Nowadays I don't have the same amount of time to waste on video games that I did as a kid. Now, I take all the wasted time I can get to play them! It's a shame that I cannot muster up the excitement I once had for games that I owned when I was a child. Though, I do not think that this is a result of the amount of time that I have to play games. For me, I think it's because of the cynical adult life that I have grown up to live (and inevitably everyone does); and this is a huge shame.
We can all recall the excitement we had for Christmas when we were young, our minds were filled with joy and we didn't really have any concept of the big wild world beyond our bedroom. I realized that during this time I found games that would inspire me and I would fondly return to them many times, whatever my age. Games such as Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy and Goldeneye to name but a few. However, these games are regarded by many, to be some of the best games of all-time. Which makes me wonder: Is it me, or are games getting stale?
For some reason, I'm inclined to think it's me. Since the wealth and ability of technology has vastly been upgraded from the good ole' 90's surely this has enabled some game to create the universe that I can be completely and utterly absorbed within? Sadly, there hasn't. Now at this point I'd just like to point out that many of the post 90's games, leading up to the current generation have produced many great titles that I've thoroughly enjoyed. But despite my effort's to emulate the excitement that I had from my childhood games I've never quite managed to find one that has done so. They never quite reach the same 'epic' quality as the games from my childhood.
I understand that many bloggers talk about the subject of games with a strong sense of nostalgia. Furthermore, gamer's as a collective have fond memories and experiences of their treasured games in the past. Though my lack of excitement may well be a product of both stale games and aging, it's hard to come to terms with why nothing has provided that 'epic' quality I've been longing for.
Is it true that I've become someone who can no longer appreciate the grand designs of modern games or have video games just lost their spark? It's interesting to see how highly my childhood games are continuing to be praised at present. Games like Zelda: Ocarina of Time are still huge and it is still widely considered to be the best-game-ever by many. So are the games also to blame? Has nothing been able to top the epic quest of Link? Or am I just missing the wave of optimism and excitement in the game industry. I'm aware there is a lot of hype, that I buy into from time to time. Though, sadly, the excitement never lives up to it. It's alarming that I can't relive the same excitement I did as a child, though I guess that's just a part of growing up...
..the really scary thing is; I'm only 21.
Microsoft announced its financial results for Q3 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming Xbox business and more.
Not looking good. Hopefully Asha Sharma is able to turn Phil’s disaster around.
To me it's still quite remarkable how they can cash-in 5.3bn in revenue in a single quarter, since their hardware is basically dead.
The stock mark is what makes Microsoft remarkable, They have convinced every institutional and retail investor to just keep piling money into them. Like many big tech giants they are just a big growing pyramid scheme. As long as people keep dropping money into ETF's that cover the market Microsoft will always be liquid. At the same time it is completely stifling innovation and competition. People need to start being more discreet in how they invest their money as it's killing the system.
Riiiiight because people will just flock back to them for one or two games per year.
15+ years of bad performance is what they call irreparable in business. It is time for them to sell off the assets and get out of entertainment.
These declines are on the back of extra revenue received from releasing games like Forza horizon 5 on PlayStation. So I’m being sarcastic here when I said they should go back to exclusives. Killing off a revenue stream from Ps5 sales will only make things worse
The charity event will be streamed live from Gamescom in August.
Thanks to the slip-up of an artist working on the title, we now have more evidence that a new Injustice game is in the works.
Lots of people go through stages of 'gamer fatigue' where everything just doesn't seem to appeal to you, I know, I've been through it a few times myself. If you really love games don't let it spoil your hobby just keep playing from time to time and eventually that one game will come around that sparks it all off again. You're still very young there's loads of exciting things in the future, you'll see :)
I agree with you. I just didnt get hooked into twighlight princess like oot or mario galaxy like mario 64. Its not that the games arnt better, they are. Its that im older and my tastes changed. Jrpgs used to seem like deep emotional experiences, now they seem cliche. I still love them but they dont seem as epic. Ive moved on to wrpgs lately beause theyre believable and generally better. I havnt been excited for a game in a while though. I will but not like when i was a kid and one game would hook me for months. The few games that hooked me this gen were mass effect, alan wake, enslaved, lost odyssey, uncharted 2, demons souls, and tales of vesperia. The only game im hyped enough to buy day one is dark souls, i cant friggin wait. Still nothing this gen had the impact of metroid prime, sotc, re4, goldeneye, or zelda oot. Maybe ive played too much or the games arent memorable, theyre still fun so idk.
When we're kids, we think things are better than they really are. Probably because we're experiencing worlds and settings for the first time in a way that seems unique. Maybe you even wished these worlds existed somewhere out there.
But as we get older, we learn more and usually become more cynical as the joys of discovery lessen and the comparably boring realities of finances, work, and relationships take center stage.
In the meantime, gaming has changed as well. It is not the single-player focused experience it once was. It is a vastly social beast running on mass media and the interconnectivity of the internet. Although the same types of singular experiences are being made, no one truly plays alone anymore. Life finds a way to interject itself at all times. The joy is gone.
Personally, I make efforts to get that joy back. I block out the world at large if I can so I might enjoy playing a new game the way I used to play old ones. No XBL, no PSN, no Steam notifications... the internet is disconnected. The cell phone is off too. It's just me, the game, and my boundless imagination roaming free. Everything else just gets in the way.
Whatever game you play, I hope you can find similar ways to enjoy them like you used to.