I miss how gaming made me feel

Life changes. I have been into gaming since I was 10/11 and I am now 52. I have done the all nighters and all weekend binges and used to buy several games per month. Now with limited time i just buy 2 or 3 per annum. I still have about 100 games on steam I bought when cheap which I still havent got round to playing.

In the early days I got into Battlefield and that just soaks up the hours. Current game is Battlefield V and I have logged 675 hours into it over the last 18 months and that is pretty much every hour of my available game time.

So I dont have the time to play and enjoy the other games and just grab an hour here and there and occasionally the odd 3-4 session (if my partner is away with work).
 
You should check out the different tags on Steam mate while the summer sale is active to try and pick up something that you actually enjoy playing or like the look of and with the refund policy if you don't like it before two hours you can refund it and get the money back.

I don't think it's an age thing but it might be worth looking into different genres.
 
I think OP has hit the nail on the head that he's missing the community aspect more than the games themselves. It's no often you stick playing with the same people for years and years. People move onto different hobbies, games etc. At some point you will probably have to go actively seeking another community.
 
I'm in the same boat just a decade or so ahead. Do you take breaks from gaming? Do you exercise? Running is great and free. Have you dabbled in VR? What football team do you support? Maybe that's your real problem ;) It's about trying new things to see what you may like. No easy answer.

Gaming wise, one thing that really surprised me how much I liked it was Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Was a complete change of pace.

Have you tried Sim Racing? I Racing was a whole new ball game for me.
 
Glad I grew up in the era where multiplayer meant having friends round your house playing split screen, and gaming alone was exactly that; alone.
Buy more single player games or play random deathmatch FPS?
Unpopular opinion...have kids and get them into gaming so you have someone to play with. My daughter is 4 and is showing an interest in playing Switch with me.
 
panthro said:
Glad I grew up in the era where multiplayer meant having friends round your house playing split screen, and gaming alone was exactly that; alone.
Buy more single player games or play random deathmatch FPS?
Unpopular opinion...have kids and get them into gaming so you have someone to play with. My daughter is 4 and is showing an interest in playing Switch with me.
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Could be a thing for me too.
I've never really liked random people on multi player.
I like playing with friends. And that isn't really a thing anymore.

I think if you don't enjoy something you should let it go and not try to hang onto it.

But hypocritical here as I still hang onto my photography equipment, but don't enjoy it as much as I used to.
 
You sound old before your time :) I'm 52 and been gaming since the commodore64 days and still find them a welcome break away from normality. For me, that's their purpose. Will I give them up any time soon? I doubt it. Do I question it? Of course..

I have had ups and downs when I question if it's right at my age.. along with a few other things I do. I do agree that some of today's games don't feel like the games they used to be.. maybe because they lack innovation or originality.. but I still enjoy them nevertheless. The only thing that annoys me mostly is my slow reactions and I need stronger glasses now. :D

I think it's important not to isolate your interests exclusively to gaming.. or anything for that matter. Have other outside interest that involves social interaction (a bit difficult at the moment granted).

Providing it's safe, never question anything you enjoy.
 
I'm 39 with two kids and still find time to game as I'm lucky the Mrs likes time to herself as much as I do and I stated clearly when we first met that I like time to myself to game.

That golden age of gaming is over though, the community aspect of a big title has unfortunately been nuked. I remember being a part of clans in the original Counterstrike, then the early Battlefield games and then BF4 was when it all ended.

I still love gaming though, I play Hunt Showdown mostly and have done for two years now. I struggle to get into other games as like someone else said it feels like you've played them already, I spent £30 on Steam games yesterday, installed two and what did I play in the evening? Hunt.

I wont be stopping gaming any time soon though even if its not as good as it used to be I still enjoy it, I do feel sorry for the younger people who missed the 90' and 00's though that really was the golden age of gaming and the internet coming together but there are still some great games to be played.
 
I'll never forget the BF 2142 days when my mates and I were all wishing for an 8800GT and using xfire every night, without a care in the world. It's not the same now, those friends I haven't even seen for nearly ten years.

Still I'm thankful for the time, not everyone is so lucky with their childhoods. There's usually another aspect of life to be content and thankful for.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
You sound old before your time :) I'm 52 and been gaming since the commodore64 days and still find them a welcome break away from normality. For me, that's their purpose. Will I give them up any time soon? I doubt it. Do I question it? Of course..

I have had ups and downs when I question if it's right at my age.. along with a few other things I do. I do agree that some of today's games don't feel like the games they used to be.. maybe because they lack innovation or originality.. but I still enjoy them nevertheless. The only thing that annoys me mostly is my slow reactions and I need stronger glasses now. :D

I think it's important not to isolate your interests exclusively to gaming.. or anything for that matter. Have other outside interest that involves social interaction (a bit difficult at the moment granted).

Providing it's safe, never question anything you enjoy.
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Mmm! C64. 45 minutes-ish to wait to play, those were the days. Die and wait again. :D
 
Hagar said:
67 last October. Do you remember space invaders and asteroids in a pub table?

Retirement is quite cool, you can live like a teenager with minimal responsibility if you wish. Or you can take it less seriously.
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Sure do, Galaxians used to be in the local I used at the time, much button mashing!
 
I think what you enjoyed about gaming was the social aspect, it's hard to replicate that, kind of like if you still like going to the pub on a weekend but all your cool drinking buddies have now become stay at home dads. I'm not sure what the soluton is. Maybe find a partner who you can play games with.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
You sound old before your time :) I'm 52 and been gaming since the commodore64 days and still find them a welcome break away from normality. For me, that's their purpose. Will I give them up any time soon? I doubt it. Do I question it? Of course..

I have had ups and downs when I question if it's right at my age.. along with a few other things I do. I do agree that some of today's games don't feel like the games they used to be.. maybe because they lack innovation or originality.. but I still enjoy them nevertheless. The only thing that annoys me mostly is my slow reactions and I need stronger glasses now. :D

I think it's important not to isolate your interests exclusively to gaming.. or anything for that matter. Have other outside interest that involves social interaction (a bit difficult at the moment granted).

Providing it's safe, never question anything you enjoy.
Click to expand...

That last one. Genuinely following that is one of the best pieces of advice ever.
When you don't care 'how it looks' it frees you up no end

Additionally, don't force yourself to enjoy something you don't.
 
I just spent 31 hours over a full week playing Last of Us Pt 2 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Felt like 7 years ago playing the original but with better combat, graphics and a bigger game with a deeper story.

Just find the right games.
 
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