Over 40 and less into new games?

[mimic]

I was working for some older people installing (pretty much by force) new tv equipment at their houses, and they all were complaining that it will be next to impossible to learn all of that, and of course I'm telling them just try it, you old ---daisies---! But...
I'm starting to notice that part of me liking the "old" games (besides nostalgia) is their simplicity and the 1 button + 4/8 directions gameplay. I still like new games I'm just noticing what a chore it is to learn all those extra options, button combinations, millions of choices how to use an item and which one to pick first over another, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. Once I get into it, it is all good then, but I'm being more and more apprehensive about trying new games latest one being Batman Arkham Asylum, don't get me wrong I like it now, but at first...
So I'm wondering am I alone or is it getting worse with age and people even older than me play even less and less "new" games?

[paigeoliver]

I have been noticing it with PC games. If I can't get the needed buttons properly configured between my mouse and my belkin n52te 16 key (+scroll and directional pad) mini gaming keyboard then I don't want to play. I particularly despise games that expect you to be able to easily hit all the number keys (since I use the mini gaming keyboard).

The Tony Hawk games kept getting more and more complicated over the years to the point where it was hard to map a usable control set on most PC gamepads. However the widespread adoption of the xbox 360 gamepad as the only PC gamepad that exists has done at least a little bit to solve the problem of games that have too many controls. However it did create a whole new category of problems.

[kwijibo007]

I'm 30 and feel the same way. But I put it down to my general lack of coordination. 

Making Mario run fast and shoot at the same time is about as good as it gets for me!

[drventure]

I never got into the "warcraft" style games for exactly that reason. If I want complexity, I pull out whatever project I'm working on for work and bill a few more hours.

If I want to relax, give me a joystick and a fire button, or a FF wheel and an accelerator pedal 

Much more than that, and it's no longer relaxing.

[Le Chuck]

They're making new games?

Like newer than the Playstation? 

The devil you say.  I want none of that tomfoolery. 

[Hoopz]

They're making new games?

Like newer than the Playstation? 

The devil you say.  I want none of that tomfoolery.

What's a playstation?  They haven't made anything worth a damn since the Intellivision came out.

[DaveMMR]

The reason I tend to favor old games over the newer ones is that, when you boil it down, new games have too much "down time". Games want to be movies so instead of jumping into the action, you have to get backstory, narratives, etc.  Or take, for example, the 3D Super Mario games (64, Sunshine, Galaxy, etc.). You have to meander around some hub world looking for the next level instead of just picking it from a map. Sometimes you just want to "play" and newer games have made it harder to do that in short bursts. They require more time commitment and patience and sometimes I just don't have or want to dedicate an entire block of the day to gaming.

[mgb]

The reason I tend to favor old games over the newer ones is that, when you boil it down, new games have too much "down time". Games want to be movies so instead of jumping into the action, you have to get backstory, narratives, etc.  Or take, for example, the 3D Super Mario games (64, Sunshine, Galaxy, etc.). You have to meander around some hub world looking for the next level instead of just picking it from a map. Sometimes you just want to "play" and newer games have made it harder to do that in short bursts. They require more time commitment and patience and sometimes I just don't have or want to dedicate an entire block of the day to gaming.

Exactly!!
  but I do love Super Mario Galaxy.
I think a lot of people are realizing more of a love for simple games and thats why so many of these simple flash games like Angry Birds are so popular.

[Ond]

I fall into this category, I'm over 40 and probably older than most of you.  I played through the OPs latest game Batman Arkham Asylum, it was an inner struggle, the old fart resisting learning the button combos vs. the pleasure centre reacting to increasingly slick game play, thankfully the reluctance to learn new tricks is usually still overcome in my case.  I'm going to give the latest Sins of a Solar Empire - Rebellion a go this week, I really want to get my head around at least one good space strategy game which also still has the option to 'blow ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- up'.  I gave up on Eve online when I found myself googling a way to cheat (via a mining bot).

[csnow]

I prefer the graphics of the new generation and the simplicity of the older.  That is why I am building a PS3 arcade machine.  There are a lot of "arcade" style games that are available in the PSN or Xbox Live stores.  Many of the classics have been given a facelift and reintroduced.  I still like modern games but I dont like playing online.  All of the newer games have a very short or shallow single player mode because they are geared for online play.  My reflexes are not what they used to be and I just get mauled online.  I can only stomach a 12 year old telling me that I suck or telling me to get on his n#ts for so long.   

[alfonzotan]

Yes to both.  The last "new" game I played all the way through was Star Trek Elite Force, and that was more than a decade ago.  Tried Doom3 when it came out, but got bored with it pretty quickly.

I'm happy with maybe fifteen minutes, tops, of blowing up ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- at my age, then I have to move on, so 80's games work out fine for me.

[Vigo]

I'm in my 20's, and I found that there are a lot of new games that don't interest me any longer. I think It is because I have done them all before so many times that they just don't interest me.

Wanting simpler games? I don't think that is exactly it....I can't find a game that attracts me more than a hour or two on my android tablet. I do agree with some of the above about there being too much down time in many new games. Hell, some of these games take 5 minutes from booting up to getting to the start screen. I feel like my time is much more important these days and it's not worth all the effort to just play a game. 

[MaxVolume]

I'm with DaveMMR... it's a freakin' GAME for Chrissakes!  To me, it's not fun to have to remember a bunch of "moves" and "combos", so even '90s fighting games aren't any fun unless I can win by just randomly mashing buttons.  I certainly don't mind having to remember which button is "fire" and which one is "jump", but beyond that, screw it.  Essentially what you're doing with a lot of newer games is programming the engine to make your character execute a predetermined animation that may or may not cause some kind of reaction from another character or the game engine itself.  It has gone from completely intuitive and analogous behavior (mash a button and Mario jumps) to some abstract programming exercise that to me has lost all connection with actually controlling a character on the screen and making him do stuff.  At this rate, games will eventually degenerate into "enter 15 characters on your keyboard in the correct sequence, watch cut scene, repeat".

[RandyT]

While I enjoy a round of COD:x as much as the next guy, I'd be just as happy with "reboots" of the original arcade classics.  The thing which all of these need to have, and many do, are a graphically enhanced version which retains all of the elements and gameplay of the originals.  It wasn't the graphics which drew so many players to them, but I think really bringing them to date in that area alone would be enough to make them mainstream again.  Of course, the lure of adding too many visual effects "just because they can" is also something which can ruin the experience, IMHO. 

There are some games I will go through the extended control learning effort for, but that list is pretty short.  I just don't have the time for it, and free time is something the "12 year old online players" always seem to have in surplus.

To me, it's not fun to have to remember a bunch of "moves" and "combos"...

My belief as well.  If it feels like chore, or a collection of memory exercises, it's not fun.

RandyT

[griffindodd]

I agree also but for a different reason...

time

At 40 now I have my first child, she's 7 months old and of course takes up nearly all of my wife & I's time. I used to be a hardcore WoW raider playing 4-5 hrs a night 5 days a week in a very high end guild which I enjoyed immensely but of course I cannot (and wouldn't want to) do that kind of thing now I have a wife and family.

The classic arcade games let you dive on for 5 minutes, have a quick bit of fun and be on to the next thing that needs your attention, it's no coincidence that PC and Console game sales have taken a hit since casual easy gaming has been easy for many to keep in their pockets on their phones and iPods.

Also, I look forward with great joy to sitting down and watching my baby girl play pacman, d'kong or pinball when she gets older and introducing her to the fun and wonder of simple games with great characters and fun gameplay that don't require her to mash 45 buttons while looking down the barrel of an ultra realistic weapon head shotting her friends.

[Haze]

New games are just .. different.

I don't think it's that they're more complex, if anything having more buttons makes many simpler, as you have buttons associated with various actions rather than having to rely on multiple keypresses, or everything being context sensitive due to a lack of buttons.  Also similar games tend to have similar mappings, things are more standardized than ever, pick up some old PC (or 8-bit computer games) and it's pretty much pot luck as to what the keys are.

The older games, I think were actually more mentally challenging, pixel perfect jumps were part about timing, and part about knowing and being able to measure things right down to the alignment of your character with a pixel, it was almost a puzzle.

Modern games are all gloss, you don't have that level of control, or knowledge but as a result they tend to be more forgiving.

Modern games also spend half the game holding your hand through them, older games do none of that.

So while all the action might be very 'in your face' and full of distractions they're not really harder, or more complex in any way at all.

I think the main difference is that pretty much every game today is just a story, you're expected to save progress, they're not just 'pick up and play for 10 minute' type games where the gameplay is usually based around a simple but novel concept, although there are plenty of 'casual games' which fill that gap too.  Actually I'd go as far as saying the whole 'Casual' games term is a bit of a misnomer, because quite often it's in the smaller titles you find the real gameplay and the real mental challenges, not just something you can brute force your way through if you play it often enough.

I was never a big fan of books & movies growing up, I preferred the more abstract and challenging mature of games, it therefore doesn't surprise me at all that these modern games, which basically ARE movies, where you simply act out little bits to hold the story together have waned my interest in games

[Sparkolicious]

Will be 40 in a few months..    I have a 13 year old, and an 11 year old.  That is probably the only reason I have a 360 and a PS3. Occasionally I wonder in there and get a beat down from the 11 year old on black ops or reach.  Just can't get into it. Played a lot of CS and a little battlefield, but I just don't have the interest any more.  I have an arcade machine that I spend time on now and then, but to be honest, most of my time is spent with the never ending Hyperspin build.  Making every system work correctly. Filling in the gaps in artwork.  Adding my fav protos or hack versions to the DB's.  It's like a full time job! And of course there the time I spend testing controllers.. which usually ends up with me playing some RC ProAm II or the like for an hour or so lol! I grew up with a trash 80 and atari800XL.

[csnow]

Another thing I dislike about the new games is the addition of the gratuitous language and adult content.  I am definitely not the prude sort, but some of these games throw the f bomb or other language in the game when it doesnt even fit the scene.  It is a game, keep it fun and enjoyable for all to play.

[Ravenger]

I'm in my 40's and spend a lot of my free time on my arcade machine, or playing PC games.

I'm not into console games much, at least not modern console games, because I'm not keen on the convoluted controls, and imprecise aiming, and the hardware limitations compared to PCs. I don't like touch-screen games on phones or tablets for the most part either, due to the lack of tactile feedback.

I much prefer PC games where I can configure the controls just the way I like, and I play a lot of new games. I've got a huge Steam backlog to clear, which seems to get ever larger due to the Steam sales.   

Still nothing beats the arcade machine for a quick ten or fifteen minutes play. I play a lot of the classic arcade games from my youth, wallowing in the nostalgia, and it's great to finally get good at games I could never master when I was younger because I didn't have the cash to pump into them.

I am disappointed that no-one in my family has managed to beat any of my high scores yet though!

[csnow]

I actually kind of agree with this.  Foul language does show up in some weird places.  I wouldn't play Perfect Dark because I didn't appreciate the main character being called a ---smurfette--- left and right.  Granted, I didn't have a problem with gunning down rows and rows of people.

/America

 

Cursing > mass murder in games - The American way 

[Le Chuck]

The violence is fake but the profanity is real.  I understand. 

[mimic]

What I am really asking is if you feel, like you are almost back to school, as if you have to learn something you don't need. Like with old folks when they're faced with a DVR vs their old trusty VCR. For example every time I play new game and I am configuring my keys and I see something like GTA IV on foot, airplane, car, etc menus, I almost don't want to play. I will configure half and then I keep on reconfiguring as I progress. But I'm not 70/80 yet. Will I want to play games then, or is this the end of the road?

But the worst are the CHOICES, that's where the old people syndrome really kicks in. Again Batman (or God of War series, etc), is the perfect example. When you are at the upgrade screen, that's where I'm staring at the screen and reading and I don't know which upgrade I should go with first! Or like in God of War series the list of all the combos, should I go with this one or that one first, that's what gets me! Should I buy/get this one 1st or that one. All I want is that one PERFECT game that will wrap it all. Then I read the reviews or comments of kids, and they all claiming they played the same game 15 times! On different dificulty levels, etc. Or bragging they invested 400h into skyrim (dont even start with me on RPGs and their choices!) But after completing a game I have no interest in replaying it again AT ALL! Yet I can play Centipede over and over? THERE IS NO CHOICES!

Does that mean I have problem making decisions in life or just in game!? Is anyone else experience this? Or am I ALONE!?

OMG! I need to make an appointment with a doctor... wait better yet psychiatrist! Why are those bugs crawling all over me!!! Where are my arthritis pills!!!!.... wait, wait, I'm not 80 yet!

EDIT: After re-reading others post it seems as some people share my issue with combos being a chore, but how about "them" choices, are you guys bothered with too much? After all I hardly finished any arcade game, unlike many PC, and yet that does not bother me?

[RandyT]

Is anyone else experience this? Or am I ALONE!?[/u]

You are not alone, but it may or may not have anything to do with where you are in life.  There have always been games where part of the gameplay meant learning to traverse menus, buying stuff to upgrade equipment, maps, etc...  It's probably more a factor of whether you enjoy doing this kind of thing.  Personally, I never really cared for it much, and now, with all the extra processing power and teams of folks working on titles, they have been able to expand on the concept to the nth degree.  The first title I saw with this kind of madness was Borderlands.  My nephew was kicking through the menus, explaining all of the "cool" stuff he was doing, and I just sat there thinking "there's no way in hell I'm going to put in the time this is going to take to learn all of that".  It's not that I can't, but it's difficult for me to find the value in the investment, just to play another FPS.

You may just be becoming more of a pragmatist with regard to your available time.  Or maybe, becoming more of a pragmatist in that regard is a natural occurrence in the aging process, in which case, both would be true   

But don't worry about it.  If you really want to play the game, you'll put in the effort, and if not, there are plenty of other good titles out there which don't require it.

[MaxVolume]

I have to add that I agree with the point regarding "reboots" or updates of classic titles, but unfortunately they're not always done well.  Most of the ones that get all the way through the development process have been done well, but some make me wonder how they got that far.  There are some like Pitfall, Defender and Spy Hunter that are horrible, either because it was just a mediocre game that got branded with a classic title to sell more units, or because I'm just not into that particular genre unless it's a dirt simple "stick figure" deal where I can play for five minutes and then move on to something else.  I also hated what they did to Breakout, and I think they just took it in the wrong direction.  I was surprised at that, because I really enjoyed the update of PONG... guess they didn't want to make Breakout too close to that and killed the game in the process.  Either that or it's just me.

On the plus side, updates of Q*bert (even as early as Q*Bert 3), Centipede, Space Invaders, Galaga, Tempest, Xevious, PAC-MAN, Robotron, and even Missile Command have been pretty good.  The three Space Invaders titles for the DS are particularly good, especially the AWESOME Space Invaders Extreme 2.  I can't say I play them regularly, but most kept what was good about the original game even though they added a lot to it.  The update of Frogger was good, but the later games lost me.  A lot of that is probably because they were aimed at younger kids, but even early stuff like Frogger II: Threedeep! seemed to lack the fun of the original.  I also like Dig Dug Deeper and COMBAT, but others like Dig Dug Digging Strike didn't really do it for me.  Mostly personal preference I guess... just depends on what you want out of the gaming experience.

[Mat]

I don't like complicated control schemes but it's not due to age.  I thought a lot of PS1 and PS2 games were too complicated back when I was a teenager.  I've always preferred simple games I can pickup and just play.

[mamenewb100]

IMO no console controller should have more buttons than the SNES. For arcade games 6 buttons, since the buttons are bigger and you only have one hand available to use.

[lordnacho]

Look at all the old fogies in here.

I hear ya though, you mentioned Batman.  Sort of interesting, I could play the game and generally pull off the moves as needed.  But in the damn upgrade screen, I always hit the wrong trigger button, like every time.  Something about my brain turning back on.
Sort of like typing on a keyboard.  I can type super fast when I'm not thinking about the keys and just thinking about what I want to type.  But when I think oh where's the P button, I look down for it.  I'm a big Starcraft fan and after playing it with the mouse for so long, I can't wrap my brain around using the keyboard like all the Koreans do  

As for choices in games, I don't really care.  They never really affect much other than an alternate ending.  I'm more into game play than story line.  My friend is the exact opposite, wants to listen to every NPC talk in games.  <yawn>
Upgrades are just a filler in games, more game time to get more upgrades.  Pick the ones that you want and don't waste much thought on it.   Some games that have so many upgrade choices have a reset, where you can pick another path if you get bored, like Borderlands(already mentioned).  But the good thing was you can just play it and not bother with it or analyzing every weapon you come across. 

[jpS14]

I'm not over 40. I'm in my late 20's but the only thing that keeps me from playing new games all the time is what vigo said. It just take so long sometimes to even get the game started. If you haven't played a certain game in awhile then there is going to be an update and then it has to install and by the time I get to the start screen I'm not interested anymore. I remember my older brother used to make fun of the ps2 games because it would say loading then go to another screen that said loading. load to load lol

[ChadTower]

+1 on time as said above.  Between my job, spending as much time as I can with my sons outside, and my sons' increasing interest in classic gaming I just have no interest in new stuff.  I don't have 20 hours to figure out how to play a game.  I want to walk up to a game, spend 15 minutes learning it, 15 minutes playing it, then go make dinner.  Or take the boys fishing/kayaking/hiking/anything else.  Or go play pinball. 


I think for me the real clincher was going online in a PS3 war sim.  I don't even remember which one it was.  Probably a Call of Duty.  I wasn't even talking but within 5 minutes had been called an amazing variety of gay, my mother/wife/sister had been threatened with lethal forms of rape, and every time I was shot the shooter would run up and rape my corpse while laughing hysterically.  It felt like a concentrated dose of the worst of the internet aimed right at 14 year olds.  ---fudgesicle--- that quite thoroughly, kthx.

[Vigo]

Yeah, that sounds like the standard online Call of Duty experience.

If I can't mute out other players on an online game, I won't play anymore. 

[Dervacumen]

I owned a Sega Genesis and could handle that controller.  Three buttons and a directional pad.  Newer consoles had too many buttons for me, so I skipped them all until the Wii came out, which requires on most games, not too many button assignments.  I just don't have that skill, nor do I want to develop it because I can get my fix on the PC.  And I know how to use a keyboard and mouse.

[MaxVolume]

I think for me the real clincher was going online in a PS3 war sim.  I don't even remember which one it was.  Probably a Call of Duty.  I wasn't even talking but within 5 minutes had been called an amazing variety of gay, my mother/wife/sister had been threatened with lethal forms of rape, and every time I was shot the shooter would run up and rape my corpse while laughing hysterically.  It felt like a concentrated dose of the worst of the internet aimed right at 14 year olds.  ---fudgesicle--- that quite thoroughly, kthx.

Hmm... you just reminded me why I don't play online multiplayer games, and I didn't even know I needed reminding. 

[Useless Eater]

there is some decent games similar to 80's and 90's games at addictinggames.com, I recommend bowman, age of war 2 and danger dungeon there

[shponglefan]

Mid 30's here.  I've found that I tend to play fewer newer games not because the controls are different, but rather because they are the same games as yesteryear with updated presentation.  And I just can't be bothered to perform another PC upgrade or buy another new console for more of the same.

Plus I don't think older games were simpler.  Console games maybe, but not PC games.

FWIW, The only new games I've bought in the past couple years have been indie titles for the PC; most of which seem a throwback to older style games anyway.

[Gray_Area]

I wasn't even talking but within 5 minutes had been called an amazing variety of gay, my mother/wife/sister had been threatened with lethal forms of rape, and every time I was shot the shooter would run up and rape my corpse while laughing hysterically.  It felt like a concentrated dose of the worst of the internet aimed right at 14 year olds.  ---fudgesicle--- that quite thoroughly, kthx.

Not very different from a sporting event. Or a bar in some cities.


I've never liked a lot of controls. I'll play Defender/Stargate now and then, and occasionally Mortal Kombat because I like the animation, but more than three buttons, sometimes more than two, and it's probably not a good game. I don't play anything.....mmm, except Hamster Ball....that's after '95.

[agent_c]

I will be 50 very soon but have to admit I do like fps games on pc, non of that silly joypad thing the ps3 and xboxie thing have. But with 2 kids one 15 one 8 I have to admit I enjoy seeing their delight playing on my arcade machine rather than their xboxes, Today was a miserable wet bank holiday monday and the pair of them sat down together on my bartop and completed sunset riders and liquid kids without stopping and with constant smiles on their faces! No swearing or stresses just fun! and after all isn't that what gaming was meant to be.....

[RayB]

This year was a turning point for me. Limited time, limited interest. Nearly all my gaming has been on iphone.

[MadMagpie]

I'm 45, I love gaming and have since I was a kid, I misspent my youth in arcades, had a super nitendo, sega megadrive and then Amiga computers, the games used to be about playability and fun, games now days seem to be more about the narrative and story telling while they drag you through linear game play. we have 2 360's, original playstation and xbox1 in the house as well as a couple of gaming PC's and the only game I find my self playing is battlefield 3, and even that I play infrequently, my daughter plays on the 360 rarely and she is into skyrim on the PC at the moment, I can't get into that at all. the lack of fun I have playing is what has inspired my to start building my own arcade machine to try and recapture some fun and playable games from the past.

[sharpfork]

I agree also but for a different reason...
time

I'm coming up on 40 and it's the same for me with three kids.  I mostly play arcade games because I can go in my basement and play for 20 minutes and have a great time then shut it off.  I played the Diablo III beta through and decided the time suck of the full version wasn't going to fit in my life.

When it comes to new games, I play wii with my kids and love the old franchises and simple controls.  I also have a x360 but it sits in my cab 99% of the time running newer arcade games, Japanese STG/shmups ports that are great for 20 minutes of adrenaline.  I hook it up to my HD TV when a new Halo comes out and play campaign mode, no online play.

[Gatt]

I'm 38 and I agree,  but for different reasons.

I just despise the lack of diversity in the Industry right now.  Everything has to be a Shooter or an Action-Adventure.  Even RTS is out of favor,  simply because Publishers are so risk-adverse.  Worse,  almost everything is a sequel,  or umpteenth sequel.  This latest generation has been more about releasing sequels Friday the 13th style than anything else.

The other thing that really irks me is the DLC,  Hostage Content*,  Disc-locked Content thing.  I paid $60 for the game,  and you're telling me I either don't have the whole game or I have to pay more to get what's on the disc I already bought?  The more this thing goes on,  the more I find myself getting into Kickstarter and Emulation.

*Hostage Content:  Content on the disc on the day of release,  that can only be unlocked if you bought some pre-launch DLC.  Ex.  Dead Space 2,  significant content placed right in the player's face behind locked doors that only open if you bought the Pre-launch DLC.  The kick in the pants?  If you bought PC,  it couldn't be opened,  because there wasn't DLC for the PC.  Even the expensive Collector's Edition had it locked away.