even with the gameplay aside this is in contention for the most aesthetically stunning game ever made, there are so many things that make the little artist in my brain absolutely lose his mind
My problem is I just don’t have time.. like…I would gladly sit down and play all of Horizon Zero Dawn, Jedi Fallen order, beat all the bosses in Ark survival evolved, do a hardcore world in minecraft etc….
But I have a full-time job…I just don’t have time to sit for 3-4 hours.
And on top of that I also am practicing speedruns of metroid fusion. 63rd on the any% leaderboard now with goal to get into the top 50 so it’s doable but i just can’t find time to practice once i get home from work, make dinner, do laundry, etc.
Yep I remember when I was young WoW:WLK launched and I played for around 3 days before going to bed. Now I can barley play 3-4 hour a night without getting tired.
I’m at 25 hours despite work, wife, and children.. Staying up past 1 a.m., is starting to feel like burning the candle at both ends at my age however..
I still get sucked in occasionally, its just rarer.
I think getting older and developing more specific and refined tastes, along with the tech for video games getting so much more advanced, and the shear variety of games available on the market, means it just takes more to suck me in like that.
When I was a kid, with no disposable income, when PS1 was the peak in gaming tech, and when there wasn’t a constant stream of AAA and hyped indie releases, you played what you had. Shitty Bugs Life game on PS1? Well, by today’s standards that game is probably a stinking pile of garbage. To ~10 year old me, it was the best I had, so I played the shit out of it.
Nowadays, theres no shortage of games I like, that I enjoy playing, but for a game to really suck me in, its gotta connect with me on a deeper level. Its gotta have some really engaging mechanics, or an interesting, relatable story, or be an absolute feast for the eyes. It can’t just be fun, or decent looking, it has to go above and beyond for my personal tastes, in one or more categories, to suck me in like games used to.
The last game to really suck me in was Pokemon Legends Arceus. I suspect nostalgia played a big role (it was the first pokemon game in a long time that seemed to capture the magic of playing the first game as a kid) along with some really solid mechanics.
Elden Ring would almost certainly be the next game to suck me in, but unfortunately, my crappy laptop just can’t run it decently. I’ll have to wait till I upgrade computers before I get to play it, but I eagerly await that day
I don’t have too many hours in it yet, but I’m loving every second of it. I don’t mind taking my time. It hits me the same way BotW did, I’m just running around exploring shit, getting into trouble. I feel relaxed in-between the fights. It still has that heart-pumping rush that I get from other soulsborne games, but I get to choose when I face it.
Doing a full all emblem run on Sonic Adventure 2 devoured an entire week of my life when I was still back in school, playing all day until I got a damn migraine lmao. No food, barely any sleep, Just rings emeralds and emblems. 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎
Unless you have infants or toddlers, I’m convinced that some of the folks that have grown up and ‘can’t play games like they used to’ had parents that let them do whatever the hell they wanted. So only in comparison to having zero responsibilities is the freedom of adulthood actually a bane on their existence.
My experience gaming is so much better now than it was in my teenage or child years. I work yes but it’s no different than going to school, actually it’s better now due to 95% of the time having no homework. I decide when to complete chores, grocery shop, eat dinner, when to go bed, when to work out, etc.
In my life I’ve taken a year off gaming three times. It should never feel like an obligation or chore. Stepping away let me rediscover my enthusiasm each time. I don’t play anywhere near as much as did as a kid, and made peace that miss a lot of games and focus on fewer that I can enjoy.
So for me, its not about time only, its about stress. Elden Ring is great, but it is exhausting. I just cannot really relax playing it. And therefore I just cannot stomach playing it too much while having the other burdens of adult live taking up part of my brain power.
I took a 4 day weekend and put in 75 hours before going back to work, and God damn I don’t think I’m even close to beating the game, let along finding everything
It’s the first time in my life that I have significant and consistent disposable income, thus I can buy many more games then I used to. While that’s nice and means a lot more games to play, the magic of a new game is kinda lost, it isn’t something I saved fir and had to get the most out of. It’s just there now.
Most games are just a lot worse these days. I still get just as hooked on certain indie games that are actually designed to be fun instead of designed to maximize profit.
It’s a lot harder for me to get sucked into a game. I remember once beating Quake 4 in like 3 – 4 days, because I couldn’t put it down. But now I have games I never even finish.
Getting older? More Responsibilities taking you away from it? Games not as much fun, your take.
Edit, I just realized I can contradict this all, in that I enjoy them more. I actually started playing Quake 4 again about a year back, and was like “wow this is amazing”, from the music to the graphics. Sure some of it’s dated, but I still was impressed, something I don’t think I appreciated when I was younger (also, I would use cheat codes so I probably didn’t have the “struggles”, course I am a lot better then I used to be at games too). However, now I also “want” to play, where I have time to sit down and enjoy it
I think the feeling is unfortunately that extremely existential horror of your time perception getting fucked as you age. If you can manage to game for a 4 hour session as an adult it just doesn’t *feel* as long as it used to.
Even when I have a completely free day I find that my perception is that there still wasn’t enough time whereas a free Saturday as a kid felt like a weeklong adventure.
Jokes aside, this is exactly how I am feeling. I’m almost 20 now and gaming is cool, but it used to be so much more…
I can’t lose myself in a game anymore it seems
It is also funny how the fact that time seems to flow slower when you’re younger, combined with a lack of control over your own life as a kid, distorts your idea oh how invested in games you are or were.
30 hours doesn’t feel like much as adults when you can, in theory, spend every spare moment you have playing a game. However games like Chrono Trigger or FF7 are only about 30 hours long and for most of us who played them as kids, we remember them taking *forever* to finish. Weeks or months.
Go back now and you can finish them in a single weekend, because you’ve got more control over your own life as an adult.
even with the gameplay aside this is in contention for the most aesthetically stunning game ever made, there are so many things that make the little artist in my brain absolutely lose his mind
Tis true. You must average 10 hrs a day to be a pro.
Meanwhile I’ve only managed 6 hours since release.
I’m sick of adulting
r/me_irl
I used to play 30 hours a day
I’ve expanded into a couple of other hobbies and while I have less time to game – I really enjoy the time I spend gaming much more now.
A true man powers through the entire game solely on coffee and assorted chips in the span of just two or three days
My problem is I just don’t have time.. like…I would gladly sit down and play all of Horizon Zero Dawn, Jedi Fallen order, beat all the bosses in Ark survival evolved, do a hardcore world in minecraft etc….
But I have a full-time job…I just don’t have time to sit for 3-4 hours.
And on top of that I also am practicing speedruns of metroid fusion. 63rd on the any% leaderboard now with goal to get into the top 50 so it’s doable but i just can’t find time to practice once i get home from work, make dinner, do laundry, etc.
Work drains the life out of me.
Yep I remember when I was young WoW:WLK launched and I played for around 3 days before going to bed. Now I can barley play 3-4 hour a night without getting tired.
This realization hit me a few years ago when I got my yearly report from PlayStation and I had only played 30hrs on my PS4
I’m at 25 hours despite work, wife, and children.. Staying up past 1 a.m., is starting to feel like burning the candle at both ends at my age however..
I would love to play all day every day. Too bad I’m trapped in wage slavery and most of my life gets wasted trying to stay alive
Between working full time and doing housework, how do people find time to game during the week?
Back then: 12 hour gaming day = an extra cup of coffee tomorrow.
Now: 12 hour gaming day = sleep through my alarm for 3 days
I still get sucked in occasionally, its just rarer.
I think getting older and developing more specific and refined tastes, along with the tech for video games getting so much more advanced, and the shear variety of games available on the market, means it just takes more to suck me in like that.
When I was a kid, with no disposable income, when PS1 was the peak in gaming tech, and when there wasn’t a constant stream of AAA and hyped indie releases, you played what you had. Shitty Bugs Life game on PS1? Well, by today’s standards that game is probably a stinking pile of garbage. To ~10 year old me, it was the best I had, so I played the shit out of it.
Nowadays, theres no shortage of games I like, that I enjoy playing, but for a game to really suck me in, its gotta connect with me on a deeper level. Its gotta have some really engaging mechanics, or an interesting, relatable story, or be an absolute feast for the eyes. It can’t just be fun, or decent looking, it has to go above and beyond for my personal tastes, in one or more categories, to suck me in like games used to.
The last game to really suck me in was Pokemon Legends Arceus. I suspect nostalgia played a big role (it was the first pokemon game in a long time that seemed to capture the magic of playing the first game as a kid) along with some really solid mechanics.
Elden Ring would almost certainly be the next game to suck me in, but unfortunately, my crappy laptop just can’t run it decently. I’ll have to wait till I upgrade computers before I get to play it, but I eagerly await that day
I’m in this photo and I don’t like it 😡
This was me when Planetside 1 started to lose subs. Put 4k hours in my first year.
9pm to 3am baby!!!
Was all day everyday, now 1hr a day max.
Those are rookie numbers we used get 80 hrs before the weekend
There are funny color, but it’s a strange political compass.
He could acheived 52h if being healthy.
I don’t have too many hours in it yet, but I’m loving every second of it. I don’t mind taking my time. It hits me the same way BotW did, I’m just running around exploring shit, getting into trouble. I feel relaxed in-between the fights. It still has that heart-pumping rush that I get from other soulsborne games, but I get to choose when I face it.
Those were the days indeed.
Doing a full all emblem run on Sonic Adventure 2 devoured an entire week of my life when I was still back in school, playing all day until I got a damn migraine lmao. No food, barely any sleep, Just rings emeralds and emblems. 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎
I limit myself to playing Elden Ring at night. The daytime is for work, studies, chores, and then sporadic PoE.
Helps me truly enjoy my time in Elden Ring.
Unless you have infants or toddlers, I’m convinced that some of the folks that have grown up and ‘can’t play games like they used to’ had parents that let them do whatever the hell they wanted. So only in comparison to having zero responsibilities is the freedom of adulthood actually a bane on their existence.
My experience gaming is so much better now than it was in my teenage or child years. I work yes but it’s no different than going to school, actually it’s better now due to 95% of the time having no homework. I decide when to complete chores, grocery shop, eat dinner, when to go bed, when to work out, etc.
In my life I’ve taken a year off gaming three times. It should never feel like an obligation or chore. Stepping away let me rediscover my enthusiasm each time. I don’t play anywhere near as much as did as a kid, and made peace that miss a lot of games and focus on fewer that I can enjoy.
I’m definitely not at 60 hours
I have to smoke weed now to enjoy game like I used to when younger
Listen, parts of Elden Ring are stressful. That’s why you take short breaks from it to play Animal Crossing duh
So for me, its not about time only, its about stress. Elden Ring is great, but it is exhausting. I just cannot really relax playing it. And therefore I just cannot stomach playing it too much while having the other burdens of adult live taking up part of my brain power.
I took a 4 day weekend and put in 75 hours before going back to work, and God damn I don’t think I’m even close to beating the game, let along finding everything
I thought the same thing
Until yesterday I started playing with my buddies at 8PM we stopped at 1:30 AM
Im a school teacher
I was dead inside the whole day
Elden ring definitely gave me the feeling I’ve missed from when I was younger
Not sure if this was made by OP but the pacing of this strip reminds me of Doonesbury. Nicely done; I feel like I rarely see it these days.
It’s the first time in my life that I have significant and consistent disposable income, thus I can buy many more games then I used to. While that’s nice and means a lot more games to play, the magic of a new game is kinda lost, it isn’t something I saved fir and had to get the most out of. It’s just there now.
Most games are just a lot worse these days. I still get just as hooked on certain indie games that are actually designed to be fun instead of designed to maximize profit.
The gaming industry ruined gaming.
I mean there is some truth here.
It’s a lot harder for me to get sucked into a game. I remember once beating Quake 4 in like 3 – 4 days, because I couldn’t put it down. But now I have games I never even finish.
Getting older? More Responsibilities taking you away from it? Games not as much fun, your take.
Edit, I just realized I can contradict this all, in that I enjoy them more. I actually started playing Quake 4 again about a year back, and was like “wow this is amazing”, from the music to the graphics. Sure some of it’s dated, but I still was impressed, something I don’t think I appreciated when I was younger (also, I would use cheat codes so I probably didn’t have the “struggles”, course I am a lot better then I used to be at games too). However, now I also “want” to play, where I have time to sit down and enjoy it
I think the feeling is unfortunately that extremely existential horror of your time perception getting fucked as you age. If you can manage to game for a 4 hour session as an adult it just doesn’t *feel* as long as it used to.
Even when I have a completely free day I find that my perception is that there still wasn’t enough time whereas a free Saturday as a kid felt like a weeklong adventure.
Jokes aside, this is exactly how I am feeling. I’m almost 20 now and gaming is cool, but it used to be so much more…
I can’t lose myself in a game anymore it seems
Within the first two days of release so 48hrs I played for 36 of those hours. The rest was spent sleeping.
It is also funny how the fact that time seems to flow slower when you’re younger, combined with a lack of control over your own life as a kid, distorts your idea oh how invested in games you are or were.
30 hours doesn’t feel like much as adults when you can, in theory, spend every spare moment you have playing a game. However games like Chrono Trigger or FF7 are only about 30 hours long and for most of us who played them as kids, we remember them taking *forever* to finish. Weeks or months.
Go back now and you can finish them in a single weekend, because you’ve got more control over your own life as an adult.