5 Ways to Tell You're Getting too Old for Video Games

[noiseredux]

It's completely normal, it happens to me quite a bit actually. It's best to just give yourself a week of being game-free.

yeah. It's been about a week actually. I'm actually thinking of doing a major purge. I feel like I've gotten out of control with collecting and sort of forgotten how to just focus on a game and have fun playing games.

it's a nice relief i don't have to push down, foward and punch to beat somebody.

lulz.

[s1mplehumar]

Huh, I thought being too damn tired at the end of the day would be one of them. I'm not too tired to eff around on the web but mentally got no energy for gaming most nights.

same lately.

Me three. I'm finally tackling New Vegas again after a 0.0 ratio on Steam for the past 2 1/2 weeks.

[Croooow!]

I'm actually thinking of doing a major purge. I feel like I've gotten out of control with collecting and sort of forgotten how to just focus on a game and have fun playing games.

I started purging my collection a few months ago and was very glad I did. I'm having a lot more fun gaming with just three consoles (Wii, PS2, and PSP) than I did when I had seven or eight consoles all hooked up.

[fastbilly1]

I'm actually thinking of doing a major purge. I feel like I've gotten out of control with collecting and sort of forgotten how to just focus on a game and have fun playing games.

I started purging my collection a few months ago and was very glad I did. I'm having a lot more fun gaming with just three consoles (Wii, PS2, and PSP) than I did when I had seven or eight consoles all hooked up.

I always limit my consoles connected for that reason.

[Hatta]

Like most Cracked articles, this one is full of half-insight. I think three of the five items boil down to the realization that kids are more easily entertained than adults. That doesn't mean you're too old for video games though, just too old for crappy video games.

I started purging my collection a few months ago and was very glad I did. I'm having a lot more fun gaming with just three consoles (Wii, PS2, and PSP) than I did when I had seven or eight consoles all hooked up.

You can achieve much the same effect by limiting yourself to a small number of games, playing them until you either beat them or give up. You'll save yourself setting up and tearing down consoles all the time. I have a dozen consoles hooked up, and half a dozen retro computers. But I only have 3 or 4 games going at once. Right now it's Panzer Dragoon Saga, Card Fighters Clash, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Touhou 6. Sure I could pack away my PS2, but it's not hurting anything. I'd just have to set it back up when I'm done with PDS (next on the queue is either FFX or DQVIII).

[dsheinem]

It's completely normal, it happens to me quite a bit actually. It's best to just give yourself a week of being game-free.

yeah. It's been about a week actually. I'm actually thinking of doing a major purge. I feel like I've gotten out of control with collecting and sort of forgotten how to just focus on a game and have fun playing games.

Count me in this club too right now. Maybe it is just the change of seasons or something, but I have thought about doing some purging as well... I feel like I've sort of reached a place where my interest in talking about/playing retro games peaked and has now started to fall off...

The thing is, I keep wondering if I would be mad at myself later for getting rid of stuff, if I would want to play a certain game later, etc. On top of that, I don't know what games I would want to get rid of since the vast majority of my collection falls into one of three categories:

A) games that I have played and will go back to (e.g. fighters and shmups) or want to hold on to for nostalgiac reasons (e.g. RPGs and some story based games)

B) games that I haven't played but really do want to spend some time with at some point because they were expensive, critically hailed, or both (e.g. something like Beggar Prince or Zanac X Zanac)

C) games that no one else really wants or that would be a hassle to sell for so little (e.g. games like Shaq-Fu or Pit-Fighter, sports and racing titles, older current-gen games)

So purging is a tough thing to do...maybe putting a bunch of games and systems in storage and switching them out from time to time would be a better angle to pursue...?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Count me in this club too right now. Maybe it is just the change of seasons or something, but I have thought about doing some purging as well... I feel like I've sort of reached a place where my interest in talking about/playing retro games peaked and has now started to fall off...

The thing is, I keep wondering if I would be mad at myself later for getting rid of stuff, if I would want to play a certain game later, etc. On top of that, I don't know what games I would want to get rid of since the vast majority of my collection falls into one of three categories:
So purging is a tough thing to do...maybe putting a bunch of games and systems in storage and switching them out from time to time would be a better angle to pursue...?

A mix of both worked best for me. I used to sell consoles when I'd get bored of them and immediately regret it. The smart thing to do in my opinion:

Consolidate: Find 2 or 3 systems you're really passionate about and stick with them. For me, I've kept a Genesis and a Saturn, and sold everything else.

Limit yourself: Only buy one game a month or so, maybe two. Stay away from lots. This way you have a much smaller amount of games to focus on and you can play/beat them quite a bit easier when you dont have 50 games down the backlog.

Mix it up: Maybe play one system one month then switch the next. Also try to switch up genres.

[dsheinem]

Count me in this club too right now. Maybe it is just the change of seasons or something, but I have thought about doing some purging as well... I feel like I've sort of reached a place where my interest in talking about/playing retro games peaked and has now started to fall off...

The thing is, I keep wondering if I would be mad at myself later for getting rid of stuff, if I would want to play a certain game later, etc. On top of that, I don't know what games I would want to get rid of since the vast majority of my collection falls into one of three categories:
So purging is a tough thing to do...maybe putting a bunch of games and systems in storage and switching them out from time to time would be a better angle to pursue...?

A mix of both worked best for me. I used to sell consoles when I'd get bored of them and immediately regret it. The smart thing to do in my opinion:

Consolidate: Find 2 or 3 systems you're really passionate about and stick with them. For me, I've kept a Genesis and a Saturn, and sold everything else.

Limit yourself: Only buy one game a month or so, maybe two. Stay away from lots. This way you have a much smaller amount of games to focus on and you can play/beat them quite a bit easier when you dont have 50 games down the backlog.

Mix it up: Maybe play one system one month then switch the next. Also try to switch up genres.

At this point I don't know why I'd want to sell anything, as usually I sell games/systems to buy games/systems and I feel like I am at a point where I own the vast majority of what I want for each system I own...so that solution may not be best.

Does anyone keep a bunch of games/systems in storage that isn't immediately accessible (e.g. a closet or an attic) and rotate out systems from time to time?

[Croooow!]

I'll keep a console in storage for 6 months to a year before selling so I'm certain I can live without the console. When I want to sell games I'll usually find a dozen or more and put them away for a month before putting them up on eBay. Doing things this way gives me plenty of time for second thoughts.

[Gamerforlife]

I'm not really burnt out on gaming because I always have other hobbies going too. You'll notice if you look at the games beaten thread I don't have nearly as many games beaten as other people, because I'm also reading comics, finding new music, keeping up with pro wrestling and quality tv shows as well as the occasional movie. I don't even really collect games anymore. Anything I buy lately is something I intend to play

What I am finding, however, is that I am becoming quite jaded. With many games that I play, I get this, "same old, same old" feeling. I'm rather easily annoyed by games that are just doing the same things as other games in their genres. I also have less patience for the contrived BS that passes for challenge in so many games. I've been gaming for a long time and I'm tired of seeing the same cheap tricks all the time. Repetition is another problem. I was really enjoying Folklore, but about halfway through the game I realized I was just going through the same damn motions in each chapter and many of the enemies were just the same foes with different names and faces. It doesn't help that the game forces you to play each chapter twice with two different characters and even fight the same stupid bosses again. This is a horrible idea in video games that needs to go away. I hated how Suikoden III and Odin Sphere did that too. Playing the same shit with different characters adds NOTHING to a game

I also agree with what others have said that it is hard to get into a game in the evening after a long day of work. When I get home I want to relax. Gaming is the only entertainment medium that doesn't allow you to relax, because it places demands on you. Books, movies, music, etc. don't demand anything of me and allow me to just relax and enjoy