When & why did you lose interest in modern or current-gen gaming?

[calthaer]

In the '90s I was entirely into PC games, although very early in that decade I got an NES with some of the last games produced for the system. Also had (and still have) an original Game Boy. Otherwise, it was all MS-DOS and Windows 95 / 98.

In 2001, I got a PlayStation 2 - primarily so that I could play all the PS1 games I never played, as I never had that console (or an N64). Also got a Game Boy Advance. For a few years I was into console games, and also picked up the Nintendo DS and the Wii.

Then I stopped. I had a bunch of console games I hadn't even played yet - still haven't gotten around to all of them. There were just too many great games released during the 2000-2006(ish) timeframe. Pokemon games were at the height of awesomeness, there were loads of innovative new ideas and titles in almost all genres. New Metroid games. New Mario games. New Zelda games. Consoles were finally becoming what PC games always were - involved, deep.

Part of the reason I stopped was because of my backlog of games. I had a ton of games that I hadn't ever really finished. Getting about 10-15 hours into a game wasn't too hard, but pushing through past that point often felt repetitive. I think a lot of games should be a lot shorter - in the last 25-50% (or more) of many games you're not getting much more story, you're not exploring new and different types of gameplay, you're just doing repetitive things.

These days the only games I buy are for Steam. Because I have so many unfinished game, the marginal value of an additional title is very low, because the likelihood that I'll get around to it is low. My standards are also much higher - I have less free time and I want to play only excellent games, and there aren't that many of them. Steam also has a lot of indie titles that are trying fresh, new ideas rather than rehashing the same old thing that's been done before - and the price is oh so right. I've also sold some of the console games I'd collected over the past decade or so, resigning myself to the fact that a) the games haven't been taken out of the shrinkwrap, b) some of them aren't that great, and c) people will pay a pretty decent price on eBay for them - more than I paid for them, oftentimes. Long-winded, eighty-plus-hour JRPGs in particular that aren't top flight games are going on the Bay.

Fez, Bastion, FTL: Faster Than Light, Minecraft, Braid, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Costume Quest, Bioshock, and the Shadowrun Returns series have all been some of the best gaming I've had in the last few years. Some of those are on consoles, but there's no real reason to get one when the games are also out on Steam. The XBox controller works great on a home PC, and I have a gaming PC hooked up to my TV. For portable stuff I still have my GBA and DS, although the DS has a broken hinge I have been meaning to fix. Cheaper games, no steep hardware costs...what's not to like?

[Emperor Megas]

Modern games just got to large and time consuming for me, plus my backlog is such that I could game regularly everyday and never even get to everything before I died if I lived 40 more years.

I haven't purchased a console new since the Dreamcast. Actually, I think my first Dreamcast was a gift now that I think about it. I know that every console since were all gifts besides my PS3s, both of which I got for insane deals. I like to stay a bit behind what's current because I don't play anything online but Mario Kart and there's zero reason to be up to date if you're not gaming socially, IMO. Everything will be just as shiny and a hell of a lot cheaper months and years down the line.

I'll get a PS4 and XBONE...eventually, when someone gifts me one or I get one for a ridiculous deal, and I'm sure I'll support it with lots of games, but not nearly as many as generations past.


I will say though that last generation had the most stand out titles and franchises (to me) since the 8 and 16-bit era. Especially action and horror.

[Mr Mort]

I haven't lost interest entirely, but I have grown more frustrated than ever with this console generation.

One of my chief complaints is with updates and online connectivity. Whether it's the constant hardware or software updates, online connectivity requirements, or mandatory profile sign-ins, there are too many obstacles between me & the game. I just want to turn the system on and play without any hassles.

That being said, there is some fun to be had with the new platforms, you may just have to be more patient.

[celerystalker]

It's tough to say when it started, as many trends over time have been chipping away at me. The rise of western PC-style games over japanese arcade-style games, 3D games almost completely supplanding 2D pixel games outside of indies, online replacing couch gaming, simulation replacing more concise mechanics, and all the patching, DRM, season passes, fees, etc. have all dug varying depths of my interest's grave.

The biggest things, though, have been the push toward digital-only releases, games requiring online patching and DRM to be played or servers they'll drop in two years, games being so massive that they can't help but be filled with filler space to traverse and tedious tasks, and the sameness of new games. Developers make games that all shoot for the same level of realism it seems. Flip through a magazine and everything just kind of looks like it could be in the same game at a glance. It doesn't help that sequels, remakes, and licensed games make up a big part of the scene. I know it's always been that way, but it's one thing to make a sequel to, say Castlevania two years after it's released or when there are two games. It's another to be on the 30th sequel in as many years.

Take all that stuff and stand it up next to the fact that for the cost of a new system, I can get a couple more arcade cabinets and/or some pcbs to play classic games in the style I love, and I really drift away.

[ccovell]

My older brother first got a Playstation and N64, and my friend first got a Saturn and then a Dreamcast, so I played those at their houses and didn't feel the need to buy any of these new systems. At home, I was quite happy with my old NES, SNES, and new(ish) TurboDuo.

I think that was the beginning of the end.... really early! ;-)

[goldenband]

The Dreamcast and GameCube are pretty much my cut-off point; I don't have anything later, though I wouldn't be averse to buying a PS2 or XBox. The reasons are much the same as what others have said: gameplay style, emphasis on Internet connectivity and online multiplayer, aesthetics, etc.

I'm sure there are great indie games out there, but there's so much I still haven't played in prior gens, and I pretty much missed the 5th and 6th gens when they were happening anyway.

FWIW that's about my cutoff point for film, too -- outside of certain indie flicks, that is. I don't find anything that resonates with me in most mainstream films after about 2005.

To be honest the dominant aesthetics in all art forms have turned me off since the mid-2000s. But again, there's so much media I haven't heard/seen yet from before the last 10 years, it's not as if I'm short on stuff to check out.

[AdamAnt316]

Sometime around the end of the PS2 era, I think. Had lots of fun with the PS2, then it started throwing disc read errors, then it quit. Fortunately, we were able to get it replaced under warranty, but its replacement eventually started having drive issues of its own a year or two later, and then conked out as well.

Around this time, I ended up with an XBox thanks to a friend of mine. Bought a few games for it, and had a decent amount of fun. Then, maybe a month or two after we got it, the hard drive started making nasty clicking noises, and died. I got a used replacement machine, but it just wasn't the same. I guess you could say that I decided to avoid consoles which relied heavily on moving parts in order to work.

[Greg2600]

I don't entirely blame the consoles or games themselves. Just my life has gotten a LOT busier in the last 10 years, so I don't have as much time to play them. The DLC, DRM, stuff has turned me off for sure. As has the move towards online gaming and away from single player/story mode. Yes the graphics are astounding, but I've found the games are either too complicated, or worse, way too simple. Filmmakers are making games, not game makers. I would like to reacquaint with 360/PS3 era, I think I've missed a lot.

[BetaWolf]

It's tough to say when it started, as many trends over time have been chipping away at me. The rise of western PC-style games over japanese arcade-style games, 3D games almost completely supplanding 2D pixel games outside of indies, online replacing couch gaming, simulation replacing more concise mechanics, and all the patching, DRM, season passes, fees, etc. have all dug varying depths of my interest's grave.

You took the words completely out of my mouth. The dominant style of gameplay completely changed 10 years ago... now it's almost all generic FPSes.

[Sailorneorune]

Our only "current-gen" traditional console at this time is the Wii U. Though they're not perfect (region-locking the 3DS still bugs me), Nintendo has, for the most part, kept intact the things that make gaming fun. NCL let its freak flag fly during Iwata's reign (and maybe a little before that with games like Smash 64), and I think that's a good thing in an industry that's become stale. "Safe" annual sports and run-around-and-kill-things games do nothing for me either.

The thing I'm actually most excited about this week is getting a Famicom converter and diving into that rabbit hole (the chance at a physical copy of Balloon Fight for <$10 doesn't hurt).

[Flojomojo]

I have all the consoles even though it really doesn't make much sense -- I don't have enough time to fully appreciate any of them. I have the money though, they aren't that expensive, and with Xbox Live and PsPlus there's a steady stream of "free" games everywhere. There are indie-style surprises all the time, too!

Because of my time constraints, I'm drawn to handhelds and mobile games. There's so much innovation in mobile, even in the hated "free to play" space, and that's where much of my attention goes. Small, fast, "retro" but new experiences pop up all the time on iOS, which while flawed and limited in some ways, is my platform of choice nowadays.

There are more new game releases in a single week on iOS than most of the "classic" systems got in several years of cartridge manufacturing. Quality ratios are about the same, in my experience. Of course much of it is crap, but that's the way it has always been with any creative endeavor.

[Tanooki]

It's tough to say when it started, as many trends over time have been chipping away at me. The rise of western PC-style games over japanese arcade-style games, 3D games almost completely supplanding 2D pixel games outside of indies, online replacing couch gaming, simulation replacing more concise mechanics, and all the patching, DRM, season passes, fees, etc. have all dug varying depths of my interest's grave.

The biggest things, though, have been the push toward digital-only releases, games requiring online patching and DRM to be played or servers they'll drop in two years, games being so massive that they can't help but be filled with filler space to traverse and tedious tasks, and the sameness of new games. Developers make games that all shoot for the same level of realism it seems. Flip through a magazine and everything just kind of looks like it could be in the same game at a glance. It doesn't help that sequels, remakes, and licensed games make up a big part of the scene. I know it's always been that way, but it's one thing to make a sequel to, say Castlevania two years after it's released or when there are two games. It's another to be on the 30th sequel in as many years.

Take all that stuff and stand it up next to the fact that for the cost of a new system, I can get a couple more arcade cabinets and/or some pcbs to play classic games in the style I love, and I really drift away.

You took the words completely out of my mouth. The dominant style of gameplay completely changed 10 years ago... now it's almost all generic FPSes.

Third me on that, but all of his post pretty much. I know I went into the price thing, but well money issues that don't die. Placing money out of the equation he nailed it on the head entirely. I get strongly demotivated these days, and the most I have played on a console (PS4) has been remakes other than the 2 Wolfenstein games and Godzilla. I do have Lego the MOvie and Tomb Raider, but they're just conversions as is COD Ghosts(last COD I tolerated.) His first block of text really fits the situation for me, but that second part can make you sick if you think about it too. Taking away your rights paying full price for a long term rental, faux ownership, and front lining that isn't cool or good for the consumer. The DRM nazi tactics, especially be online for a 1p offline experience...what the hell? Nickel and dime every little thing while taking more away, driving creativity to the download, GOG/Steam type places because it's not as profitable or safe. And he's got a point more and more of these PS4/X1 games feel like they're all running the same style, engine, they blend. I don't mind sequels, but 30 in 30 years is overkill. Whatever happened to doing one every 2-3+ years or more like Nintendo used to do with Mario games as we really don't need as many game as years (or more) than a franchise has existed.

[TheBenenator]

I haven't completely lost interest -- I'm waiting for Persona 5 to (FINALLY) be released, and plan to eventually pick up a PS4 for Disgaea 5 and Until Dawn, and maybe The Last of Us HD (I have a second-model PS3 that can't actually run The Last of Us without almost immediately triple-beeping and shutting off. Naughty Dog never fixed that issue. ) That'll all be several years from now when things come down in price, though.

I'm also looking forward to playing Life Is Strange, Bioshock Infinite and, perhaps, Rayman Legends on PC.

Still, the DLC/same-art-style/etc issues everyone else complain about definitely don't help matters. There is all of ONE Xbox 360 exclusive I'm interested in (Lost Odyssey), and I'll be years before I run out of games to play...especially with my resurging reading habits.

Edit: Looked at Rayman Legends on Steam, saw UPlay requirement, nope!'d out of there.

[gbpxl]

I bowed out of modern gaming during the 360/PS3 era because the games were getting way too complicated and fewer and fewer games were coming out that genuinely made me want to have in front of my eyeballs. I prefer the xartoonish look of old games and rudimentary 3D games. Pixel art games. I was drawn back into modern gaming with Shovel Knight and now the Switch has a ton of indie retro looking games so I am lured back into "modern" games now to an extent. I think for the most part a lot of games are trying too hard to look and feel like real life and if I wanted to experience real life I would just go outside

[Steve W]

I was drawn back into modern(ish) gaming by finding cheap consoles. Bought a PS3 at a used book store for $55, a few days later bought a working 360 in a thrift store under $20. Several months later I ended up buying a PS4 in a flea market for $75 (had to spend $100 to get the HDMI port fixed). To be honest, I like the idea of collecting for those consoles more than actually playing them. I have over 350 games for the PS3 picked up in the past year or so, but I mostly play a handful of games at most. And when it comes to buying PS4 games, I will see something cool looking, then flip it over and look for the "online play optional" notice on the back. If it says it can only be played online it immediately goes back on the shelf. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the libraries of the PS3 and PS4. Lots of quirky, niche games. The Xbox consoles seem to only be mainstream stuff, appealing to the knuckle-dragging Madden and Call of Duty playing masses, but I prefer the weirder stuff on the Sony machines. But again, I have no interest in moving up to the next generation of machines. Firstly, there doesn't seem to be anything interesting on the PS5, and secondly, heavy focus on online gaming over single-player. It's not my thing.