok mannerisms creeping into modern media, I can produce more for the list that I hate, but that's my main issues. I guess when you add all of that on top of me getting older too, been playing games for over 20 years now, and it just starts becoming less of an interest/hobby and much like a chore/job. Backlog's ruin the whole experience too, is why I'm hopefully going to limit down how much I adding to my collection, and just playing what I have and see where the hobby takes me. I hope it takes me back to those happy child/teen moments, but if it doesn't, then I'm not going to be down on my lucky either. Here's to hoping we can love games again, as much as I tend to have less interest in them as I used to, I couldn't imagine my life without them, though maybe that's my problem as well, maybe I need to let go lol, who knows.

[@NotTheWheel]

I fell out of games pretty much the same time.. My excuse was I joined the military.. but even being a civilian now after that it just doesn't have the same spark anymore.

[@vizuz]

I feel that the true joy and wonder is gone in most of the developers and it shines through in the end products. "Video game design" is a career now, it's a job and I feel that makes games more sterile en less intimate somehow. I feel that back in the 80s and 90s game developers were in love with all the possibilities for creative expression and that shows in the games. There was so much diversity in games and games that were simply magical that inspires gamers. Looking at myself, I was in awe of the worlds of like Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy. It was like a whole new world I could enter and explore. Do kids still have that today when they are playing Call Of Duty, Watch Dogs and GTA? I honestly don't know, but I do know it is not the same. I feel like when I have played one modern Action RPG I have played them all, when I have played one Modern FPS I have played them all. But hey, maybe that is just me being over video games and not understanding the new generation of kids :)

[@jynnvynn7562]

I fell out of gaming myself ever since my preteens. I think it was just coz I got into other things and busy not failing classes (was also working on my Eagle in scouts and a member of my school band). My gaming experiences became limited to only when I went to visit friends and they had like Call of Duty or some indie games either that or I played my childhood titles back home my favorites as a kid were classic Sonic, Spyro, and Crash Bandicoot. So platformers was my jam along with a few building games like Rollercoaster Tycoon and SimCIty. I'm in my twenties now, and I'm slowly getting back into playing video games since I have a new computer and most my friends are still obsessed with gaming so I'd bond over whatever is cool on Steam and actually I've started to grown into newer stuff like Tekken 7, a fighter which is weird for me but I have fun, then there's Grand Theft Auto V and Minecraft which I notice I'd mostly only play these games if friends are involved. However, newer platformers like Gurumin and especially A Hat In Time (so, so good imo) have reminded me of my old gaming days. You mentioned how recently a lot of games are being simplified and I see that in Gurumin and, while A Hat In Time offers so much more than Gurumin, it's not as challenging as I remembered playing my favorite platformers back in the day. With how great A Hat In Time was recieved and how popular it has become, I'd imagine the sequel would offer more of a challenge then previous like how each Sonic game during the Genesis era got progressively more complex. And speaking of Sonic, I followed the series through out the years and it has gotten worse with how more simple it gets like in the newest title, Sonic Forces, I couldn't go no more than like 5-10 seconds of gamplay without a manual pause for a hint or an automated section with levels lasting around 2 minutes whereas the classics just threw you in without warning and you figure it out as you went. I think shorter attention spans may be to blame in games distrusting their players to hold interest. Or maybe I just personally like game where you're left to make it your own like in Crash, sure it the levels were linear but you had certain ways to break boxes to earn different gems and in Minecraft it was the ultimate sandbox you just had to survive anyway you can. Even A Hat In Time has you use a variety of magical hats to complete tasks. Thanks for the video by the way, all the best wishes for your family.

[@ProJatior]

I miss my PS2. All these shooters got old fast except for Bioshock. An excellent take on the shooter with cool sci fi and horror elements. My only issue is I want to complete everything on the game though realistically that's probably not going to happen.

[@trmblingblustar]

I just finished Divinity: Original Sin, and am going through both Wateland and Summoner (an old PS2 era game). There are always games worth playing, no matter what genre you are into. You don't only have to play big triple-A games.

[@LetsPlayPC]

My interest in AAA gaming is almost nonexistent now too. I think that there are a ton of overlapping factors in this. The biggest one might be simply that the AAA games are made by way too many people. Companies like Activision, EA, and Ubisoft have adopted a mass production model to their games. Their games may end up impressive in some ways, but they lack the soul that comes from old fashioned hand crafting. And there has been a ton of talent drain from the industry to the smaller indies. The major publishers are largely run by suits who have no understanding of gamers and game development. They just view video games as another consumer product like pizza or ballpoint pens. They don't understand how making games is a labor of love for the talented people who create them, and a lifelong passion for the gamers who play them. There are many other reasons as well, which you touch on in your video. Games have also gone down the same path as blockbuster movies, focusing more on marketing and spectacle than quality and depth.

[@njdss4]

I definitely agree on the dumbing down of games, though my biggest complaint about games nowadays is that publishers try to monetize every single aspect of games now. I don't want to feel like I'm playing a glorified slot machine, where the publisher just views me as a walking wallet. This has been going on for years now, and every year it keeps getting worse (just look at the mobile games market for a glimpse of what console/PC gaming is heading towards). I can only hope that the recent controversies involving EA and other big companies push things back in the right direction.

[@TheJollyMisanthrope]

I was playing arcade games as a kid in the late 80's. Grew up with the NES as my first console. I play WOW these days and that's about it. I gave up on Nintendo when they started making you use a remote control to play Zelda, among other games.

[@lonewolf8271]

I have more fun playing old games, like Shadowman, Quake, RE1,2,3, Turok 2.

[@M1GarandMan3005]

Overall, the entertainment industry, whether it's movies, video games, or music, has just become more of a corporate entity, that focuses on succeeding through a business, monetary, and by-the-numbers aspect, instead of a creative and memorable aspect. To put it more simply, the entertainment industry is more interested in numbers instead of overall quality and creativity of their product, and I believe there will be a time in which both the film and gaming industries (and probably the music industry to a certain extent) will have to crash in order for us to start seeing quality content come into the mainstream once more.

[@snoopdog8693]

I started on sky rim and I recently am trying oblivion and the complete dumbing down they did to sky rim compared to oblivion it's crazy

[@Barada73]

I've been playing Elder Scrolls Online for almost a year and half now and I really enjoy it. The RPG elements are pretty minimal, I'll admit, but I love all the customizability options I am given with my character. I do get frustrated when talking with other gamers about a new game and their biggest concern is if the game runs at a consistent 60 frames per second in 4K. As if that's the only standard or quality for video games these days.

[@evilshinobi7712]

Yeah I believe it's because games have gotten so expensive to make they can't risk them being complex or unique. Such a shame.

[@oberstul1941]

I played the shit out of Darkest Dungeon between feeding/putting to nap and poop duty-ing the baby.

[@DVSPress]

Haha. I never got around to that one.

[@TeaLobster]

I feel your pain completely, man. If I could suggest only one game, it would be the first Dark Souls. The sense of discovery you experience on your first playthrough is rivaled only by the huge amounts of dopamine you release when defeating a boss for the first time. Even if you don't have the fastest reactions, the game is set up in a way that the knowledge and experience you pick up along the way rewards you much more than sheer mechanical skill. Also, you can exit the game anywhere (except during bosses) without losing progress, so I imagine that's good for your busy life. Oh yeah, and for the fluffier elements of the game, the lore is rich, but it's not spoon-fed to you. Your character is just a silent nobody in this world, and the overarching narrative is very non-invasive. What's more, the character progression of many NPCs has the potential to invoke powerful emotions, and the overarching themes in the game tap into the most uncomfortable depths of the human psyche. Anywho, I hope it's something that's relevant to your interests. It requires a controller, you can get a reliable Logitech one for $20.

[@DVSPress]

I have an xbox 360 controller and I can also use my PS4 controllers. Would those work? I actually never bought dark souls.

[@TheFly212]

Try Law Breakers, it's made by Cliffy B. and is basically UT 04' on steroids. It's pure Twitch Arena FPS. Also there is a game called Toxikk that's also pretty slick and OG Arena FPS. Quake Champions comes out soon. That's great to. On PS4 I'd recommend Uncharted 4. It's really a spectacular achievement for Console gaming. You can beat it in about 10 hours. That'd be a good start.

[@johnharrison2086]

There is a certain amount of dumbing down to make games more accessible. The skill trees in Diablo 2 or levelling in Oblivion compared to Diablo 3 or Skyrim. Even more annoying is the rebooting of a classic game like Tomb Raider into something unrecognisable. This is not our Lara Croft anymore. Nothing wrong with going back to what you enjoy. People do so with music. Why not have a favourite era of video games?

[@cloudkmr777]

This video is old obviously, but Id be curious to see an update on this topic from you. Also did you ever play the Witcher 3? Its difficult to recommend anything else since Ive been disappointed by many games lately as well. Apparently everyone loves the new God of War though, so theirs that.

[@zombiedude347]

I tend to throw in older video games like LOZ (up to gamecube) and all the SM 3D platformers. I like to play rpgs but haven't found good ones in a while. I played Minecraft since alpha but it eventually got too boring and most mods had terrible difficulty curves or were so buggy they constantly crashed.

[@TheAndredal]

i have become more selective which games i buy

[@itsme-gd7xj]

Agree. Modern games just dont have that armosphere, that you could dive into. Just better graphic, nothing more.

[@scenedikemon]

I know I'm late to this but Kingdom Come: Deliverance, while far from perfect, really returns to a lot of mechanics that I used to love from classic CRPGs like Ultima Underworld. Definitely recommended...

[@gabrieltudor6165]

Hello David, I know what you mean... Check out Divinity: Original Sin 1 and/or 2 I think you will like it ;)

[@Selplex37]

It's been harder and harder to find great single player experiences. I think the last game I really enjoyed playing through was The Witcher 3. One other game that surprised me was Life is Strange but is more of a interactive story.

[@carl5381]

STORY. I want to get sucked into whatever I am playing. I want to feel a range of emotion. Everything from, "Do I feel like a dick today and get the giddy feeling of running around screwing over the NPC world and watching it burn?" or having to face moral situations that make me care about the characters involved. Fallout used to do pretty good with that. But now, like you its just meh. I just play world of tanks/ships to pass time.

[@10072018]

1. They take up too much time. If you have a career and a family, you really have to force yourself to allot time for games... which brings me to point two: 2. I don't like open world, non linear games. Too many choices, too many side quests, too many distractions. Tell me where to go and give me some idea how to get there. I don't have all day to talk to peasants and find seven turnips in the haunted forest so your goat can eat and you'll give me the magic shower cap so I can go through the enchanted falls and rescue the cobbler's pet orangutan. 3. Learning curves are too steep. Every game seems to have two or three modes of gameplay with a separate set of controls for each. It feels super super unnatural and stressful to have to think about which subset of controls I have to get into to smash some guy in the face or shimmy up a wall. This is supposed to be my escape from a long and stressful day, if I have to sit there half the night learning all the different interfaces of sis different play modes... I'll just read a book or watch Netflix.

[@Algorithm_Poison]

I've been feeling like this too. Between work and family (wife and two young children) I have less time for gaming. Plus the industry has changed. Dominated by free to play/pay to win models, political virtual signalling and controversies, and bandwagon jumping. I've just lost interest. I play older games alot to recapture the magic of my youth became the newer games fail to achieve the same level of joy and excitement in me.

[@DVSPress]

Yeah its so rare to buy a game that is just a game these days - no dlc, skin packs, lootboxes, etc.

[@CaptainAugust]

play demons souls, dark souls 1 or 3, or bloodborne

[@adamhay9208]

Fromsoft games like bloodborne and dark souls and the witcher 3 are the only games in the past few years tht i thought where amazing

[@Kelkschiz]

Agree especially with RPGs. Personally I am also playing strategy games and with that Stellaris has been a breath of fresh air for me.

[@vamrack8344]

I definitely witnessed this when i played gow on ps4 and realized how bored i got from playing it. Along with Spiderman and definitely skyrim good god.

[@Francois424]

In MMOs, the challenge has been stripped. Everyone has to have the bet gear, effortlessly. Exp is given to you almost for breathing (compare 2005 FFXI with 2017 FFXI, or release SWTOR with current version SWTOR... and SWTOR had maybe 30-50% too much xp granted AT LAUNCH). WoW used to have challenge, I enjoyed myself tremendously until early WoTLK, then a bit of that returned in Mist of Pandaria, but overall far too quick and far too easy. Anybody remember the original Ultima Online? Talk about a MMO where you can bring the entire guild on friday event. No levels to matter, no population segregation by gated content, no restrictions by quest accomplishments... Heck you could enter any portals made by anyone in the game -- FUN !!! Which leads me to wonder something... Why where game designs so much better in late nineties than now? Like... Ultima online had item stacking beyond 9999. You could stack spell reagents in staks of 10k+ per. More modern MMO : FFXI -- Stacks of 12, some of 99. What the heck? Ultima Online= mark a stone at location by magic... later cast Recall to return to that spot. FFXI -- Specific crystals/books placed in the world only.... WHY !? Ultima Online = each "class ability" is a skill you raise, granted the 700 limit was retarded in the sense you should only limit combat skills and not crafting skills but bear with me. FFXI -- Levels. WHY!? They had the mechanics already tested from old Final Fantasy II (jp version). but FFXI is a good game nonetheless. It;s just that Ultima Online, a 1997 game, beats the crap of Most if not all modern MMOs. It had solution for inventory management, storing materials, interesting group content AND transportation. it even had moving boats controled by the player ! Dont get me started on how much better the economy was. Nothing beats player crafted economy (except basic non-magical gear/items.ressources from shoppes). I have yet to see a good immersive system for the Auction house system. Why not just have player put their wares on the market (typical AH interface to sell stuff only.) and have players go to shoppes to buy items like RPG of old? Want 1000 iron ingot? go to blacksmith. Open smithy's interface -> click iron ingots -> enter number to buy (1000). Game takes bob 50 entries of ONE ingot, Joe's stack of 900, and 50 of Jack's 333 stack (leaving jack with 283 more to sell). Quick and easy, both for seller and buyer. So easy yet never implemented. Hoping to see that system in the next MMO I play, assuming one will keep me interested more than a week. - - - - Single player games have been plagued with super short storylines, ultra repetitive content, extremely railroad experiences which does not allow one to explore the world (invisible walls galore) . And that is when they aren't super buggy at launch / if they can work at all. All of the popular franchise and in the ends of big companies that just care about quantity over quality and rushing the next product in time for Easter or w/e holiday of the quarterly period is. They also have been made easy, and while sometimes it's good being easy (Ultima7 is easy for example), if you don't experience any kind of challenge whatsoever, your story components should be top notch to offset (and they aren't). IMHO too much importance is given on graphics as opposed to content. One does not have to exclude the other, of course, but with rushed releases they kind have to axe stuff. Baldur's Gate I/II and Ultima 7 dont have the best graphics. Yet I prefer playing these games over recent titles. They have insane stories than you can do in any order you want, provided to meet the challenges presented. Diablo One and Diable II each blow Diablo III out of the water, no questions asked (Did D3 get rushed release? Act2 and 3 felt really short and boring, and the story kinda blew). Then there are the remakes. X-Com remake made me sick. The original was extremely interesting and well made, a jewel. The reboot striped almost everything that made original good. Sorry your marine is a medical officer cant give her the rifle. You can have either the grenade or extra ammo... da fuk? I hear they patched it with more stuff later, but I was so DISGUSTED, I never looked back. I played the original for a while to get my fix. It worked. There was supposed to be a remake of Ultima 4 (cellphone exclusive with expensive RMT that looked more like a Diablo clone. The game lasted one year, 6 months of these with ppl on the forum complaining to getting no support for their issues). When you remake old games into modernity DO NOT remove features. I repeat: DO NOT REMOVE THEM. Even superb remakes (Sid Meyer's Pirates!) had removed a few features (1560-era missing, Silver Train and Treasure fleet axed as well). At least it's new feature were pretty awesome in retrospect. Also on the subject of Single player RPG but other types too. What is with the constant AVERSION for easy and properly implemented Multi-player modes? SERIOUSLY, sheesh. I played Master of Orion II with my group of friends until the game wouldn't run (even with Dosbox) in MP on our system anymore. Same for Age of Wonders I/II (and guess what, Title #3 blew hard core). Birth of the Federation was a bit too cluckly as far as Gameplay went but we got MONTHS of enjoyment out of that. Where are the flight simulators? Red Baron 3D was the last great one I played both alone AND with multiplayer with friends. Very long post, but to me... it looks like the industry is no longer trying. Younger generation never got to play these old titles, both MMO, RPG, and other types, and you can't sit them in front of Ultima4-5-6-7 or BG1-2 or reboot Ultima Online for them to try (they'd dismiss for the graphics anyways) they wouldn't play these titles. The industry has stopped caring about making quality content because they can take the easy/quick approach and fill the marked with the same recipe over and over again. Pretty sure the new generation would love playing a well made Ultima Online and/or Chrono Trigger, not to mention old game titles I loved no one ever hear of (Midwinter, Carrier Command(not gaia mission atrocity), Dungeon Master, Sundog: Frozen Legacy, Phantasie... and many others), It's a very sad sate of affair as more and more of my classics stop working on more recent systems. My 2 cents. Thanks for the dissertation.

[@DVSPress]

Thanks for the dissertation o.O Games preservation is an important topic, too. MMOs as they were have been abandoned by their creators. I can pop FF9 into a PS1 and play it, but I can't do that for vanilla WoW, or even Ultima as it was.

[@vicmel5955]

try "What Remains of Edith Finch"..totally different game but awesome!about 2 hours of gameplay.. its more of a film,that you move the character, focusing on story

[@JeffAndresWilliams]

I find that I've been playing shorter games, or games with matches that last less than an hour. It's the opposite of what I would call my preferred type of game, which is a long, story-driven, tactical type of game. That's not to say the shorter games are bad. Right now I'm playing Titanfall 2 (they just added PvE) and Dreadnought, both games that are similar to games I generally dislike but are different enough that I find them fun and interesting. I have a backlog of longer games that I want to play, but I "don't have time". If I played only those games, I could beat them eventually, but for some reason, the thought of playing them over the course of months rather than weeks deters me, even though the total commitment is the same. Also, with all the other things I could be doing, I sort of feel guilty for playing the longer games and MMOs, but I don't seem to mind spending the same amount of time on shorter games.

[@DVSPress]

+Jeffrey Williams I've been seeking shorter experiences the last 2 years for similar reasons. I want to get to the "finish" more often and longer games just make me feel like I'm giving a lot up

[@DVSPress]

+David Stewart also with MMOs I am very aware of the trade-off of the one experience instead of many experiences

[@housegoblin1114]

Coming in late to the conversation, but I totally agree that games are becoming over simplified. One of my favorite aspects that initially pulled me into RPG games was the ability to create classes. Knowing what attribute did what, and, depending on your skill choices, defined what kind of character you played as. Even in games like Guild Wars, having a cohesive build that worked but also you knew how to use made each experience brand new. In Dragon Age, your choices in class, and even race, affected the entire game; and if you chose new stats on your next character, you're forced to play a completely different way than your last character. By the time Skyrim rolled around, I was very disappointed. I love the game, and have spent more hours than I can count playing, but the game lacked a lot of core elements that the previous games had. As you mention, now it's as simple as just choosing health, stamina, or magicka- but I miss all small attritubutes that a player can fine tune to their liking. Skyrim's switch to "leveling up- pick a skill" felt to simple. It's easy to create a character that's a "Jack of all trades", rather than a smooth combination of two classes. Race choice didn't feel all that crucial, either.

[@pigtailsboy]

You're receiving story in exchange for systems. It's probable (but not entirely connected) that your interest in games is reliant on learnable, complex systems rather than other offerings that come from games like social growth, story telling and relaxation. Your issue isn't, obviously, everyone else's issue but the symptoms are similar. We have changed or as much as the games them selves and we're not capable to seek out and pin down our core interests in another property. I would not have considered competitive multiplayer good for me until I found the right property to roll around in. That's how I've changed as well as how I've located the right title and genre to steep in, and I cut my teeth on city, system sim and rts games during my growth period.

[@casualnerd8139]

I do not particularly focus on gameplay when playing video games, I have always been one to enjoy good stories and loveable characters. That being said, i feel like the games decline in this aspect too. Sometimes, this corresponds to a change of gameplay, e.g. I have an hard time building deep bonds to all characters in a party, when I only control one of them (Final Fantasy after X is a good example, though I still rate them OKish)

[@s0lid_sno0ks]

Try Witcher 3, esp if you have a PC that can run it better than consoles. It's amazing. Also any of the Soulsborne games. Great games exist, but it can be hard to sort the wheat from the chaffe. Tons of gems on the indie scene as well.

[@boreopithecus]

I'm 40 and I've also lost interest. I think games have stopped offering new experiences. There were so many groundbreaking steps between 1987 (when I got my NES) and 2000. But 20 years ago it's like the industry stopped innovating and we're still playing the same handful of genres just with better graphics. The magic is gone for me.

[@stokesa3122]

I'm curious as to what you would think of Persona 5. It is JRPG. In which the J is not only bolded, but italicized and underlined as well.

[@vile1009]

im rapidly losing interest in video games, theyve become less about fun and more about competition. i dont have enough time to sit around and practice in games as i used to, so that just results in a poor experience when i hop into a game and get destroyed by people who play everyday, r6s was my main game, still is, but as of lately i have no desire to play it, i get on and theres some new thing everyone knows that i dont, or multiple new things, and i wind up just getting bored, even if i win,do well and get a lot of kills, its just boring.

[@artemiswyrm4249]

Good games that are out: DOOM (2016), Pillars of Eternity, Divinity Original Sin, Age of Decadence (If you want a crpg that can be completed in a reasonable amount of time, and Tekken 7 for a fighting game that hasn't dumbed itself down over the years.

[@LurchyScott]

I feel the same way. A lot of the games that have come out lately I've just had no interest in. I can't even remember the last game I've played front to back. Every game I've started recently I've never finished. The last one I really enjoyed was the new Tomb Raider and it was really good but it dragged a bit. When I thought I had finally got to the end, it kept going and it just exhausted me after that. I used to love long games. Now I look for those 15-20 hour games. I'm getting old lol.

[@I_Am_The_Social_Reject]

Agree with most you said. Not Skyrim though. They didn't dumb it down. They just removed useless attributes cause it was more hands on, less chance based. Never made sense in Morrowind how many times I miss. Kills immersion. But most games feel the same. That's the problem. Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Parasite Eve, wrestling games, etc. People still play No Mercy to this day. Why? Cause love was put into it. Why would anyone go back to a random Smackdown vs Raw? They were the same damn game just with updates. Instead of calling it dlc, they call it next year's game. And then add dlc....

[@stickman2012]

Mostly I'd play multiplayer or Tears of the Kingdom these days. Even the grindiness of Runescape I used to be so fond of, is not so fond anymore.

[@anonco1907]

I'm actually completely losing Interest and it really hurts, fallout 4 for me was the only exception and I know this isn't a popular opinion but I really never enjoyed skyrim at all so the last elder scrolls game that I enjoyed was oblivion.

[@anonco1907]

@PlayerSince90s Exactly, oblivion and fallout 3 had their own charm/soul that skyrim and fallout 4 were missing

[@anonco1907]

@PlayerSince90s Yeah it's sad how they kinda made BOS into the bad guys. Only positive was the building system