# Anyone else who used to love computer games, but it's no longer interested?



## Idaho (Dec 10, 2020)

I used to love them. I could happily while away hours and days on them. Why do they hold no interest for me now? If you gave me a brand new whatever with 10 of the finest, newest games, I'd be surprised if I even switched it on. It just seems like such an empty and pointless experience.

It's not that I am necessarily against pointless pastimes. I watch shit TV and even do the odd jigsaw. I just can't generate any interest in computer games.

Anyone else?


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## Guineveretoo (Dec 10, 2020)

No - I am playing more computer games than ever before. Very useful distraction from everything that is going on around me. Better, I find, than shit tv, even.


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## tommers (Dec 10, 2020)

They are pointless but they also distract me from the endless stress and responsibilities of having to be an adult.  I'm probably less bothered than I used to be but still need to have some time just forgetting about everything around me for a bit.  It's good for my MH.


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## Jay Park (Dec 10, 2020)

Used to now find them boring. Mostly all first-person shooters these days and was never in to them.

me and a mate bought GTA 5 last year and ended up feeling weirded out after long stretches of playing it. Sordid fantasy world.

though I may be up for the new football manager game. Whilst at the same time I know how destructively addictive it can be, plus I can’t get hold of any weeed


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## PursuedByBears (Dec 10, 2020)

Definitely - used to love them but just find gaming boring and pointless now (and a bit childish tbh).


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## maomao (Dec 10, 2020)

I built a new gaming rig when my wife was pregnant with our eldest six years ago and just never got a chance to use it. I don't have hours to burn like that anymore, I used to play Skyrim and various Total War games for ten hours at a time. Have tried but just don't get into it anymore. I tried to show my daughter Portal over lockdown but it was a bit complex for her.


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## strung out (Dec 10, 2020)

Was never a huge gamer really, but after spending way too long in the late noughties playing World of Warcraft, I didn't play a single thing for about 10 years. Just picked up a Nintendo Switch earlier this year and enjoying playing games on a much more casual basis. 

My wife's career revolves around video games and gaming though, so it's hard for me to avoid it now, hence me finally giving in and buying a console.


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## Argonia (Dec 10, 2020)

I was addicted to gaming when I had my Amiga in the 1990s (and writing games in Amos Basic as well) but haven't touched a game for ten years or more. Although I could be tempted back with Football Manager I suppose.


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

Had the basic games (minesweeper and the like) which hardly count as games really right back in the day. I soon decided they'd just suck away time though so I uninstalled them. Never got into shootemup type games because I'm assuming they're difficult with no controller and just a mouse. 

Nearest I get really is soduku which I resisted for years but quite enjoy for pattern spotting - although I seem to have hit a plateau and never seem to improve.


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## marty21 (Dec 10, 2020)

Had a PS2 , have a PS4   but haven't played anything on it for a few years. Used to love the Call of Duty stuff  & similar games, don't feel the urge to play atm.


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## steveo87 (Dec 10, 2020)

I've come to the realisation that the gen (ie ps4) is probably be my last console I'll buy.
Between the kid, buying a house and saving up for a wedding, I can't afford to splurge on anything new.

That said, there are very few games left that excite me (cyberpunk being the exception), so I'm not sure what I would buy in the future anyway (cyberpunk 78, maybe). 
Maybe its because I predominately play 'AAA' games more often than not, and have become massively jaded by the lack of quality there....


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## kabbes (Dec 10, 2020)

Idaho said:


> I used to love them. I could happily while away hours and days on them. Why do they hold no interest for me now? If you gave me a brand new whatever with 10 of the finest, newest games, I'd be surprised if I even switched it on. It just seems like such an empty and pointless experience.
> 
> It's not that I am necessarily against pointless pastimes. I watch shit TV and even do the odd jigsaw. I just can't generate any interest in computer games.
> 
> Anyone else?


Oh this is 100% me.  I would have described it as my main hobby, even, up to about the age of something like 35.  I've not turned a console on for 5 years though, I'd say.  Just somehow... not interested any more.


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## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Dec 10, 2020)

I haven't lost interest as such but I have less time for them now, and some of them are so complex just to get into that I don't really play new ones. I have a few games that I've kind of had a stab at but not really got properly going with. If I do play it's normally Dark Souls 3 or X-COM2 which I've had for a few years and completed more than once.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

It’s the other way round for me


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## Artaxerxes (Dec 10, 2020)

Monkeygrinder's Organ said:


> I haven't lost interest as such but I have less time for them now, and some of them are so complex just to get into that I don't really play new ones. I have a few games that I've kind of had a stab at but not really got properly going with. If I do play it's normally Dark Souls 3 or X-COM2 which I've had for a few years and completed more than once.



This, I find myself returning to old classics and slightly more simple games than I do the next Cyberpunk 2077 these days.


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

Not sure I'd enjoy games where I'd be beaten by a six year old anyway


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## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Dec 10, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> This, I find myself returning to old classics and slightly more simple games than I do the next Cyberpunk 2077 these days.



Actually I do quite fancy getting Cyberpunk as I absolutely loved the Witcher 3. I don't know if I'll have much time to dedicate to it if I do though.


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## ruffneck23 (Dec 10, 2020)

Always loved them , always will, as for childish the main demographic of gamers is now 34-54 years old..( I'm 49 )

However I do tend to be a lot more choosy about what I buy these days


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## weltweit (Dec 10, 2020)

I am hoping for this for my son, he is now 21 and a student but still plays WOW late into the early morning and then faux complains that he only gets up at midday.


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## Jay Park (Dec 10, 2020)

two sheds said:


> Had the basic games (minesweeper and the like) which hardly count as games really right back in the day. I soon decided they'd just suck away time though so I uninstalled them. Never got into shootemup type games because I'm assuming they're difficult with no controller and just a mouse.
> 
> Nearest I get really is soduku which I resisted for years but quite enjoy for pattern spotting - although I seem to have hit a plateau and never seem to improve.



what is it gym folk say about hitting the wall? Gotta go through it


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

I still don't know though - do you actually need a controller for games? I presume not all of them but .... good games? 

whatever they may be


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## Jay Park (Dec 10, 2020)

two sheds said:


> Not sure I'd enjoy games where I'd be beaten by a six year old anyway



try getting systematically spanked at chess by a 10 year old, brought some humility into my being


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## Jay Park (Dec 10, 2020)

two sheds said:


> I still don't know though - do you actually need a controller for games? I presume not all of them but .... good games?
> 
> whatever they may be



you do


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## DotCommunist (Dec 10, 2020)

first person shooter are better with a keyboard and mouse.


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## skyscraper101 (Dec 10, 2020)

Me, in the early 90s I used to love video games like Tetris, Mario, Sonic, had a gamegear and a megadrive, and was generally quite into it all.

But, by 1995 or whenever the playstation came out I'd basically lost interest and was more consumed by music and TV/film and the internet. I haven't seen anything that's interested me much since then. I liked Wipeout for a bit, and really liked Rez when a friend showed it to me, but never went as far as to buy an actual console. I had an xbox1 for a bit but mainly just used it for DVDs.


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

Jay Park said:


> try getting systematically spanked at chess by a 10 year old, brought some humility into my being



I used to be that 10 year old  gone down massively since then though.


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## Mattym (Dec 10, 2020)

A few reasons for me. Have bought 2 Xbox 1s over the last few years. 1 for my elder son & the other, which I foolishly let my younger son take one from the living room into his room. When I realised that I wanted to play games, there's no longer any chance of returning it downstairs. I CBA to buy another one of this generation and there's no chance of getting the PS5/XBox Series X in the next few weeks (not sure I'd want to pay hefty prices at the moment, anyway). So, I've given up on that, but I still have PS1- PS3 & Wii to muck about with.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

Never got with the idea of playing games on a PC. Seems a bit retrograde to me when there’s consoles.
I’m very specific in my tastes. Do not like racing or sports games. Do not like film adaptations. Do not like strategy or 4x games. Do not like cartoonish graphics. Do not like platforms. Only really like sandbox FPS/RPG games and only single player not online multiplayers. Do not like anything difficult or repetitive. Always play on easy with a walkthrough to hand and hate sneaking around, prefer walking down the middle with enormous firepower. More shotgun than sniper and more warrior than wizard.


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

My favourite game was the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Even that though I never even got up to stage 1. I found the light switch but never managed to get out of bed


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## Mumbles274 (Dec 10, 2020)

Yeah, used to game into the early hours on pc. From soldier of fortune to cod4 and on. Switched to console for World at war (wii!) then xbox for MW2 up to ghosts, by which time had xbone. Played a bit of one the the battlefields (4 maybe) and then just stopped playing

Don't have any urge to play anything at all, don't play a single computer game at all, never play phone games, has no interest to me. Consoles have been given to. My daughters to use


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## 8ball (Dec 10, 2020)

two sheds said:


> My favourite game was the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Even that though I never even got up to stage 1. I found the light switch but never managed to get out of bed



They could have marketed that at me as Morning Simulator.


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 10, 2020)

I played Unreal Tournament for about 8 years solid, and spent thousands of hours making maps for it, but I slowly drifted away from PC games when the original Xbox came out and I got into Halo, then I discovered Need for Speed Carbon, and spent too long chasing world records. I was shit hot on it and all of the Need for Speed games. I even held a few world records, then I got bored and stopped playing on consoles for a few years, and went back to PC gaming, which I gave up about 3 years ago.  I didn't touch another game until last year when I bought I bought an Xbox One, which I used for about an hour before getting bored with it, and haven't used it since.
I have GTA V, Hitman, Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel, Sid Meier's Civilisation VI, and a load more I can't remember the names of installed on my PC, and I've never even opened them, never mind played them. I've just completely lost interest in games, but I do that, I go through phases. I'm now in my 3D printing phase, which I'll no doubt get bored with, eventually.


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## Dead Cat Bounce (Dec 10, 2020)

Still playing video games after 40 years, all night gaming sessions are a thing of the past though - Still using the U75 gaming tag on COD and Battlefield 😄


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## danny la rouge (Dec 10, 2020)

Don’t play video games. Don’t have a console. Don’t play anything on my phone. Don’t have any interest at all.


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## DotCommunist (Dec 10, 2020)

having spent the most I've ever spent on a PC with proper gaming capability I find myself endlessly playing the ASCII based Dungeon Crawl and modding (but rarely playing) Fallout New Vegas, a game thats nearly ten years old anyway.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

I didn’t get into console games until my late 30s. Played the ZX Spectrum as a kid but was put off by the difficulty. Played a bit of Sonic on a mate’s Megadrive but found it boring and pointless. Never appreciated Nintendo and the Mario games as, like Sonic found them too boring/repetitive and too hard and I really hated the aesthetics of them. Mario Kart is probably my least favourite game of them all. But then i started playing Resident Evil 4 on my flatmate’s Wii and I was hooked, racing through Far Cry/GTA and the like, pulling all-nighters and going to work


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## Shechemite (Dec 10, 2020)

Too bloody complicated


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## girasol (Dec 10, 2020)

Never too much into it but played a fair bit on other people's consoles. These days it's candy crush saga and wordiest on phone. And Mario Cart and some other Wii games with grand daughter. We still have my son's old wii console and games and it works fine.


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## beesonthewhatnow (Dec 10, 2020)

They’re the sort of thing I imagine I’d love, but I honestly have no idea how people find the time for modern games, they all seem so vast and complex.


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## kabbes (Dec 10, 2020)

When I look back, I actually lost interest in playing games at about the same time I got back into playing the violin.  I wonder if playing an instrument filled that gap in my head better than playing a game did?


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

Did stay up all night with a mate with The Hobbit in ooooo 84? on a ZX spectrum and a tape drive as I recall, we started modifying the software to change the game so I actually learned a bit of Basic


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## Aladdin (Dec 10, 2020)

Not into them 
Tried at different times to get involved but they were not for me.


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## discokermit (Dec 10, 2020)

i got a master system off my girlfriend for my twenty first birthday. she thought i was an idiot for wanting it then was up til three taking turns at sonic the hedghog on a worknight. had an n64 and an amiga but eventually couldnt be bothered and started playing more online chess. now i dont bother at all but sometimes think about downloading something to my kindle but its all a bit confusing so i dont.


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## QueenOfGoths (Dec 10, 2020)

I play an awful lot less than I used to but due to time constraints rather than lack of interest. 

When the games you play are nearly all rated 18, your 8 year old doesn't go to sleep until 9pm and you're not that far behind it doesn't leave a lot of time for gaming. 

Also I've become too fixated on a few games (Fallout and Assassin's Creed) and am finding it hard to break out of that. I've started "The Witcher 3" which is obviously a brilliant game but I just can't get into it. 

However with a new AC out and Crash Bandicoot I'm hoping my gaming mojo will return!!


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## FridgeMagnet (Dec 10, 2020)

Tbh I just know what I want more now, so don't waste my time on things I won't like.

I was never a massive gamer, I just found games interesting. I've always liked to be able to wander around in strange worlds and be different people and see new things. So generally I get into narrative/visual-heavy exploration type games, which usually means RPGs, or focused hardcore twitch games - I was very into Tetris on the gameboy for instance. Occasionally something combines the two in way I enjoy - Celeste, some Castlevanias, even VVVVVV - but usually I find one aspect conflicts with the other and makes it not fun any more.

I was going to say getting into game dev made a difference but if I look back, I was writing games on the BBC B as a small child where you could wander around weird places, so I don't think that's _really_ changed anything.


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## Idaho (Dec 10, 2020)

Guineveretoo said:


> Better, I find, than shit tv, even.


I agree in theory! Games are more mentally challenging, involved and interesting - I've just lost all motivation and interest.


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## nick (Dec 10, 2020)

Started on a Binatone Pong then Philips G7000 as a kid 
Cabinets at Uni
Megadrive when started working 
then 486 PC
Dreamcast, 
N64 
PS1
PS2
Xbox360
Wii
PS4
Switch

The last games I have fully done to death are Fallout 4 then Zelda BotW. 
Recently bought Red Dead 2 - but only put a few hours into it over the summer
As an oldie, I find I am really bad these days: no twitch reactions and too lazy to persevere on puzzles when there are on-line guides available. Going for a purposeless wander round Zelda is a nice way to switch off the mind

Now I am keen to play but rarely do - through either lack of time or guilt about time wasted.

Quite fancy a PS5 when they have some decent games on it (fallout 5) - although I wouldn't cross the street to buy one if they were in stock. Once bought, it would probably mainly gather dust under the TV.

Hoping to get more involved if / when retired


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## tommers (Dec 10, 2020)

two sheds said:


> I still don't know though - do you actually need a controller for games? I presume not all of them but .... good games?
> 
> whatever they may be



Well the best game is Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup and that doesn't use a controller.   

I very rarely have the enthusiasm for anything shooty, or multiplayer or really big. Get bored by those things with icons everywhere but part of the joy of games is that there are things for everybody. Some of the stuff I really love is a puzzle game like Into The Breach or Hoplite, or a game about stacking multipliers like Monster Train or a transcendental meditative adrenaline rush like Nex Machina or Nuclear Throne.  Other people like these big lush RPGs or competitive shooters or whatever.

It's an industry that has changed massively over the past ten years or so, there are some really interesting things going on.


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## MickiQ (Dec 10, 2020)

All four of my kids (and their partners even) are intoa wide variety of  games but the last time I was a significant player of computer games, the height of gaming sophistication was Galaxian. Must be a generational thing


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## Mattym (Dec 10, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> then I discovered Need for Speed Carbon, and spent too long chasing world records. I was shit hot on it and all of the Need for Speed games.



I used to love the Burnout series- especially the crash/collateral mode when you had to cause as much damage as possible from a jump or similar. It was unique. There was some relationship between Burnout & NFS.


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## ruffneck23 (Dec 10, 2020)

Mattym said:


> I used to love the Burnout series- especially the crash/collateral mode when you had to cause as much damage as possible from a jump or similar. It was unique. There was some relationship between Burnout & NFS.


im in the credits for Burnout: Takedown from when I was a q/a tester , which is (to me) one of the cooler things I've managed to do


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## Looby (Dec 10, 2020)

It’s been the opposite for me and I only really got into gaming in my late 20s. I played a little bit as a kid but the only console I had of my own was a Spectrum. 

As an adult my first console was a wii and I loved it, mainly for all the Mario games.
I sold my wii and then later bought another second hand as I wanted to replay Super Mario Galaxy. We got into Red Dead and La Noire on Xbox and I really like the Lego games. My tastes are quite juvenile generally. 

We’ve now got a Switch and Xbox One. We got the Xbox when they released Red Dead 2.
We go through phases where we play every spare moment, usually on games like Red Dead or Zelda on the Switch. I’d like to replay both soon.


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## BristolEcho (Dec 10, 2020)

I play more at the moment and since I got a proper laptop I've really enjoyed playing the various strategy games there. I fell out with consoles when Online seemed to become the focus. I definitely don't see it as time wasted as my life's pretty busy otherwise and I find it restful so that's important. 

I do like an epic like Zelda and Skyrim, but agree they can take to long to complete at times.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

One thing I really don’t get is why grown adults love playing games like Animal Crossing. Wtf is that about?


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

ruffneck23 said:


> im in the credits for Burnout: Takedown from when I was a q/a tester , which is (to me) one of the cooler things I've managed to do


Was that the one where you caused massive pile ups? That was the only driving game I’ve ever enjoyed!


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## FridgeMagnet (Dec 10, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> One thing I really don’t get is why grown adults love playing games like Animal Crossing. Wtf is that about?


it's about it being brilliant


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

nick said:


> then Philips G7000 as a kid
> .



What was it like? Easy to work out what was going on?


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## Looby (Dec 10, 2020)

I love Animal Crossing. It’s not exciting but it’s gentle and friendly and absorbing. We played it a lot during the first lockdown, it was released at the end of March I think so perfect timing.
It’s really helped me when I’ve been very anxious and the last thing I needed was tense or overly stimulating games. I needed calm and easy.


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## tommers (Dec 10, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> One thing I really don’t get is why grown adults love playing games like Animal Crossing. Wtf is that about?



What's it got to do with you?


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## tommers (Dec 10, 2020)

Looby said:


> I love Animal Crossing. It’s not exciting but it’s gentle and friendly and absorbing. We played it a lot during the first lockdown, it was released at the end of March I think so perfect timing.
> It’s really helped me when I’ve been very anxious and the last thing I needed was tense or overly stimulating games. I needed calm and easy.


Hmmm, what could people possibly enjoy about going to a peaceful island full of charming characters and spending their time growing trees and fishing?


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## FridgeMagnet (Dec 10, 2020)

Looby said:


> I love Animal Crossing. It’s not exciting but it’s gentle and friendly and absorbing. We played it a lot during the first lockdown, it was released at the end of March I think so perfect timing.
> It’s really helped me when I’ve been very anxious and the last thing I needed was tense or overly stimulating games. I needed calm and easy.


plus we get to make snowpeople soon

or not, if we don't want to, it's all cool, no pressure


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## ruffneck23 (Dec 10, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Was that the one where you caused massive pile ups? That was the only driving game I’ve ever enjoyed!


yep


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## FridgeMagnet (Dec 10, 2020)

Literally the most life-affirming thing this year was when it was my birthday and all the villagers on my Animal Crossing island had a party and made me a cake and gave me presents. I'd had a shit day at work and somehow got ash in my eye so it was itching and watering non stop and I hated everything except Animal Crossing.


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## BristolEcho (Dec 10, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> One thing I really don’t get is why grown adults love playing games like Animal Crossing. Wtf is that about?



I've not played it but it's a really relaxing game by all accounts. I can definitely see the attraction.


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## Mattym (Dec 10, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Was that the one where you caused massive pile ups? That was the only driving game I’ve ever enjoyed!



Yes- so unique.


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## Mattym (Dec 10, 2020)

tommers said:


> Hmmm, what could people possibly enjoy about going to a peaceful island full of charming characters and spending their time growing trees and fishing?



On a similar vibe, I've always fancied Farming Simulator.


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## Idaho (Dec 10, 2020)

These are the games I loved the most and spent thousands of hours on over the decades. I did play other people's spectrums and BBC's. And I did play at the arcades - but I didn't waste lots of time until I got some second hand amstrad thing in about 88. I played the fruit machine game endlessly. Can't remember the name... It had winner spinners! Probably less the way to my later fruit machine addiction  

Then is was my Mega drive and my brother's Amiga. Street fighter 2 and Sensible soccer. Speed ball 2, Dune 2 - battle for arrakis literally made me the man I am.

Later in the 90s it was the PlayStation and wipeout 2097 - at which I was probably the best in the world. Also command and conquer red alert. We used to hook up two PlayStations and two TVs. Turn of the century was all about total war games.


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 10, 2020)

Mattym said:


> On a similar vibe, I've always fancied Farming Simulator.


I hear there's a 'Grass Growth Watcher' add-on available from next month. There's also a new version of 'Paint - Wet to Dry Observer' coming soon.


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## toblerone3 (Dec 10, 2020)

I've largely skirted the world of gaming. At the moment the only game I play is Freecell just to waste a few minutes of time when I'm supposed to be working. I prefer Freecell to Solitaire now.  Also in the past i did have brief flareups of a maze game called Mr Chips and a City building game called SimCity.   With Sim City you begin to see the granularity of the game.  If I do this then that will happen. And the fantasy of the City having any reality begins to fade. With Mr Chips once you've beaten level 142 you never need to do it again.

I've never killed anybody directly via a computer game.


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## moomoo (Dec 10, 2020)

I don’t know how people have time to spend hours playing computer games. I can just about manage to fit in the odd game of Words with Friends.


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## strung out (Dec 10, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Literally the most life-affirming thing this year was when it was my birthday and all the villagers on my Animal Crossing island had a party and made me a cake and gave me presents. I'd had a shit day at work and somehow got ash in my eye so it was itching and watering non stop and I hated everything except Animal Crossing.


Same, one of the best gaming moments I've had in years


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 10, 2020)

moomoo said:


> I don’t know how people have time to spend hours playing computer games. I can just about manage to fit in the odd game of Words with Friends.


I think 'Not spending one's life on an internet forum' may be the answer


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## kabbes (Dec 10, 2020)

Idaho said:


> These are the games I loved the most and spent thousands of hours on over the decades. I did play other people's spectrums and BBC's. And I did play at the arcades - but I didn't waste lots of time until I got some second hand amstrad thing in about 88. I played the fruit machine game endlessly. Can't remember the name... It had winner spinners! Probably less the way to my later fruit machine addiction
> 
> Then is was my Mega drive and my brother's Amiga. Street fighter 2 and Sensible soccer. Speed ball 2, Dune 2 - battle for arrakis literally made me the man I am.
> 
> Later in the 90s it was the PlayStation and wipeout 2097 - at which I was probably the best in the world. Also command and conquer red alert. We used to hook up two PlayStations and two TVs. Turn of the century was all about total war games.


You are me, I think.  It makes sense.  I’ve finally cracked up and am living two totally separate identities.  But with the same taste in games.


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## ruffneck23 (Dec 10, 2020)

moomoo said:


> I don’t know how people have time to spend hours playing computer games. I can just about manage to fit in the odd game of Words with Friends.


I dont have kids ( or much of a life these days  )


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> it's about it being brilliant


In what way? Nothing happens and it’s all big eyed childish cartoons


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

tommers said:


> Hmmm, what could people possibly enjoy about going to a peaceful island full of charming characters and spending their time growing trees and fishing?


It’s boring af


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## FridgeMagnet (Dec 10, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> In what way? Nothing happens and it’s all big eyed childish cartoons


you say this after raving about Cyberterf Twentywotsit, which is provably less realistic


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## alsoknownas (Dec 10, 2020)

I'm not really in the OP category, but i made a conscious decision a few years ago to rid myself of them and get a few other things done.

Might return to them sometime.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

moomoo said:


> I don’t know how people have time to spend hours playing computer games. I can just about manage to fit in the odd game of Words with Friends.


In the same way I don’t understand how people have all that time to watch television, especially binging whole series in one week


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## Orang Utan (Dec 10, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> you say this after raving about Cyberterf Twentywotsit, which is provably less realistic


Yeah but at least you get cool visuals and lots of killing


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## FridgeMagnet (Dec 10, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Yeah but at least you get cool visuals and lots of killing


I don't want games that are just my real life, I want something different.


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## Mattym (Dec 10, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> I hear there's a 'Grass Growth Watcher' add-on available from next month. There's also a new version of 'Paint - Wet to Dry Observer' coming soon.



Haha- 'Inflatable chopping board essentials' cookery book arriving in time for Christmas.


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## Idaho (Dec 10, 2020)

kabbes said:


> You are me, I think.  It makes sense.  I’ve finally cracked up and am living two totally separate identities.  But with the same taste in games.


I forgot the final chapter... I got a Wii in the 10's. Played lots of sports resort and Mario galaxy. I think that was the last game I played to the end.


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## tommers (Dec 10, 2020)

Idaho said:


> I forgot the final chapter... I got a Wii in the 10's. Played lots of sports resort and Mario galaxy. I think that was the last game I played to the end.



Mario Galaxy is a beautiful game. Almost perfect.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Dec 10, 2020)

I liked them around the SNES time but working for computer game TV shows after that, I got bored stupid. Haven't played much more than mine sweeper and solitaire since.


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## Looby (Dec 10, 2020)

tommers said:


> Mario Galaxy is a beautiful game. Almost perfect.


It is, it’s what really made me love playing. Nintendo are brilliant. 👍


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## Jay Park (Dec 10, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> I think 'Not spending one's life on an internet forum' may be the answer



it is the answer, but not the one they’re looking for


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## two sheds (Dec 10, 2020)

Jay Park said:


> it is the answer, but not the one we’re looking for



cfu


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## weltweit (Dec 10, 2020)

I did play some games, but the only one I can recall which took up quite a bit of time was DOOM .. I think I played it on my Amstrad 1512 .. (I think) ..

Never got into console games when my lad got a PS2/3 except a great driving game whose name escapes me.


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## tommers (Dec 11, 2020)

.


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## cybershot (Dec 11, 2020)

I dip in and out. No desire to play the latest and greatest like cyberpunk at release time. Will happily pick it up for £10 or less in four years time. I enjoy it more than watching tv because it keeps my brain engaged.

its more a time thing though isn’t it. More adulting means less time to do whatever your hobbies are.

living alone or living with other(s), kids etc. Stuff just gets in the way.


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## kabbes (Dec 11, 2020)

Idaho said:


> I forgot the final chapter... I got a Wii in the 10's. Played lots of sports resort and Mario galaxy. I think that was the last game I played to the end.


Yes and yes.  I did also get a 360 though in the 10s and very much enjoyed lots of games on that, most of which I have now largely forgotten except for the excellent Mass Effect series.

I think PS2 was my favourite era, actually.  Shadow of the Colossus — no game has ever created a feeling of _loss_ like that one.


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## Looby (Dec 11, 2020)

tommers said:


> .


Aww, that made me feel warm and fuzzy. 😊
Got the all stars game for my birthday so I’ve been playing it again. 👍


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## nick (Dec 11, 2020)

two sheds said:


> What was it like? Easy to work out what was going on?



Easy, considering the quality of the games
It was also known as the Magavox Odyssey  v

Here's a video that a) prompts a few memories, b ) answers your question about how hard it was to work out 


I got it for christmas instead as an atari 2600 as it was more educational (had a keyboard) and you could learn programming on it.
The programimng game / cartridge allowed you to type in (I think 100) rows of HEX to make an avatar move etc. It had no persistent memory, so when you powered off, you lost everytihing.  
I never became a programmer


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## Idaho (Dec 11, 2020)

kabbes said:


> I did also get a 360 though in the 10s and very much enjoyed lots of games on that, most of which I have now largely forgotten except for the excellent Mass Effect series.


Idaho jnr took up the gaming mantle in the 10s with a series of Xboxes. I don't think I played a game on it. Maybe something on the connect/knex thing with the rest of the family.


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## Rimbaud (Dec 11, 2020)

I've got into gaming during lockdown - my parents never bought me a console when I was a kid and we had a shitty PC so I only ever played out of date games or on consoles at friend's houses.

I bought a PS4 back in March and have to say I'm impressed at what games can do these days and as story telling devices they are great. Red Dead Redemption 2 is an extemely well written and acted epic tragedy about the decline of the wild west and the rise of modern industrial capitalism which can only be described as Tolstoyian. It covers themes of slavery, female suffrage, race, the legacy of the civil war, capitalism, finance, industry and destruction of the environment as well as human themes of loyalty and redemption ("what about loyalty?" "be loyal to what matters", a great scene towards the end which encapsulates the story's overarching moral lesson) and very detailed and rich character portrayals of dozens of characters who you spend 60 hours with. It also looks beautiful. It is absolutely amazing and is a fine example of what a mature video game looks like - the strength of the writing and the detailed depiction of 1899 America also makes it timeless and of historical/educational value, so I think people will still play it 100 years from now.

I also enjoyed Witcher 3 and Detroit: Become Human, and I'm looking forward to playing Cyberpunk but might wait until I get a PS5.

That being said, games which reach those heights are few and far between still, and I don't have much interest in games that lack a decent story.

Added: I think I heard somewhere that Red Dead Redemption 2 is about 3 times longer than War and Peace when you combine all the possible dialogue and reading materials (newspapers, diary entries, poems, letters). You won't experience every line of dialogue or read every letter or newspaper, but this gives you some idea of how rich in detail the world is, and the extent to which it is a literary achievement as much as a gaming achievement.


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## steveo87 (Dec 11, 2020)

I have two issues with RDR2, one is that because the game is massive, the amount if memory it takes up is huge (it took a good two days to download on to my PS4 - that said, its a basic model and my WiFi is shit).
And because the story is so rich - and fairly long - there are periods where it is very slow....


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## NoXion (Dec 11, 2020)

I srill game as much as I did when I was younger, but I do play more physics-based and/or simulation-type games like BeamNG.drive and Euro Truck Simulator than I used to. Adrenaline-pumping FPS games like Doom Eternal I have to play in single-mission sittings or otherwise in short bursts, otherwise they can get exhausting. I still play a lot of Kerbal Space Program and Minecraft. Yesterday I re-installed Mass Effect 1 and also downloaded a couple of mods to (MEUITM and ME1 Re-Calibrated) to upgrade the graphics and fix some issues that never got officially patched.

One thing that has definitely changed over the long-term has been my increasing lack of tolerance of bullshit within games. I'm more likely to go "fuck it, I'm playing something else" if I'm being dicked over by the level designers or something like that.


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## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Dec 11, 2020)

steveo87 said:


> I have two issues with RDR2, one is that because the game is massive, the amount if memory it takes up is huge (it took a good two days to download on to my PS4 - that said, its a basic model and my WiFi is shit).
> And because the story is so rich - and fairly long - there are periods where it is very slow....



It's also tricky to get to grips with. I've played a lot of games over the years but I still found myself shooting at people I wanted to talk to. You need a lot of time to complete it of course but I think you need to dedicate quite a bit just to be able to play it.


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## steveo87 (Dec 11, 2020)

The amount og times I punched my horse....


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## fishfinger (Dec 11, 2020)

steveo87 said:


> The amount og times I punched my horse....


I did that once and learned my lesson.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 11, 2020)

It’s funny cos I never had any issues with controls on RDR but I’m a massive klutz who struggles with a lot of controls.
I have punched animals in GTA but only deliberately. It’s great fun punching deers off cliffs .😈


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## FridgeMagnet (Dec 11, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> plus we get to make snowpeople soon
> 
> or not, if we don't want to, it's all cool, no pressure


snow today!


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## jcsd (Dec 11, 2020)

I love dark souls 3, I still play PvP obsessively. I don't play any other games though. I was thinking of getting Cyberpunk 2077 as I really enjyed Witcher 3, but it loks like a total mess. Otherwise only Elden Ring will interest me. I would play Demon Souls, but I'm not getting a PS5 just for it as the combat mechanics are the same as the original and ds3's mechanics are by far the best.


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## hypernormalized (Feb 21, 2021)

Idaho said:


> I used to love them. I could happily while away hours and days on them. Why do they hold no interest for me now? If you gave me a brand new whatever with 10 of the finest, newest games, I'd be surprised if I even switched it on. It just seems like such an empty and pointless experience.
> 
> It's not that I am necessarily against pointless pastimes. I watch shit TV and even do the odd jigsaw. I just can't generate any interest in computer games.
> 
> Anyone else?



I used to be an absolute addict, though I'd never admit it. Looking at it now I think they're a great escape from real life. Cheapest hobby out there, can eat up any amount of time you throw at it and you won't get physically tired easily.

Prior to this year I basically didn't game at all, though, it kind of felt like - well, I'm older now and not quite so skint, I'd rather go on a holiday or a drive or whatever than do it through a screen.

The magic is very much gone now mainly because I'm a far less solitary person now than I was then.


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## Saul Goodman (Feb 21, 2021)

I just realised that most new games are shit*
After downloading and finishing all three Tomb raider games on the xbox one, I went looking for similar games. There aren't any. I want Portal type games. Games with puzzles that tax your mind. Why don't they exist? I even bought an external drive for the xbox, thinking I'd fill it with games like Portal or Tomb raider... How wrong I was.

*if you're me.


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## hypernormalized (Feb 21, 2021)

Saul Goodman said:


> I just realised that most new games are shit*
> After downloading and finishing all three Tomb raider games on the xbox one, I went looking for similar games. There aren't any. I want Portal type games. Games with puzzles that tax your mind. Why don't they exist? I even bought an external drive for the xbox, thinking I'd fill it with games like Portal or Tomb raider... How wrong I was.
> 
> *if you're me.



Download emulator, download rom set, job done.

You are now an old fart who thinks all music games since your teenage years have been shit. Welcome.


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## Saul Goodman (Feb 22, 2021)

hypernormalized said:


> Download emulator, download rom set, job done.
> 
> You are now an old fart who thinks all music games since your teenage years have been shit. Welcome.


I have an original xbox with over 3000 games installed, but I want up-to-date games, with shit-hot graphics.
I downloaded, and was enjoying, Fallout 4, until I realised that I was only enjoying it because it wasn't quite as shit as all of the other games I'd downloaded, tried and deleted.
Give me proper games with puzzles, not mindless FPS crap!


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## Saul Goodman (Feb 22, 2021)

I don't understand how the xbox one has been out for nearly a decade, yet there are just a handful of games for those of us who don't want to drive around aimlessly or shoot 'innocent until proven guilty' bots.


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## Humberto (Feb 22, 2021)

A lot of the most popular franchises are cash cows.


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## Saul Goodman (Feb 22, 2021)

Humberto said:


> A lot of the most popular franchises are cash cows.


I think all the brains have moved to the play store, with shit games for mindless people, with pay to play 'micro transactions'. It's where the money is. Who can blame them.


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## Guineveretoo (Feb 22, 2021)

two sheds said:


> My favourite game was the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Even that though I never even got up to stage 1. I found the light switch but never managed to get out of bed


I think I got to the pub.


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## Guineveretoo (Feb 22, 2021)

I still play computer games, particularly since lockdown. I play them on my pc.

Recently, I taught my 8 year old grandson to play the Nokia snake game (found it on the computer after we were chatting about what phones used to be like!).


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## cybershot (Feb 23, 2021)

Saul Goodman said:


> I have an original xbox with over 3000 games installed, but I want up-to-date games, with shit-hot graphics.
> I downloaded, and was enjoying, Fallout 4, until I realised that I was only enjoying it because it wasn't quite as shit as all of the other games I'd downloaded, tried and deleted.
> Give me proper games with puzzles, not mindless FPS crap!



try prey. It’s excellent. Yes it’s kinda FPS but it’s not the main thing. If you liked half life I think you’ll like it. Watch some reviews. Same for dishonoured series. Basically anything by Bethesda might tickle your fancy except for doom and Wolfenstein.

the Turing test is also probably up your street.

Alien isolation honourable mention.


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## paul mckenna (Feb 24, 2021)

maomao said:


> I built a new gaming rig when my wife was pregnant with our eldest six years ago and just never got a chance to use it. I don't have hours to burn like that anymore, I used to play Skyrim and various Total War games for ten hours at a time. Have tried but just don't get into it anymore. I tried to show my daughter Portal over lockdown but it was a bit complex for her.



I think you're downplaying your attachment to gaming if you called your daughter Portal


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## Shippou-Sensei (Feb 24, 2021)

I still buy games I never play.
I even got the new occulus at christmas. Only played it a handful of times. I did  really enjoy beatsaber. bit tricky to find the space to do it though.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 24, 2021)

Guineveretoo said:


> I think I got to the pub.











						BBC Radio 4 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition
					

The 30th anniversary edition of the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game.




					www.bbc.co.uk
				



I don't think I got anywhere at the time, but I feel suitably inspired to have another go.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Feb 24, 2021)

My god text based adventure games. 
I played one or two of them on the BBC Master we had back in the day.
I think one of them even game with a cassette tape that had a spoken introduction and background music. I think the game and cassette also had instructions to pause and play the tape.


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## FridgeMagnet (Feb 24, 2021)

I used to write them, obsessively, as a child. You couldn't do much with BBC BASIC but I wrote little worlds where you could just move around with N/S/E/W between different places.

In later life I started writing them using things like Inform 7 but that's really for making games, rather than building worlds. Games have always been a grudging necessity to access the worlds within, for me.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 24, 2021)

The only ones I remember are hitchhikers and Kwah (with a silent K) on the Commodore 64. 
Had a few of the books. Wizzard of firetrap mountain and starship escape etc.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Feb 24, 2021)

FridgeMagnet said:


> I used to write them, obsessively, as a child. You couldn't do much with BBC BASIC but I wrote little worlds where you could just move around with N/S/E/W between different places.
> 
> In later life I started writing them using things like Inform 7 but that's really for making games, rather than building worlds. Games have always been a grudging necessity to access the worlds within, for me.



I know what you mean. Back when they were still a thing I played on god mode for most games.  I wasn't playing for the challenge but just to have an experience. 

I'm absolutly a Spade if you use the Bartle model








						Bartle taxonomy of player types - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## Rimbaud (Feb 24, 2021)

Saul Goodman said:


> I just realised that most new games are shit*
> After downloading and finishing all three Tomb raider games on the xbox one, I went looking for similar games. There aren't any. I want Portal type games. Games with puzzles that tax your mind. Why don't they exist? I even bought an external drive for the xbox, thinking I'd fill it with games like Portal or Tomb raider... How wrong I was.
> 
> *if you're me.



You could try the Uncharted series? They are similar but better than the Tomb Raider games really. 

For puzzles that tax your mind, try Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Desperados III.


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## Saul Goodman (Feb 24, 2021)

Rimbaud said:


> You could try the Uncharted series? They are similar but better than the Tomb Raider games really.
> 
> For puzzles that tax your mind, try Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Desperados III.


Cheers, I'll have a look.


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## NoXion (Feb 25, 2021)

Saul Goodman said:


> I just realised that most new games are shit*
> After downloading and finishing all three Tomb raider games on the xbox one, I went looking for similar games. There aren't any. I want Portal type games. Games with puzzles that tax your mind. Why don't they exist? I even bought an external drive for the xbox, thinking I'd fill it with games like Portal or Tomb raider... How wrong I was.
> 
> *if you're me.



Maybe you've already checked it out, but I would recommend The Talos Principle if you fancy something puzzle-based with a story.


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## Saul Goodman (Feb 25, 2021)

NoXion said:


> Maybe you've already checked it out, but I would recommend The Talos Principle if you fancy something puzzle-based with a story.


It's on my list. I'm just waiting until they drop the price a bit.


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