why we stop playing games with our friends (and how to fix it)

[@VoxelShow]

So uh...it's finally happening, this is Voxel! If you liked the video, tell a friend next time you catch a game together! And don't forget to tell us about your story gaming with friends down below. 👇

[@Excrete89]

Hh uh

[@MysticTech]

what is the name of your outro song?

[@teevee3407]

You've had a good start with the channel! Congrats!

[@BluePig]

@@MysticTech Callout - AGST

[@nadamuchu]

No mention of the intentional removal of splitscreen FPS ?

[@Vailskibum]

I just have too many friends who aren't interested in games at all anymore, or are too busy :(

[@ailurii]

Yeah, it really, really sucks to have all of your friends either lose interest in all the games you guys used to love, or stop playing video games completely. Maybe you could find people in LFGs?

[@Moister356]

I used to play a lot of games with my friend. Now he's more into his job which is fantastic, just doesn't have the patience for the games in general which I can understand. In short, it's harder to me to really play gamed with him now.

[@katzelol]

woah what is vail doing here, and with only 64 likes???

[@UltimateTS64]

My friends are all busy and most of them go to college in different places, plus we all have different platforms, so unless we played like Fortnite, there aren't many games they'd want to play together and it's hard to find a good time for everyone to play online

[@JakShadwin]

Some of my friends I've played games with for years, I don't like to so much any more, mostly due to mods. The main guy our group tends to rally around fukken LOVES mods and often he won't even play a game vanilla at all before he'll start modding it. It got exhausting trying to patch a game up, eating most of my play time some days just to join the game they were all on.

[@mementoxo9038]

texted my best friend asking if she wanted to play sometime (we used to play games together all the time but about 6 months ago we stopped) and she got really excited and said she's totally down to play whenever :') thank you max for this wonderful video, reminding me why i love playing games in the first place

[@pipola2267]

13:27 "I was recently adopted by a friends discord group". This happened to me a year and a half ago, all of us from around the world (Asia, North America, South America, Oceania and Europe), a small group of 15, I still play with them. Summer 2022 we all decided to go on a vacation to meet up for the first time IRL in Europe. That was without a doubt the best summer of my life. So amazing how even when meeting up IRL, nothing changed, there was still all the banter, love, drinking, and just good vibes all around. I love my real family, and for the past year I felt like I had 2 families An IRL family: my biological family. An online family: this discord I was dragged into because my friend wanted to do a raid in Destiny 2 with some of his old mates, but they weren't enough people online. But for that summer I felt like those people were just as loving (if not more) as my real family.

[@uniworkhorse]

holesum

[@djaydeved]

yep, online comunities can be like a 3nd family i was in a group that was centered around vrc was in it for 2 years then i left for some rather personal reasons relating to contridictions in my beliefs relating to some of those in said community

[@drakesayshi3321]

Where is your Antarctica mate at

[@JakShadwin]

I pretty much only use Discord on my PC, I immediately leave a server that forces me to verify my phone to engage with the server. Not doing it. It's really frustrating when the only support tools the dev has are on the Discord server and they have this crap. (Looking at you Genshin Impact)

[@s3ated389]

how did u get in touch with new people, please let me know

[@dminer9040]

Personally I think we stopped playing games with friends because as we get older, we begin to use games more of a way to relax and enjoy alone time, rather than playing as a sort of social activity

[@theguywithnoaccount]

This right here! Getting older means accruing a lot more responsibilities, which can be very exhausting and make scheduling game sessions extremely difficult. For a lot of my friends (and me especially), we tend to be quite busy and get our fill of social interaction just from working our jobs and living our day-to-day lives, so when we finally get time alone we want to spend it doing just that; being alone. As such, games have become more like movies and TV shows: a form of entertainment to enjoy at our leisure and then chat about afterwards.

[@drf6377]

Exactly

[@megapet777]

@@theguywithnoaccount yeah. As a kid there isn't rly any real responsibilities or worries most of the time. But as an adult that changes. If you ever happen to be in position to have the time and energy to still play with your friends, please do so. It's one of the best things in world to play with your friend a game you actually like. When elden ring was released I was able to play with my friend like 2 weeks straight. It was awesome.

[@cloudGremlin]

Yep! Also the change from every home having a pc to tablet/phone users who can’t afford a pc/consul just for gaming.

[@theguywithnoaccount]

@@megapet777 I appreciate the sentiment, and while I do agree with you because I have a lot of fond and cherished memories of playing games with friends when I was younger, that's unfortunately not something I can see myself doing again for a whole host of other reasons on top of what I already said. Cloud brought up one of the biggest ones, which is platform differences. Of my immediate friends, I'm the only one who plays primarily on PlayStation consoles and owns a PS5. Everyone else plays almost exclusively on PC, Xbox, or Switch (but mainly PC). Couple that with our widely varied genre preferences, me mainly liking single player games, and none of us being able to easily visit each other irl anymore, and yeah; simply talking to them about games is pretty much all I CAN do at this point.

[@ZuskV1]

This guy came out of nowhere and hit us with a banger

[@KickassCrusader]

has only one video, but produced the video in a way that usually takes a youtuber around a year to land in on for production quality, very odd at the least. video was extremely relatable to be sure

[@101falcon]

fr I was surprised when I saw only 3K subs then checks out the channel and only saw 2 vids. Talk about starting out with a bang

[@contracide]

This video definitely was well crafted and has good advice for the generations moving forward in our ever more digitally focused lives but he forgot one aspect. Alot of us gamers are parents now and have had a general falling out of social life in general. That being said, did you send that party invite?

[@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy]

a banger about a pointless topic ... gaming is dead, move on

[@ZuskV1]

@@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy calm down gaming is not dead maybe it is for you but there are millions of people who still play video games every day

[@spooqsy]

I'd have to say one of the biggest reasons why gaming with friends is difficult right now is because most free multiplayer games are specifically centered around the idea of competitiveness. While they were fun growing up, my friends and I just want to have fun right now.

[@jeffs3119]

Exactly, this monetization, skins, DLC, streaming culture, and competition ruined sucked the fun out.

[@itsmj3103]

For real tho. I've been trying to find a cool chill game to just pewpew enemies with a friend in, but it's so fucking hard especially because we're on different systems, I'm on PS and he's on PC

[@42Lailoken]

@@itsmj3103 If you get a PC, you can find lots of games to relax and pew pew with friends together. Craft-em-up games like Valheim, 7 days to die, Terraria, Starbound, Minecraft, and The Forest. Diablo-likes. Stardew Valley, Portal 2, Remnant, Deep Rock Galactic, Endless Dungeon. Coop mode in various RTS games like SC2 and Dawn of War. Automation games like Factorio and Satisfactory. And then there are tons of great local coop (and fun competitive) games like Towerfall, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Stick Fight, Nidhogg, etc. edit: Have to mention Borderlands games Also, If you won't get a PC, try scrolling through this list for a game that is crossplatform with PC and PS. There are some coop ones in there

[@myweirdsecondchannelwithap9070]

@@itsmj3103minecraft (bedrock) and rocket league are excellent at this, and a cool unique game to play with friends is Ultimate Chicken Horse

[@redridingcape]

​@@42LailokenGood list, another great coop game is Across the Obelisk.

[@theblanketfort]

Especially loved the end. I think it's important to find the time to connect with collaborative play. I think this is part of why D&D has found new life, because folks are realizing how beautiful it is to play like kids again together.

[@VoxelShow]

Absolutely! It's similar to board games in that way too! Video Games are great - I love them. But sometimes it can feel so isolating playing separately from our own homes. Board games encourage you to get together again and play.

[@ooo-gq1rv]

I've been struggling with this problem for a long time now and one of the biggest problems for me on not keeping up with my friends is the anxiety of whether or not they would enjoy my company. It sucks but this video reminded me that I should probably carry my ass up and just do it. And btw, great video. Hopefully the youtube algorithm shows this wonderful video to other people.

[@mikeexits]

It's a lot easier to overthink yourself into paralysis by analysis when you're not actually doing the thing that you've gotten yourself overthinking about. Doing is like the great equalizer of hypothetical experiences, bringing them from the ether of potentiality to the reality of now, making it a lot simpler. Then the amount of overthinking you were doing seems comical in hindsight and you can look back with a wholesome, hearty smile.

[@ooo-gq1rv]

@@mikeexits Haha, I guess I better start doing things a lot more rather than thinking over them. Thank you for the reply. Its not easy to just give up your time to help others with their problems.

[@kirsten7975]

I have the exact same problem. Idk why but unless they're begging for me to join them... i don't play with them.

[@COOL1nate]

For me, it always feels like even when a suggestion is given for a game my friends can play together, either no one is interested or we only play it once and most of them aren't interested in playing again afterward. There are several games my friends and I still play together often, but there's a good library of games, most of which I've strongly hinted at, that we haven't even touched due to the lack of interest in most of them. It's due to this "lack of interest" that I've almost entirely stopped asking if any of them would be interested in playing most of the games I suggest.

[@icy_hot_westcoast1773]

Same here..however we don't have jobs to buy ourselves any other games and the only thing we ever play together is freakin Roblox & Warframe..and 3 of us sometimes could own a game while one doesn't due to money.. it's getting more and more difficult trying to uphold it aside from just those two games and watching movies or videos.. I am trying to learn ASL to help doctors out to be paid well and to help people..but also for myself and my friends...but it's rough rn..

[@MaieTM]

What became the alternative to playing multiplayer games with my friends was just recommending them a game and then watching and sometimes helping them in their journey, and from experience, seeing your friends' reactions and stuff like that are just like playing the game for the first time again

[@bcube.]

Bro. About 2 hours ago me and one of my best mates from HS were playing FIFA and we were talking about how amazing it was when we'd all play together after school. Tournaments and upsets and the goals we'd save to show our other friends. Man what a time. Out of my group I'm one of the very few who still play games religiously and I miss those days of innocent unadulterated fun. This video was awesome. You have a new Subscriber. Ps, your video looks amazing. Idk if you're new like me but wow big ups my dude.

[@VoxelShow]

So glad you enjoyed it! Sounds like we've had similar experiences growing up with games, it's tough to keep friend groups together as gaming (and our own lives) change. But it's honestly inspiring to hear you're still catching games with your mates! Keep it up, and thanks for the sub! (By the way, looks like we've been playing some of the same games! I'm on the verge of finishing my first playthrough in Cyberpunk 2077) -Max

[@bcube.]

@@VoxelShow after the dismal launch and a bunch of updates I started it about 2 weeks before my final exams 😂. It was amazing I legit could not stop playing. The good side of having a backlog is sometimes you get to play games once they've been polished and don't get traumatized 😂.

[@theXaxx]

in high school if we have > C average and no late assignments we'd get thursday afternoons off. We would all rush to our friends house and play halo together. Ended up being a group of 10+ at times. Man i miss those days. Though my current work friends try to have a lan party where we all bring our pc's over, those have been fun!

[@greatwavefan397]

Ever since I've heard of LAN parties not to long ago, I've wanted to host one with a dedicated server and everything! Next is finding three to seven gamer friends... 😅

[@ppeez]

@@greatwavefan397 i cannot imagine not having had lan parties! Drinking, smoking, gaming

[@Drakholm]

If high school happened during the past two decades, breathing in the correct classroom alone would net you a > C average.

[@ailurii]

This video is so, so much more genuinely meaningful than I ever expected when I clicked on it.

[@VoxelShow]

Thanks! I sort of poured my heart and soul into this one. It's been on my mind for a while now, and thought it would be fitting as a first video for the channel. :)

[@Kasaaz]

Definitely appreciate how this isn't just a 'why' but also actionable ideas on how to get those things back.

[@ConditionOfMan]

Thanks for reminding me of the fun times I had with my gaming buddies. Makes me want to seek out a new gamer friend group. I just recently joined a fresh DnD campaign and that has been great socialization.

[@SuperChaos002]

The production value of this video is incredible, especially considering that this isn't a huge channel (at least not yet). I am genuinely impressed. That being said, this video hits home. I rarely play with friends anymore. I also find myself playing games less and less, as well as rarely hanging out with my friends. It really does make me reminisce of the good old days as a kid with my only responsibility being getting good grades in school. Growing up sucks.

[@chloewebb5526]

He obviously has a ton of disposable income, like he said lol

[@SuperChaos002]

@@chloewebb5526 that doesn't mean the videos will be of quality. Money doesn't buy skill.

[@evrypixelcounts]

I was invited to a discord group by my sibling, and things started out ok. I'm a very socially anxious person, and didn't even talk over mic at first. Over time I grew more comfortable with the group and slowly developed friendships. I would play everyday after work with them, and then when I left my job right before covid hit, i spent almost all day playing with them. I even got into tabletop games (D&D etc. . .) because of them. I got close to one friend in particular and most of the other friendships became toxic, and I withdrew from them. I then only spent time really with this one friend, until eventually I realized they were never really my friend at all. They had isolated me from everyone, and then did away with me. Most of the group was toxic (my sibling is no exception), and that leaves me pretty defeated. I've never been good at forming or maintaining friendships. I finally thought I had something worth trying to keep. It was a lie. I met some of these friends in person too, but that made no difference. Now that I am gone, nothing has changed for them, but I'm left even more anxious then I was before. I'm just so tired. Even though I have some friends left, I just don't have it in me to contact them to play. It's exhausting. . . I don't play games with my friends anymore because it leaves me feeling more alone then when I play games by myself.

[@crunchy_cat]

Brutal, man, really brutal.

[@lesmondesdetulahad3639]

This struck hard... I am afraid to meet online people for this particular reason. I'm also very shy and it's difficult for me to be at ease in a group. I know it's hard to find good people, but don't give up!

[@KryticalError]

This one hits in the feels. I've tried to keep up with some of my best gaming friends over the years. For whatever reason, it just seems like it never happens. Friends playing with different groups of friends, different games, schedule differences, I've kind of given up and embraced being just a solo player in almost nothing but multiplayer games. I hope all my old gaming buddies and best friends are doing well tho. Great video.

[@JellyLancelot]

This is an absolute BANGER of a video. I think as an adult, when I look at gaming I see it as a value loss proposition, and instead I could be doing something more productive, such as contributing to more OSS or something. Without realising its an investment in myself and social groups. I've lost touch with my gaming groups, used to be an everynight, pile on XBL or Steam or Minecraft in a group of about 10-15 people and have an absolute blast. I'm a social gamer, and mainly play games for the social element. Only a few campaigns and solo games have ever enamoured me. Thanks for prompting me to make more of an effort to re-engage and seek enjoyment in this again!

[@odenc.4729]

I dont usually feel compelled to comment on KZbin videos but wow. I am genuinely moved by this and look forward to your next videos especially the viewer's stories. You mention your interest in sound design /sound tracks in the next video and I wanna say it REALLY shows in your videos too. your ability to manipulate emotion with music from the games we all know and love so much really puts your albeit two videos above the rest.

[@VoxelShow]

Thanks so much for your comment, it really means a lot! Starting Voxel took about a year and a half from coming up with the initial idea to finally releasing the first video. But since the very beginning I've always wanted viewers' voices to be a part of the videos I make. I'm still working out how best to make this possible - maybe through a phone line that people can call in? Or maybe through TikTok/Instagram? We'll get there someday. And until then, keep speaking out in the comments. Your voice is a powerful motivator for me and the team. Thank you!

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

Holy shit. I didn’t expect that ending to get me so emotional. Most of my friends and I have gone our separate ways and it’s been tough to form a new friend group. I have a bunch of online friends, but we don’t game and the ones i do want to game with don’t have time due to work and other obligations or don’t play the same games as i do (ex they love FPS, i can’t play first person games due to dizziness). I miss the days of old where I’d invite a friend or two over and we’d play street fighter or Mario kart or NBA Jam. Times were just easier. Games were easier to pick up and put down. Now games you need to be sooo invested i hate it. F battle passes. Many freemium games now require like 100 hours invested to get all the unlockables that should have been unlocked from the beginning. Or people will obsess over stupid cosmetic improvements and other non-gameplay related bonuses (which is where i think paid gaming/battle passes should feature). Anyway incredible video, I don’t know how you don’t have millions of subs at this level of quality of video, editing, and talking points. Giving you a sub cause i can’t wait to see what you do next!

[@__reth__x]

After a few minutes into the video, I found out this was a new channel and was surprised. The content, editing, and quality compete with the best. Really well done, congrats and keep up the hard work!

[@uniworkhorse]

Alright, who spawned in American GMTK? Jokes aside, your script and delivery were INCREDIBLE, hooked me right in with your story. Certainly so much planning was put into this first video and channel! Love when creators unleash these well produced and written channels - a great example would be WFH (Work From Hype). Well done, subbed!

[@lilybeejones]

I love how the advice you gave goes beyond games. So hard to keep up with friends as an adult. Doing what I can.

[@HelloItsKolo]

SO GOOD 🔥 Can't wait to see where this channel goes, I'm so ready for it! Congrats on an amazing launch!! 🎉🎉

[@HipyoTech]

This is really interesting, I have almost the exact opposite problem. I can only ever enjoy multiplayer games nowadays and wish I could enjoy single player experiences :(

[@homedadgamer]

I normally don't interact with the community of any social media but damn this hit hard. I don't have friends anymore...

[@St3v3Mania]

Man this video could not have been shown to me at a better time. I just had to cut ties last night with a close friend because of his toxicity over the years and it really stings. I’m left with my other friend a bunch of games that we used to play that I don’t feel like playing anymore. It IS really dedication to the friendship and stepping out of your comfort zone that establishes and keeps friendships together. I’ma try to use some these tips and see if I can’t get things back into rhythm. Btw you’ve got my subscription, keep doing awesome work like this!👍

[@gilghedar30]

Honestly I agree with many other comments written before mine. When people see neat thumbnails and certain titles, we expect like big unknown (from us) channels popping up thanks to the algorithm. This time was the same process except for the "big" part, the quality stands and I congratulate to you, but I didn't expect that sub count. You deserve every kind of growth from this and your future videos (as well as a new subscriber ;) ). I have to admit that many points debated in the video were already clear and "enlightened" to me since some years ago, because after a bad break period, as you mentioned yours during college, I did a little "diary check" about my gaming experience along the years, my backlog, the current games I was playing then (and now). Turned out I needed what you said: explore more worlds, not sticking with the same experiences, especially those which are multiplayers and competitive but also time and energy draining (sometimes yes, even money but I didn't lose much on that side luckily). Aside from this personal change of view and turning point on a new perspective, since I'm currently exploring many and many new franchises from the bottom start (and I feel so much joy again in videogames), everything else is just perfectly right. Many factors influence the will and awakening of someone about what they are doing with their free time, what they want to focus on and what they are available to invest about this hobby. That's also what I am trying to do with my friends, already talked and explained to them but at the same time I'll show them this video. They need to fully understand that we can to get back again having fun all together and how with some experiences but also explore their personal new worlds of games awaiting them to be unlocked, of course still by their tastes, but it's always better to broaden them.

[@metrobertL7]

I’ve reached an impasse in my life that the group of friends that I used to spend countless hours playing games with, I never talk to them now that all of our favorite games have gotten stale. Same thing we see each other online but can never agree on a game to play. The times that we do manage to meet up it’s for a very short time because at least one of us hates the game and isn’t having fun and leaves after just a couple matches or missions.

[@benjithenpc4691]

I sit here having ruined a friendship 10 years ago and afraid to do it again, playing video games maybe meeting a person here and there but never giving it a chance to happen again..

[@mr.voidout4739]

Out of highschool, Final Fantasy XI pretty much absorbed my life. I worked at Target, and I played. No one to socially relate to at work, but online I had dozens of genuine friends. Eventually I met a group of people that lived a county away (one of them in my city too) and the "group leader" worked for a Target as well, and we had a mutual friend that worked both stores. So we all met up to bowl. Long story short they became like my brothers. We hung out regularly and made it a point to have poker nights, Halo, CoD, Goldeneye, Streetfighter, Mario Kart, etc. Even our girlfriends joined in or had girltime. Eventually our 30's spread us different ways and we all slipped out of MMO, but I'm entirely lucky but grateful that a game that was bound to make me a real-life loner/recluse lead me to friends who gave me the best years of my life.

[@Shermancrafted]

Scheduling is one of my consistant challenges. I have been able to get everyone together maybe once or twice a year, and it feels great!

[@Firesgone]

Drifting schedules is a real killer, I had a D&D group for over a year and it made it impossible for us to meet when our 4 person group was actually available.

[@snepderg]

Regarding competitive seasons, I recommend checking out Deep Rock Galactic. It's a delightful indie game about dwarves, mining, and beer. The game uses a season pass system, but all of the cosmetics you have yet to unlock will be placed into the game's regular loot pool after the season expires. Great fun!

[@Pyrish]

Hey Voxel, I just watched your first two videos. Welcome to KZbin! I’m glad you made it - it’s better with you here.

[@Melotaku]

Wow I really needed this video. I’ve been in a slump recently where I’ve drifted away from all of my friends and have just been playing games by myself for months. I kinda forgot how much fun it is to play with other people. I face some of the problems you mentioned, like no one wants to play what I want to play. Everyone is just playing Valorant ;-;. I love exploring new worlds/places and getting sucked into lore. I love Hollow Knight, Bloodborne/souls games, Genshin Impact. All of these games, for the most part, are single player. But I’d love to find new people who are just as passionate about them as I am and just have fun talking with them about something we all love. So I guess this is an invitation to anyone out there. I wanna make new friends and have fun times playing video games with people. Just let me know if you’re interested I guess. 😅

[@arha13]

I’d take you up on that. I’m really into hollow knight and genshin too (definitely more into single-player games).

[@anaoicar]

i honestly miss my internet friends and i rarely play now because I am mostly alone, but everytime I enjoy playing a game, it reminds me of them and of how we used to have fun and as much as I am enjoying the games, nostalgia hits very hard :(

[@crimsonshadow1140]

the wangan midnight maximum tune series (and arcade racing in general) has been my main source of multiplayer with friends for the last couple years now, and it’s something I will cherish forever, I have made loads of new friends through playing this franchise and have strengthened bonds between friends I’ve known for years.

[@aethrrl3144]

i didnt see the subs for this channel but from the quality i assumed it was at least a few hundred thousand subs. Amazing production value, super insightful and interesting to watch!

[@spencersmith5974]

Good video! A thing me and my friends have an issue with is that were growing up. Mainly due to the fact almost everyone is married now and hardly has time to game anymore. They want too, but they often, too, critize their are no good games or at least ones that peak our interest enough to bring the band back together. One of the fellows has a brood of kids so how he ever makes it on is a miracle within itself! It's hard not to feel like life has left me behind when it seems I got so much time to game and still have a life when seeing others walking down that road of life I feel should be the same for everyone else but it's not a competition. Don't want to dive too deep there, wish I gamed with folks more, or at least on games I want to play.

[@SiteM16tv]

1:01 "how every conversation in the game was about school, and every conversation in the school was about the game." Why is it so true? It hit so deep and makes me nostalgic. I'm 25 years old, stopped playing games since 5 years because I lost interest but still I wish those times back...

[@randomhandle111]

I genuinely saw the 1.4k subscribers and though that it said 1.4 million, and then I was absolutely shocked when I discovered this was your first video!

[@themollyberry]

I love this so much- made me tear up at the end! This was really well done, super well thought out, and honestly drew me in with your genuine and heartfelt nerd yearning for gaming with friends. Thank you so much. 10/10

[@melixrism]

Probably one of the BEST starter videos for you channel, great work.

[@WyntersJoey]

was very shocked to see that this is your only upload since the energy and production of this one feels like it's come from somebody who has been making content for a long time. super excited to see where you go with this and i wish you the best of luck!

[@RambunKtious]

this channel is just cool like the entire vibe for the video was just understanding and speaking to who i am and then the ending with the title card is really creative on how your channel profile picture mixes into the backround. this video is just simple and to the point with a mix of personal stories which keep the video interesting. this is good content, i hope to see more. (and yes i am going to message my friends to play games with me)

[@saltywaffle__4131]

This was such a great video! I was hooked the entire time and the start was just amazing. The hidden callback to the start with your point at the end was incredible. Great job!

[@cardhoncho9878]

For a guy with 2 videos and 6k subscribers this was beautifully made. Your style won me over. Keep up the great work!

[@jacoblang9426]

your point about battlepasses is one of the reasons i love the deep rock galactic devs so much they have a battlepass too and on first look you may think they're just cashing in on fomo, but what makes it different than others is that its entirely free and everything the pass holds is put into the game's cosmetic loot pool once it ends so its never actually lost or locked to the time that the season is up

[@Brutalized]

This was an awesome video. I’m tearing up thinking of all of the friendships I’ve made because of gaming. Though I have lost touch with many of them through the years I still hold the times we spent together sacred. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to reconnect with them one day soon.

[@Sam_was_hereeee]

It’s such a surprise seeing this video only having a few hundred subscribers! You speak like those million-level KZbinrs, guess I’ll be lucky enough to witness your video explode.

[@vladggdev]

Wow, I love this video and am looking forward for more! I like that KZbin started recommending me new "small" video-game-topic channels!

[@Iamdebug]

Wow, I was not expecting this but happy I watched it. This is going to go a long way, very well done!

[@Hollowdude15]

We really feel like people stop playing with their friends in games is because people like to be alone in a game sometimes or even all the time and awesome video man :]

[@JoeMajewski]

Only 1k subs? I must be missing something because this video has the quality of a channel that has many employees working together to make content. I like the message you are sending with this video as well. I mostly play single player games but maybe if I put myself out there I would enjoy playing with a group of others.

[@similarsquid]

I can't express how intriguing this video was to watch. Everything felt right, and I truly have LOTS of respect for it. Not even mentioning the fact that this channel is literally just out there, ready to be discovered by so many more people. Something that really surprised me, as the quality is top-notch! I'm looking forward to the future of Voxel, and one thing is certain... You're already putting incredible work out there Max! ✨

[@ToTiredToDealWithThis]

Thank you for the video. It served as a bit of a revelation for me. Through out my life, from 007 on the N64, to as recent as last year, going down a rabbit hole of minecraft, I have stopped playing multiplayer games with friends. Or almost in general. I had found myself looking at the dead group chat for the people that I have known for the better part of my life, wondering why we never play anymore. I always chalked it up to oppressive work hours, collage and university struggles, and the like. But now that it is pointed out, we just don't play together anymore. I shot a text proposing deep rock galactic Sunday night (the first chat in a month), and surprisingly, all 6 responded with a resounding yes. Then Hell let /loose was thrown on the table. Now we have a full squad. And some how ended scheduling "Sitdown Sundays" were we all do our best to get online at 7, and game for a few hours. Thank you again.

[@dlb6903]

Actually, i play a lot with my friend, but it is like i am not anymore attracted by the competitive aspect of games, just want to chill out most of times. And what i struggle to is to play things by my own, like going solo in WOW, or just playing some new AAA games. I remember how much i loved these games but now i can't revive the same experience anymore.

[@dharkbizkit]

during my kid and youth, i played a lot of games eighter in split screen with my friends, or simply playing a singleplayer game on the couch while i or they were watching. with 21, i meet my wife and shes the example of a person that stops gaming when you grow up. she was a casual gamer as a kid a youth. she was 18 when i met her, and through me, so saw games and loved them. like CS:S and mmos. from 18-32, she was a avid gamer then put alot of hours into that hobby. but a full time job, lifes responsability, communing and just having way less free time and feeling exhausted after a days work, lead her to distance herself from gaming. its was the easiest thing for her to drop and the one thing, that made her 5 hours of free time a day, feel like only 2 hours. with 18, while beeing between jobs, she spend like 70h a week gaming. then got a part time job, with 25h weeks, but still got in 30-40 hours a week gaming. but sinces rising the ranks, working full time and have 1,5 hours of commute a day, that changed. shes out of gaming now becuase the games she like, where time consuming ones and thes one, that arent, are the ones, that make time fly by. to me its a real loss. its like having the dream on living in a cabin in the woods and finding someone, that really likes that lifestyle.. then 10 years pass and that person now wants to live in a big city as for me: iam playing a lot less. not due to time.. but due to age. iam 38, i started gaming on the amiga 500 in 1989, then moved to a psx in 1996, then a pc in 1998.. as a teenager, i was hyped and eager to play new games. as a kid, even bad games didnt put me off. the selection that i had was limited, so even a 2/5 game, was invested money that i had to make use off. after reaching my 20s, there was a point, where so many games felt like wasted money or a waste of time, that i became picky. sure, there were good games that i enjoyed.. like mass effect in 2008. but after mass effect, every game had to be as good mass effect. today, i would say it like this: age and experience with games, is something, that can dull you up. and you start to see repeating patterns.. you see storys repeat, elements copied.. its harder to impress the person, that has played 1000 games in his life. its the "been there, done that" effect. during my job education from 19-22 and thus my first monthly - tho small - income, ive bought and played 18-26 games a year. today, that number of games is down to 4-5 and 2 of them, are beeing turned off after hours, since something really bothered me with them. last example: entropy center. it felt like portal, with a twist, but i coulndt stop seeing, how much better portal was, for its time of release and then read comments of young people, that have never played portal, beause "its to old" and only experienced EC now and love the game for the neat idea. i only see a bad clone. i wish, i could view games in the same way, that i saw them with 18-21. today, my tendency is more, to reinstall an old game that i havent played in years, rather then getting a new one. ive played several mmos during my 20s, but today, i have no interest in starting a new one, i rather fire up my old gw2 account.why? because most of them are the same anyway and getting a new one, would requiere 100s of hours learning. so i agree that the idea of "too many games" can be the problem.. but in my case, since i guess that iam almost 10 years older then you, my problem came with experience and thus, rising expectations, from playing these enormous blockbuster gamesall of that, combine with the point of me coming from 16bit 2d games and witnessing the whole development of the past 30 years, got spoiled by quality exeptions in the gaming world, that i wanted to be the rule but instead of getting new exeption, i see remakes and reused ideas, from games 20 years ago, that are new and fresh, for now 18 year olds, but old ideas too me. let me give you this example: when oceans 11 came out, i loved the movie.. because it didnt know, that i was a remake, of a movie from 30+s years.. but if i had seen that original movie back then, and now seen oceans, i would see oceans in a different way. maybe iam getting to old for this or maybe its, that iam exposed to this materia for around 33 years now. hell, ive spend more time in games nowadays, then ive spend time in school in my life.. culmulated

[@Psiclone]

My goto is to wait for a sale to go on for a game I like and buy it for my friends and make them play it with me.

[@beerntaters9022]

Do you need more friends? 😂

[@Wintercat1]

This is one of those videos that feels like it was made especially for me. It really resonated. All the points about there being too many games that take too much investment are so true. I love immersing myself in the intricacies of a great game, but the result is I've spent countless hours playing games like Overwatch, Monster Hunter or Hunt: Showdown _alone_ when my favorite memories of those games have always been playing with other people. I also love immersing myself in the worlds and stories of good singleplayer games, which also accounts for many thousands of hours. That feels more excusable since they're kind of a different experience altogether, but it has often created the same dynamic as you described for multiplayer games: sometimes I say no to actual gaming with friends because I don't want to lose my stride in whatever I'm currently playing, whether it's because I'm grinding up the ranks or trying to get to the end of a massive story. For myself, I think that's actually a much smaller issue compared to your points about FOMO in live service games, both the intentional systems like battle passes and the unintentional FOMO from the race to experience all the content. Between that and the crazy time investment that can go into making progress in MMOs or games like Warframe and Destiny, I feel like I have spent far more time chasing carrots on a stick than having any of the above experiences (multiplayer, deep-skill based games or immersive single-player games). Over the last few months I've realized that I'm often much more motivated to play games with specific progression goals but I have much less fun than when I push myself to play more freeform games, both singleplayer and multiplayer. Thank you for the exhortation to reach out to a friend. I got adopted into a past gaming friend's discord group a while ago, and I went there to ask if anybody wanted to play. I was joined for some Overwatch and had a blast, as well as some good conversations. I hope this channel succeeds! I love the extremely positive vibe while not being afraid to talk about issues. Thank you for making this video. For what it's worth, I didn't really have that childhood experience of playing games with friends all the time so you are succeeding in not only returning some of that experience to those who miss it but also spreading it to people like me who didn't fully realize what they were missing out on.

[@AMPdphoto]

Amazing theme, lovely recommendations, and brilliantly discussed and presented content! Cant wait for more!

[@kaiielle]

Really great video Max! Excellent job.

[@astraha.]

Bro the closer the video comes to an end the more emotional it gets, the music supports that stuff. Thanks u for this great video, made me appreciate gaming and the nice friends I made along the way, especially the past and times where Minecraft console and Black ops 2 was a thing. Great video!❤ Have mercy on us and dont make ur next vids too emotional.

[@Brunoki22]

I instantly subscribed to your channel seeing the quality of the video and thinking your channel was a big one. At a glance, I though you already had 889k subs and were a channel that flew under my radar for the longest time but no! You just started! This is amazing! How did you make such a high quality video like that? Where did u learn? It seems you already knew the structure of how to make an engaging video essay before. Really liked it. Keep it up! You're gonna grow big!

[@LevadoYT]

Great video! It really encouraged me to find new people to play the games I enjoy with, thank you.

[@cobbjoe5583]

This channel is wildly underrated.

[@agentnumberone]

Amazing video Max! So much of this resonated, I still have a friend group who regularly gets together to ARAM in League of Legends and it's often so hard to get them on other games because there's just so many options out there, but when we do it's a magical thing getting the gang together in a different world. You hit it out the park with this vid, can't wait for the next one!

[@krum1985]

In middle school, I used to LAN with friends on weekends. We pooled our allowance together to buy a switch to be able to do this. Nowadays there is no need to meet up like that anymore, so playing with friends has become a remote experience for the most part. I do try to host a mario cart or smash bro's gaming night with friends atleast once a month. There is just something special about having a group of friends over playing together and chatting 😊

[@samusaran7317]

Technology connected us all but weve never been more disconnected for the sake of "convenience" aka isolated online parties. Sounds like you downgraded dude.

[@INFractIkNIghTE]

VR may help; recreate the LAN experience Virtually. I haven’t tried yet but I think this can be accomplished on the Bigscreen app.

[@krum1985]

@INFractIkNIghTE I got a VR headset, Oculus Rift 2, and I don't think VR is there yet. I think we would have to get "full dive" tech before VR can simulate meeting others physically 🙂 EDIT: VR obviously works for others. Otherwise, VRChat wouldn't have been as popular as it is.

[@YoshuaYoshoka]

Godamn, only 160 subs? Woulda thought this’d be an experienced KZbinr’s video but this is your first. You got mad video makin skills already man, keep it up!

[@YoshuaYoshoka]

Also man this video hit in some pretty big areas, and like I barely even consider myself an adult LMAO. Not even just games, I (in general) have had to keep reminding myself to actually MAKE the time for my buddies lately, instead of just assuming everyone is busy. Like for instance, with us all in different schools and colleges for the most part my close group from secondary school (basically High School) we’ve met up and even used Discord VCs less and we all have to keep reminding each other to. The Too Many Games Problem isn’t the answer to the question I initially expected, but it makes sense. Like with all my friend circles with me n everyone there we usually have at least one game in common but most of them usually stick to one or two games - …..often ones that have a Battle Pass, who woulda guessed! Like example I don’t play Fortnite or Valorant, (considered trying the former tho) and they’re both the MAIN game at least ONE person I’m good or even close friends with in my circles play. Again, we do have games in common and I think imma start taking advantage of that fact more, or maybe buying games we can all play NONE of us know. Again though, there’s an issue where a lot of us also like Singleplayer games we usually never finish cuz two more come along when we’re 80% through the main campaign. To be honest on Discords while I got buddies in multiple servers I TOTALLY agree with joining in or even making your own “inner circle” places which I plan to thehehe. After this video I’ve also considered joining places like LGBTQ+ or girl gamer servers as well since tbh we’d probably have some parts of our gaming experience in common which makes for an easy conversation starter. I may also even use like, streaming in VCs to have my buddies from all over teach me how to play new games, or even suggest them streaming singleplayer or story based games to show the rest of the group. (Also after this video I’ve sent the first DM to a Discord Jackbox game night DMgroup in a while so thanks for the motivation to do that thehehe.) Overall, I think as people get busier EVERYONE just sorta assumes everyone is too busy all of the time which just isn’t the case simplify. So I’m gonna use this video as a reminder to myself to be proactive setting up game nights with those I haven’t spoken to in a while since I garuntee you some of those friends secretly want our groups to hang out again even if they don’t say it. I also think this video could be a help to others so I’m gonna be sure to share and spread it around to mine and some of the (ones that allow sharing others videos/promoting them) 100 Discord servers I’m in.

[@VoxelShow]

Your comment about *assuming* everyone else is busy is so true. I'm sure many of us have had that experience of reaching out to a friend just to hear that they're too busy to hang out. And then reaching out another time and hearing the same thing. After three or four times being turned down, it can almost be exhausting to try and reach out a fourth or fifth time - especially if it doesn't feel like the friend is reaching out to *us* themselves. You're absolutely right though. We have to *make* time to spend with friends. In some cultures - like in the Netherlands - friends schedule time to hang out one or two weeks in advance! It seems excessive maybe, but it means you'll actually be able to get together eventually. But your comment about how Battle Pass almost brings your friends TOGETHER is something that I hadn't considered. If your friends and you all have exactly the same intentions for what game to play, then a Battle Pass is actually a way to keep you as a cohesive unit and encourage you to play together more often. Though you presumably have friends playing something else who might be missing you - it's nearly impossible to give enough time to everyone in your life as you grow older. I'm really glad this video resonated with you and I love your response to it. Keep an eye out for the next video - I'll be responding to some comments at the end of each of our videos sort of like a "call in" session during a radio program. :)

[@superpat182]

Over the pandemic, while I was out with d work and had a schedule that actually aligned with my friends I'd love playing games with them. Now I'm back at a very customer facing job with odd hours and i find myself trying to play privately whenever I have time for games. I play in the same way a person reads a book.

[@YoDirk]

What a well crafted video this is. Really well done! Thank you. I've been pushing my friends to play something together and the issue often seems to be that we can't agree on which title to play. Like you said: There are too many games. But it the end it doesn't even matter as long as we play something together.

[@RaRagiBliss]

My friends have recently started playing video games again. We've indulged in Barotrauma and Project Zomboid and we've started to play Barotrauma every night and it's consistently been lots of fun, just as much fun (if not more) as having a couple friends over to play Halo 3 together in 2015. The antics, banter and rivalry that happens during every game session are something that I think we all in our group collectively look forward to when we play.

[@ziron5385]

The reason of having too much games don't fit to me because my main problem is more about time and not having any dedicated place to play but I just wanted to say that I really appreciate hearing "callout" from AGST at 5:25

[@joblessalex]

This. So much this. Also, I have issues with friends wanting to play super complex games when I'm just in it for the fun. They want to run in depth card games that you need to spend hundreds of hours to learn and build up useable decks, while I just want to play something simple that can be learned in a couple hours.

[@InkyDustMan]

Came to try and find a cure for boredom, ended up finding a video on how to build meaningful friendships instead, I'll take it.

[@jeffschulz3021]

Love the music in the video! Great stuff Max, here’s to the future of the channel!

[@redanil4935]

First of all, This is a high quallity video. Great job, i dont know how long you have been making videos. But i never saw you on yt before. These types of videos are perfect to listent to while doing mindless tasks. of ofc to just randomly watch. now for what i actually want to say, yes. its true, i started with one friend group just to play a handfull of random games. now im in several, all to just play random games. From warframe a game about killing thousands of enemies as fast as possible, to bloons td. Its amazing to think about how i can somehow still have time for school work, and maintain friend groups. I used to think that i either had to invest all of my free time in one group. But now it became alot easier since i can just go for a while and say that im taking a small break. I also found that mixing irl friends with online friends isnt that bad, its quite fun actually beeing able to play the same game with people out of 2 friend groups at once. You know when i was about 12, Me and my best friend started falling appart, we still are appart since he doesnt enjoy gaming anymore, but every now and then we hit eachother up on discord and just mess around like we used to. Not the same games, but it still somehow gives off the same feeling as us playing on our ds in the attic, but now its alot more stressfull and we scream alot more. What im trying to say is Great video, i realised i was using alot of what you where saying already, but just not thinking about it. Now that i realise it i might have a bit more fun in playing games with friends. Thanks bud!

[@robertmahiques6218]

Met my best friend on a private server for an MMO I never played when it was out. (Warhammer Age of Reckoning) My girlfriend was big into it when it live and I had heard legendary stories of the game. When a MMO KZbinr covered the server her and I started accounts there, found a guild and even though we only sojourned in that game for a few months the three of us play games together a few nights a week. Indie games like Deeprock and Satisfactory are great for coop without all of the engagement seeking business practices in the wider gaming sphere.

[@jeremoople]

It’s not quite the same thing as what this video is talking about, I wish it were more normalized to hang out with people and just play separate games next to each other in the same space while talking. I like a huge variety of games while my friends’ tastes are much more specific and usually single player only so it’s rare they’ll be into many of the games I am. But just hanging out, even if it’s in a video chat, and each doing your own thing and sharing when something cool happens is nice sometimes

[@King-oq3wr]

Maybe board games is something for you. It worked for me, although it I was mostly making new friends and playing with them.

[@cgottschify]

I believe in u

[@angelosalvadori4983]

My brother, im praying for your success. This is AWESOME!

[@andnowyouknow3363]

I remember playing Runescape back in 2008 and meeting a girl from Belgium who I helped out. We decided to remain in touch and play together while chatting through MSN. I was 12 at the time. Eventually her brother joined in. And I started to hang out with her brother more, sharing accounts and skilling each other's characters. I admit, I had a small crush on his sister. We lost touch since 2009. Lately, I've been reminiscing a lot about them. Looked them up on Facebook and found out they are both married and have kids. Part of me feels happy for them while another part of me feels sad and nostalgic. Because I know we will never go back to the good old times. Part of me wants to reach out and say hi, but I think it's wise to just leave the past in the past. They might not even remember me and I'm afraid I would only be unwanted.

[@VariisNailo]

“Maintaining friendships takes work” 95% of the time my depression leaves me in a state where interactions with others are just too much, and when I try to push past that and engage with others anyway I just end up feeling even worse than before… so yes, maintaining friendships does indeed take work, but it’s work I’m unable to put in, as unfortunate and depressing as that is. Good vid tho

[@binjimonanimations]

in the list of popular multiplayer shooters, i can't believe he mentioned overwatch but not team fortress 2. that's like, THE shooter game.

[@heighRick]

Thanks Max, helps a lot! Very cool, looking forward to the next one 🙂

[@T1Oracle]

We grow differently, and want different things at different times. Maintaining the same friends is hard. Maintaining the same video games preferences with the same friends is even harder.

[@renaminginprogress6903]

I'm bawling my eyes out. I miss the 90s. I miss my friends. I miss the simplicity. I want it all back

[@TTVSmileyz420]

I just wish i had more friends to game with these days it seems like its just me out here

[@geke7381]

seeing this in my recommendations made me realize that I pretty much have no friends anymore lol. there is only 1 guy from school I havent seen in years that i still play some games of league of legends with once every few months. we used to play pretty much every day but he moved to playing mainly WoW with his older brothers friendgroup. he asked me to join but i was way too into LoL at the time and didnt like MMO´s so I just kept on playing league alone. now after years I find league so boring and no other game seems as fun as league in its prime. games have always been my main hobby but as of lately I just feel clueless and empty. the vid was super nice tho, you got my like and sub and im looking forward to more videos!

[@immagoingbacktobed1742]

One thing I would suggest for all gamers- have only three games available to yourself at a given time and don't switch out until you've beaten them (there is an exception to the is rule regarding games like league or other indefinitely running games) Have one for single player, one for single player pvp, and one for friends. A problem I've been having is I'll get bored of a game, switch it out without finishing it, and constantly keep switching games this way without actually finishing anything. Which is deeply unsatisfying. Edit: Also, be real with yourself- admit when your playing a game out of habit or because you are trying to waste time. Playing a game for those reasons is just a bad time.

[@joshuasgameplays9850]

That last point is real as fuck, I stopped playing Fortnite about 5 months after I stopped having fun with it.

[@do0mzday23-_-8]

Immediate fantastic channel! SO well spoken and delivered, instantly in love. I hope you go far bro!

[@roxxane019]

Thank you for the motivation to get back into gaming with my friends, you’re an absolute KZbin!

[@martinloh203]

new channel.. who dis? haha, loved the video! thinking about what games to gift now.. looking forward to the next one!

[@n00bafier51]

I know no one can relate, but seeing Lover's From a Dangerous Space Time in the thumbnail preview brought back memories. 10/10 recommended for playing with mates.

[@Ikona4]

My friends playing Lost ark, league of legends, fortnite, valorant and I only wanna hop between Albion and overwatch really limits how often I'm with friends online.

[@Garfield_Minecraft]

I sometimes feel like it's too late to fix it now

[@CyberHermit92]

In my case, not even gifts can help the situation. Whatever games we play, it never goes beyond 2 days of gameplay until they give up on them entirely. It's been a couple months since I started playing alone on Saturday nights because they switched do LoL again (a game which I hate) and even though they play it daily, they don't make up some time for me, who only plays on weekends. I hate to admit it, but I believe my golden days of gaming with friends has come to an end. And I don't want to sound dramatic, but finding new friends is almost impossible when you are 30.

[@gitrekt-gudson]

Having just started the video, I'm gonna say my primary reason is that invariably my friends are either a distraction, or are too fast, or are too slow and I really just want to enjoy the game at my own pace AND not miss dialogue etc, not have things triggered before I'm ready, or not have to wait to start a thing etc. Now I'm going to continue watching and see your explanation, and whether it lines up with mine. Edit: Nope didn't line up. Too many games is not it for me. I just don't need videogames to be a social thing, and it actually bugs me how many games have multiplayer shoved into them needlessly... like everything has to be co-op these days and I actually hate it. I want to play at my pace, and on my schedule.

[@KW-oe4lq]

i have lost touch with all my friends over the years, and even if i were to find new friends to play with, i barely find any time to game at all these days. i just keep those warm memories of playing together locked in my heart...