I am really starting to get frustrated with my loss of my gaming love as of late. Even with the recent purchase of a new ps2 (my old one died) I am still feeling like I lost it. I never really understood how I could fall into this void or how it could happen ever really. But now I am stuck in this limbo where I want to game but I have zero interest in trying to recapture the lust I once had for my hobby.
Its not like I don't play anymore, I still dabble in a few games but I cant sit there like in the olden days and play for hours and hours. And the last time I really was obsessed over a game, was when I was playing World of Warcaft which I find might be the reason that gaming in general just frustrates me.
I spent 2 years of my life in Azeroth, living my life around a game and its not like I was having a horrible time. I actually made friends I will have for years to come, and had a ton of fun just enjoying the content that blizzard provided but once leaving the shores of Azeroth is when I started having issues.
I had purchased a 360 over the summer and a copy of Gears of War and for the most part enjoyed it. But what I found is that, I would only play for a hour and just want to turn it OFF, but I never really thought nothing of it. And I played many games after that with the same lack of enthusiasm and at times I would find glimmer of hope in games that I found amazing, but even with gems like Bioshock or COD4 I still could only play for a bit of time.
I just don't know if I lost my mojo or newish games just bored the fuck out of me. But the last time and current time I found some glimmer in my love for gaming, was not with a game at all but more of the discovery of Destructoid that I found myself hopeful for my long time hobby.
And I have no fucking clue where this is going, its just a bit frustrating even with time to play games, half the time I just want to avoid my systems. I just wish I knew how to get out of this funk, or find that game that will get me back into the fold.
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You probably have the same problem that I had, which is playing those "Critically acclaimed" titles exclusively. You gotta balance it out, really. Play less "GOTY" stuff, play more "6/10 -IGN" stuff.
I'd suggest; Age of Connan (It's supposed to be out soon, MMO, better than WoW IMHO), Overlord, Condemned, Lost Planet, F.E.A.R., Blue Dragon, Warriors Orochi (pretty sure its on the 360), Tenchu Z, Enchanted Arms, Oblivion (not exactly niche, but meh), Heroes of Might and Magic: Dark Messiah, Assassins Creed, Dynasty Warriors 6, and Beautiful Katamari. I discovered a long time ago that is often the most unappreciated titles that are the most entertaining.
Theres 2 advantages: 1) you dont too frustrated or bored with anything, and 2) theres so many decent games available on so many different platforms its fun to give them all a try.
But failing that, why not just try not gaming for a while? You must have something else to do in your life. Focusing too much on any single aspect is not really a great thing. In my last holiday i left my computer at my flat when i went home, and i pretty much went biking and hung around for 3 weeks (and admittedly spent some time on my psp), i really enjoyed changing things up.
I fixed it by playing three games that I knew solidified my passion for gaming. I then played them in impact order with my favorite game being the last game to play. My order was:
1st game: Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past
2nd game: Final Fantasy IV
3rd game: Chrono Trigger
As you can see all of these game were also traced to the SNES, was also my favorite system I ever owned. If you like Link to the Past I would definitely start out there, the game is very easy to pick up on, easy to stop when you get tired, and overall a great experience. By the time I got done with Zelda, I was psyched to play Final Fantasy IV and really excited to finally play Chrono Trigger again. To this day, I still get that enthusiasm of playing every game like it is my favorite.
I would make sure you just choose games that helped define you and what makes gaming passionate for you. And to be honest, I would just say away from new games for now cause I think it will only just frustrate you. I kept thinking gaming use to be much better and more passionate when I was younger, so I went back to play older games to relive that experience. Only over time I think you should slowly start picking up newer games to play after you get more comfortable with gaming again. I would recommend a games to beat list to make sure you won't forget about any games that may come out in the future that you want to play.
Also I would recommend playing some older games that you never had a chance to play before. Examples for me were the Phantasy Star series and Lunar series. I think being able to finally play these games you never had a chance too will be a nice fresh breath of gaming to you.
Hope this helps you out, if you need any advice contact me!
I've been playing vids since the 2600...I am coming to the conclusion that maybe I have simply played way too many games and nothing is all that surprising or impressive anymore. Don't get me wrong I still play games (TF2 and CS:S especially), they just don't have the zazz for me they used to.
And for the 360 my go to games skate. and Tiger Woods 08.