Video games are a legitimate hobby, DAMN IT!

[aspieoutlaw89]

I am tired of nongamers telling me otherwise.

Then they turn around and watch the Kardashians like that is better, which it is not, because it is much worse.

Video gaming is a legitimate hobby, and I am proud to be a gamer with the skills to stay afloat in most game situations.

Remember, centuries ago people were thinking that reading books was not a legitimate pasttime and that it would destroy the youth of the nation.

the stupidity of people like that,smh

 

[Misery]

But I sure as hell do not consider them true gamers.

Ya know, I'd often thought this way myself, but thinking further, I wonder if this is kinda like what this topic is about. Assumptions and whatnot.

I'd always really disliked phones and such (I had iOS devices, and wow do I not get along with those very well), but then I get my new Android phone (Samsung) and I decide it's time to experiment a bit. I've COMPLAINED about phone games often in the past, but... did I *try* them? I had to admit that I had not done so.

So I picked some up (as well as the Google Play subscription, which is $5 per month to remove ads and such from like 5 bazillion games), and it's been a very strange experience. Plenty of these arent exactly what I'd assumed they'd be. One in particular, the bizarrely named "Cube Card" has gotten quite a bit of time from me. It was one of the first things I grabbed, and not at all something I expected. I really quite like it. Another is Blacken Slash, which is an indie roguelike (and I found some others that also fall into that category). That one is really quite good. I even did the thing I said I'd never do, and grabbed a gatcha game (Blue Archive) because, again, I'd never TRIED one. This, too, doesnt at all work like I thought it would.

I realized at this point I'd gone in with a lot of assumptions, but very little experience, and an unfortunate tendency to not give things a chance. Dont get me wrong, hyper-predatory things like Clash of Clans or stuff like that is absolutely still around and thriving, because of course it is, but... the whole of mobile gaming is not at all what I thought it'd be. Granted: You have to do some actual browsing to find good stuff, but... that's how it is with indie VS AAA games as well in the non-mobile space, so that's not unexpected.

I could absolutely imagine someone seeing me play any of those on my phone, poking away at it, and they then assume that I'm not a "real" gamer. This, despite my mastery of a lot of games (well, entire genres) that make Dark Souls look like a freakin' tea party.

That's the nature of assumptions, though, isnt it? A lesson I could do well to keep in mind myself, really.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Not only is it a legit hobby, it can be implemented into various parts of your life style. I know of a guy who made an entire vr setup and a mod list containing about 1,000+ mods and a haptic pain suit with weights to make Skyrim VR into even more of an exercise experience than it already is. He made a video on it that I can't show because it has inappropriate content.

 

[Lemon Zing]

Me moaning about Capcom, etc, is my hobby.

I need to, though.

 

[honeytoast]

Ya know, I'd often thought this way myself, but thinking further, I wonder if this is kinda like what this topic is about. Assumptions and whatnot.

I'd always really disliked phones and such (I had iOS devices, and wow do I not get along with those very well), but then I get my new Android phone (Samsung) and I decide it's time to experiment a bit. I've COMPLAINED about phone games often in the past, but... did I *try* them? I had to admit that I had not done so.

So I picked some up (as well as the Google Play subscription, which is $5 per month to remove ads and such from like 5 bazillion games), and it's been a very strange experience. Plenty of these arent exactly what I'd assumed they'd be. One in particular, the bizarrely named "Cube Card" has gotten quite a bit of time from me. It was one of the first things I grabbed, and not at all something I expected. I really quite like it. Another is Blacken Slash, which is an indie roguelike (and I found some others that also fall into that category). That one is really quite good. I even did the thing I said I'd never do, and grabbed a gatcha game (Blue Archive) because, again, I'd never TRIED one. This, too, doesnt at all work like I thought it would.

I realized at this point I'd gone in with a lot of assumptions, but very little experience, and an unfortunate tendency to not give things a chance. Dont get me wrong, hyper-predatory things like Clash of Clans or stuff like that is absolutely still around and thriving, because of course it is, but... the whole of mobile gaming is not at all what I thought it'd be. Granted: You have to do some actual browsing to find good stuff, but... that's how it is with indie VS AAA games as well in the non-mobile space, so that's not unexpected.

I could absolutely imagine someone seeing me play any of those on my phone, poking away at it, and they then assume that I'm not a "real" gamer. This, despite my mastery of a lot of games (well, entire genres) that make Dark Souls look like a freakin' tea party.

That's the nature of assumptions, though, isnt it? A lesson I could do well to keep in mind myself, really.

Seconding this. As someone who's played a few phone games, they are some that have 'gacha' aspects or pay-to-win things that can very easily be avoided. You have to look through a lot of crap to find something worthwhile though.

 

[Lemon Zing]

I still play games very occasionally. For me, the issue is just having nothing new to enjoy. But remakes are not really new games. They can change a lot of stuff about them, yeah. But it's, at the end of the day, really just a way to bank off of nostalgia. And companies endlessly do this type of thing.

 

[Outdated]

For me, the issue is just having nothing new to enjoy.

I have played one game that nothing else compares to. There is no other game like it, completely unique. It's also so old now that you can download it for free from abandonware sites but that doesn't make it any less fun to play.

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/black-white-a33

 

[Lemon Zing]

The problem with franchises that go on too long, is that they can eventually become dumb. Lemmings cry foul of anyone who dares to be critical of the downfall of a series, though. As if you're supposed to kiss their feet. I see it on Biohaze all the time if you try to mock Capcom or inject humour into a thread.

Like, I remember people bashed The Last of Us Part II and Days Gone, and all that. Yet those are two of the best modern or recent games to come out. Actual passion went into developing those games. I cannot believe the amount of detail that went into those titles.

But they wanna support Capcom's average RE games, which seem to cater to speed runners and gamers who never liked fixed camera angles or tank controls to begin with.

Seriously. That's why I hate Fortnite.

 

[Aspergers_Aspie]

The last games console I had was a Playstation 2. Some games I used to play in particularly were resident evil games and football manager games. I have not played later versions of games consoles, but I would, I have checked trailers of some games and they look interesting. As people could see from my other threads, I don't like technology going too far and watched a segment on it on the BBC show 'Newsnight' about that subject. The newest watchdogs game looks interesting, has anyone played it and if so what do you make of it please?
link to game.

 

[FoxLovinPat]

So I suppose I now have something else to contribute to this discussion.

You see on father's day my father told me that since I'll be turning 30 soon I should finally "put away childish things" and "get serious" and by childish things here he meant video games.
Seems he wants me to either stop playing video games entirely or to play video games apt less and to find "more adult things" to with my free time.

The only two examples he gave in the moment were.. "Find some more local friends that you can go out and do stuff with in person." as atm most of my friends are online and live all over the place. And the other thing he said I should do is get myself a girlfriend which I won't do because I already have a partner, which I haven't told him about because I have a boyfriend and he's homophobic so..

 

[Kisa the tea]

I feel there will always be people who will claim something isn't a hobby. At least, I think it may take many decades for that to change if it does.

I don't see how video games, which are extremely interactive and versatile could not fall in the same categories as other common hobbies.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

I still play games whenever I feel bored or just a way to cope with things. Since I'm not able to work or have a semi-normal life, they're the only way to keep me occupied alongside watching movies, browsing the internet, reading books, and listening to music. Gaming is indeed a side hobby as much as anything else. I never had anybody telling me it isn't.

But gaming, as a medium, is dead. At least, as far as the AA and AAA game scenes. Indi content flourishes. It's kinda funny really. It feels like we are falling into another gaming crash.

I remember actually enjoying games before it turned into this loot box, pay to win crap.

Honestly, I expect another video game crash to happen if not right away. There isn't a whole lot of interesting games out there anymore unless you look hard enough. Seems like almost every single game's the same these days and I can't tell them apart. Besides microtransactions, there's also the problem with nostalgia due to so many remasters and remakes released.

Maybe gaming will change for the better someday, but who even knows if it will or not.

 

[Xinyta]

Besides microtransactions, there's also the problem with nostalgia due to so many remasters and remakes released.

In truth. Nostalgia and remakes are the only thing slowing the terminal velocity nose dive of gaming as a whole. But it's a flawed way to go. Exploiting nostalgia, for money. Even that will eventually fail.

Though alot of really good fan made stuff, is built off both nostalgia and passion. A desire for more simple games about gameplay, over much of anything else. Which has helped gaming survive, whether big game companies want to admit it or not. And whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not, more importantly.

It a difficult thing to watch either way. With seeing the gaming world flounder, like it has. The worst part, are those who won't see it coming. Lemmings running off the edge with gaming, to only be surprised when they are in free fall after thier beloved games.

 

[Misery]

And whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not, more importantly.

This is the strangest bit of all of it to me.

I keep hearing people say things like "oh gaming is dead" and whatnot, but here I am, finding it to be better than it ever was. It's been bloody amazing for years now.

I've done the indie/AA rant before, so I'll spare you all this time. Suffice it to say though, as far as I'm concerned, gaming has never been better... even compared to the "old days". It's gotten THAT good. And that's in ALL genres, not just the 2 or 3 the AAA guys will actually touch. And it'll cost WAY less, for a drastically higher level of quality AND content. Pay $60 for a broken mess that tries to eat your wallet AFTER you already bought it? No, I'm used to paying $15 for something that'll give me 300 hours of awesomeness. That's not even counting sales. 5% off of microtransactions from the Big Guys? WHAT A DEAL. I'm used to seeing 80% off of full games that are, you know, actually good.

Seriously, gaming is GREAT right now. But people need to get out of their bloody comfort zones and TRY NEW THINGS. No matter how blasted loud the AAA guys are being. It aint even hard to find good stuff, either. I mean good grief, I typically find new things by vaguely glancing at my Steam activity feed. I dont even need to browse the bloody store to find things! That's how easy it's gotten! It's less easy on the consoles... their store apps tend to be a bit sluggish for reasons I've never figured out... but it's MUCH easier than it was in the old days, where you had to drive to the store to even look around. Or just let Youtube tell you what's out recently in your favorite genre.

And yes, I know... people want their old favorite franchises to return and produce more games in the series (and I dont mean remakes). Franchises that had been around for ages and are now corrupted. Every Konami series, for instance. I miss them too. But at some point you gotta accept when something is just plain dead. And move on.

Maybe that's the hardest part, for many.

Honestly, I expect another video game crash to happen if not right away.

Boy I hope so. Ive been waiting for that for a few years now. With popcorn. I dont buy AAA games anymore, but I do watch that side of the industry. Kinda tired of watching those jerks take advantage of everyone. Not to mention what they do to their poor employees.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

In truth. Nostalgia and remakes are the only thing slowing the terminal velocity nose dive of gaming as a whole. But it's a flawed way to go. Exploiting nostalgia, for money. Even that will eventually fail.

Though alot of really good fan made stuff, is built off both nostalgia and passion. A desire for more simple games about gameplay, over much of anything else. Which has helped gaming survive, whether big game companies want to admit it or not. And whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not, more importantly.

It a difficult thing to watch either way. With seeing the gaming world flounder, like it has. The worst part, are those who won't see it coming. Lemmings running off the edge with gaming, to only be surprised when they are in free fall after thier beloved games.

In my opinion, indie games and fan games seem to be the way to go. I love playing 3D platformers, so I have to rely on indie developers to give me what I want. AAA companies care more about following trends while not doing anything innovative. Games like A Hat In Time and Bug Fables remind me that gaming used to be great, but now, it's like more bad than good. Again, it's my opinion because I'm getting old and feeling nostalgic lately.

This is the strangest bit of all of it to me.

I keep hearing people say things like "oh gaming is dead" and whatnot, but here I am, finding it to be better than it ever was. It's been bloody amazing for years now.

I've done the indie/AA rant before, so I'll spare you all this time. Suffice it to say though, as far as I'm concerned, gaming has never been better... even compared to the "old days". It's gotten THAT good. And that's in ALL genres, not just the 2 or 3 the AAA guys will actually touch. And it'll cost WAY less, for a drastically higher level of quality AND content. Pay $60 for a broken mess that tries to eat your wallet AFTER you already bought it? No, I'm used to paying $15 for something that'll give me 300 hours of awesomeness. That's not even counting sales. 5% off of microtransactions from the Big Guys? WHAT A DEAL. I'm used to seeing 80% off of full games that are, you know, actually good.

Seriously, gaming is GREAT right now. But people need to get out of their bloody comfort zones and TRY NEW THINGS. No matter how blasted loud the AAA guys are being. It aint even hard to find good stuff, either. I mean good grief, I typically find new things by vaguely glancing at my Steam activity feed. I dont even need to browse the bloody store to find things! That's how easy it's gotten! It's less easy on the consoles... their store apps tend to be a bit sluggish for reasons I've never figured out... but it's MUCH easier than it was in the old days, where you had to drive to the store to even look around. Or just let Youtube tell you what's out recently in your favorite genre.

And yes, I know... people want their old favorite franchises to return and produce more games in the series (and I dont mean remakes). Franchises that had been around for ages and are now corrupted. Every Konami series, for instance. I miss them too. But at some point you gotta accept when something is just plain dead. And move on.

Maybe that's the hardest part, for many.



Boy I hope so. Ive been waiting for that for a few years now. With popcorn. I dont buy AAA games anymore, but I do watch that side of the industry. Kinda tired of watching those jerks take advantage of everyone. Not to mention what they do to their poor employees.

I've definitely come to terms with several of my favorite game franchises are never coming back thanks to the current climate. My favorite old franchises like Spyro and Klonoa did come back briefly with HD remakes, but after those came and went, I've realized they only released those for nostalgia bait and they have no plans in bringing them back. There's definitely some new games out there I'm interested in thanks to YouTube or even Reddit of all things. Like I said before, you have to look really hard to find something that's actually decent. It's part of why I enjoy Steam these days. You never know what you find on there.

With the current layoffs still going on, I kinda expect the industry to crash one of these days. I rarely buy new games on launch anymore. I just wait for a sale to go on.

 

[blitzkrieg]

I don't work, so I spend a rather large amount of time playing games. I never play online though, I don't like other people interfering with my game.

Video games are my hobby.

I play on a computer because I like modding games as well. Pimping my ride. It's a very inexpensive hobby.

Gaming is indeed a very inexpensive hobby, especially if a person buys games on platforms such as Steam when the sales are on. You can average out at buying games for £10 or so and have 200 games only cost £2,000 which is a decade worth of games or more for some people.

 

[Outdated]

...especially if a person buys games on platforms such as Steam when the sales are on.

I had a lot of issues with Steam when I was living in a remote area and had very limited internet access, forced updating of games simply isn't acceptable when you have an expensive satellite connection with a one gig a month download limit.

But I never play online anyway so I'm a big fan of GOG games. I also don't run Windows and I've found that a lot of GOG games run really well in Linux, better than they do in Windows.

 

[Misery]

Gaming is indeed a very inexpensive hobby, especially if a person buys games on platforms such as Steam when the sales are on. You can average out at buying games for £10 or so and have 200 games only cost £2,000 which is a decade worth of games or more for some people.

Oh yeah, some of those sales are wild. Exactly where the term "Steam Backlog" came from. One of those happens, I often then hop over to the ol' activity feed to watch the entertaining series of listings of "[player] bought 35 games! They will absolutely definitely remember that they did this and will play all of them! Really definitely this time for sure!" I mean okay, it doesnt say that last part, but the meaning is definitely there.

And then there's just random sales that just happen all the time for no bloody reason. Or things like the recent Civ 6 sale, that's normally a full-priced $60 game (it's published by 2K, so...), it went down to a measly $2 for a couple of weeks. Heck if I know why. You could get it with all of the expansions for like $15, normally it costs way, way, WAY more than that. Though when I think about it, this was likely a marketing trick so people notice the Civ 7 announcement. Yet at the same time, fully in character for Steam itself.

Or Endless Legend, another big 4X game, recently was like "hey what if we did a 100% off sale for a week". I cant imagine what went into that thought process, but I sure didnt complain about it either.

I bought something from there in the middle of typing this. Paused partway through to check to see who was on at the moment, spotted a certain game at 70% off for no reason, and.... yep.

I've definitely come to terms with several of my favorite game franchises are never coming back thanks to the current climate. My favorite old franchises like Spyro and Klonoa did come back briefly with HD remakes, but after those came and went, I've realized they only released those for nostalgia bait and they have no plans in bringing them back.

You know what this reminded me of? Rayman. Remember Rayman? BEFORE the Rabbids ate him? To this day I still cant quite understand how that series turned into what it is now.

Granted, considering what company that IP belongs to, even if the Rabbids hadnt taken over, the series would have gotten fried in some other way.

Also Plok, thinking about Rayman always then reminds me of Plok.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

You know what this reminded me of? Rayman. Remember Rayman? BEFORE the Rabbids ate him? To this day I still cant quite understand how that series turned into what it is now.

Granted, considering what company that IP belongs to, even if the Rabbids hadnt taken over, the series would have gotten fried in some other way.

Also Plok, thinking about Rayman always then reminds me of Plok.

Rayman's another franchise I miss before the Rabbids took over. Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends were great, but that was when Ubisoft decided to mess around with the franchise by releasing the latter next to much bigger titles like GTA5. Still can't get over that, but then again, that was the beginning of the end for Ubisoft.

Plok felt like a successor to Rayman now that I think about it. The game also had a great soundtrack, too.

 

[FoxLovinPat]

And then there's just random sales that just happen all the time for no bloody reason. Or things like the recent Civ 6 sale, that's normally a full-priced $60 game (it's published by 2K, so...), it went down to a measly $2 for a couple of weeks. Heck if I know why. You could get it with all of the expansions for like $15, normally it costs way, way, WAY more than that. Though when I think about it, this was likely a marketing trick so people notice the Civ 7 announcement. Yet at the same time, fully in character for Steam itself.

Or Endless Legend, another big 4X game, recently was like "hey what if we did a 100% off sale for a week". I cant imagine what went into that thought process, but I sure didn't complain about it either.

Oh hey Endless Legends!
I actually got that too when they essentially gave it away for free last month and I immediately became obsessed with it, funnily enough.

Ended up buying all the dlc for it too because they had that on deep sale at the time too and after playing a bit of it and enjoying the gameplay I was like "eh why not? I got the base game for free anyways.". The dlc for it is the actually good kind of dlc for the most part as they add entirely new factions and gameplay elements to the game.

I haven't actually finished a match of it yet though because they take a while to do and I wanted to try each faction out so I can pick my favorites of the bunch, which I was surprised that I ended up enjoying the gameplay of The Cultists as much as I did.. actually ended up doing the best as them so that might be one of my go-tos.
I haven't dabbled in it yet, but I find it interesting that the game has a custom faction system which I guess lets you mix and match elements of the existing factions to suit your play style better.

Enough of that though..
I wanted to remark that I like how GoG will just occasionally give away games for free, though I will admit I do miss out on a lot of free games due to not regularly checking the email associated with my GoG account.
They also have a more lenient refund policy than Steam does.

Oh And speaking of PC game storefronts I refuse to use the Epic Game store as I hear from friends that do use it that it sucks, I don't care for their exclusive games (*coughs* Fortnight *coughs*), and I really really hate that crappy thing they do where they'll buy exclusively rights to a game, meaning for a set amount of time if you want to play the game on PC you can only get it from them. Thankfully that's typically not forever so If I am interested in a game Epic nabbed exclusivity to I'll just wait until that expires and it shows up on Steam, which I guess allows plenty of time for others to play and review it so I can gauge if it'd even be worth looking into once the exclusivity on it ends.