Why Video Games Aren't Fun Anymore: A Response

Why Video Games Aren't Fun Anymore: A Response. As of late the KZbin algorithm has been sending me videos asking the question of why gaming isn't fun anymore. I don't watch these vids, but I thought it is an interesting question to talk about because this has been a subject I have touched upon over the years. I also doubt anyone else doing these vids is going to have a similar take on the question, because what I have to say isn't all candy and roses and pure projection on it all being game developers faults. Honestly, I think much more blame rests with the players than the devs, because the devs adapt to player taste, rather than players adapting to dev taste (which can happen, but not often). In this vid I discuss lots of popular games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Overwatch, God of War Ragnarok, and a few more. And of course the relatively unpopular arcade genres (which I love). Of course there are other contributing factors I could point out and make this massive long analysis video on, but I thought it would be better to get to the heart of the issue.
I'm sure I could also rant about games as services, Dark Souls, Open world games, easy modes, difficulty, loot boxes, monitization, game pass, nostalgia, and so many more topics, but I'll save those for other vids ha.
Awesome thumbnail created by ‪@boghogSTG‬
Patreon
/ electricunderground
[$2 tier = Monthly Game Review Vote, Name in Credits, Exclusive Monthly Podcast]
[$5 tier = Double Monthly Game Review Vote, By Name Shout-out, Name in Credits, Exclusive Monthly Podcast]
Website: theelectricundergr.wixsite.co...
STG Revision 2020 Discord:
/ discord

[@tonybamanabonitomatopowers6057]

People play only the latest AAA big budget games and wonder why they dislike gaming. If I only watch whatever new Hollywood movies came out in theaters and nothing else I would also dislike movies. People are so against learning a new genre or experiencing something new they would rather keep playing something they hate rather than find a game they do enjoy.

[@xNachtmahRx]

It's not that indies are better. They are mostly just hobo triple-A in that the scene has turned into the same trend chasing but without the budget. You either buy triple-A open worlds / 8h cutscene walking sims or indie 2D pixelvomit roguelites / platformers. Both spectrums have become stale. Elden Ring and Re4make gave me that good old feeling and they are both big budget games. Better than the 2000th metroidvania / Slay the Spire clone

[@bbudimanalqodri]

Exactly, I enjoyed more old games from old console and smartphone game mostly... Just for fun and relaxing game.

[@rikterterran3833]

​@@xNachtmahRx To be honest, I think that's because you have a variant of the problem OP was talking about. If you think the indie scene is just walking sims/metroidvanias/roguelikes, then that's because you haven't explored any further beyond those genres.

[@Christof_Classen]

*We have a saying in Germany: What the Farmer does not know, he does not eat ;)*

[@morriganrenfield8240]

@@rikterterran3833true

[@truxardus4331]

Many people aren't satisfied by boring open world or games revolving around grinding/lootbox systems, but cannot be bothered to actually search out fun games. Hence "games aren't fun anymore". I kind of felt similar in the late 2000/early 2010s, but then I got back into retro games for systems I never played before. And today, there's enough indie games coming out to keep me covered. It is honestly a great time for video games right now. Stop playing boring games from huge publishers and the problem suddenly starts to disappear.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes I play almost exclusively older games or indie arcade games these days

[@SIPEROTH]

Another problem people have now in our days with social media and game reviews and global opinions etc is that they forget we are different. I fell into that trap a few times. You hear a game being praised back and forth and you just have to try it and even though you don't find enjoyment you think there is something wrong with you because everyone says the game is awesome so you push yourself to play certain game and ruin your enjoyment. Then a game many think is trash just hooks you up and you feel guilty for devoting hours and enjoying yourself. You should just play what you enjoy. It doesn't matter if everyone says a game is the masterpiece of the century. If you aren't feeling it just throw it away and play that thing others think is silly but puts a smile on your face.

[@MerlinTheCommenter]

Eh, it won’t disappear. You’re living in a fantasy world. Anyone with half a brain and understanding of ratio and statistics understands this basic concept. How you feel about the problem is fixed from your island: yes. And that’s all that matters. But to say that the problem “disappears” is just intellectually lazy, ignorance based in stupidity or straight up a lie.

[@CrawlingPanther]

This is essentially me. I stopped playing a lot of the new games in the early 00s. Eventually played some of the CoDs, Battlefields, Far Crys, etc. But we had Medal of Honor in 90s. We had Time Splitters, Goldeneye, Doom, etc. I grew up playing a lot of FPS and it just became boring after a while. Certainly played other games and genres but I was trying to keep up with the new stuff like so many people in the early 00s when that generation of gaming was really taking off. Seems like now all the really popular games are just reskins of other games, whether they be series sequels or just clones of other popular games. Got into retro games a little bit around 2007 and then again in 2012. Even now I'm still finding "new" old games that I never played or hadn't thought of in a long time, mostly thanks to channels like Electric Underground.

[@Nintendofanboy101-yk8ro]

omg, back then, I loved gaming. Gaming was at its peak. I mean there were so many games from aaa developers that were great.... yes there were some games that had day 1 patches but at the same time, you could really just put a game in and it would work. I also miss cartrige based games.

[@BoozeAholic]

I got rid of my PS4 a long time ago because I realized that modern games are boring open world laundry lists busywork. The games I enjoyed the most were indie titles like Ruiner, Hotline Miami & Deathroad to Canada. Later on it became Fight N Rage, Streets of Rage 4 or the occasional classic like Shock Troopers. I'm not bored with gaming. I just like a certain type of game that mainstream devs no longer make. I like intense action but modern gamers prefer a cinematic approach where you're watching the game play itself. Even God of War which was always cinematic, has become a game where the gameplay & content itself were toned down for a mass audience. What weirds me out is today's mass audience have the same exact bland taste in everything as Boomers do. Back in the early 2000s, everything was way more edgy & much less sterile.

[@SIPEROTH]

Strange thing is i always liked cinematic games. I was a big fan of Meta Gear Solid, Silent Hill games and Final Fantasy games on PS1 and PS2. At those times those where the cinematic games. And yet even me that was a fan of that genre think that the newest God of War games lost that arcade fun in fighting and didn't feel much enjoyment from The last of US 2 etc. I was even the guy that liked reading all the dialogues and immerse himself into the story but now in many games i just want the characters to just stop talking, i am like "God not Again". Especially felt that while playing Horizon 2. I didn't care what they were saying. I wanted everyone to shut up including the main character and let me jump and fight dinosaur robots. As a fan of cinematic games my favored game that had cinematic atmosphere on PS5 was Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Other than that it was actually the little robot game it came with instead of some big title. So what does that mean? I don't know. Maybe is not just about being a cinematic game but doing it right.

[@led-0185]

​@@SIPEROTH Sony games are all boring and badly written which makes them more insufferable to go through.

[@CrawlingPanther]

My wife bought the PS4 when it came out and I never really liked it until a few years ago. There are a lot of great re-releases coming out and I use my PS4 for streaming and playing some retro games that might be unaffordable otherwise (also have them on PC). I think the last new game I played was Sekiro but it's certainly a grind and is a time waster for sure.

[@danny833]

@@SIPEROTH Those games were cinematic in a different way IMO. It was a in a videogame centric way--fixed camera angles, focus on ambiance and aesthetics, slow-moving levels that set up scenes, etc. Devil May Cry and Resident Evil are other examples of this. Those games are cinematic as hell but they don't beat you over the head with MUH EPIC STORY like modern God of War or Rockstar games do. They're way more subtle and focused on what videogames do well over film.

[@Galaxy40k]

Great perspective Mark. Another aspect that builds off your first point is how "homogenized" AAA video games have become. Everything now needs some sort of RPG skill tree, crafting, walking/talking sections, semi-open world, tons of cutscenes and story focus, etc. Meanwhile back in the day, the "rules" on what people considered "good game design" were still being figured out, so there was so much more variety in AAAs. I think that gaming as a whole is better than it's ever been because indie developers both get to use creative ideas AND build off the accumulated knowledge of game design, but if all you do is pay attention to the big AAAs (which is what most people do), I can easily see it being disappointing.

[@magicjohnson3121]

Indies have their own problems and honestly have a big problem with people overrating them.

[@InkfinityOkamix3]

I will immediately dismiss any game that has a crafting system. Not the RE style mix this herb with that herb, but the “collect 50 of this item, 80 of that item, have this weapon and mix it with another weapon and get a slightly better new weapon.” Waste of time.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

that's absolutely right galaxy, I touched on that a bit but I could have expanded more on that point because I do think it's important. Because everything is the same and built the same, it has two nasty outcomes. The first is that you just burn out more cuz there is no variety at all. The second though, is that you become too rigid in your taste and too adverse to new challenges, so that when a new challenge comes along (final vendetta) you just lobby the devs to make the game easier ha. Who needs skill when you have social media.

[@rko2016]

funny how this has been going on since 2010, you just described Far Cry 3. which back in the day had me thinking the exact same as you.

[@Nintendofanboy101-yk8ro]

@@magicjohnson3121 no one said all indie games were good but the point is there's alot more creativity in indie games than aaa games.... maybe aside from Nintendo.

[@mishikomishiko9088]

I think, the reason might be that in recent years video gaming has gone completely mainstream and now tries to cater for as many people as possible (budgets are too high, no right for a mistake, etc.), including the most general audience - i.e. people who usually don't play video games and are not into this quite specific hobby. And we all can see the outcome. Sometimes something meant for everyone isn't for anyone.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

that is true mishiko, but that comes with a trade-off for the dedicated players like ourselves. Sure the volume of players is probably higher than ever, but to increase the volume there is some sacrifice that often needs to be made in terms of quality and design. Hang tight because we will very very likely see this play out with dark souls, which will add easy modes at some point for this very reason based on this logic. Artistically though, if your games becomes everything to all people, then what actually distinguishes it from other games? Very little I'd say.

[@RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS77]

Something like Days Gone that's probably true. But I'd say that, as Mark said, a majority of even people who would identify as "gamers" want to play cinematic snooze fests, not arcade games of any stripe.

[@aureateseigneur5317]

@@TheElectricUnderground Souls will never have an easy mode, you dont know much about Fromsoft if you think this is ever going to happen. Its been over 15 years, if Souls hasnt gotten an easy mode beyond what its already always had (Make a good build and the games aren't that hard) it isn't going to get one now. I promise you. Fromsoft has been making these games harder with each new one with a continual rejection of easy modes.

[@animalbancho1726]

@@TheElectricUndergroundfollowing this up a year later to say that it’s interesting that FromSoft seems to have gone the total opposite direction - their last two releases, Armored Core 6 and Shadow of the Erdtree, are some of their most obtuse and difficult games yet lol

[@narwhalgamingvariety]

I feel so bad for all my friends who still play grindy ass MMOs the day they come out for 12 hours a day. I know there is the initial rush and excitement, community etc, but they always leave those games feeling miserable. I can pretty much only stomach games with a clear end goal now, even if I have to set it myself (speedruns or score rushes)

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah I particularly am weary of MMOs for that reason. Not only do MMOs use the strategy of the slow content drip (an endless one as I understand), but they also have this social aspect to them that can be good initially, but can degrade into a more legit addiction in the end (since we are so heavily hooked by social incentives). It's like codependency at times I think, which is harsh but can happen.

[@EEEasdfasdc]

Hit the nail on the head with this one Mark. I'm also more of the "speed" gamer, lol. I grew up during the Genesis/SNES era, and am used to playing a game for a long time for one or two days before I had to return it to Blockbuster. I want hard hitting action, and I want it immediately. I don't want cutscenes, I want loud noises, explosions, white-knuckle gameplay and tough (but fair) challenges. Games now, I feel, are meant to be replacements for someone's life rather than something you add to your life. I'm not sure if that's entirely fair (there are many, many awesome indie games that are still very much arcade-like and still in that old school mindset) but most new games that I have played are all about "exploration", "open world", "immersive" etc. Games seem to becoming more and more total escapes from reality; it won't be long until we have people playing games 24/7 in a tank hooked up to a feeding tube like that one Batman Beyond episode.

[@boghogSTG]

For me the danger of challenge-based games is that they often calm down my productive itch because they *feel* productive. If I get a 1cc I feel very similarly to how I'd feel if I had a really good day of gamedev, or finished a drawing I'm proud of, or something like that. Also yeah, modern game design is very cynical & addiction driven. I guess it's unavoidable since the approach to game design is becoming increasingly "scientific". But if you're deliberately trying to invoke the sunk cost fallacy in the players by creating a sense of ownership, and are justifying dynamic pacing on the grounds that it keeps players glued to the screen, I think it's time to step back...

[@xtan150]

You've definitely touched on something that I think deserves more attention, games being some kind of motivational prophylaxis (medicine). I have definitely found that playing games can provide a sense of focus and motivation which can be leveraged towards completing (arguably) more significant tasks, yet there's a risk of the game itself becoming the central task which expends the motivation, therefore nullifying its entire (supposed) purpose. Essentially, addiction... like Mark covers here. I have definitely experienced emptiness once a game is no longer rewarding to me, made worse when juxtaposed with my real-life ambitions and doubts. I can tell myself it was an experience, a beautiful expression of art and not a waste of time...which may be true enough, yet the emptiness lingers. As an artist working to develop a portfolio of sound design and music for games, it's ironic that these feelings can legitimately inhibit my capacity to be interested in the games which serve as the inspiration (medicine) to drive a real world motivation to make music for games! "I'm groggy and unmotivated, but wish I wasn't so I could work on game music. So, I need a hit of games to spark my motivation. But, this game seems pointless. Wait, so why am I interested in making music for something pointless? Maybe I should do something legit like build houses in Africa or something..." Ad infinitum. But I think this spiralling theory is just that. Fortunately the world is not so black and white, and we can see and think about these things and enact behaviour based on higher level realizations, so the lever we are pressing can be one of continued self-realization (growth itself) rather than blind addiction. For now, most of us have better prospects than coked up rats in a cage.

[@dr.phil.pepper3325]

That's exactly how I feel recently. I played a lot of Guilty Gear Strive last year and when I hit heaven it first felt like I achieved something. But a couple of days later I wondered if I should not have spent all those time and effort on my other goals in life like exercising or studying languages. So at least for me this achievements often come with a slightly bitter taste of mismanaging my time.

[@Laocoon283]

Yea buts what the difference between gaming and drawing lol. Especially if they make you feel the same way as you say.

[@boghogSTG]

@@Laocoon283 For me art skill's more transferable & practically useful (for the stuff I wanna do anyway) and socially appreciated than stuff like 1cc's hence more productive. It's a short term vs long term feeling kinda thing, short term they're the same, long term it's pretty different

[@jk-pc1iv]

@boghogSTG Very good and honest take coming from a gamedev. What you said makes a lot of sense. Now, how do we strike the balance of using gaming to push ourselves, grow and get a little accomplishment without over investing into it on the back of more important things… I guess it requires a very intentional and reflective approach. Setting a reasonable challenge that hits the sweet spot of not creating too much of a time/ energy sink while still pushing one mentally to learn and improve and be in a focussed state. I think the emphasis in STG on super players or even 1CC becomes a problem when approaching it like this because for the harder games all clears quickly become too much of a time sink. I’m thinking about establishing smaller goals for myself depending on a game. 3CC can be an awesome achievement FOR ME in some games or even a level clear in a shottrigger practice mode. And then I have to track my playtime and what I get out of it / how I feel after playing to re-assess whether that goals actually make sense or I’m wasting my time. Anyway, I ended up rambling a bit here… but it is an interesting thing to think about 😊

[@yxlplig33]

It's worth pointing out that the PS2 era is a very healthy middleground between arcade game design and modern game design. This stuff didn't happen overnight. But specifically regarding the video topic, I've played at least 1000 hours worth of videogames per year my entire adult life and never had a problem with this. I have some ideas about why that is, but it's amusing to me that so many 30 year old men are having so much trouble enjoying a simple and entertaining hobby. So much so that the Google AI that will eventually collect all of our blood in a giant pot for some kind of Babylonian ritual is trying to curate content on this subject for us.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I agree completely about the ps2 era. It is a beautiful middle ground and funnily enough I have a bunch of ps2 stuff I am going to talk about this year (including godhand). What an awesome era for gaming my friend. That was when AAA studios were at their best imo.

[@KittenChaos90]

I love the PS2 era because games that were hard then weren't incessantly obsessed with being hard, they just were. The point back then was just being a good game and I think that makes a big difference.

[@KittenChaos90]

I love the PS2 era because games that were hard then weren't incessantly obsessed with being hard, they just were. The point back then was just being a good game and I think that makes a big difference.

[@ImWatchingYou69]

@@TheElectricUnderground best console exclusives ever! Quality, quantity, AND variety.

[@joindivision1090]

For me it's a ying yang thing. Gaming is cerebral and sedentary, so if I've worked at a computer all day I can't sit down and enjoy a game, I can do it but it's not fun. I have to perform commensurate equal and opposite physical actions first to 'earn' the reward of gaming. An example would be when I played COD - I would do 10 push-ups or sit-ups waiting in the lobby. Nowadays I'm older and if I haven't been outside and done my exercises, it's very hard to game enjoyably. But if my body aches from physically exerting myself, completing tasks and doing exercise, and I'm physically too tired to do anymore, then sitting down with a game and engaging my brain feels like justice, it feels good.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I try to keep that balance as well. I think that is really important but not something many gaming youtubers want to admit. I also personally try to exercise everyday and having that balancing force of an alternate form of stimulation really helps offset the burn out factor of playing games. It also simply cuts into gaming time that can help you be more moderate about spending hours unchecked (which I am prone to if I'm not careful).

[@sgtearache5303]

I'm 56 - been a gamer since the late 70s. The past decade has seen me move farther and farther away from whatever the current AAA game of the minute is. I've gone deep into emulation and revisiting all the classic arcade and console games from the first 30 years of gaming. I just don't have the patience to commit dozens of hours to a game anymore. I love that the games from bitd were ftmp complete packages with no dlc or microtransactions. Totally agree wrt wanting that gameplay density.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah Sgt I've had the same experience over the past decade as well. And it's not because I want to be some kind of hipster about it. It's just the shift in how games are designed and paced has been drawn out, and then the drawn out model has been so standardized, that I feel like games have been locking me out rather than the other way around. I just do not have the capacity to sit down with these plodding experiences anymore, especially when there is such an extensive backlog of older classics that I can access. I do still enjoy indie arcade games though.

[@davy_K]

Same age. Same attitude. Cut scenes? Narrative? Wandering around? Please. No time or inclination for that. Arcade style for me usually. The quick but dense, deep hit. With games, like anything.....films, books, exercise, hobbies.......you get out what you put in. Consume homogenised slurry and it will keep you alive but you wont get any joy out of it

[@Salamander407]

Dude, 53 here and have loved the new god of war and stray!!! Also revisiting the PS3 and enjoying it. But nothing will ever match the high I got when I first played the Atari, it was like a whole new world. But I really am enjoying video games at this age. Shmups, fighters and action games. There is more choice now than ever before.

[@davy_K]

@@Salamander407 there are great modern games...no doubt about that, but if you don't challenge yourself the novelty wears off. Too many game producers are frustrated film makers. I mean that sort of thing has its place but it just isnt for me.

[@drlight6677]

Most modern AAA games = The Walking Dead Seasons 2 and 3 which was like 20 hours of boring stupid filler just to artificially take up time. Classic gaming = Tom Savini's 1990 Night of the Living Dead remake which gets right to it and concludes it in quick fashion and doesn't bore us with stupid filler bs.

[@Azazel5021]

Games went from being a mechanical challenge to dopamine despencers.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

they really did, slowly but surely. And it happened across so many franchises too. There used to be a time when ubi soft and blizzard made cool games (many decades ago), but now all of their franchises are pure bloat. Damn assassin's creed and WOW were the turning points.

[@MarquisDeSang]

They are a brainwashing tool made by globalist and the military industrial complex.

[@HieronymousLex]

Soma is a perfect way to describe most modern AAA games. I find it uncanny when people describe the large amount of hours a game will take up as an inherent strength. I’ve also noticed many gamers only play new games and never revisit old ones. They need that new, novel hit of dope. These are lowkey signs of addiction. Drink responsibly 😁 love it. Great video with plenty of food for thought as always

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I'm glad you picked up on the soma reference lex. Yes I think mainstream entertainment (streaming, video games, even films now) have taken on this soma quality to them. Where they are digestible and plentiful, but how meaningful are they really? Players (and especially youtubers) absolutely hop from game to game on this massive chugging wave. One interesting way to see this play out with real data is steam stats. Just look at the steam stats for example of a game that I think is pretty solid cyber shadow - it's just this massive slope downward (only 7 people playing it currently).

[@HieronymousLex]

@@TheElectricUnderground man you’re right, how many times recently have we seen games hit astonishing concurrent player numbers on release, only to be declared dead by the playerbase within a short time? How many TV series have people streamed over the last couple of years where they barely remember but a couple of scenes, if that? Keep up the good work man, your videos are therapeutic for us out here!

[@julien2231]

But only playing the old games you played many times before could be more described as being addicted imo

[@julien2231]

@@HieronymousLex reason is, as you get older you retain less information and have too much on your mind. Also, as a teen we all watched the movies and shows we loved many times. So of course we remembered them. I once watched a movie 2 years ago, had strong sense of deja vu only to realise glhalfway througj i had already watched that movie.. lol

[@Salamander407]

You are right on. Just got a PS5 and playing God of war and stray but also revisiting the PS3 era by playing vanquish and fear 3 and the uncharted series. Having a great time.

[@scottmichaelhedge5055]

At the end of the day, it's about how you approach video games (or anything else, for that matter): if you do it to numb yourself and reject life, you will just end up more miserable than you are. But if you see them as the greatest form of entertainment known to man (which video games certainly are) and enjoy them without attaching to much to it, you will get a great satisfaction from them.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I agree :-) I'll try to figure out a way to say this that doesn't sound like a self help book, but two people can do the same activity and based on how they interpret the activity and what motivates them, the result can be very different. Like in college i used to bitterly hate helping with the dishes (I was fairly spoiled growing up), but after some thought I changed my attitude to doing the dishes was an excuse to listen to podcasts and music and it shifted my experience completely. Again self help stuff, but still true.

[@travisedwards3543]

At our best we are complete and whole within ourselves. A self sustaining island. (So they tell me.)

[@theceoofeggmansempire5214]

What if i do both?

[@whatamalike]

The way I see it, is that a lot of people consume games like a TV boxset. Whereas I consume them like an album or even vinyl singles; a bite of entertainment and engaging but not a total timesink.

[@pacificdash]

It was only a side point but this: As someone who has lots of trouble with clearing shmups, I absolutely want a HARDER easy mode from those M2 ports because the current super easy modes teach you almost nothing about the regular arcade difficulty. It wouldn’t be gatekeeping; on the contrary, it would be a ramp to help me get up to the desired goal.

[@thefractalcactus]

Use the custom arcade mode. There are lots of options, and you can really tailor your experience to your liking.

[@pacificdash]

@FractalCactusFGC Thank you for the suggestion. Will do! 👍🙏

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Dash you get it. Exactly. If the easy mode is too easy, then you actually have no way to learn the harder lessons of the arcade mode and you ironically end up getting trapped in super easy. Easy modes should specifically help players graduate out of them into arcade, I think.

[@futureskeletons66669]

@@pacificdash I actually find super easy on a Cave game harder than normal on something like a Raiden.

[@pacificdash]

@@futureskeletons66669 whoah super interesting. I find classic Raiden to be almost the hardest style of shmup I’ve ever encountered. I love to see how differently people experience these things. Thanks for the info!

[@augustopaulo4872]

There is another meta point about this "Videogames not fun" discussion I think is worth saying. From what I see on youtube a lot of people don't actually know how to look for good games, they only look for hyped games on mainstream, and we all know how samey it can get after a while without digging deeper. Even if there is some non conventional hyped game like Elden Ring or some indies, usually you only get like the 36th fps clone and 92th ubisoft like open world game from the media. I also think that people can underestimate non AAA games, I don't know if it is because of shovelware titles from the past, or maybe people buy games randomly and get shitty games (surprise!), but I always see a lot of complaining about indies quality specially, and that makes them avoid games from lesser known teams. Anyways, my point is that people end up only looking for the hyped (and also samey) games, while also avoiding the share of gaming that could really give them a interesting new experience. This, combined with some lackluster releases from high profile games, can give someone the "videogames not fun" impression even if that is not really the case for them, if they just looked a little further.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh yes there is still a wealth of games coming out worth playing with quality gameplay, like I covered in my last top 10 video. However, what I think is interesting to consider is that for some gamers, who are feeling burned out, these games are actually not that interesting to them because they are not looking for dense challenging games. They are looking for that real tasty morphine drip of moderately challenging games that slowly build over a long period of time. And problem with that area of gaming is that all of these types of games have become so similar to one another that the variety between titles has diminished.

[@ThePallidor]

You're touching on a much larger problem in society: people expect to have reliable information served to them on a silver platter. We saw it in the whole "covid" farce, "global warming," endless political BS, and we see it in gaming, too: people just expect that the main media sites, TV, and social media are going to serve them the correct and useful information or at least not greatly mislead them. But what lever of power would ever go unexplained?

[@ThePallidor]

*unexploited (damn autocorrect)

[@nicklong27]

Mark, I know how you feel about super easy mode but let me tell you why it is useful. I am 43 years old. I have been gaming for 38 years. I love shmups but I am terrible at them. My reaction times are slowing as I'm getting older and those pesky bullets are harder to see now I need glasses. I'm not gonna get better at shmups anytime soon, only worse. I want to keep playing shmups and super easy modes help me do that.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I do get that but I think you underestimate yourself. The problem with super easy mode, as opposed to a solid novice mode (which I am more inclined to recommend) is that the super easy mode doesn't give you the tools to push into the regular arcade mode, wheareas a really solid novice mode live in Gunvein or CCWE can do that. The way shmups work, in my expereince, is that you get absolutely owned by them at first, but in that experience you start to wire in those failures more directly rather than a very gradual ease in method. I think even a guy in his sixites can absolutely pick up the genre and get into the arcade modes. So I would say in your case try out the arcade mode for a few weeks, knowing you will get smacked around. But in that process of getting smacked around you will actually learn much more quickly and I do think the genre will start to click together :-)

[@rcpaskus83]

Mark, how old are you? I think YOU underestimate aging.

[@RyutaaKuzunoha]

Terrible take, you have 40+ years old japanese salarymen and fathers who are still grinding Super Turbo after all these years at the highest level. You aren't to a point where your skills would take a sharp dive. I think you just are unhealthy.

[@MrSerpico145]

I can never stoop to easy settings. It always feels like cheaping out even if the game is too much for me and I have to move on.

[@sibbyeskie]

Not to dump on you older chaps, but I’m almost 45 and my reaction time is more than adequate. 1CC’s are not an issue. Stamina and time available, yes those are issues. But you can train your reaction time to be functionally as good as ever. You can still build muscle and do difficult problem solving. I’m not special and I don’t have to perform as an Olympic athlete here. You’re giving up. By the way I got into shmups at 35 and sucked for 1 year straight, then got a lag less setup and realized I didn’t quite suck as much as I thought. Small ego boost and I was off to the races. Don’t give up dudes, it’s mostly BS, I assure you!

[@Mingodough]

Very fair critique. I like how you blamed the player rather than the game as many people usually do. It’s definitely being normalized to be doing things that weren’t healthy or done excessively back then. Like how bingeing a show is now normalize or how spending excessive amounts on a collection of whatever is accepted and some places encouraged. It’s not to say we’re solely to blame but it is our fault too, can’t be logged up inside all day, I need to bike at least once a week for about half an hour, preferably an hour

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah mingo I think that's an important point because a lot of people will say its devs fault, its companies fault (which it is to some degree) but also consumer habits talk. So if players are all responding to these massive plodding bloat fest games, and that is what they are buying, then of course that is what devs are going to make.

[@meldrickedwards1892]

That second, and third sentence are quite a stretch.

[@perry4564]

Thank you for telling us about howlongtobeat. I need this to avoid padded out games.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yes ironically a fantastic site, but for the opposite reason most people use it lol

[@Hiromu656]

Totally agree with you on this. I think a lot more gamers need to evaluate WHY they're playing games, like you said. I think it's officially gotten to the point where the majority of gamers only play games as a cure to boredom and really nothing else. So the idea of being challenged or engaged simply doesn't compute. That mindset will of course lead to major changes in the industry regardless of what kind of gamer you are. I can still find games to play, and I doubt that will ever change, but most games I look at are clearly not made to get anything out of you but your time (or money). And when you don't value your time, they'll gladly take it from you and you'll convince yourself the "addiction" is a sign of quality.

[@jonnytenebrous1113]

Wow, I've thought about this topic quite a bit - it's something that comes up in conversation with gamer friends too. I think you've hit the nail on the head here. This is a prime example of "homeostasis" in action. When we integrate these slow-burn games into our lifestyle, our brain chemistry will account for their presence, and actively work to neutralise our response to them. The excitement becomes ever more difficult to sustain, until it caps out completely. The trouble for me, in particular, is that I've also thoroughly mined out the depths of my nostalgia for classic gaming, so I'm always on the hunt for short bursts of high-excitement, high-focus contemporary games. Or, you know, just finding other activities to enjoy.

[@pastluck]

Hit the nail on the head yet again. I wish the mainstream rhetoric around arcade genres would change. Reviewers and the masses at large tend to consider games like beat em ups and shmups as “simple,” “mindless,” “breezy,” and for the most part “arcadey” has become a stand-in for these kind of descriptors. Little do people know, good arcade games essentially start at the end game for games like Elden Ring. They’re dense, hard, and satisfying right off the bat without needing an 80 hour grind to get there. And yet, when a modern arcade game dares to challenge the player and asks the player to do something like get a 1cc, it’s criticized as being inaccessible, unreasonable, and off-putting even though no one would say that of something like a fromsoft game. In reality, asking players to wade through dozens of hours of game to reach the real meat of it is unreasonable and off-putting! Shmups have shown me that a masterpiece doesn’t need to have dozens of hours of unique content to be a masterpiece-it only needs 30 minutes of perfectly designed content that then takes dozens of hours to internalize, understand, and master.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yes and every time I think the mainstream critics are starting to make some progress, we get the final vendetta 1cc example where none of the critics defended the 1cc arcade mode requirement choice (I did, but I'm not mainstream). It's sort of a classic example of as much as players complain that they want the devs to "challenge" them and so forth, they really don't because they will bounce at the idea of a 1cc requirement. Especially since, all things considered, 1ccing final vendetta on normal is not that hard to do ha.

[@technicolormischief-maker5683]

People have been calling Fromsoft games “inaccessible, unreasonable, and off-putting” for years now…

[@Emarrel]

I totally spend too much time playing video games but old stuff is so accessible nowadays that if you genuinely can't find something to enjoy, that's on you. I've never gone out of my way to chase the FOTM that's being hyped up and just stick to the sort of things I know that will interest me, so this idea of "gaming getting worse" is pretty foreign to me. The new AAA drivel is designed to extract as much money as possible from you and/or disrespects your time (and intelligence)? Well, there's forty years of history you can fall back on and it's not like there isn't plenty of new stuff (usually from smaller developers) being released today that isn't good. To me, it seems like these kind of complaints come from people with a lack of perspective and a pretty shallow experience of a medium as a whole.

[@mcspiffy5843]

I agree. There's so much to explore with gaming in particular, and super great to try out new experiences. It's very easy to get tunnel vision on what's popular or worth our time based on public opinions, reviews or whatever. You do you and have fun. Games are made to have fun and escape for a while, not to take super seriously in a negative sense at least. Also breaks help immensely with general burnout too.

[@StarchyXD]

I appreciate that your videos are like a hard hit. Relatively short, novel, and interesting - Not a three hour "retrospective" that just glances over the surface facets of a game.

[@Newspeak.]

I'm in my 40's and have spent most of my life gaming in one way or another. When people say something like this I think it's always important to point out that there is still a lingering stigma around gaming even though it's gone very mainstream now. There is still this tendency for society to make you feel bad about focusing your free time on games. But honestly it's no different than the people who spend all their time outside of work watching TV or people who are really into being a sports fan. I think it's possible to carry anything too far hell even folks that are way into reading books can carry that too far but they are never accused of being drug addicts or ostracized for their hobby like gamers historically have been. Some of the darkest most toxic shit in my life revolved in some way around sports fandom as well. If something is consuming your life to the point where you are totally neglecting the people you care about thats one thing but also there is so much more then just playing the games involved with this hobby from conventions, to arcades, to playing friends online, to retro gaming and modding, or even talking about games on reddit or something like that. I just don't think that gaming is some how this special case thats inherently more toxic than other shit people get focused on.

[@nai3346]

The gaming community today is weird in that even a lot of people who enjoy games, mainly the more casual people who make up the bulk of consumers, often have a negative view of more hardcore fans, who were probably the main audience at one point. That's not even getting into the whole culture war that things have turned into over the past decade.

[@scienceandmatter8739]

This channel is underrated UnderAppreciated Shmuparch 7 yesterday installed and first time playing Ketsui, gareega & esprade. Thanks to this channel

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Thanks so much my dude!! I'm looking forward to playing more ketsui this year as well

[@aLe-be2fq]

@@TheElectricUnderground how is the finishing touches on Shmuparch 8 ?

[@randallk6812]

For me the one game I keep going back to again and again is Resident Evil 4. I feel like this game is masterclass when it comes to pacing and creating tension. I cant even count the amount of times i have replayed it. One of the things we have lost with modern gaming is well crafted intricate level design, instead what we get now is every game trying to be an open world sand box and im tired of it. Its rare for me to even finish a game these days.

[@alexcherrypicks]

Hi! I'm new to shmups in general (and your channel) and I already love both. I just picked up Crimzon Clover because of you, after a game called NeverAwake just re-ignited my interest in shmups / twin stick shooters. What drew me in immediately was how quickly these games could get me into a flow state, and then I can set them down and move along with my day. I literally play them while I have my morning coffee. As someone with a very wide interest in gaming and media, I'm really enjoying this particular ethos and look forward to playing more! Just wanted to say thank you and that your work is appreciated.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

That's awesome to hear! Yeah they reach out and grab very quickly, most other genres have a much slower burn to get things going - which can feel like wasted time to me.

[@pokepe12]

The best way to enjoy games is to fix your habits, i used to be in a depressive slump in the beggining of last year and even though I played some very good games (elden ring, ketsui deathtiny) during that period my experience with them is still tainted to this day because I was using them to ignore reality. Even if I had played the best game humanity will ever create in that time period I would have had fun, but after some time the feeling of emptiness would set in. Today I'm much better and I can fire up any game at all and have a better experience than what I had back then.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes, I hope that point came across in the video. The line between playing games for enjoyment and fun and playing games to avoid problems and feelings that you should be mindful of is pretty thin, so it's always good to identify what's motivating your play time. I think feeling burned out on games is a pretty good sign something is going on.

[@ScottX68000]

Regarding video game difficulty i'm currently playing through Dark Souls for the first time and the difficulty is one of the main reasons the game is so good! If it was easy there would be no sense of accomplishment when beating tough enemies or bosses, the challenge is a feature that is really critical to the experience.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Could not agree more and the fact that the game forces you to play at a higher than usual difficulty is an important artistic choice I think, it s one of the elements that makes the game stand out

[@truxardus4331]

While Dark Souls isn't an "easy" game, I don't think it is the difficulty that gives it that incredibly oppressive game feel. Instead it is the punishment you receive for dying and the risk vs. reward system for keeping souls (and even humanity if you play a Chaos build). Later Souls games have even harder bosses, but they shower you with bonfires and it really loses what makes Demons' and Dark Souls 1 so special.

[@HideAndRead]

Walking through the mist into a new area is a great feeling.

[@tournaline3448]

Spot on critique as always. Games have just become passive entertainment sadly. It’s become very business focused with ever higher production costs, recouping costs means never drifting too far from what the mainstream wants. Damn I miss Treasure more than ever, haha.

[@lite0wl]

Cool video and I love your points on it. I actually use howlongtobeat in the opposite way. If i'm on the fence about whether I want to get a game or not, and I look at the length on there and it's like 40 hours i'm like "oh well not getting that" but if it's like 15 i'm like "yah i'll try it". Maybe it's just pattern seeking brain at work but it feels like there is a small upsurge in more traditional gameplay dense 3D mid to high budget action games coming out. Evil West, Gungrave, Wanted: Dead, etc.

[@tonberrymasta]

This is a brilliant video! It is true that repetition dilutes the physiological feel of excitement, and with modern game design being so similar from game to game, it is very easy to end up getting bored if you don't mix it up and do a variety of things with your time. Interestingly enough, this was also the problem with the shooter genre back in the late 80s and 90s; the market was way over saturated with similar looking and playing games. I think in the end, what is really needed are fresh new concepts and ideas to keep the games feeing fresh, otherwise the entire hobby becomes a "been there, done that" situation. I think with game development becoming so big and expensive the market is very light on innovation because there is now so much more risk than there was to make a new type of game in the 80s and 90s that may or may not be a hit.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah the saturation is a nasty feedback loop, which i hope my video sort of outlined (sometimes it's hard to tell how clear I am being with some of these abstract ideas). Where players crave the same steady stream of low-impact content. Developers supply that stream. Players become habituated to it, and so to get their lift they need more and more, which the devs are only too happy to supply. This is how you get these insane releases like GTA 5 where the game has not stopped putting out content for a decade, but none of the content is at all meaningful. It's insane and a huge opportunity cost for everyone.

[@GojiGuy]

Great video. Definitely agree. There were also economic factors that determined why old games were "dense" and "challenging" (i.e. how many quarters can a machine get per hour, how many times can we get a kid to rent this game without beating it, etc) but the player element is certainly a huge part. I still absolutely despise websites like HLTB and the idea that length=value.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah How Long To Beat is so dumb, but it is a useful symptom of the larger problem, so I kind of like it for that reason.

[@greymatter77]

There where plenty of difficult console games before renting really took off and that doesn't explain pc games, that people couldn't rent. There are clearly signs of deliberate artificial difficulty spikes, but that was to get people to buy, not re-rent games. Sega and Virgin come to mind, when it comes to games being easy for 85% of a game only to have an absolute crazy difficulty spike at the end or some deliberately obtuse and confusing objective/criteria near the end. I believe a higher up at Sega actually talked about making arcade games that couldn't be beaten/nearly impossible and something similar was referenced in "The Wizard", though for the Genesis not arcades. And of course there's this non-sense: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp7RXmevbb6li5Y

[@then1533]

Fascinating topic and interesting to read all the different perspectives in the comments. For what it's worth I'm not sure that getting older means an inevitable decline in playing ability as long as rheumatism etc doesn't set in! Garry Kasparov was once asked if age was a factor in decreasing playing ability,to which he replied - no, its work or practice that keeps a player good- age was irrelevant. looking at another discipline that relies heavily on mental and hand reflexes, many musicians are technically at their best, or at least not any worse , in their old age.I think hopefully there's many years of enjoying shmups etc for all of us at our own(in my case happily average)level without age related frustration setting in.

[@LouisBee]

How Long to Beat has been a blessing and a curse since, as much as having lengthy experiences are cool and all, I need to be really hooked on a game if it wants me to put anything more than 30 hours into it. I don't have the freetime now as a grown adult that I did when I was a teenager. I can't be playing 100+ hour JRPGs on a whim. It shouldn't be a big ask to request developers hone in on making really tight 10-30 hour games and call it a day.

[@FFTHundoCommunity]

Most video games are not fun, going by statistics, but the difference is the quantity being pumped out is increasing each year. We've gotta sift through taller piles of trash today than we did in the '90s and early 2000s, and it's changing our perception of the industry in a negative way. It's a percentage game. I'm still finding enjoyable games here and there each year, but I've gotta wade through waist-high puddles of crap to get to them. In about 10 years, I'm gonna say forget it, I'm tired of swimming through sewage, and instead just stick with the classics.

[@mrgtmodernretrogamingtech6891]

What I hate about most AAA Modern Games is it treats you like an idiot in doing an hour long tutorial about "press this", "do that", "tap this", "follow that", "deliver this", "collect that" and so many unnecessary dumb things that can be learn in minutes or by pressing a simple button.

[@JogosMofados]

Awesome, many valid points there. I like the way you brought in the reward mechanism in games and how the market shifted to focus on length over challenge. As most adults with a life outside of gaming (job, family, friends) I can play a limited amount of time. And guess what, How Long to Beat is my tool of choice to select my next game. Anything above 30 hours of gameplay is often sidetracked by a game that can be beaten in around 10-15 hours, so I can experience multiple games, instead of spending one year playing a single game (I'm looking at your Persona, love the series, but it's too damn long). I had one funny discussion about the PS4 Spiderman game with someone much younger than me. The guy complained it took him "only" 60 hours to platinum the game. Heck, 60 hours for me is all my gameplay time for two to three months, so definitely the lifestyle being pushed out is not realistic for many people.

[@dart7957]

You are absolutely right! everything you said I came to the conclusion a few years ago, I used video game as escapism from depression since my childhood, but decided to stay without video game for almost 5 years, recently bought a nintendo switch and I'm loving my time with it But the burn out is real even with so many years away from the media, sometimes I feel a huge emptiness playing things I'm supposed to like, I try to balance it with other hobbies and playing games of different genres, but sometimes it's necessary to have a brake, I usually stay 1 or 2 months without playing anything until I feel better this exacerbated longevity of games nowadays has not done anyone any good (this coming from a huge RPG fan) with exceptions, this type of game has been the one that causes me the most burn out I still love video games and shmups have been a great find to keep me in the media

[@magicjohnson3121]

Yeah you need to take a break sometimes

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah I've been there myself as well dart. One year when I was having a hard time I played metal gear solid 3 over and over for months ha. I beat the game like 10 times or something. Games have an effect on the mind that can be a good thing (a nice fun boost or social activity) but can also be used as a way to avoid other thoughts and tasks that maybe your mind does need to deal with rather than suppress.

[@therealfodder]

I think part of the problem is perceived value. Big, padded out games sell and basically tend to be an experience/story rather than gameplay focused. It 'feels' like your getting something substantial for your money. A couple of days ago I picked up Cotton Reboot on sale on Steam for £12.99 (around $15). I still winced at the price and there way no way in hell I would have ever paid full price for it (£31.99). The thing is those challenging 20 minute sessions all add up. I know I'll get much more play time (hence value) out of it than any God of War or its like.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yeah pix this is a really interesting question because I think we all view games like this. I can't see myself paying full price for a lot of shmup releases except the shottrigger ports. I think what seperates the shottrigger ports is that they are 1: extremely high quality ports of classics of the genre, and 2: there is a ton of extras and features that other devs don't typically have. So when it comes to arcade games, i do think it is possible to justify a full price, but that requires a very very robust package full of extras and new modes and stuff like that. I do think production value factors in as well and I think that's probably why we all are willing to pay higher for AAA games. Because even if the gameplay experience is meh, the production value justifies the price tag. I'd love to see shmups and arcade games coming out with really high end graphics and stuff.

[@roleplayingpain4349]

I'm making this comment before I even watch a millisecond of this vid for context. I figured I'd chime in nice and early though because this topic is very dear to me atm. I'm 43 and basically hate all gaming except the sorts of genres that seem to appeal to you as well. Stuff like shmups, run and guns, beat em ups, maybe a bit of pinball and pure arcade machine stuff. Maybe alot of it is my age and 'maturing' past video games but I really don't feel that as much as I feel that gaming just isnt gaming anymore - it's a pseudo-reality. It's an alternate life. I have realized I am not at all interested in an alternate life and am really biding my time so I don't spend all the minutes of my real life in a fake life. When I was a kid video games were, for the most part, still games. You could fire them up for a few minutes, have a blast and relieve some stress and then turn it off and not think about them until the next urge. Nowadays so many games are designed to take all of your free time to be able to 'compete' and 'competing' to so many gamers is a main root to the enjoyment. And then you cant even spend all your time - they want your money too. I have to bite my tongue to not sound like a mad recovering gamer like a recovering alcoholic because I have to be mindful of the company I keep in channels like these specialty gaming channels. Some fans are ravenous and don't want to hear no game-as-a-hobby-bashing. But before I start to do just that I will end this comment here ;p tldr: gaming is not fun anymore because games are not games - they are pseudo life

[@DjDizzy216]

I was thinking this same thing after seeing this topic come up a lot. It’s like drug tolerance, the dopamine hit gets smaller and smaller. Now where’s my crackpipe…

[@TheElectricUnderground]

exactly DJ, so to keep the feeling fresh you want to have other sources of stimulation and try not to get sucked into the modern endless gameplay loop. Arcade hit and quit is the way to go lol.

[@rallyrobx7604]

The problem with gaming is people take it too seriously. I love shmups, RPGs, fps, strategy, racing Sims, space games....they get boring if I no life them. I go through periods of gaming like crazy and then not touching them for months. And they are a waste of time. But so is just about everything we do.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I think the meaning of gaming is connected to difficulty. I think a game creating a challenge + a goal is what is specifically meaningful to the medium. You are battling against a system of rules created by another person, which is very interesting and i think can be meaningful, especially when combined in a social setting. But today's games are so permissive and diluted that you don't get the challenge or even the goal, it's just an endless treadmill of passive entertainment.

[@dedecoVGMDJ]

Whats the song playing in the credits?

[@ps3inquisition441]

I can see what you’re saying. As an older person with responsibilities I don’t have all the time in the world to play 100 hour games anymore. If I have a half hour to myself I’ll probably fire up Dodonpachi or Golden Axe on the MiSTer. There are certain new releases that I’ll definitely play though, but I really need to be engrossed in the story to put that kind of time into them.

[@magicjohnson3121]

If you need to enjoy the story to be engrossed in them just watch it on KZbin

[@TheElectricUnderground]

exactly ps3, Elden ring is a good example. I had a lot of fun with the game and it is one of the few mainstream releases I have enjoyed, but the sheer volume of the game is basically impossible to get through with my schedule. Elden ring abridged please lol. And in the past a game like elden ring would be like 3-4 hours, now it's over a dozen just to get cooking.

[@ps3inquisition441]

@@magicjohnson3121 yeah no

[@magicjohnson3121]

Same experience and saves you money

[@technicolormischief-maker5683]

​@@magicjohnson3121 If a super-easy mode is a different experience, how is just watching it on KZbin not a different experience?

[@RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS77]

I agree with the points you're making; I've bounced off a lot of games when I started to feel like it's just guiding you by the hand... makes it feel too obvious that it's just designed to churn through your time. But another aspect, I think, is the never-ending carousel of new releases just gets overwhelming, especially when none of the games are quick to play through anymore. Trying to keep up with the zeitgeist of gaming is just not feasible for me and I'd guess a lot of other players... and even if it were these games tend to be kind of boring. When people talk about how many AAA games they're playing, and then on top of that all the Netflix shows they're watching and everything it's like, how do they have time for anything else at all?

[@gwinbeer]

Great topic. I want to highlight something about the rat lever experiment: 1) it should be dopamine rather than serotonin (you mentioned twice here). 2) In your research at 1:06, the unhighlighted text specifically states that Dr. Bruce Alexander hypothesized that with the rat lever studies before him, the rats were alone in a small cage instead of a large area. So he built "Rat Park," a much larger space with 16-20 rats together. The rats, in turn, behaved differently. We heard of what solitary confinement can do to a person. Likewise, the success in AA highly depends on a change in social factors (The Harvard Gazette, "What makes AA work?"). 3) So that means, the issue is not video games per se, but environment also matters. Are you playing the video games alone? In the Internet age, this is pretty much a rhetorical question (yes). 4) That would also mean, your behavior in your attempts to 1cc Esp.Ra.De (i.e. "empty, bored, burned out" - maybe) may be different if you play with a group of like-minded people interacting with you, physically if preferred. Why not give it a try?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yeah on the nuero-chemicals and rat stuff, I promise I'm not trying to be sneaky but I meant most that stuff in a literary sense as an analogy, rather than like I'm giving an exact breakdown of all the neurology involved. I recalled all the rat experiment stuff from psych classes in college and yeah when i was backtracking through abstracts for the video of course there's like a pile of all these rat studies arguing with eachother lol. So don't take the rat analogy too seriously as i don't believe that games are actually chemically addictive like cocaine, it's more just a useful analogy. So what I'm getting at is that gaming in isolation in place of other reward systems is naturally going to lead to more burnout, as opposed to gaming selectively as an addition to your life is going to be more healthy. So that vaguely lines up with the rat park analogy, but again don't take the psychology aspect of it too seriously.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

Great perspective. For me it helps to have short term and long term goals with gaming. Things I want to complete. That keeps it fresh for me. In my case I mostly focus on high volume completions. Building the KILL LIST (games beaten list). Hitting that minimum of 25 games a month keeps the hunt interesting. Since I need super short games and some easy games to hit those numbers, it means Im playing everything from very old to modern games. Also enjoy extreme difficulty modes and some very hard old games, but having goals like that keeps it fresh. To avoid burnout I switch to another game as my form of a break. Sometimes a game gets repetitive or irritating so I switch it up. Leads to hundreds of unfinished backlog games but theres always alot of shit to jump around to.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Short terms goals are great! I do the same thing. For example this year my short term goal is to complete the ketsui omote. Because of this goal, when I sit down to play shmups I have a purpose and something to reach for, rather than just ticking away time. The goal and the challenge are what create meaning.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

@@TheElectricUnderground Exactly my thought process. I need goals with anything to keep any kind of engagement. Even if I have to make my own strange goals, it keeps the fire burning for me. I can say that with more experience gameplay really is KING for me. Like you said about gameplay dense games. Nothing really impresses anymore, so tastes change. Always loved great gameplay though.

[@niche2k4]

im 43 years old now and the last few years i recognize that i lost more and more the fun to playing games but i didnt knowed why. Now i know it.. i was thinking about a few weeks ago.. what is the problem.. i found it.. The reason for it was that the games dont challenge me and if a game challenged me i was not in the right mindset to realize what i have to do. Now i understand that if i get beaten by a enemy thats ok because i have to learn by this way. Trying things out and find the weak point.. its not a lose any more it is the way to get better. After that, the feeling if you beat the enemy or you get further into some games then before.. the feeling is more satisfying. Some of the videos on this channel helped me to get a better mindset for this. (and sorry for my bad english, its not my native language)

[@danielhuelsman76]

This has me wondering if this morphine drip style of gameplay is reflective of the times, like I've heard of similar vibes being detected when (I think it was) Andrew Schulz commenting on how back then the popular drugs were like cocaine and alcohol that reflected the mood of "I'm having a fun time and I want even more fun", meanwhile today's popular drugs are painkillers, weed, and hallucinogens which are about coping with or disconnecting with reality.

[@jonathanlisowski5618]

Damn!? You really nailed why I don't play or get into modern games much & prefer older arcade titles. I want that instant rush of let's get into the action, not that long, slow burn with these 10+ minute intros. Great analysis!

[@qwwamp347]

Have u ever played metal gear solids?

[@EspritFidget]

I feel like games try to reward the players with everything else but gameplay. I like shmups, I like Doom, I like Tetris, I like mario games, because it gives me an immediate good feel of movement, speed, power, that the game will allow me to explorate. It's raw. It's pure. It's profound. A 10min session of those will be meaningful. Developpers are very few to go that direction.

[@technicolormischief-maker5683]

Once again, I suspect that that preference for a slower pace is part of why Touhou is among the more popular shmups. That series cuts an interesting middle ground between the frenetic pace of arcade shmups and the more relaxed pace that a lot of players prefer nowadays, not to mention that they are generally much easier than a lot of shmups. I think a lot of people go into these games without understanding how fast and dense they are, and in their surprise and shock register that unfamiliar feeling as stress rather than exhilaration. Instead of putting the focus on difficulty modes of varying intensity, maybe shmups that want wider appeal should put their focus on different modes that vary in intensity of pacing. Stage select and other such options provide other, better ways of making these games easier and more digestible for newcomers, while also not requiring any extra design work and conforming more readily to what modern gamers actually want. Not to mention how increasingly practice options are viewed as necessities.

[@cptwigglefuffle]

It's such a coincidence that you made a video about this after I made tweets being annoyed at KZbin constantly recommending me these types of videos I agree, I feel that yeah the games they play might actually be trash, but maybe it's actually the player. What are they getting out of the games they play and what kind of high are they chasing? After seeing your video Mark, I might wanna make my own response too Great video as always

[@cptwigglefuffle]

Not trying to self promote but I wanted to say I finally followed up and made my video about this topic too. Have a great day Mark

[@Diego-ih8kv]

Best analysis I have listen so far...I have 47 and I need thing that really strikes me now, no more patience for XP farming and NPC talks... :) Thanks for your videos bro!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed the vid Diego!

[@ratomiq]

On point. Lately I've been very busy with work, studies and my 1 year old son, so I have very limited time for gaming (an hour tops). So playing shmups or arcade games give me my daily fill. I can't imagine myself going through hours of story with little interaction or minmaxing stats.

[@chokdeegame4677]

Interesting video and complicated topic, thank you! With the age, as you said, we have less time to play, more responsabilities and we played a lot of games. I see that a lot of people like retrogaming, and when I played old games, the fun is that you start the game, you play and you have fun. I like this kind of games and also AAA games with some new ideas and as a new game dev, I intend to create original and games with fun, my first game Jash will be soon on Steam!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah I think as we get older we naturally also get more interested in analyzing what makes the games tick, rather than playing them purely for entertainment.

[@JoshCzoski]

What I don't understand is, why isn't gaming being compared to doing things like reading novels, going to movies, plays, concerts, etc.? And why isn't it compared with hobbies like sports, hunting, etc.? Because all that video games really are is a combination of those two things put together. I mean something like Tetris has a barebones presentation to be sure, but beyond something like that, it's just art combined with a hobby. I cannot see the justification of treating it like it's some freakishly aberrant invention that can only be likened to a drug addiction (something I've heard a lot). I'm certainly with you on this insane and objectively unhealthy obsession with games being LONG. One of the reasons why is because of the "too many cooks spoil the soup" effect. I mean they have all these people all over the place creating content to stuff into a game and there's no way they could all have a like mind for a single vision, or even one person making something that huge would have a practically impossible time making it genuinely cohesive. The whole idea of replaying a game, and actually to get better at it, is pretty much gone.

[@magicjohnson3121]

“What I don't understand is, why isn't gaming being compared to doing things like reading novels, going to movies, plays, concerts, etc.?” Because you play them and they’re interactive ( if you play Sony games that might be hard to believe) Also more addictive. Just play an MMO. I mean people were getting divorced over world of craft. Why not sport? Because it’s a lot more physically demanding. You can be some obese unhealthy dude and be good at video games. Try winning the soccer World Cup with a bunch of obese dudes. Video games are their own thing. You have to be delusional to think it’s equivalent to every other hobby.

[@zhukov2116]

Good video. I agree with you! I can't deny I sometimes play a slow, relaxing game every now and again, and I do play less games now than I used to, but the challenge of a fighting game or a shmup is just too much of a great hit.

[@pauljw9868]

Another great video and some great points. By the way, what's the music track playing at the end when you thank your patrons?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Carnage Heart OST -The Melody of Iron Static Pressure Zeus Carnage Heart Second (1998)

[@TheDiamondSea]

I think you're right on all of this, but I'm surprised you never mentioned what I think might be the most obvious reason: getting older. Playing Spyro the Dragon when I was 8 was exhilarating and kind of scary. Now there's only a few games that make me feel that way because I'm in my 30s lol. If you've played a lot of different kinds of games you're probably not going to be surprised by anything in them, usually. It's the same with anything as you get older - music, movies, etc. Childhood is over!

[@nautilus2612]

Videogames are a lot more fun as an adult. As a child I was able to understand 1% of a game's themes and mechanics, but now that I'm in my late 20s I can delve deep into them and be truly be immersed in the setting and achieve higher levels of gameplay. It's such a waste that I was still a child when arcades were common, I would have enjoyed them so much more if their time was today.

[@TheDiamondSea]

@@nautilus2612 I kind of agree with you. I definitely understand games better now. But it's a very different feeling from when I was a kid. Maybe BECAUSE you don't understand them as a kid there's this feeling of nervous excitement. I wonder if that's part of the reason for these "games aren't fun anymore" takes -- they're just remembering when it felt new instead of something that became a hobby.

[@SuperSteaman]

Hahaha, I love your perspective! 😃 Honest and funny. It explains a lot why you love shmups so much. I'm in a similar boat as you. :)

[@Leoo117]

I realized as a kid that I absolutely enjoy a challenge. I like to master the game, be stylish in it, and still have a very tough challenge after I developed the skill. I also like games with tons of stuff going on that I have to keep track of, and have to control at once. I want to max out my mind power and dexterity and coordination. I realized it really is basically a high that I'm getting as if it were a drug. I also get an emotional fix like sadness, crying, being hyped up, or being amazed by something epic and surprising. I get all of that from a good story. For me personally, I realized that overall, that games are indeed empty and have no real meaning. It's a temporary and empty fulfillment, and not a true fulfillment. You basically mentioned that. This is the only reason video games lose their luster for me. Basically, I grew up. I'm in my 30s now, and I can still be just as skilled and sharp with games. The new games today still manage to give me the same type of emotional highs, challenges and some are intricate enough for the skill development that I like. It's just that now, I'm a grown up. I realized that if I want a fulfilling and happy life as a man, I need to understand that video games are ultimately for children and teenagers and the time I put into them must come after literally everything else. Which means they get very little time. Only young people that haven't grown up yet should be the ones truly indulging in games. Even with them, there must be limits. I still play them and enjoy them, but I figure I'll put many hours into them again when I'm an old man with almost no responsibilities lol. Maybe not even then, but I'm much more content and happy now that I put the more important things first.

[@metaldiceman]

Fascinating topic and analysis. There's one point you made in a split moment and didn't talk about again, but is actually a pretty large topic. That's about the players who refused to try to adapt to the 1 credit deal in the game, and pressured the developer until they caved and made the game more accessible. You can say what you will about players conditioned towards long, drawn out experiences causing eventual numbness. At least that is a social experiment of cause/effect/observation. Experiments can be undone or remedied to some degree once you realize you're under one. But the unwillingness to try something new. That is a deep characteristic trait that is established early in life and rarely if ever goes away for the remainder of one's lifetime. And it is truly a tragic thing to have that trait. It heavily detriments one's life in every aspect, not just games. I'm no flawless being, but I know what refusal and throwing up the stop sign to new experiences feels like, and it's not good, for either the party refusing or the party being rejected. Saying yes to new experiences is a core aspect of growth, which is hobbled critically when that opportunity is denied by oneself.

[@Tomorer]

Doing the Batrider boss-run with Cotton on Shmuparch using an afterglow with L1/load-R1/save is a good hit!

[@Nintendofanboy101-yk8ro]

good video. Another thing to add is that playing different genres of games can also help stimulate your brain better. In my experience, I played all different kinds of games growing up. My favorites were platformers, racing, fighting, and rpg's. Now at days, I still play those types of games but now I'm really getting into hack and slashes like ninja gaiden and shoot em ups. Also, most gamers I see are actually very socially outgoing. People say I'm socially outgoing so I really think that the whole social inept story is nothing more than a small stereo type. Yes I would try and take a girl/boy who plays video games as my date because it's my special interest. Now don't get me wrong, I do other things and when I do play video games which is pretty much every day, I usually only play like an hour or 2 at a time unless it's something like a really addicting rpg. Like I can't for the life of me play for more than 4 hours straight. It tires me out. Video games as just as much of a waste of time as listening to music. It's just noise but beautiful noise. Lastly for me I like both long and short games and I am a retro gamer at heart. I miss the days where the memory was all on the cartridge. I didn't mind disks though but the whole release fix it later approach is just bad. If there are going to be patches, just pretend that there are no patches so you can make the best game ever. My first video game ever was pacman at 2 to 4 years old. It was fun but I wasn't really into video games until I was 6 years old when I played Super Mario Bros on the NES.

[@LincolnBerryIII]

Thank you so much for this analysis! You perfectly explained the reason I've decided to develop the game I've been working on. Something with cruel and vicious arcade-style density.

[@Tchiko.]

It’s an endless work to try to respond at this question imo, but thank you for your point of view, as always. Personally I only play what is designed to connect with my CRT, bye bye world.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yeah cannot go wrong with arcade releases that is for sure. There is some cool newer stuff that still comes out, but they tend to be smaller releases that sneak under the radar.

[@eponymous3784]

Touting a game's runtime as a selling point is counter-intuitive. Fundamentally, the time we put into something is an investment that we want to see a return on. Generally, the longer it takes, the more "worth it" the experience can be expected to be. If a 10-hour game and a 15-hour game have the same substance, just one is padded more, you're literally wasting 5 hours of your life every time you play the longer game. When you compare 30-minute arcade titles to 100-hour empty open worlds with nothing but AI-generated filler content, I don't see why anyone would ever want to play something that has such a blatant disrespect for their time.

[@kyokusagani8869]

The vast majority of games coming out this year don't appeal to me, but Inticreates and Kogi Igarashi are gonna smash it with Curse of the Moon 3 coming out this February. If gaming isn't fun anymore, you're doing something wrong with your gaming habits like this video describes. Excellent video Mark!

[@lazorsbear7068]

Iga is doing a 3rd curse of the moon? I thought they were going to make ritual of the night 2

[@kyokusagani8869]

@@lazorsbear7068 inticreates is. It's called Grim Guardians demon purge. It doesn't have the same characters or license, but the gameplay is pretty much curse of the moon 3. I can't wait for bazooka babe blowup.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Thank you very much Kyo! Yeah there's a few games in the mainstream I am looking forward too this year, tentatively. but the most part I just have to rely on indie arcade games for that sweet good gameplay ha.

[@kirkcavenaugh758]

tactics ogre reborn.

[@aureateseigneur5317]

@@kyokusagani8869 Grim Guardians is a Galgun Spinoff and has nothing to do with Curse of the Moon.

[@MrDirkles]

ive been gaming since the later 70's and like yourself i want games to make me feel under pressure and that i could die at any minute. I remember watching an interview with Eugene Jarvis and he said that free roaming games are games where the designer developed some cool software but couldn't think of a decent game that would use this technology so left it for the player to decide. For me this sums up modern gaming, a slow motion bore fest of running from point A to point B to collect X and take it to point Y all interrupted with unzippable cut scenes. The last decent modern game was Nex Machina though this was such a disaster the developer (Housemarque) stopped producing arcade type games. However, i loved it and even 5 years after its release, watching the launch trailer still gives me goose bumps.

[@flyingfly6744]

You're totaly right on your video regarding the dependence aspect. And as an extrem example, I would like to mention the subject of MMOs that could be regarded as the Fenatyl of video games. How many time have I encountered ex MMO players that says they lost years and years of their life due to this kind of game addiction. And now, those gamers stay away from this type of game. The prefix "too" in "too much video game" is what is important. TOO much of something, being extrem, doing something extrem, meaning beyond a limit, definitely becomes unbearable or unsustable for your mind and body. On the other hand, I do belive that video game has some pros for your mind and your body. Studies have shown that it can work on your heart rhythms and relieve stress. It can inspire to be more persistent. It helps your brain to train on spreed reaction, maintain your reflexes... It is about the correct life style balance. Everything is about beeing structured and having time for all aspect of your life: family, job, friends, sport and video game.... Regarding your point on "old game short and dense vs new games long and bloat", I do not 100% agree with you. It is true that regarding the current AAA games they fit into your categorisation. However, indies games do not tend to be 100hrs for example. But my main point of disagrement is more related to old video games. I believe that some old games were very long and bloated too. When you take into account old standards and old technology of the past. For example Zelda 1 and 2, Metroid, Kid Icarus for NES. Your example are more related to arcade types of games which were very dense and short, because developpers were chasing after coins, not because it was taken "as an extra activity". I think it is more related to where you used to consume video games and on which port: arcade or console. Console games had to give you an experience of a journey because you play at home. Keep the good work ! Regards

[@censoredterminalautism4073]

Very good points. I get bored a lot more easily than I used to, so the games that people play now really don't appeal to me, they're just not intense enough to be worth doing over rambling to people about random stuff, or reading random things. I need something to be doing at all times in a game, to not be bored, just like I need something to be doing at all times in real life. Walking around doing nothing in a game is not preferable to doing that in real life. At least in real life, that releases some stress and some extra energy, and I end up thinking as I do it and having ideas. Existing within a fictional setting is not enough, and stories in games don't interest me that much because I can get that from an anime or manga or a book (or even a visual novel, which is kind of a game, but a type of game specifically made to deliver branching story lines). Even if it's just screwing around in a longer game, unless there's some crazy stuff I can do (like some glitches and exploits, or making really crazy builds), I'll just play it once and then get bored. I need a goal or a challenge, and shorter and denser games generally give me more for my time.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah if you are into other forms of story telling like film, anime, books, manga, etc, then it becomes pretty clear how slow and plodding games are when it comes to conveying a story ha. I don't have 100+ to devote to a story that could be fit easily into 4 hours.

[@diwajerebation4077]

whats the source of the outro footage?

[@nanashi384]

i was 19 when i realized that i was spending too much time playing video games. i still play them now but much less. i play stuff like 2005 RE4, metal slug, ninja gaiden, and bayo 1. and also games like professor layton, trace memory, and hotel dusk. these games are less time consuming, and for the latter group, you usually get the full experience from a single play through. hand helds, which are dead right now, can be good for this too aside from jrpgs and monster hunter. aside from burnout and more and more games not being designed well, i think the decay of the family and community is contributing to this burnout. i came from a broken and very abusive home and for the 15 years of my life, the only thing that i grew to enjoy were video games. and when i found other things that i started doing, i got ridiculed for it and not just from my family. these sorts of things can make people retreat to video games and make it a bad habit. after a lifetime of this they'll get burned out on video games eventually. i know a lot of people are dealing with rough upbringings and it's not like the world is going to be good to them when that's over, so that'll probably compound to going to video games for fun and comfort, and then the inevitable burn out.

[@Adamchevy]

Great Video, and I never really understood the Morphine drip. Now I know why I could not stand Breath of the Wild when it came out. Now I know why Super Meat Boy is my favorite game of all time.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes exactly, the pace is just mind numbing and awful

[@chillstep9673]

did you see the release of deathamiles l-ll in steam they say it has better slowdown accuracy?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yep!

[@benano_95]

Just leaving a comment to say I appreciate a lot the channel as a casual shmup hoping to go to the next level at some point. Regarding this peculiar video I would say I do share the point of the video (although I still tolerate games in the 5-10 hours range quite well). However the development felt a bit vague and confused. Your video on gameplay density felt more grounded to me while adressing a similar theme I feel. On this one I agreed with the point but couldnt felt anchored to the "games are not fun anymore" as if it was not really answering this title/problematic.

[@007MrYang]

The type of game I play really depends on how I'm feeling that day. Sometimes I want intense gameplay experiences, sometimes i want slow-paced experiences. This is why I usually cycle between a JRPG and a beat em up/ hack and slash game. That being said, I'm not sure I'm the target audience for this video, since I've never once thought that games stopped being fun.

[@meldrickedwards1892]

Well said.

[@personanonmaga5178]

one of those games that get you into the groove of things *real quick* (and in this case immediately) then maintains that pace till the end... is Doom 2016. always fun to return to.

[@sibbyeskie]

This was one of your funniest yet. Like housewife on speed! But yeah you should do a video on older dudes copping out and giving into the easy mode. It’s so depressing to know guys like me are just giving up. They don’t realize their boundaries are not that far from their 20s. Maybe you can’t lift 200lb anymore, but you could do 180lb easy with equal effort. And reaction might not be 14ms anymore but maybe like 18ms once you train. Differences in degrees sold by society as crippled at the knees. Excuse the bad rhyme, I know you get me!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video and humor! It's kind of a dark subject but I think a light touch helps topics like these. And yes I MUST MUST MUST do a vid on how getting older doesn't prevent you from being good at arcade games. i actually hear this quiet a bit but just look at some of these old japanese players -- still cranking out world class gameplay and they're pushing into their 50's just about.

[@skandashiva1805]

Great info. Got me thinking. Game design that I liked recently was Sifu.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah sifu does have nice dense level design, that's my favorite part of that game. I'm not a big fan of its combat design, but I do like it's level design.

[@svenkamog2232]

Got a ps5 a few months back and bought most of the top games. Needless to say I've gone back to playing games such as Huntdown, Ginga force and Natsuki chronicles. So much fun, balls to so called next gen gaming 😂 with one exception Street fighter 6 is awesome 👍

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yeah it's so hard to find modern games that just aren't clogged full of plodding boring filler, which I frankly cannot get through.

[@scottmichaelhedge5055]

There are new PS5 games such as Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart that absolutely provide that instant quality hit, and don't overstay their welcome.

[@ronnygranados2433]

great video, i agree with most of what you said. here's another thing even a veteran gamer can get jaded from gaming because of life's responsibilities, thats why some dont have the time to learn a game thus there's these hand holding/come back mechanics that have been made. thats why games also feel a little dumbed down nowadays which also causes balacing issues. but great video once again.

[@erhard1204]

"Shmups are the cocaine of the gaming genres" as you said it in one of your vids Electric and I absolutely agree with you. I'm having lots of fun with these games and recently started playing the arcade versions of DonPachi, DoDonPachi and Ketsui. I'm not saying that I'm doing well, but I'm practicing and enjoying them. I got into the genre 1 month ago and I think I'm going to stick with it. The shmup community is also helpful and amazing 😁.

[@zetablade7018]

Hit the nail on the head woth the game development side of things. Those seeking that casual kind of game with mass appeal now massively outnumber those that prefer more rewarding experiences. Those that stuck around gaming back when it would get you mistreated terribly and ostracized from society have been effectively left behind by the larger devs they supported for years, all so they could continue chasing trends. The indie scene is now where AAA devs have outsourced all of the industry's risk and trailblazing, then get to swoop in and capitalize on it with their own big budget take on the game.

[@Agamembar]

A friend of mine has been recently complaining about nothing grabbing him game wise and I think the modern design being all a bit samey and that slow drip feed you mention might be the cause as that is what he plays. I myself have found myself liking older designed games like JRPGs or shorter form indie title probably because they are not the new bloated style of game. Gaming hype bullet points strike again in that games need to be long or have a large map or this x number of systems to be considered worth the time or AA/AAA status and its just not making them better. Peoples are just tired of it and need a bigger hit when they could just give us better deeper and more interesting systems over huge maps or hyper realism.

[@type2red]

thank you so much for this video you really know your stuff love your channel… this video answered what i have been asking myself for years so thank you.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

What an awesome comment! I m glad the video connected with you :-)

[@kroooassant9899]

I am fine with video games and I have to say I like them a bit too much to be sane however since a few years now it is just impossible for movie to enjoy a movie, I can for TV shows but movies forget it after 5-15 minutes I am already watching the screen without watching it or really listening anything. It's weird that TV shows are still able to keep my attention though, but I don't watch them very often the last one I watched was the Expanse, I like science fiction stuff but it is really really rare to find a good sci fi movie like the first matrix or GATTACA.

[@notproductiveproductions3504]

As a part timer I have both time to spare AND the mind of an adult who’s been around the block. I’ve noticed the lost novelty when it comes to the fun of gaming is not what everyone thinks. Everyone thinks we need innovation when the real problem is people want to mistake “addictive” for “fun”. Notice how we went from “Elden Ring is something new and different” to “Elden Ring just merged the mechanical metas of past soulsborne and called it a day”. No matter how much you defend the genre it does the same thing predatory mobile games do which is banking on dopamine rushes (attacks made to look and feel satisfying, a message of encouragement at the end of every boss, over-accessibility in the strategy department)

[@krosigrim]

I've been playing games since before NES. Back in the day, you had a handful of games. You stuck with a game until you got bored, then go play outside or do something else. Now we got endless games... And now I often stare at the list, trying to figure out what to play. Fire a game up for 10 min then quit. I literally just did that with Dead Cells... before I watched this. And I love that game. The true answer is meta as everyone is different. But the best focus in said answer, is chasing that dragon. Do anything too much and it becomes empty. Meaningless. Not for good I don't think... just ad other things to do.

[@RL_Koi]

Wasn’t expecting such a well grounded opinion here. Very informative man, I believe it’s about moderation. Notifications on now!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I'm really happy to hear that RL!! These vids are fun when I can take people by surprise.

[@sonicmania9993]

I've been thinking a lot about this topic, because in fact the website and YT channel my friends and I are working on (not public yet) will often focus on reminders of what makes videogames fun -- which is of course different for different people. For most jaded gamers who say "videogames aren't fun anymore", I see a combination of factors: they often play only one or two genres of games, they are very passive about choosing what to play (whatever is from the big companies, is popular, gets high metacritic etc), they are disillusioned with the corporate side of gaming (which we get WAY too much information about these days), they play too many hours every single week and don't spend their free time engaging with other interests, getting outside, hanging out with non-gaming friends. It's all a recipe for disaster. I'm in my 50s, still game a lot and study the world of videogames a lot -- and am still not bored at all. Videogames are awesome! Variety is key -- both in games and in fun-time outside of games. I play old games and new games, I play 50-hour games and short bite-sized games (of almost every genre), I play with my kids, with friends, with randoms online, by myself. And then outside of videogames, I have all kinds of other interests and live as healthy a life as I can. Psychologically, people get their blinders on, and then they think there is only one way of living. That's one of the hallmarks of modern life, even though we have so many choices and so many resources to explore the other great things that we can find in life.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah these are all really great insights onto the reason players get burned out. I think another one is the lack of meaning in gaming these days. Where since mainstream games don't challenge the player and cause struggle, then mostly what the player is doing is either passively doodling mechanics or watching a very very drawn out tv series or film (in the game). For me challenge + goals is what creates meaning within the genre. If you don't have a goal, and you don't have challenge, it is hard to figure out where the appeal comes from -- unless you really are playing games as a choose your own adventure TV show.

[@InkfinityOkamix3]

I think I get more enjoyment out of arcade and retro-style games than the console open-world walking simulators.

[@jepettoNFT]

That's a fair reflexion; personally i like both philosophies of games (as long as i find them interesting of course), i love "God of war" (new iteration and old) as well as i am elated when i play ESP Ra De. The game that as succeeded at being long, interesting gameplay-wise, with a cool branching story, while maintaining this arcade rush, is "Fight'N Rage" (of course 😉). But, for sure, this kind of experience have become too rare in modern gaming (but more and more indy games tend to take this route).

[@jk-pc1iv]

What’s the anime from the „thank you“-supporter bit?

[@pauljacob99]

I agree with everything you said here. Fantastic video and very revealing as to why old school gamers like me have a hard time getting into the new open world games.

[@MadaoAU]

I feel like I have been diagnosed (bored burned out and not interested). I have been playing the Mmos, RPGs Dota 2 and other games that really take their time. I just realised how this is with this video, I thought before when I moved to Fighting games that it’s just that I wanted games to be competitive but shorter (cuz I have less time) but it turns out that’s it’s the Hit more than the time. Shmups and FGs are really similar to that. Same with RTS like StarCraft