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

[Az]

At Christmas of 2014 my stepson was wanting one of the new consoles but wasn't sure which one he wanted. When he asked me which one I was interested in, I honestly didn't have any opinion because at the time neither appealed to me at all. After the big digital push I was really taken back that neither was backwards compatible and I still had a ton of 360/PS3 games in my library I hadn't even touched.

Fast forward to December of 2015 and I'm searching through online stores trying to find games on his wish-list and flipping through the latest issues of Game Informer and it dawned on me: I have absolutely zero interest in current-gen machines. Although I had jumped into the last few previous generations a year or two after they launched, I still had a few games on my mind that held my interest and I looked forward to experiencing. Got into the Xbox/PS2 era after about two years but was definitely interested in GTAIII, War of the Monsters, Halo, and a few others. Picked up a used 360 and both Crackdown and Dead Rising looked cool, plus all the new SNK XBLA titles like NGBC & KoF '98:UM were reasons to plunk down the cash.

This gen.... not so much. I can't think of one single title I'm even slightly interested in, and definitely nothing worth the $300 entry fee. The wife bought me a Wii U about two years ago and although everyone complains about it, I can think of at least a dozen solid system-exclusive games for it I own plus I'm picking up a few forgotten Wii games I passed up on. If the Wii U went belly up today I'd still be perfectly content with it.

Hell, I picked up a 3DO a few months ago for the sole purpose of playing Way of the Warrior, so it's not like a console has to have two dozen must-own titles before it appeals to me. Maybe it's that my collection has finally reached critical mass, maybe it's that so much of current-gen is Internet and social-centric, maybe it's the lack of software in genres that appeal to me; whatever the reason I can honestly say that I have reached my threshold and have no need to adopt a new system. PC gaming is not an option on my antiquated 1.3ghz XP desktop, even if my hardware is up to par PC gaming holds no allure to me for a variety of reasons. IMO mobile/tablet gaming is truly pathetic... like designing a system with the U-Force as it's sole input. Games/genres that appeal to me could never be enjoyed due to the rubbish control mechanics.

For those that have also completely bowed out of modern gaming, what generation did you make that decision and what were the factors behind it? Did you find yourself skipping a few years then picking it up later, or strickly sticking to the stuff you already know and love?

[Tanooki]

While I have not bowed out entirely, the stuff you're writing hits home fairly well in spots.

I got the PS4 a year after it came out, why? I was able to weasel a deal on ebay for $300 that had 5 pack in sealed games (costco bundle) and sold the lousy games and got it down to $200. That's it, that's why I have it because there wasn't much (anything) unique I wanted then, but future sure. I could have skipped PS4 up until Uncharted 4 came out and looked back. The problem is there's just no incentive to pay retail unless you're part of certain gaming cliques and circles. The biggest being the yearly rehash of Call of Duty and their ilk including sports, you can't be left out when they stop making them for the old box as you're cut off from as you noted the internet social circle garbage I have zero interest in. I keep my internet damn near exclusive to my tablet/phone/laptop as I don't want it on my game box of choice as it's an escape, not another window for bs annoyances and interruptions so I refuse to unhide my account on there or share my ID code either with anyone, even if someone found me I don't authorize their account.

I'm as far as consoles going pushing the edge of just not giving a crap anymore. It's not just the fact this generation has little to offer, but I also have a lack of time (have a 4 year old+job), or willpower to bother. I won't pay $60 for almost any game because I know I will almost never finish it or get close so it would be wasting money. Over the last year on PS4 I only picked up like 4 games, every single one was largely discounted (Godzilla $40 from $60, FFX/X2+GOW3 Remaster for $15 from $60, and Uncharted Collection for $30 from $60.) The only one I paid full for was the already $30 Wolfenstein sequel. Notice another pattern? 3 games are remasters and 1 of them is also on PC too...only Godzilla is unique to PS4. Again I could have waited until Uncharted 4 and a few things after.

The stuff I can tolerate mostly now seem to be pinball simulators of real tables (PB Arcade and Zaccaria Pinball), random 3DS stuff even split 1st/3rd party, using my laptop mostly for old GoG releases, and some random tablet/phone bs.

[calgon]

After the dreamcast died. Combo of going off to college, falling out of touch with new releases and just not having the interest. After a year or so with no console I got back into NES almost exclusively for a few years, then Genesis and snes, later down the line dabbled with psx and dreamcast again and I only really mess with those consoles. I do need to get a Saturn one day

[Aussie2B]

I've basically lost interest in modern home console gaming, focusing almost entirely on the handhelds to fill my modern gaming needs. I'm just not into big, bloated AAA-style gaming, so the handhelds better serve my tastes. I plan to get a PS4 for Star Ocean 5, but I could do without otherwise. I also would've been just as happy if Star Ocean 5 had been a handheld game. My shift to handhelds started with the previous generation. I do have some good stuff for Wii, 360, and PS3, but I was way more interested in what was coming out on DS and PSP. Now I'm kinda mildly obsessed with the Vita, haha. I got a little bit into PC gaming these last couple years, but almost entirely for visual novels. If a game has any kind of action gameplay or would benefit from using a controller, I probably don't want to play it on PC. PC gaming for me is for when I want something mellow and to just read for the most part, clicking my mouse occasionally as needed.

[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 (http://www.backloggery.com/calthaer). 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?

[FieryReign]

I've basically lost interest in modern home console gaming, focusing almost entirely on the handhelds to fill my modern gaming needs. I'm just not into big, bloated AAA-style gaming, so the handhelds better serve my tastes.

Pretty much my feelings. I've been completely satisfied with the 3DS and Vita libraries. I've also gotten alot of use out of the PSTV, even with all of its faults.

Red rings threw me off of that entire generation. Known faulty consoles being lauched and being stocked on shelves. I guess people didn't care because it was a success. M$ taking a page out of the NES handbook. I may get a PS3 eventually.

There's literally nothing on these new consoles that even remotely interests me. Being broken and requiring system updates all the time with an internet connection is the last straw.

All these giant open-world games intimidate me. I don't have time to explore all that shit with no sense of direction. All the character upgrade stats and all that is getting out of hand. There is such a thing as TOO MUCH customization and freedom in a videogame.

[Daltone]

After the dreamcast died

Consoles haven't been the same since.

[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.

[retro junkie]

I have always loved cart based gaming. The last time I was interested in a modern system was PS2 and GameCube. There was a lot of games that perked my interest on both consoles. When the PS3 and XBOX 360 generation hit the shelves, I was drawn more into retro gaming, it seemed more exciting and appealing. I love the simple addictive gameplay. The evolution of gaming has moved it away from the arcade influence it had during the cartridge gaming era. As the arcades declined in our culture gaming took on more complexity. I didn't like the changes. The old simple gaming is where I began to feel more and more drawn. I do have a PS3 and a XBOX 360, but I spend more money and time on the retro gaming of the late 80s and early 90s. My favorite console is the PC Engine/Turbo Grafx 16. I like the old GameBoy Pocket, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, GameBoy Advance, etc. The gaming of that era is where I find the most enjoyment.

[gameofyou]

I lost interest after Dreamcast. I mainly play Saturn & N64 these days.

[SpaceHarrier]

I am mostly too lazy to invest myself in console games after the PS2 era, though recently I spent about 400 hours (mostly online) goofing around with GTA V and about 80 hours in Skyrim. I do play a good amount on 3DS games, however.

[Steve W]

I got heavily into the Dreamcast/PS2/GameCube/Xbox era but I didn't have much enthusiasm for moving forward, mainly because developers seem to emphasize online multiplayer over single-player modes, and I don't have the slightest amount of interest in playing anybody online (due to the fact that I've worked in the retail industry my entire adult life and have grown to despise humanity).

Also the fact that more modern machines have become so fragile. Look at all the issues with the Xbox 360. I loaned my 360 to my nephew while he was in town and he red-ringed it, and I never bothered getting another one. I have bought a couple of second-hand Wii consoles and they've both crapped out due to the kids who previously owned them dropping the damn things and screwing up the disc drive. Which is a shame, Nintendo built the GameCube like a freakin' Sherman Tank, I've never seen a non-working GameCube ever. Too bad they couldn't build that kind of reliability into the Wii.

[Tron 2.0]

Haven't got sick of modern gaming the latest i have is the PS4&Wii-U and that's all i need period.Still that's not to say i don't approve of today practices such as updates and DLC.DLC being the worst since it's a way for said developer to nickle&dime the consumer,unless handle right.Still,whatever i'm in the mood far as video games go.If i want it simple it's retro and if i want more then it's modern.

[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.

[eskobar]

One huge problem for many of us in other countries is the weakness of the local currency and economy.

Today the only game that appeals to me is Bloodborne. I want to play the Uncharted Collection and Uncharted 4 but mostly for curiosity than a huge desire to play them. Mass Effect 4 is a game that I really want to purchase as soon as it comes out, and that's it; I don't remember any other games for PS4.

I don't and have never liked the Xbox, the first one was interesting for the games that SEGA had on development for the DC and were published on the Xbox, but the 360 and One really don't interest me in any way.

I bought Xenoblade Chronicles X and I really want to play a few WiiU games but haven't bought the console and hope to get it this year, but I don't feel much pressure to buy it.

I remember the rush in previous generation when a system came out I wanted it the first day of release and talked about the systems since the day they were announced, not today; I really couldn't care less for the current generation and the push for social media in the consoles and games.


Another important factor is the price of the software and the console. Since I didn't bought the PS4/WiiU when they came out, the Mexican Peso has depreciated more than 40% in just a few weeks and that is another huge hit to my wallet X_x

[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. :bad-words: ) 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. :p

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

[Tanooki]

I used prime benefits last night, preordered Mega Man Legacy 3DS and Uncharted 4 at a 20% discount plus the no tax/no shipping. I'm choosy but not stupid. :) Given the savings on those, the shipping on 5 other items I've had so far including those to be, Prime is 1/2 paid for already. If they start adding the few 3DS and PS4 games I'd like i"ll do that too. I see no value in wasting time driving around wasting time, gas, money and effort to get things or waiting for them to plummet on ebay/used shops either with that cut.

[XYXZYZ]

The thing that pushes me away from modern gaming more than anything else is simply the way the characters and art styles have changed. I loved the colorful cartoonyness of the old games and promotional illustrations. I loved the old art style, and the fact that it gave my imagination just enough to go one where I could dream up the characters and environments in my head as the pixely characters weren't very detailed.

Games used to look like this-
http://blogs.c.yimg.jp/res/blog-4c-39/gamesmasa/folder/1495144/54/58249854/img_0?1234697882
http://www.tomheroes.com/images/joust_ad.JPG
http://40.media.tumblr.com/88c82bc094900de619019b5acd9d33ee/tumblr_mgrjh1A3SL1qzj5ggo2_1280.jpg

And now everything looks like this-
http://cdn2-www.craveonline.com/assets/uploads/2015/11/MostDisappointGamesHeader.jpg
http://www.topteny.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tom-Clancys-The-Division-2015-Game-Wallpaper.jpg
http://games.mxdwn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_4659-770x470.jpg

It's so boring to me.

[Tanooki]

You like it when a game is like a cartoon, a book, a comic, a fairy tale where there's imagination, uniqueness to the look and feel, where you have to use your mind some to fill in the blanks as old games or those faking being old now don't do on their own. When they cross into some extreme level of closer to reality, or at least a movie theater level presentation of reality, you get detracted from it and the imagination is gone as it filled in all that and kind of blends together like yearly hollywood summer/holiday blockbusters. That about it? If so I do agree quite a bit. You really had to take an old 8/16bit style of game and fill in the imagination gaps, but with a game even as amazing as Uncharted series, Witcher, etc the void is done, it's like sitting in on an Indiana Jones or some Maleficent like motion picture. Also secondarily the modern style of game in that reality comes so close to potential life the wonder is pulled away from it perhaps. And lastly of course you have the obvious issue of creeping up eventually on that whole uncanny valley concept of too close it gets creepy or uncomfortable for many people.

[Aussie2B]

That's really more of a Western gaming problem than a modern gaming problem. I mostly play games that were developed in Japan, and most still have hand-drawn art. Like if you like Dragon Quest art, stick with the series, it's still got Toriyama designs and looks about the same as ever as far as art style goes.

[retroman]

I still play todays systems (XBONE) (Wii U), but can not stand all this download crap. Plus time is a issue for me also. I find that I can enjoy retro games more with a lot less time spent.

[Manhattan Sports Club]

Like a lot of people here, modern games are too massive and can be acquired too easily. The backlog would be enormous, plus there is way too much content to cover. Most of my all-time favorites that I still play are classic games that can be finished in either one whole sitting at a maximum of one to two hours, or for ones with save files, a few sittings with a maximum of 6, at most. As much as I've enjoyed games like Final Fantasy 4, 6, and others over the years, they have only managed to get one complete playthrough for me at most. Even with games like FF7 and such, the idea that anyone ever completed these games on their own 20+ times is still mind boggling considering the 40+ hours it took for me to get through them the first time. Nowadays, that's considered short. If anything exceeds this criteria for playtime, it needs to go. Although, I would say, Super Mario RPG still gets the OK when it comes to somewhat long games, and is possibly my all-time favorite JRPG.

I did get a 2DS just for Animal Crossing: New Leaf and the Shinobi 3DS game, but nothing else as games haven't been a priority for me lately. New Leaf is my chillout game, and another exception to games that go on forever. The latter is part of a series I enjoy and very traditional action-arcade fare.

Also my interests shifted. I wanted more variety in intellectual and creative activities, like learning languages, reading literature, and playing music. But games also have their place in exercising my mind like these hobbies do. The development I've made in terms of my comprehension and dexterity has been helped out by both games and all these activities together to train my way of thinking. I've used Kanji Sonomama for DS obsessively and it has really helped me understand and learn the kanji, even being fun. In fact, most of my games lately have been educational software for Nintendo DS like Touch Dictionary or Mabeob Cheonjamun. The latter is a great example of how edutainment can be done right.

As for my favorites, I mostly play my Genesis with the EverDrive cartridge.

[Az]

I'll go ahead and apologize for the wall of text to follow. I think I've narrowed down the main reasons of why I won't be doing anything beyond the 360/PS3 generation.

Social connectivity: The shrill screams of an unsupervised 8-year old child grate on my nerves just as much as 420budsmokerdudebro's non-stop verbal masturbation of his K/D ratio. Although I appreciate certain music lovers fanatical dedication and their need to share their latest mix tape over in game chat, their musical tastes are about one degree above beating a hollow log with a human femur. These are all people I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire; I wouldn't strike up a conversation with them while browsing the games at Gamestop or any other place, so why the hell would I want to talk to them while I play online? Remove their mic and they're the equivalent of CPU player with erratic patterns. On a general sense I have no need to share with the world everything that's happening during my game and I sure as hell don't care what's going on in others' games. If I was 16 I could appreciate the social aspects of gaming, especially being able to play with friends when you can't physically be with them, but as an adult I play games for the opposite: to get the hell away from people.

Game economics have changed: With a library or collection of games you're fortunate enough to always have something interesting in your backlog. Take what you already own out of the equation and there's not a lot of incentive to pay $60 USD for a title. You're options now are virtually limitless; used games, free to play games, free demos, rentals delivered to your house, <$5 digital purchases, etc. Why pay $15 for a single CoD map pack when I can buy an entire CoD game I don't have for $9? Why pay $60 for a title only to see it drop to $30 before you've even had a chance to get into it? That's not even starting on the endless see of free pirated games.

No time for mediocrity: My two favorite genres are 2D fighters and tournament-style FPS's, both of which are based around competitiveness either against a human or AI opponent. I totally get that you've got to practice, learn the systems and levels, ins and outs, I get it. But I don't have 15+ hours to put into a game just to unlock all the fucking characters. I don't have 15+ hours to unlock all the equipment you require to even begin to play competitively. The barrier in those games should be your familiarity and your skills, not the amount of time invested in them.

I don't get a lot of time to watch movies so when I do it's on a nice TV with a DVD/blu-ray copy and not hunched over a credit-card sized smartphone screen watching a camcorder snuck into a Taiwanese theater. If I've got 2 hours to game tonight I've got a decision to make: either I can go back to a game I know is going to be good, or I can spend 2 hours on something hoping it might be good. I'm no longer a kid that's forced to play shitty NES games because that's all I've got access to. Not to say I expect games to make me shit my pants with excitement at the title screen, I just don't have 20+ hours to put into a single game just to get past to the good part. I've got no time for mediocre experiences.

No software in genres I like: I wouldn't adopt the newest movie format if all they had on it was romantic comedies and Hogan's Heroes, nor would I buy a system that has zero software that appeals to me. No genres I like are represented on the new systems. Genres invented last gen that are now refined on this one, I'm completely content with playing on last gen because they don't hold much appeal to me anyway. Digital retro-releases have plateaued on previous gen and I would say for certainty we won't see levels of support for Virtual Console and it's ilk on this generation as we did the last... which is fine, because I already bought the shit once, and what hasn't been rereleased I have access to on the original hardware anyway.

[Tanooki]

Social Connectivity - Agreed, too many people you wouldn't push away from a car coming at them, but the real thing, and it was just as much when I was a kid as an adult -- leave me the hell alone, it's a fun escape, I don't need to be followed by annoying pigs and douchebags into my ME time. Go away.

Economics - I see no point in buying new games anymore unless it's in that under 10% I know I would damn well enjoy and replay, like an Uncharted title, God of War, or something maybe Nintendo made that doesn't pale compared to their past works. Games other than NOA ones they either bomb or overproduce upon will drop $10 within a week or a few, double or triple that time figure $20 off, and if the game wasn't super popular it'll be 50% off in about that time. So unless I can get a stupid deal up front, why should I care not to wait? Throw in their economics of selling beta level games with patches, all the forms of microtransactions, and the fact there are still plenty of ownable download or physical games that cost less modern or past the motivation is nearly dead.

Time - I've said it enough, I work 8 hours, then I'm off around 2 or a little later, then my kid is up and you think I can game around that unless she's neck deep in Disney Jr, My Little Pony, Horseland, or the Carebears? NO. She's down at 7 if we're lucky. That leaves me until 11-midnight to do stuff before I want to wind down for bed no later than 1am to be back up at 6am the next day. 5 hours where I need to take care of something, lose a headache, play a game, do Lego stuff, read something, catch a DVR thing from TV or a movie -- and that's if the wife isn't lost in her world wanting to do something (usually watch recordings.) I'm not going to piss the few motivated hours I have left on stupid crap games. I don't care if the media liars and fanboys froth over X game, if I found the truth it's a fanboy pool of kool aid backed high scores, I'm going to be pissed I wasted my time so I don't bother. I'd rather waste a few days researching new and old stuff and finding things I will want to piss my limited time on. Given the time it takes to fire up a PS3/PS4 game, get through the loads, the screens, and the rest it's annoying. Throw in the fact most games now really need you to be at it for an hour or three to feel accomplished or get somewhere I just don't fucking care. I'll fire it up 1 maybe 2x a week and commit a few hours to a game (recently Uncharted 1 on the PS4) to knock it out, but I can't do that daily.

The genre thing you put there, I'll just file that under my lower comments under TIME. Genres of the 2D era are greatly not in favor anymore, hard to find something to enjoy, so you do with what's new and that leaves few options other than the research and finding an old thing to tinker with. Sucks but it's better than just quitting.

[Damaramu]

I haven't. I play both classic and modern games with equal enthusiasm and find both eras to be satisfying. Why limit myself?

Weeknights, I have about 6-7 hours of free time to game. I don't watch TV. Passive entertainment bores me to tears, so I avoid that when I can. My main forms of entertainment while at home are gaming and surfing the web.

You know, I do a lot of online gaming and I've never encountered idle or annoying chatter from other gamers. Modern consoles give you the ability to hear your friends only, which is the way I always have mine set. If you're not in my friends list and in my party, you're mute. Problem solved.

[WCP]

I still play modern games, but I will say that there is definitely plenty of things you can hate about modern gaming. Let me list a few:

1. The loss of actual "ownership". Don't even get me started with this. People just throwing their ownership rights into the garbage can by leasing (they call it buying) digital games.

2. How many times have you sat down, turned on your modern gaming system, expecting to play your current game that you're playing, but instead your system has to download some firmware thing, or needs some patch, and then 15 minutes later you're finally actually playing ?

3. microtransaction bullshit and other sleazyness... (remember when cheat codes were free ? )

4. needing to have an online connection for things to work right.

5. system link being killed in favor of online only crap

6. Games that don't include a legit single player campaign. (basically the slow death of the single player game)



Having said all of that, I think it's a huge mistake to just say that all modern gaming is garbage and not participate at all in modern gaming. Now, I can understand the systems being too expensive, but at a certain point, it's a good idea to try out some of this modern stuff... I'm actually more interested in VR than anything else, although I have to admit that I've never tried VR and I might hate it after trying it. I have no idea if it will work for me or not, but it sounds super interesting.

[Gentlegamer]

Celerystalker pretty much nailed it. I'm not totally out of modern gaming, but I find myself more excited learning about a new old game these days.

[Tanooki]

Yeah he is but WCP compartmentalizes all the problems nicely with that checklist. Everything there makes me mad when I experience it.

That said yesterday I got lucky and found Destiny for PS4, Legendary Edition at a use store for $15, the codes were out in the open and no one stole them and the old owner didn't bother either...score. I did it just because my 2 nephews got a PS4 thanks to me helping them late last year selling their old stuff off on ebay and they're enjoying it. I figured I could friend list the two and I could always have a party to be in so I'm not screwed by the bad design that makes single player after going so far into it an actual impossibility (or near so, having to grind lame crap for dozens of hours just so you're overpowered enough to maybe make it which no sane person would do.)

[Niku-Sama]

I still do modern gaming stuff. Mostly pc but i have a Wii u and ps3 and plan on getting a ps4 to but for select games. I like most of the Nintendo stuff but the same goes for all modern and PCs, a lot of it is just not appealing to me. There's a lot, lllooootttt, of uninteresting stuff.

I'm on base with the physical copy crowd, unless it's 5 bucks and under it better have a disc or something. If rather spend money on old games i was always interested in and never got to play though instead of buying new. Every once in a while there's a new game i just have to have. I really want just cause 3 but i haven't been able to find any physical pc copies and the division looks rather interesting too. Those are pc play games though.

Lately, unless i already own copies I've been doing free to play on pc. Warframe and Unreal Tournament...

[Gentlegamer]

Yeah he is but WCP compartmentalizes all the problems nicely with that checklist. Everything there makes me mad when I experience it.

Allow me to share the anecdote that shows the most angry I've ever been with modern gaming.

I played Mass Effect, found it fun despite its flaws, so when Dragon Age Origins came out, I picked up on sale about a month after it came out, hoping for something similar. It wasn't, but that's not what got me.

Fairly early in the game, an NPC approached me and asked me to do some quest to get ghosts out of his family tower. I was like, sure, I'll do your quest, chose accept. An XBL Marketplace purchase content window popped up asking for $9.99 to buy the side quest. The game literally shipped with an on disc NPC DLC Salesman. I was furious. I shut the game off and never played it again, eventually trading it.

[Emperor Megas]

Allow me to share the anecdote that shows the most angry I've ever been with modern gaming.

I played Mass Effect, found it fun despite its flaws, so when Dragon Age Origins came out, I picked up on sale about a month after it came out, hoping for something similar. It wasn't, but that's not what got me.

Fairly early in the game, an NPC approached me and asked me to do some quest to get ghosts out of his family tower. I was like, sure, I'll do your quest, chose accept. An XBL Marketplace purchase content window popped up asking for $9.99 to buy the side quest. The game literally shipped with an on disc NPC DLC Salesman. I was furious. I shut the game off and never played it again, eventually trading it.Wow, that's tacky!

[Tanooki]

Allow me to share the anecdote that shows the most angry I've ever been with modern gaming.

I played Mass Effect, found it fun despite its flaws, so when Dragon Age Origins came out, I picked up on sale about a month after it came out, hoping for something similar. It wasn't, but that's not what got me.

Fairly early in the game, an NPC approached me and asked me to do some quest to get ghosts out of his family tower. I was like, sure, I'll do your quest, chose accept. An XBL Marketplace purchase content window popped up asking for $9.99 to buy the side quest. The game literally shipped with an on disc NPC DLC Salesman. I was furious. I shut the game off and never played it again, eventually trading it.

Dude, I know of that one, and you're one in a LONG line of complaints I've seen on that one. I think I was on NintendoAge at the time and people bitched. I saw bitching on Facebook which I rarely use, and also I think someone here and on Racketboy complained too. Bitchin' everywhere. Every one of them said nearly the same line -- shipped with a DLC salesman, didn't include all the game on the disc, fark EA, etc. The sheep who were fine being their wallet microspanked either shut up or defended it as 'options' but really, nagging someone to buy and acting innocent like it's part of the game is sleazy beyond all shitty forms of DLC, including capcom shipping SF4 with on disc DLC. I never bought Dragon Age ANYTHING because of that crap I saw. I didn't trust EA but wanted to see, then I didn't even bother once the damn games went GOTY with all the nags out since it was included. I see no reason to ever reward a company pulling that crap even after the fact.

[WCP]

I'm on base with the physical copy crowd, unless it's 5 bucks and under it better have a disc or something..


My cutoff point is like $7.99. I don't mind leasing games at $7.99 or less. At that point, I consider it like a long term rental with certain stipulations that can be pulled out from under me at any time. I'll buy digital games for $7.99 or less, because at that point, it's basically disposable, and I can live with not actually having ownership.

The funny thing is tho... tons of people really think they own a collection of digital games. I just don't see it that way. They own a collection of leases and long-term rentals, with various stipulations... If you can't sell something, you don't own it.

I've come to the realization that if something costs $7.99 or less, I'm willing to throw my ownership rights into the garbage can, for the sake of convenience...

[kupomogli]

I'm a huge Playstation fan and think it's the greatest console ever made with such quality software with the N64 as the perfect secondary console over all other gens with such a huge difference in software, PS2 was worse, but certain genres were better. PS3 was worse than PS2, but again, certain genres on PS3 were better than PS2 because of the technology. With PS4 though, it seems that it's starting to get a solid library quicker than the PS3 and the Japanese are starting to support the west again with how many titles are being localized. Imo while the PS4 doesn't seem to have a chance to touch the original Playstation as of yet, the system looks well on its way to be the PS2.5, so read on and I'll explain.

On the PS4, already there are the noticeable dominating genres, the same ones on the PS3. Every first person shooter, just about everything third person outside of platformers, and racing. On the PS4 there's either more quality for these genres or it's going to have more quality. Where Playstation 4 is lacking, but so far is picking up, is in RPGs but it's the side scrolling and 3D platformers that the PS4 doesn't seem to be making much headway in.

Imo, the PS4 has far more quality content worth picking up than the PS3 did in the same time frame. Between what it currently has and what it's getting, there's a lot of potential for the PS4 to surpass the PS2, and imo it seems well on its way.

[Tanooki]

My cutoff point is like $7.99. I don't mind leasing games at $7.99 or less. At that point, I consider it like a long term rental with certain stipulations that can be pulled out from under me at any time. I'll buy digital games for $7.99 or less, because at that point, it's basically disposable, and I can live with not actually having ownership.

The funny thing is tho... tons of people really think they own a collection of digital games. I just don't see it that way. They own a collection of leases and long-term rentals, with various stipulations... If you can't sell something, you don't own it.

I've come to the realization that if something costs $7.99 or less, I'm willing to throw my ownership rights into the garbage can, for the sake of convenience...


That's entirely the problem right there. The industry has coached a bunch of lemmings to believe when they click the BUY button they're buying and therefore own something. They know that 99% of people aren't going to read an EULA or any other agreement into an online purchase agreement (PSN, XBL, Steam, etc.) I've seen enough people get pissed off when a game gets pulled they said they bought (which means they owned) on various console maker or mobile platforms and even Steam too (like TOS violaters being d-bags on the forums being kicked out of their accounts.) It can be anything that happens, even being a dick to someone and you lose $100s in purchases. Be a dick to someone playing a physical game, you still own it, unless they kick your ass and steal it. ;) I think that $7.99 makes sense, that really is around my cap though usually I cut it off at $5. The only exception Iv'e made is the 50% off sales on full seasons of Pinball Arcade because I'll easily get $15 in quarters out of the tables vs $5/ea($50) or $30 pack for no bonus. Square games on mobile when 1/2 off are $7.99.

[kupomogli]

Allow me to share the anecdote that shows the most angry I've ever been with modern gaming.

I played Mass Effect, found it fun despite its flaws, so when Dragon Age Origins came out, I picked up on sale about a month after it came out, hoping for something similar. It wasn't, but that's not what got me.

Fairly early in the game, an NPC approached me and asked me to do some quest to get ghosts out of his family tower. I was like, sure, I'll do your quest, chose accept. An XBL Marketplace purchase content window popped up asking for $9.99 to buy the side quest. The game literally shipped with an on disc NPC DLC Salesman. I was furious. I shut the game off and never played it again, eventually trading it.

Because of hearing about this, I didn't purchase it until the GotY edition. I would recommend picking it up again if you can find the GotY edition for cheap. You have three choices though, you have the PS3 version which has very bad framerate throughout the game, the 360 version which doesn't have the DLC on disc, and the PC version which has the DLC on disc but you're still required to use a code in order to use the DLC. Amazing game though.

[Gentlegamer]

Randomly decided I wanted to play some Dark Souls II and kill some invaders... try to log on and PS3 requires a system update.

[Daria]

Allow me to share the anecdote that shows the most angry I've ever been with modern gaming.

I played Mass Effect, found it fun despite its flaws, so when Dragon Age Origins came out, I picked up on sale about a month after it came out, hoping for something similar. It wasn't, but that's not what got me.

Fairly early in the game, an NPC approached me and asked me to do some quest to get ghosts out of his family tower. I was like, sure, I'll do your quest, chose accept. An XBL Marketplace purchase content window popped up asking for $9.99 to buy the side quest. The game literally shipped with an on disc NPC DLC Salesman. I was furious. I shut the game off and never played it again, eventually trading it.

Yeah that was slimey. Still love Dragon Age mind you, but that DLC merchant was some serious bullshit. But I also feel like DA came out around the time developers were still testing their limits on how tolerant/receptive consumers would be of DLC sales tactics. Luckily that one bombed hard.

Edit: Also fuck EA and what they've done to Bioware.

[dgdgagdae]

My cutoff point is like $7.99. I don't mind leasing games at $7.99 or less. At that point, I consider it like a long term rental with certain stipulations that can be pulled out from under me at any time. I'll buy digital games for $7.99 or less, because at that point, it's basically disposable, and I can live with not actually having ownership.

The funny thing is tho... tons of people really think they own a collection of digital games. I just don't see it that way. They own a collection of leases and long-term rentals, with various stipulations... If you can't sell something, you don't own it.

I've come to the realization that if something costs $7.99 or less, I'm willing to throw my ownership rights into the garbage can, for the sake of convenience...

Would you say the same thing about GOG, which is DRM free? I can back it up and install it at any time, even if they go bankrupt tomorrow.

[Tanooki]

I wouldn't which is why I talk them up because you can make physical copies so I'd pay a bit more on there since I'm essentially the disc, USB stick, etc manufacturer of sorts and so on. They are in a league of their own since you own it not rent/lease it with the soft lie of buying it.

[otaku]

i havent lost interest i just cant afford it haha. plenty of great games even for old school gamers and some of the visuals and new innovation out there is quite impressive

[Guntz]

I realized I became obsolete in the modern gaming demographic shortly after realizing many of my favorite game companies either stopped existing or stopped producing worthwhile games. Of them all, I found the closure of Free Radical Design to be the most troubling. This is a company who's flagship series is a parody of FPS games (TimeSplitters). What kind of world do we live in where FPS is the king of all gaming genres and the quintessential goofball FPS series is left to rot?

Today, the only game company I like that is still producing worthwhile games is Nintendo. I have a Wii U and a 3DS. Sure, I don't play them a whole lot, but I like voting for Nintendo's quality games with my wallet. I don't have a PS4 or Xbone and don't plan to in the future. There wasn't much I liked to play on the PS3 and 360 either, just the occasional couch co-op game.

And then I discovered all the different gaming platforms of old that I missed out on. Why struggle to find quality in modern gaming when we have decades of gaming goodness to explore through?

[Flamzeron]

I'm not completely out of modern gaming, but these days I do feel like I have a personal obligation to either built or restore my retro game collection. Despite growing up during the SNES days, I feel like there were games I missed out on, primarily due to not knowing about them. I've done well with keeping up with my modern game collection and "PS2 era" game collection, but I've been trying to rebuild my NES collection, to which I'm still looking for all the pieces in my house.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

I've had a PS4 since March 2014 and I still prolly own only 5 games for it. I play my Wii U all the time tho. I can't say I've lost interest in modern gen consoles, there's just not much I'm interested in. I do want to get Batman Arkham Knight tho, cuz its Batman, and Street Fighter 5, but really there's sooo much older stuff I never played that's way more interesting. I lost interest really cuz it's all reboots of older games, or yet another Final Fantasy or yet another sequel to some major franchise. Little Big Planet 3 and Rayman Legends r worth playing tho. Really some gorgeous platformers.

I am still a fan of the PS2 and Xbox tho. There's dozens upon dozens of great games of every genre to play. I've been enjoying collecting the Sega exclusives for the Xbox, which r mostly Dreamcast leftovers like Gunvalkyrie. And the PS2 still had a great selection of platformers and loads of unique games like Katamari or Ico. And I'm discovering a nice selection of shmups on the PS2. So I'll defend those systems cuz they really are great and cheap to collect for.

It's not so much the machines that turn me off, it's just the lack of anything original. The machines r great. They've only gotten bigger and better over time.

[Slate]

I lost interest in most gaming in 2011-2012 when I found I was overdoing it which caused depression. (That's not the only reason, back then in me there was no caring of anyone or anything in numerous ways. Gaming wasn't helping...) I wasn't working on anything to get finances (still living with parents) and gaming was a dead end not teaching me life.

Since then there have been very few games I've been interested in, the only one I really liked by in large in the last few years is Undertale (for the Mercy route) and that's a computer game which looks like something from Super NES. Though I did play The Sims (1, 2 and 3) and Minecraft a bit, many games (E.G. beat/shoot 'em ups) are of no interest to me anymore due to their violent nature.

- Austin

[Edmond Dantes]

Pretty much, everyone has stated 99% of the stuff I was going to say (no true ownership, DLC, all the online crap that goes with it).

So all I can add is this:

A year or two ago, I considered getting a PS3 for Metal Gear Solid 4, or else Devil May Cry 4. The lowest prices I could find on even a used model was like $140, and I needed to make sure it had the right side of internal hard disk because I knew I'd want to probably rent some digital games or buy some DLC, especially if I ever got Megaman 9 or 10 which I wanted...

.... then I realized no one system would cover all the games I wanted. The Wii had some light gun games I thought were interesting, while the X-Box 360 was the exclusive home of a few games I liked the sound of. No effing way was I considering buying all three consoles though.

Then later on, I thought about building a new, modern PC so that I could enjoy certain modern titles (namely indie horror games).... but again, the price of parts was a huge issue, especially as any individual component would break me for an entire month, and I had just as many games on systems I already owned which I wanted to play.

In essence, the cost in dollars wasn't justified enough by the end result. Yeah I might be passing up one good game that a thousand-dollar computer would enable me to play, but when that frees up a thousand dollars I could instead use rebuilding my collection of older games and getting some of those "wanted to play but never bought" titles, or acquiring trophies like say an Eidos trapezoid box game, then why do I care that I never got to play the latest COD? And as for those indie horror titles, I can just as easily watch them played by someone like Markiplier, Pewdiepie, or Mangaminx.

That itself is kind of sad.... this laptop isn't capable of running the actual games, but its perfectly capable of running a video OF the games. That just shows you how much increase in technology is a joke, right there.

[Wraith Storm]

When I was a kid and growing up I was lucky enough to always get the latest and greatest system on my birthday or christmas. But after the Dreamcast I started to get Jaded. The arcade style games and platformers that I loved started to fall out of fashion. A few years after that the industry as a whole seemed to get bloated and focus on realistic and gritty games. Lots of the vibrant games and imaginative level designs that i really identified with seemed far and few between.

I got a 360 years ago specifically for Virtua Fighter 5 and Bullet Witch and love those games to death. Then my game 360 library slowly grew from that to like 50+ games. Most of them i was marginally interested in or it was a good price, but overall there were only a handful of games that I REALLY loved on the 360. Nothing on the PS3 really interested me and both my brother and parents had a Wii so i didn't need to buy one.

These days 99% of the PS4 and Xbone games I want to play come out on the PC. I have absolutely ZERO reason to buy either of those systems. For some reason I started really looking at the Wii U and just before black Friday I made a list of every game that REALLY interested me and came up with like 10+ games that were exclusive to the system. I talked myself into buying a Wii U and have been loving it ever since. I just really like imaginative and colorful games. It also really reminds me of the Sega Saturn when it was current. There is no flood of games to keep buying and feeling like I need to rush through so I don't have a giant backlog of games. I can really take my time with the games and play, enjoy and appreciate them. The big hit games have been spaced out several months apart which is great for me!

As long as Nintendo is still in then race then I will still be clinging to current gen games.

[camarotuner]

I remember when the concept of "online gaming" was a foreign one. if you wanted to play multiplayer you had to get people in the same room. Slowly this evolved as technology improved. Which was fine, multiplayer in concept is awesome and playing against live people is always more fun than the computer. BUT then came the point where people playing online took it WAY more seriously that I did. So I'd try to play a game and unless I dedicated all my free time to practice I'd generally get my butt handed to me on a platter. Making matters worse, game companies started catering most games to online play and further pushed the envelope with online games only. Toss in the DLC add-ons and it just stopped being fun. I started with an Atari 2600 and for years it was plop a cart in and play. Which turned into plop a cd in and play. When it started getting, at least in my opinion, overly complicated for no reason, eh the fun wore off.

[Edmond Dantes]

Another thought I wanted to add here: Gaming has, lately, started to feel a little elitist to me.

I mean think about some of the things we've been complaining about, such as DRM and DLC. What those have in common (besides being three-letter acronyms that begin with "D") is that both also, in most cases, involve an internet connection--usually a fast one. Indeed companies seem to operate on the assumption that all gamers everywhere have uber-fast internet connections with absolutely no bandwidth limits or restrictions whatsoever.

On top of that, they're also assuming your average gamer has the cash to plop down on $400 consoles which really need $1000 televisions to work well. Lots of people I know are still using standard def TVs (most of the time when I even see an HDTV its serving a dual-purpose, such as doubling as a computer monitor).

In other words, increasingly I've been getting the message that gaming companies cater to upper-class rich kids who happen to live in urban environments. If you're more middle or lower class or don't live in a place blessed by the magical internet fairies, then well fuck you, they don't want your business. Which basically alienates a lot of people who would otherwise be interested but actually don't have the probability. It says a lot that these companies think the impetus is on their customers to buy a new freaking house and move to enjoy their games rather than being on themselves to make said games more accessible, and I can't wait until the crash comes that kicks these elitist assholes in the butt.

[Bhris]

I skipped out on the 32-bit/64-bit era and finally came back to gaming with the Sega Dreamcast. Sonic, Resident Evil, and Shenmue were must haves for me at the time. But then PS2 came out and very quickly Sega announced it was over for the Dreamcast.

I later bought a PS2 and got Ominusha which was awesome. I don't think I bought any other games for it. Just rented some familiar titles like Castlevania but it really didni't feel like a vampire killing period piece. I tried Devil May Cry and it also felt pretty boring and aimless. Then there was a Greek mythology-inspired game-same problem: fully explorable 3D world, but nothing worth exploring. So I hung it up. Plus, I felt that the games were too much of a time investment. RE:CV would take hours upon hours to make any progress. As much as I loved Omnimusha a combination of subsequent boring rentals and interest in other things got me to hang up my controller for good.

I did want to get back into it with Sega's Yakuza, which looked like Shenmue mixed with GTA but it seems like new systems are always around the corner and the price tag is not really worth it for me.

[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.

[gbpxl]

I LOLed at "knuckle dragging Madden and CoD players"

[Steve W]

I check these consoles when I buy them and that's all that's on there, that's their entire gaming history. Sports games and war games. I think the 360's previous owner had an online handle like "-X_Darth_Baller_X-". Such cringe. These are the kind of people who cram the word "bro" unironically into every sentence. Just once I'd like to get a second hand console that doesn't have all the lowest common denominator game saves on it. How about a nice tactical game? An RPG maybe? Something mentally taxing for once? No? Sigh.

[chiptraxxx]

Think i need to watch some of this guys videos, dont know if it will help though :p

https://oldinternet.eu/pix/pewdiepie.png

[Ostin Powers]

When I played Cyberpunk and realised that modern games are not made as a work of art but are made for profit only. That is sad. I am used to playing WoW which has no gaming issues at all in my case. I only once or twice got powerlevelling at Skycoach (https://skycoach.gg/wow-boost/powerleveling). That is it.

[Edmond Dantes]

When I played Cyberpunk and realised that modern games are not made as a work of art but are made for profit only. That is sad.

To be completely fair, this has always been a problem with gaming.

[Highwind Dragoon]

When this video came out, it drove the final nail in the modern gaming coffin for me:


https://youtu.be/NFmWGFCFEEM

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

The gaming industry, I feel, has actually gone backwards in recent years after decades of progress. A lot of the truly unique experiences have gone over to mobile, and playing games that were meant for PC or console on mobile just doesn't work. And then there's online. Single player experiences have been gutted or removed entirely in favor of online. I have zero interest in online gaming and seeing it take over is sad. I guess that they have graphics/sound to a near real-life level now, and online was "what's next" to many gamers, but I just want the game (and preferably, a deep, rich game), my TV, and my controller, not have to get in a contest.

[Gameguy]

When this video came out, it drove the final nail in the modern gaming coffin for me:
Wow, that's from UrinatingTree, I wasn't expecting to see anything from him again. For anyone not aware, he used to be one of the main original youtube video game reviewers back when the AVGN first started making videos as the Angry Nintendo Nerd. He long stopped making videos about video games so I'm surprised he's still around.

[Highwind Dragoon]

He (mostly) posts shitpost videos about pro sports and why some of them are declining.

[ncman071]

While I do have new can consoles and plenty of games....i get really really frustrated with having to download all the games on Xbox series x...ps4...etc...i live in a rural area with very slow dal internet and the game patches take FOREVER to download...literally days sometimes...i have more fun with my retro stuff...been spending a lot more time with my snes mini and the turbo grafx 16 mini