Title mostly describes how I’m feeling now.
When I was younger, my main worry when deciding what game to buy and play next was that the game wouldn’t be able to keep me entertained until I can buy another game.
Now I have a backlog of almost 100 games that I own and haven’t played yet (although some come from bundles, not all are worth playing). My new concern when I’m playing a game is whether or not the time I put into the game is well spent.
I used to really like the idea of games where it would take me 100s of hours to get to 100% completion, but now I tend to almost avoid playing them entirely even if I know I don’t care about completion anymore.
I don’t think I’m alone in this, but what I’m really wondering is if this is a result of getting older? Or is it because the gaming space itself has changed?
It’s funny, before they were everywhere, open world games were my jam. Now there are only a few where I actually pay attention to the world.
I typically treat open world games as linear in some way. Go from one story/side mission to the next without really bothering to explore. Especially for large games. Some exceptions, but not many. I’ve become a chronic fast traveler and I have no intention of changing that.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate the work put into a lot of these games, it’s more that I simply don’t have the energy or time to actually get into it all and it doesn’t bother me that I’m “missing out”.
In general, I just crave linear and relatively short games. If howlongtobeat lists something as more than like 12 - 15 hours for a non-RPG/immersim game, I’m usually out. I’d have to really be enjoying it to stick with something for more than like 20 hours total.
Titanfall 2 is one of the best examples of a fantastic game that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Everything’s tightly packed into a linear, but incredibly well-developed game. It doesn’t stop being fun, and throws new shit at you without being overwhelming, can be beaten in a few days (probably like two if you’re playing in long sessions).
I do sometimes go over that limit with stealth games, often because I play them very patiently and can spend a few hours on a level. But they’re really the exception.