Do you enjoy any video games?

During the past year I've played more video games than during several years before (because I finally could afford a modern computer), and I find that most of those experiences were far from happy. Often frustrating either from overwhelming number of options or just tasks, sometimes unforgiving difficulty, repetitiveness, a whole host of issues spread over different genres.

Recently I spent more money than normal (although nothing extravagant) on a game that I thought to be a sure bet, because of how much I used to enjoy another example of its genre (and in fact replayed quite recently). But instead I got completely exhausted and frustrated after about a week of playing (a couple hours every other evening or so).

I thought that maybe after sampling this relatively large number of games I could come up with a formula for what I really enjoy playing... But I don't know if I do... I have a gaming impulse - the feeling that drew me to put over 500 hours into one particular game over about 2 years. Most of which I felt unsatisfied at best and completely angry and bitter at worst... But I still had to play... because I think it was a familiar routine (and perhaps clever decisions on the part of the developers creating addictiveness).

So I want to ask, do any of you gamers actually derive joy and happiness from your hobby?

P.S. I suppose you could say that if I don't enjoy it I shouldn't do it. But at its best gaming is the only thing that absorbs me completely and makes me forget the real world. And I find that very helpful in small doses (especially if I'm on a diet).

Hi there,

At the moment I play one game quite faithfully, it's called Final Fantasy 14 and it's an MMO not unlike World of Warcraft. I used to play WoW but got bored of the end game grind, and I much prefer the story of FFXIV and there is so much more to do. I do very much enjoy my time on the game, although sometimes it can feel frustrating when learning new trial or raid mechanics. That being said, it also feels good to be challenged and to eventually learn the fight! So to answer your question, yes, I have fun on the game.

If you are finding it feels like a chore, then you may want to consider another game or even another hobby. It should be a fun experience.

I'm thinking of making a strict rule for myself - avoid any games that are meant to be played for longer than 10 hours. It seems that a lot of games have brought me enjoyment during the first 2-3 hours by their sheer novelty. And then many deteriorated rapidly when maybe the tutorial wheels came off...

And this last one is clearly balanced for many more than 10 hours. In fact I think a core mechanic only got introduced after 10 hours.

But it's not because I'm getting old, right?

As far as other hobbies, for me it's usually trying to learn something, which isn't particularly fun, but... I just want it. So with other hobbies I often spend time trying to focus on not particularly engaging study materials. And by comparison gaming is the only thing that, at least in theory, I'm able to pick up and go and have a couple hours of absorbed enjoyment, free of everyday worries.

First of all, you have a PC, so welcome to the PC Master Race. "And yea, the geek shall inherit the earth."

Secondly, Skyrim.

Yes, that one deserves a paragraph of it's own. You may find that modding games like Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout NV, and Fallout 4 will be more satisfying as you can play the game exactly how you want, and add or subtract elements that you want to see. Furthermore, Skyrim Special Edition Legendary pack is like $10 on Kinguin, and that $10 buys you a game that has mods that will double the size of the playable area in Skyrim, as well as cleaning up the graphics (and yes, there's a lot of crap left behind by game designers), restoring cut scenes and story lines, and overall making it so eye-blisteringly beautiful that you never want to leave. I've spent hundreds of hours gaming with mods, and I can say without a doubt it added nuance and complexity to an otherwise humdrum game, and in the case of New Vegas, made it even playable (the glitching/stuttering on the console for that game was terrible and often game-breaking).

The only reason I don't play anymore is I lost interest. Actually, I lost interest in a lot of things, but that's neither here nor there. Point is, now that you are a member of the PC Master Race, you can, and should, take advantage of your PC's power and head over to nexusmods and start modding. There's also games like Warframe and Mass Effect if you like MMOs or more linear, story-focused games.

Oh, sorry for being misleading. I didn't switch to a PC from a console, I just had a 10-year old (probably mid-range at best, even at purchase) PC that could barely run Chrome... Although sort of paradoxically, also Skyrim at low settings... And, well, I suspect I have about 300 hours in that. I basically scoured every inch of it (apart from some quests which I wasn't interested in for personal reasons). I'm not sure I want to go back even with the promise of mods.

Falskaar adds a DLC-sized area complete with dozens of new quests and soundtrack, all professionally done. There's also Wyrm's Tooth, High Rock, Halfstaad, and a few others. I didn't do a lot of the evil quests--didn't really interest me as I was more into screenarchery and taking Ansel Adams-esque landscape shots with my FOV set to 50. Just setting your FOV to 50 adds an entirely new element to the game as it makes everything dramatically larger and more life-like. Mountains actually look huge.

There's always Boston or New Vegas...plus, Fallout 4 has the workshop mode (spent a month irl doing nothing but rebuilding Sanctuary Hills and hand-placing over 5,000 static objects--how's that for OCD?).

I miss it for no other reason than the soundtrack.

And besides, there's always the Creation Kit, too--it's not terribly difficult to learn. Then you can make your own playable areas.

It strikes me that those games are nothing but giant dollhouses. Our characters become our friends that we care about as we seek to press our mark upon their fictional world and leave a trace that we were there.

Okay, but returning to the more general case... This kind of contradicts my thesis of shorter but more satisfying experiences. (Well, I don't know for certain that it does, I first have to actually try the mods.)

What, do you think, makes Bethesda games a special case?

I don't. This is because I've lost interest in gaming.

If you want shorter, more satisfying experiences, stick to consoles or games like Pillars of Eternity.

Say what? You're probably joking. I've fizzled out twice on Pillars of Eternity... I mean, mileage for satisfaction may vary, but it seemed anything but short to me.

I think I might be losing interest for gaming. Currently when I think about it, I get an anticipation of frustration and anger, nothing more. And a lot of hours wasted achieving just that.

The problem is that my hobby is game development. Which... I don't know if it would work if I completely stopped gaming.

Pinball machines, man! Pinball!

Yay! Old school!

I play the sims, civilization. I spend too much time online.

...are stoopidly expensive... *faints*

The monetary element aside (which isn't always present), there is something magical about pinball... Not enough to sustain me since I was 12, but still...

You know, screw it! I don't need video games. You know what thoughts ran through my head during my final hours in Skyrim? That it would be great without any quests, just as a dynamically evolving ecosystem. And I wished you could learn real foreign languages in it.

The point is, I'm not interested in making fun, enjoyable video games. And this mental trait probably influences the way I play video games, in turn... (By the way, you may say that's there's plenty of language-learning games, or your own favorite example. But from my experience they are all barely games, and very cheap short affairs... Whereas language learning requires time.)

Nevertheless, I think I'm going to look... well, not exactly look, but see if I stumble upon games that can give me something more than simple enjoyment (which I may or may not feel).

I used to like to play this Toy Story 2 game for ps1. It had 15 levels and I thought it was really cool the way you could get to the tops of trees and at the bottom of pools. They also had this cool level where you were in an airport terminal and you could go pretty high up. I don’t think I ever got to the top.

I had to give away the whole system after we got a flat screen TV. The color cords wouldn’t work on it.

Coming from a "recovered" avid gamer, haha, I lost complete interest in the newer games of this generation. I was SO involved in Playstation's Tombraider, that hours and hours would go by just on making the perfect leap to the next boulder!! How ridiculous!

The point is, as I got older, gaming became less of an interest because I was very frustrated with the way they are now, and I just found other things to do, such as writing, painting, or simpler games like the ones on POGO.com which are a scream! I mean who the hell doesn't love Battleship and Spades???

So, you're right, you're finding out that there is more out there for you, the problem is just finding out what. I don't really know what to suggest because I am not exaclty sure what your interests are, but find something that holds your attention enough where you won't be frustrated, but can be creative. It sounds like you want to do something rewarding, and achievements from a game isn't doing it for you anymore.

Good luck!

I've always loved the final fantasy series.

and call of duty

If you are a world-builder (you prefer to spend your time creating and fleshing out fantasy worlds), then Skyrim and the CK are perfect. Or minecraft, but I think the CK is better.

Video games like Super Mario Odyssey, Minecraft, Pokemon Sun and Moon are some of the games I like playing. I even like some of the multiplayer games. Seeing my interest in these games, my dad bought a PS4 with subscription from the official site. So overall, I spend some quality time playing games.

The only games I really play are rockband, bejeweled, and hexic. My husband plays a lot of games though and I always just watched. Actually playing them gives me anxiety. I'm still pissed that he finished fallout 4 while I was asleep. lol. He's working in NY now though, so I can't watch him play. I was hoping he'd be able to stream but the supporter housing he's at is out in the country and the internet sucks. I've seen a lot of games. My hands aren't coordinated enough to play. I didn't grow up playing video games, unless you count the 20 million hours of tetris I played haha. I can manage castle crashers sometimes but even that's a challenge for me.

Wait what? How can that be the official site? Why is it in German? Did I just infect myself with something? Do I have to send $10,000 now to you to unblock my computer?

Kinguin.com is way better and less skeevy than g2a.

Wow, it's like we're twins... Yeah, I've got some real trouble with hand coordination (unless you count being able to craft tiny complex sculptures, allegedly), and a lot of games give me anxiety. Anything turn-based, anything real-time (I think that takes care of everyting)...

On an unrelated note, by the end of the week I should be playing Witcher 1. I'm not exactly a fan of the series from videos that I've seen of it, but I know that it's going to be a worthwhile time investment because I've been studying Polish for half a year, mostly by reading the Witcher books, and am ready to step it up a notch.

Yeah I have no issues making jewely, painting, crocheting, any sort of crafty stuff. I just can't get all my finger to work at once with all the buttons. lmao. I think the last game I tried to play was STO and I gave up the first mission haha. I tried Sims and couldn't even figure that out. Brain just doesn't work that way, but if you need a spreadsheet, I'm your person. lol. Too bad there wasn't an accounting game where you had to create spreadsheets. I'd be down for that.

Good luck with your game.

lol Have you tried something easier, like Ratchet and Clank? You can pick up a used PS3 cheap, and the R&C games are inexpensive used at GameStop. Love that series. It's a button mashing game, but nothing too complex, and the first few levels are designed to get you used to the buttons with tutorials.

And it's a lot of family-friendly fun that isn't super hard or requires a lot of previous knowledge.