Please Stop Making Games

[Knowlery]

And one thing is for a fact - I read about videogames WAY more, than I really play them. Sometimes I don't touch any game for days. But every single day, I spend a few hours reading about games, watching game videos, talking about them and so on.

That's true for me, too. Most days I don't spend more than a few minutes playing video games, but I usually just watch videos and read about them, mostly the games I don't have, but want... and then after I get them I want another one.

Exactly the same with me. Video gaming as a hobby has morphed more into collecting/creating a gaming library than actually playing the games that I buy. It's more about learning the history of a game and hunting it down than playing and beating it in 9 out of 10 cases.

[AlienBanshee]

And one thing is for a fact - I read about videogames WAY more, than I really play them. Sometimes I don't touch any game for days. But every single day, I spend a few hours reading about games, watching game videos, talking about them and so on.

That's true for me, too. Most days I don't spend more than a few minutes playing video games, but I usually just watch videos and read about them, mostly the games I don't have, but want... and then after I get them I want another one.

Exactly the same with me. Video gaming as a hobby has morphed more into collecting/creating a gaming library than actually playing the games that I buy. It's more about learning the history of a game and hunting it down than playing and beating it in 9 out of 10 cases.

I'm in this camp too. It's sad, really. I'm sure this is how it is for a lot of folks, but here's how I think it happened:
--We play and come to love games when we have abundant free time.
--We go out in the world and get a job.
--We use money from said job to buy video games.
--Life drags us further into its grip with more responsibilities.
--We now have less time to play games, but are still buying them because we love 'em.

Also, I think my gaming set up may have something to do with me not finishing a lot of games as well. The systems that are hooked up in my bedroom (where my computer is located) are the ones that I almost never finish a game for. I get distrated on the internet. My 360 is right next to me. It has been on for an hour, paused on a game that I've been really wanting to play. Meanwhile, I often play the games for the systems hooked up in my living room (no computer there) for hours on end. I should just turn off the damn computer...but I know I won't

[deathclaw]

But anyway, I don't think it's bad at all. If you don't spend more money that you should on buying games , than it's ok (e.g. - you don't have much money left for more important, and I would say maybe the really important things, like your loved ones, wife, children and other people that mean a lot to you, your education (if you need it) and such things). It's much better to spend money wisely (it's a hobby anyway, and while some people get drunk every weekend, I buy games instead for maybe even less money) and care about what is really important in your life - relationships, than to play games 14 hours a day, just to complete every single game that "you are supposed to" and be a selfish man with next to no social interaction. I mean, what's the point of life? To complete as many games as you can, or to be happy and make other people happy too? I don't think playing games 5+ hours a day would make me happy for more than a few weeks...But what makes me happy is helping other people, do my work and get along with other people...and if I don't play games for a few days, or a week, I don't care so much. But if my relationships with other people suffered...than I would really care, and I don't think I would enjoy games at all.

So enjoy collecting/playing games, but don't ever regret that you don't have much time for it, while you have time for the real life.

BTW:Sorry for my English

[RCBH928]

This is SO true,
I don't work and I don't go to college, I am 100% free yet I still can't go through all the games I would like to. Mainly due to price x number of good games x time put into games.

I really liked Nintendo's approach to this, 1 mario game per console, 1 or 2 Zeldas, sometime they skip totally like N64 and Metroid. But they are starting to break this rule with Mario Galaxy 2 and 2 Metroid games and so on.

Even worse there is all this download content.
I think a good solution for this , is the following:

I think developers should release less games at high price. here is the situation:

Would you like to play 30 games per year at price of $60 which you will not finish , it will cost you $1800
or
Would you like to pay same amount for 10 games per year , yes each game might cost $180 BUT you get to enjoy all the games with high scores like 9/10. It gives you time to complete games like GTA4 and Oblivion which take months to complete.

Lets face it, its the same amount you will pay any how, but now you get to take your time and enjoy the game and its downloadable content and you are guaranteed the experience because developers will work more on one game that release titles at random.
I believe Nintendo used to do this limit each developer to make 4 games per year on its console to assure quality.

Without looking at prices, given you will pay the same amount any how,
What better
30 games that you never get to finish and your stock justpiles
or
10 games with high scores, low number of faults and glitches, where you can complete and enjoy on your own time
?
before you argue that you can complete a game in less than a month and 10 games are few, its the idea of less games for higher price and quality over many games for lower price.

If you think about it , games can be played many many times over and over specially with downloadable content, some games will last you months.

Yes there is a solution, to control yourself and limit it to only few games. But I am afraid its turning into an addiction
honsetly I am thinking of quitting gaming because it just consumes you

[Ivo]

You know, I think when I'm old enough to retire (if I get there) I will start playing games full-time and try to see if I can finally manage to complete a good percentage of all the classics that will be made until then (there's so many made until now I haven't yet played properly...).

I hear lots of men who retire get into depressions without anything to do (that's probably to do with particularities of their generation and so on). I don't think this is going to happen to us guys.

So, humm, prioritize playing the twitch reflex games while you are younger?

Ivo.

[slowslow325]

Sometimes I'll find myself forcing myself to play (or beat) a video game, even though I'm not having fun because I payed for it and want to do something with it.

[deathclaw]

Sometimes I'll find myself forcing myself to play (or beat) a video game, even though I'm not having fun because I payed for it and want to do something with it.

Sell it. There's no point in playing games, that you don't enjoy.

[slowslow325]

Sometimes I'll find myself forcing myself to play (or beat) a video game, even though I'm not having fun because I payed for it and want to do something with it.

Sell it. There's no point in playing games, that you don't enjoy.

I will never, I've kept every game I've ever had and haven't sold a single one. I can't bring myself to do that...

[noiseredux]

I'm in this camp too. It's sad, really. I'm sure this is how it is for a lot of folks, but here's how I think it happened:
--We play and come to love games when we have abundant free time.
--We go out in the world and get a job.
--We use money from said job to buy video games.
--Life drags us further into its grip with more responsibilities.
--We now have less time to play games, but are still buying them because we love 'em.

for the most part I'm the same on this. Although, I have been making a solid effort to kind of get into a game and play it for a while lately. At least Together Retro helps me stick with one game for a month. But yeah, time constraints and responsibilities sort of make gaming more of a collecting hobby than a playing hobby a lot of the time.

[Ivo]

I'd like to add that I find myself really playing a lot more on my DS than anything else - the reason is obvious outside as it is handheld and good for commutes, but then I get home and I often want to continue playing the same game I've been playing or play on the couch.

I've found it helps to keep the game you "want" to play ready (that requires having the console plugged, if it is a console, or a desktop shortcut etc.). Once I'm playing the game I enjoy it and have more fun than otherwise, but sometimes there is a small barrier to picking it up and you may instead browse the net a bit aimlessly or whatever. Currently I keep a GBA game on my GBA to play at home instead of the DS, I have something to play on the PC with a desktop shortcut and play the DS a lot on commutes. I have the Saturn and Dreamcast plugged in - I want to play something nice on the Saturn but I need to replace the battery for it to keep saves; on the Dreamcast I'm going through Jet Set Radio but haven't played it for a while as I got upset with camera issues making jumps more tricky than they should be IMO.

Ivo.