When and Why does gaming's magic end?

[SegaAges]

Just stop playing and if it's really something you like, I guarantee at some point later in life when you've had your fill of responsibilities you're going to be all in the "After a long absence, I'm rediscovering my love for gaming" stage we alway see.

*points to himself and picks up a controller

About a year or so ago, I was getting deeply involved in bad stuff. I stepped away from games. I got out of my rut, and to help me out, I went back to games.

I say do what you have to do. Don't sell anything, and you will either come back and love it, or never look again, and then sell it.

[Xander]

I tend to think you should never force yourself to play games.

If you don't feel like playing games, do something else. It doesn't matter if you don't play for months or years. It's a hobby, it's not supposed to be an effort, it's supposed to be fun.

But you shouldn't sell, the chances that you will regret it later are extremely high. You shouldn't buy just for buying either tho.

[otaku]

Yeah I've never forced myself to play or at least not for long. Gaming is still magical for me maybe not as much as it was when I was a preteen/teenager but thats because I had friends that were diehard gamers then to (not so much now) and everything is more magical when your younger

[j_factor]

Gaming's magic ended on January 31, 2001.

[titanzguard]

Personally my feeling towards the situation is similar, but different...

I am 26 and have been playing games since I was about 6 or 7. I have owned every console atleast once(From NES - on). I have hit dry spots when other things preoccupied my time and I wouldnt play for a year or so but have always been into games.

Currently I love games. I love surfing forums, reading about games, anticipating and getting the latest games and just talking to friends about games. But when it comes time to play... I just get bored fast. Earlier this year I got my PS3 and played it non stop for 3 months, couldnt get enough. As the year progressed I played less and less due to summer weather, working on my house and my son getting older(He just turned 1). As the year got closer to the holiday season my interest peaked again because of all the great titles coming out. But I notice once I get them, my interest dies fast. I understand things take me away from games but I find the fun in games anymore to be just collecting them and talking about them. I have friends that play all the time and while at work all I can think about when getting home sometimes is playing all night long - but when the time comes ill play for about an hour or so and just turn it off.

I guess in closing I understand where your coming from but I do still have that love for games but just cant seem to stay connected to games much anymore. Maybe its the lack of variety or just my age showing. Either way, stick with it, the bug will come around and hit you again at some point!

[ReaXan]

I have dealt with this again lately at age 29, wondering if anyone else is going through this as I saw this video on youtube recently

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxBiOa-3IiI&feature=plcp

[buzz_n64]

I was at that point a while ago. I still kept on collecting even after I didn't feel like playing anymore. I'm now even at that point where my interest in collecting has gone away, and that was over a year ago. I also hate that I can't get into them anymore since I have already devoted so much time, effort, and knowledge into it. I hope that I won't begin to start hating even talking about video games.

[marlowe221]

I'm 30. I don't know that I am losing interest per se. For me it's more that my focus is changing as time goes on.

There was a time, a few years ago, I was only playing the "latest and greatest" games. If it wasn't brand spanking new I wasn't interested. I was really only playing on PS3 and Xbox 360. I was playing action games, FPS games, with the odd sandbox rpg thrown in.

Now, I find myself playing games in 3 categories:

1. PC
2. Retro (16-bit era is my wheelhouse)
3. 3DS

My PS3 went YLOD on me. But I had not touched the thing for a good six months before that happened. Hell, even when it went YLOD I was watching a DVD, not playing a game. I can't be bothered to run out and buy another one.

Now I find myself playing strategy and RPG games on PC, Genesis/SNES games, and retro-style games on the 3DS. That's pretty much it. The last game I bought was Ultima 7 from GoG. That's right, I've been spending my evenings playing a 20 year old 2D rpg with jerky animation and I have been loving it.

It's funny how taste changes.

[lakerstowin]

I agree that if your getting bored then just pack up and store the games and systems. better safe than sorry.

I'm 43 and even though there have been times where there were no really interesting games for a short time, I still never lost the video game bug. even now when raising two kids makes time scarce, I still find time play my DS, even if its just for a few mintues while waiting to pick kids up from school, or on breaks. lol I guess I am just a fanatic. heh heh

Same as you, but I am a stay at home dad with two girls. I may have more time then you do.

[BetaWolf47]

I have also hit that "coming of age" period. I thought it was just me! For me, it's mostly my interests expanding. I know play trading card games, watch anime, play a little pool, and go to work, in addition to playing video games. I will always be a gamer, but I'm getting to that point where I'm weeding out games from my collection that I know I'll never play.

[RCM]

I don't play traditional games as much as I used-- and I actually work in the industry. I'm away from home 12-14 hours per day and my career is my highest priority. I have an undying love for videogames, but they're the eighth or ninth thing on my priority list during my fairly limited free time.

It occurred to me recently that I've played Jetpack Joyride for iPhone more than any other game in the past decade, yet I continue to get games and systems. I'll game until I die, but I wish I had more time to enjoy myself. I miss getting lost in a game for hours and not giving a fuck about anything else.

[Graham Mitchell]

I'll game until I die, but I wish I had more time to enjoy myself. I miss getting lost in a game for hours and not giving a fuck about anything else.

I'll second this. Medical school officially killed my ability to play anything in depth for about 4 years (though I did manage to squeeze in metal gear solid 3 and shadow of the colossus during that time).

Now we're getting ready to have a kid and I'm worried I'll lose all that "me time" again. Working 48-60 hours a week means i dont get that much of it anyway.

But, life is the priority, and I'm sure the worst of it won't last forever. The best thing, of course, will be that my kid enjoys games so we can do it together. If he does, he/she will be one lucky kid, cuz I've got a LOT of games

[kupomogli]

Whenever you run out of MP. Or atleast whenever it's low enough that you can't cast another spell.

[Red Warrior]

Whenever you run out of MP. Or atleast whenever it's low enough that you can't cast another spell.

I'll admit that I laughed at this.

[Space-Ace-13]

Thats a tough situation. I'm 24 also and have been playing games my whole life. I still play a lot, but lately it takes either me being bored or finding a really great game that I don't want to stop playing. I wouldn't say I've lost my love for video games at all, there are just a lot of other things you could be doing now instead which are also a lot of fun. If you dont like it at all then you cant do anything about it... in the long run that will just save you some time and money to put elsewhere... you cant force yourself to like video games again if you truly lost it. I would say just keep the games you enjoy playing and buy the ones that interest you... and play when you have the time. If you get back into it big time then great and if you just completely fall out of it then so be it.

[YoshiM]

For me the magic hasn't ended, it's just that I'm not overly interested in what's being pumped out these days. Recently I've shifted to more indie games for something different and have found titles that bring back the retro flavah or introduce me to a complete experience, be it philosophical or emotional. "Experiences" rather than being a game was a concept I used to loathe. When done right, it's pretty dang powerful and worth the time. My mind lights up like a Christmas tree as I traipse through the grounds of "Dear Esther", taking in the narrative and then piecing things together on my own while hypothesizing what else all happened on the island.

@Graham Mitchell: if your kid loves games, you are going to be in for a treat. My daughter's interest in most things Mario has gotten me to replay Mario 64 and push for more stars in Galaxy. Granted for now she just watches and fiddles with whatever controller is in reach but it's just that experience that makes it grand. Then when they try to play by themselves-that's a treat. It's almost like going back in time.

[Graham Mitchell]

@Graham Mitchell: if your kid loves games, you are going to be in for a treat. My daughter's interest in most things Mario has gotten me to replay Mario 64 and push for more stars in Galaxy. Granted for now she just watches and fiddles with whatever controller is in reach but it's just that experience that makes it grand. Then when they try to play by themselves-that's a treat. It's almost like going back in time.

I can't wait for that! I'll probably be able to reexperience many classics that he/she/it has never seen.

[BricatSegaFan]

Like most have said already, it's fps garbage being mass produced these days. I was about to quit gaming all together but then I got into classic gaming/collecting.

[NayusDante]

There are two ways to look at this problem. First, you could experience this as a response to the market. Second, this is probably a natural result of aging. Personally, I think that these are two distinct problems.

The solution to the market problem is simple - you need to look into alternative genres. There's more variety now than there ever has been. Sifting through it is difficult, but it's not that different from being a kid at the video store trying to pick a game for the weekend. Ignore the big releases and have some fun with the smaller publishers or the independent PC releases.

The other problem is brought about by aging, but I think it's completely normal. You're not going to enjoy sitting around and killing time with video games like you did when you were 10 because you have other things on your mind. When you're young, you don't have a "real world" to worry about, so it's easy to find meaning and belonging in virtual worlds. Now, your need for that kind of stimulation is fulfilled by obligations. If you're in your 20s and still spend all of your non-work and non-school time playing video games, I would be concerned.

The biggest barrier for me is starting. I have games that I want to play, but I don't actually play them when I have the time. Usually my excuse is that I'm too tired, but when I make myself focus on eliminating that game from my backlog, it's not long before I'm close to that goal. That's when I remember that gaming is fun. It's not something to stress over, it's not a lifestyle, it's not an obligation. You are not achieving anything by playing video games, you are only stimulating your own mind for personal enjoyment.

Of course, it also helps to take a break from collecting. Collecting definitely leads to stress and "backlog anxiety." It's easy to focus on 10 games. It's hard to focus on 300.

[Aussie2B]

I think I've gone full circle in terms of variety being exciting. Once in a great while something fresh and new comes out like Katamari Damacy that's awesome, but, for the most part, I've already dabbled in just about every genre that holds any appeal to me and it's like "...Now what?" The day that Nintendo Power convinced me to buy Chrono Trigger, the first RPG I bought myself and the first time I really stepped out of my gaming comfort zones, was a huge turning point for me. I fell in love with RPGs and over the years explored more and more genres I had been ignoring. But now, as I collect every RPG I can get my paws on, I realize that platformers, my gaming bread and butter and my primary childhood focus before I expanded into RPGs and beyond, are still the most satisfying of gaming experiences for me. I don't see anything really changing, I'm still going to obsess over RPGs and look into all sorts of genres, but I think I have a better idea of what to turn to to rejuvenate myself when I feel like the "magic" in gaming is waning.