To be fair, the video games industry has turned into a myopic late-stage capitalist hellscape, so I think it’s kinda hard to continue to love what’s on offer these days
this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2024
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I find that this is mostly a AAA-title thing.
Yeah, the Indie-Market is at its peak. I don't care about any of the large titles/licenses, but there are a lot of gems out there
Yeah it's actually an incredible time to be an enjoyer of games if you ignore that AAA+ space. If you look at the "III" space (or mid sized dev studios putting out mid level games) it's kind of where many of the "big" game dev shops were at in the 90-00s.
So if you miss the popular games of this era, then you should be looking at studios that operate at a similar size/ethos. Indies, in other words.
That's where those games are now. The good games.
Sorry I totally agree with that caveat! I grew up in the ps1/2 golden era and didn’t really get into indie games back when I was into gaming.
I disagree. There are still tons of games available that are amazing and aren't developed by companies that enable shitty behavior and decision making, but you definitely have to shift through the chaff to find them.
This right here. I’m getting more and more disillusioned with my consoles, more into indies, and way into retro. I’m currently working on a self-contained arcade stick with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W in it that will have USB and HDMI on the outside so I can teach my 12-year-old stepson what it’s like to get his ass beaten in Street Fighter II.
I also got us a Retron 3 HD and I regularly scour the local retro shops for good NES/SNES/Genesis games. He’s currently obsessed with Dragon Warrior 1.
Please do share the instructions once you get it up and running.
In case I forget, I can give you the gist (all the extension cords are internal just to get the jacks exposed outside the case):
Main hardware:
- HORI Fighting Stick Alpha (Xbox version)
- Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with RetroPie pre-built image on a 32 GB microSD
- custom 3D printed port bracket (printing a test of this right now)
- I might need to print some internal structures too, but for now I’m just going to jam it all in there.
Power:
- Raspberry Pi PiSwitch for power on/off (USB C version for modernness’ sake)
- Micro USB male to USB C female adapter
- USB C extension cord
Video:
- mini HDMI male to HDMI female right-angle adapter
- HDMI extension cord
Control (waiting for these to arrive):
- USB OTG micro male->USB A female right-angle adapter
- Plugable USB splitter cable (for the joystick to plug into internally plus to run an extra jack to the outside for player 2)
- USB extension cord
Basically that particular fight stick opens very neatly and includes a decent amount of open space where the Pi Zero can fit along with a big (~7x120mm) slot out the front that the cable goes out. Once I get all the right cables run, it should be easy peasy. The 3D printed part is mostly to keep it from just having three little cable jacks hanging loose out the front, but if you’re not a neat freak, you can get it done with 2-3 online orders and an afternoon.
What a cracking summary! Thanks.
Let me know if you try it! I’m pretty excited. I’m setting Retropie to boot straight into a selection of arcade games on MAME so you’ll just plug in power, plug in HDMI to whatever TV, press the button, and after ~2 minutes of boot, you can fire up Golden Axe or Darkstalkers.
I'm in my 30s but I think this is the real reason why I've quit playing games as half the big games out there are sequels of games that first came out 20+ years ago.
I started playing chess on lichess, it has tonnes of tutorials and an AI you can set the level of. Really helped scratch my itch.
Man I'm in my mid 30s and really loving gaming more these days. Lots of independent shit that's had me hooked.
In the past few years I fell away from cars/motorcycles (building, racing, etc) and am loving sitting on the couch at home. It's a stark contrast and has been a lot of therapy time, but I did it for years while not enjoying it. I think my takeaway is leaning into what I want and away from what I don't
We are truly in an indie golden era. So many indie games are coming out with the quality I expect from AAA games. Project Wingman is a good example
Who says you stop playing video games in your 30s? I've never heard that and it's not true. If you like games, the number of years you've been alive won't change that. You also seem to be expecting some serious reduction in cognitive ability at an early age. Go and play Stray and Inside. I challenge you not to enjoy them.
Totally! So videogames didn't exist a 100 years ago, much less 10,000 years ago, the rules aren't written yetand there is no evolutionary reason to think by 30s you can't. Do whatever you want and challenge yourself often
they say the 30s is generally where your love for video games go to die.
Such a claim is baseless. Video games have been evolving every few years for their entire existence. Such a claim sounds as ridiculous as someone in the 60s saying that people grow out of watching animated shows in their teens.
Either your priorities have just shifted, or you might be in a bubble where you only see the same old games that have already been done, so nothing piques your interest.
Mine is video games.
I'm 40 and I'm gaming now more than I ever have before!
Granted, part of that is because I'm retired young and have all the time in the world. But another part of that is because I made a small Discord server with a few close friends from my high school days. It's how we stay in touch, since we've all moved away since childhood.
We game online every Monday and/or Tuesday evening. It gives us time to talk and catch up through Discord while also playing some fun online multiplayer games together. The rest of the week, we share news, memes, videos, and other text discussion through various channels I've set up in Discord.
I've never heard of anyone losing their love for video games as they get older. If anything, continuing to play games later in life will help keep your cognitive functions strong. Remember the Skyrim grandma? She's still going strong in her late 80s. It's never too late to get into gaming again.
Mine is Magic: The Gathering, except I fully realize that I am pulling away from it and why.
The game sparked an immense amount of joy when I picked it up in high school. Now I barely recognize the game anymore. It doesn't truly have an identity of its own and exists in this permanent state of limbo where 3rd party IPs are taking over the demand for new product and the rules are becoming so bloated that they can't fit them on cards anymore.
This is such an "old man yelling at clouds" moment for me, because I heard just about every reason under the sun for why people quit the game when I was playing from power creep to changing art styles to just getting priced out of the hobby in general. I realize now that those people were not wrong, they were just not the target audience anymore. I am no longer a profitable demographic to pander to. I never buy packs anymore, and I've even stopped buying singles and I don't attend tournaments or collect anymore, so why would Hasbro/WotC make products for me? Especially when there are deep pocketed whales out there who will pay top dollar for their favorite crossover set, no matter how silly or out of place it might seem.
I wish I could enjoy the game the way I used to, but I just can't be bothered to hop back in when it doesn't feel the same anymore.
Mine is biking, it was very hot for a few weeks, and so i stopped, but now that it’s getting to be the fall and perfect biking weather… i can’t. They found a cyst aggressively growing inside my jaw and i have lost 1/3 of my jaw bone mass. The surgeon installed a marsupialization and said it will take me 10 months to grow the bone back…assuming it even can. In the mean time, the surgeon is afraid of me even eating chicken, let alone doing anything that could have me fall.
I recognize and sympathize with the energy of this comment. I have also had a medical setback recently that is making it really hard for me to exercise. I had a tumor removed and they took my thyroid out with it, and something is not right with the replacement meds. It is tough to make people understand just how awful it can be to feel exhausted and irritable and confused every single day. What happened to you sucks, and it isn't fair, and it's okay to not be okay with it. For what it's worth, I hope your bone does grow back.
i am well over 40 and still play games. The "problem" is that gaming now compete with lots of more important stuff like: kids, family, dogs, home repairs, sport activity, wife, work, errands to run, and sure I am leaving out many.
So, forget sitting on a computer or console for even half hour. I consume quick mobile games, where reflexes are not decisive (that's age, thanks).
I even bought a real Nintendo DS Lite with the cracked cartridge to load games on microssd, and my kid loves it, but even New Super Mario Bros takes too long between saves for the free time I have, so you get the idea.
Would I still do hours gaming sessions even if I could? No, too many hobbies and ideas that pop up all the time to work on... Maybe this is because I cannot for the sake of life get closed to modern games. AAA are cashgrabs, indie require too much time researching them, and anyway I need mobile gaming, that sucks overall.
I've got one of them miyoo minis running OnionOS on the crapper.
It goes into deep sleep and resumes my gameplay in seconds. With my toilet time the battery lasts months. I've finished four games in the last year split into 700 poop sessions.
I used to love writing little short stories and whatnot as a cathartic emotional outlet, but over the past couple years I just... haven't. I think it's coupled with my decrease in reading, since a good, well written book usually inspired me, but I just haven't been reading like I used to either. I keep telling myself I'm going to get back into both, but that hasn't happened yet.
Environmental/political activism. I used to be pretty active in local groups. When I had kids, I bowed out to help my spouse. Now that I have time again, I feel unmotivated - news is just so damn depressing.
If you are on console I can see why there is no excitement for video games. But on Steam especially with a steam deck the indies are fantastic. Animal Well was my personal game of the year. The other aspect is on PC they keep throwing games at me for free between GoG and Epic I have over 800 games without paying a dime not all of them are winners but you can't beat the price.
If you ever feel burned out from gaming, get a steam deck. It helped me, and probably will help you too.
Probably not a good idea to spend $400 in a piece of hardware OP probably won't use it they're not into gaming anymore.
You can always sell it if you end up not using it.
havent been into gaming for like 3 years, and getting a steam deck reignited this hobby for me. And he can always send it back(under 2weeks)/resell it.
As a mid fifties dude that plays video games, I would say as I have aged other things start becoming more important. It is not that I don't enjoy them, its just the allure of playing a game till the sun comes up is now few and far between, because I'd rather be well rested for a nice bike ride during the day, or spend the time baking some homemade bread. Also tastes change too. Last year I was heavy Into MechWarrior5 and getting to the "Only 4 % of players acheived this" stat , but today I just bought Wingspan bird cardgame on Steam LOL. Probably the furthest from MechWarrior
I’m 51 and I still play every day. PoE and Destiny 2 at the moment.
I know I play video games much less now, but it is not because of the lack of interest, just time and energy.
Always hesitated to start playing when all I can think about are my responsibilities. The one time I tried playing the new Stardew Valley-like game, I Loved it but also not, because it was suddenly 3 AM on Monday 🥲
If I suddenly have 1 million in my bank account, I'm sure I'll find my passion for video games back hah
There are many games that I still can't wait to play and I'm in my mid 30s too. Then again, I care more about story and characters than (fast-paced) gameplay so maybe that's why?
The sad reality of adulthood. It's so hard to get properly immersed in a good story unless you have several straight hours to spare, and those are hard to come by.
Just turned 40 and I hardly ever game. I have returned to a hobby that I had as a kid but super charged it. I loved electronics as a kid, building and taking things apart. Now I am into 3D printing, home automation, electronics. Lately I have been building sensors and devices that combine all my hobbies. I have over 40 EspHome devices in my house and 25 WLED controlled lights and lamps. Had to upgrade my wifi APs to handle to load.
I love restoring old consoles and gaming things but I just can't get myself to use the consoles I repair. But I did restore my old GBA SP with an upgraded screen and battery and have occasionally played some FF Tactics on it.
3D Printing: By the time I get home, I just don't have it in me to tinker around.
Ditched video games years back, partly because of RSI issues, partly because getting in to other things. For a while it was mountain biking, currently is music. Also a move that was sort of RSI related, but brought its own RSI issues which I got over eventually. Music is pretty social which is good, but also bad lol.
I was into making for a while there, but have faded from that scene since I moved during the pandemic. Now all the makerspaces are 30 mins or more away and that's kind of a dealbreaker. I don't have the space or the funds for my own CNC or wood shop, plus not as motivated without the social aspect.
Other one is skiing which I used to really be into. I'm kinda barely hanging on with that, one or two times a year. The traffic has gotten terrible and the whole thing is super expensive and hassly. I'm bored with local resorts and backcountry is somewhat deadly. It does give me a little motivation for fitness since this years trip will be pretty strenuous.
It's fun playing backgammon with people
Roller coasters. I'm too heavy to go on them, too poor to afford to ride them, too busy to simulate them.
Also: model trains. I was into model trains for a few years, but I realized that I didn't really have the life experience to make a fulfilling model trainset. Like I did the thing, I made a (really childish) layout with some crappy blocks and streets, and I got the trains to move and stuff, but it didn't...say much? It was "I'm a child and I like trains", which is great! Probably wouldn't have become interested in trains at all otherwise!
But I want more...I always want more. I need to go more hardcore into the few things I can actually tolerate doing...
And as a child, I saw some really cool trainsets built by adults that told stories, made me laugh, made my parents laugh, made me feel awe at the storytelling and creativity of the craft. Even my cousin, who built a trainset in his basement in his early twenties, had a much more inspired trainset than mine (when I was much younger, like 10 or 12). His trainset was cool. He studied how trains worked, how to make a realistic line with realistic scenery and infrastructure. His trainset reflected who he was, and ultimately forecasted what he became. He literally works for a rail company now designing the train tracks.
So I'm kinda "saving" that hobby for when I'm in my 60's after I integrate enough life experience (and hopefully some capital) to build a trainset that really reflects the person I ultimately became.
My trainset is gonna have a sick, functioning roller coaster, some overly complicated automated control circuits, some heavy metal references, some intentionally goofy shit, serious shit, an anarcho-communist bent, a layout that at least is informed by modern infrastructure design, etc., because that's at least partially the person I will have become.
I would have said video games, because I used to play maybe once a month or two, but during times of high stress being able to pick up a controller and play an old favourite has been a real balm.