What is happening to me??

[Rowan]

I love RPG's , I really do. They can range from anything like final fantasy, to dragon quest, to fable and the witcher. But lately, as soon as I start these games, It feels like I just dont have the time to enjoy them like I once did. I find myself losing concentration after an hour or so, and have to do something else. I feel like I really want to play and enjoy these games, but I just end up losing interest. What's happening to me?

[che]

Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Dull headache? Weakness, confusion...Loss of consciousness. I suggest getting tested, I may have just saved your life.

There's no other reason you'd not want to play an RPG.

[Andromeda]

You forgot to add Persona. ^^

But my guess is going to be that the stories or characters they are telling you no longer have an interest to you. I've found myself speeding through Omega Quintet even on my first playthrough because the story is sort of meh and because I'm trying to hurrily get caught up for once. So it may just be you need to find out what keeps your attention now-a-days.

If the story is working for you, then maybe the gameplay.

Maybe you need a hiatus from RPGs. The sort of heart grows fonder when afar sort of thing. You miss for 6 months a year, whatever it is. And then maybe you can dive back in full of energy. Could just be burn out.

Though admittedly, most JRPGs coming out lately are moe and trope heavy JRPGs. So that may not be helping your case, but I don't believe you've been playing a lot of the same JRPGs I have been so that may not be impacting you.

[che]

Also, just came back here to give you a real answer, and also agree with Andro. We're getting older and we are no longer the core target demographic of most games. We simply have a hobby that will always target a younger audience and try to appeal to them. I have found myself looking past that with some games. Ni No Kuni, for one, was fantastic but definitely felt like I was playing a kid's game (and I loved every second of it). Even stuff like Uncharted is meant for younger dudes than me, but it's so cheesy and over the top that I love it.

Bloodborne was/is absolutely amazing. I don't even know if there's an age it appeals to. It's just ****ing insane. (Although not quite the traditional or modern RPG you'd think of at all). I could go back and play FF9 a million times, but there's so many new games coming out. This year has been ridiculous already for gaming. My wallet hurts. But, my point is, I may not connect in the same way I did when I first played FF7 or FF8, etc. But I'll always have that appreciation for them because I remember what it was like when I first did play them.

[Rowan]

I get what you mean. I loved ni no kuni, and managed to finish bloodborne (out of angst, if anything else). Maybe it is because the games I think im interested in , dont tend to give me that satisfaction.
I have tried playing conception II, the guided fate paradox, golden sun 3 etc, but sometimes I feel like I just want to replay FF7 or older titles I have played when i was a kid. They hold my interest more than newer games. I am real excited for persona, no doubt I will smash that out. But I just wish I had that same passion to complete an RPG like I used too. back in the day, I would play things over and over again. I just cannot sit for that long and invest that much time anymore, I just hope its not something with me. What confuses me is why I care so much about something Im supposedly losing interest in...

[Andromeda]

It's probably because you loved the genre before and it holds an important place in your memories that you care about the fact that you might be losing interest in the genre.

Are you super busy these days and that's making it difficult to focus on RPGs?

[Rowan]

Are you super busy these days and that's making it difficult to focus on RPGs?

Well, I am certainly more busy than what I was when I was younger. I have a full time job to think about, I've got a beautiful fiance', I have an active gym lifestyle and try to spend time with friends when I can. If my fiance' wasn't into gaming, I doubt I would have any time to play. The cheap thrill of dota was also taking my focus away from RPG's as well. I also tend to not want to play RPG's if I only have a couple of hours free, If I play an RPG, i like knowing I have around 4 to 5 hours free.

I'll see how I go in the future. I'm certainly not ready to give up on them.

[Victoria]

It sounds to me from your latest post that you're just too busy for RPGs. At least too busy for the big ones that have like 40+ hours of content. Try playing some shorter indy games or something to that sort.

Also, not meant to offend; but a joke I heard on a podcast was that basically, everyone in this generation as far as USA goes; has ADD. Not truly, but you know what I'm trying to say?

I'm the same way. I have a lot of free time and buy all these games on Steam and PS3 and such, but I never get around to playing them a lot. The only games I constantly play these days are FF14 and Musou games. Oh, and Diablo 3. and league of legends.

[SuperSabin]

I would suggest giving this a try - If you have not played the Ys series before, I would give Ys I&II chronicles a go. Ys 1 is very short and would fit into any time slot you would give it, Ys II is slightly longer but still not that long. They are classic rpgs but they have a modern windows pc make which you can get on steam. If you want to test out the Ys games, there is a demo of Ys Origin which is free to download (it has a different battle system, but gives you a feel for the game series.)

So what I'm trying to say is, if all else fails, give Ys a go.

[Pete]

I'm in the same boat as you man. We're getting older and have big boy responsibilities and other people to consider and take care of. You've got a woman that you're getting ready to marry; you can't just blow her off to knock out 8 hours of Skyrim on a Saturday.

It's also true that we're not in the core demographic of gaming, but at the same time, I find myself more interested in reading a good book, watching a good movie or finding a new series on Netflix (just started Longmire... pretty good). It's also that we've seen so many bars set so high and now, it takes a lot to get us amped for a new game. Maybe we need to lower our expectations from gaming, but it's hard because I know for me at least, if I have the time to play a game, I'm going to try to play it so I get as much out of it as I want.

Long story short, we're all growed up now.

[loaf]

I am like that, I always have FF7 and FF8 on Steam but I probably play for an hour and log off. I've done it all and now I'm basically doing it to finally have a file I don't have to worry about removing or saving all the time if it's saved on SE's Cloud. (hue)

Redoing the same thing over and over again gets old, we have all replayed our favorite RPGs and I think it's all gone.

I am in the middle of Excalibur 2 run on FF9 and honestly, it feels like a chore now. I spent an hour running from the Last Moogle in Ice Caverns to the Village of Dali with no Encounters. That shit is insane and a chore and I find it boring. Which is sad because I used to be excited to do EX2 runs but I never did them.


I see it like this Rowan, you may have the same thing going on. The first half or so of a game is boring for me, once I get actually into a game, deep into it, where I put the time and now I'm in the middle...I can't come back randomly and be like LOL OKAY LETS CONTINUE. Like I haven't touched Witcher 1 in a week, i need to keep playing because I'll get to that point where it's in the middle and i just forgot half of the game and it's just not appealing.

Problem I see it these days is....

FPS or RPG variation

Unless you enjoy sport games or puzzles.

Going back to what Andro said....Possibly look into completely different genres....you like dota 2, why not RTS? Play enough of an RTS style game for so long, you miss the RPGs and go back to a new RPG (not something you've beat before many times) and see if anything is different and go back to playing FF7 or some other RPG you like.


Edit: Ladies and Gentlemen, my 2nd longest post on the forums.

[Clint]

Doing recreational things is counter-productive to society. I don't know if you know this, but there is one controlling government entity in the world, and they implant devices in the brains of all of earth's citizens in order to shorten their attention span to make them more productive members of society.

Have you been to a doctor recently? You were probably implanted with the device then. The device is typically planted within the medial longitudinal fissure within the cerebral cortex, so once you get past the skin, muscle, and bone, it should be visible on the brain. I would go to Ace Hardware, buy a scalpel, a hatchet, and a bone saw, then liquify and inject bananas into your bloodstream for the pain, and then get to work.

[Michael Swayne]

Doing recreational things is counter-productive to society. I don't know if you know this, but there is one controlling government entity in the world, and they implant devices in the brains of all of earth's citizens in order to shorten their attention span to make them more productive members of society.

Have you been to a doctor recently? You were probably implanted with the device then. The device is typically planted within the medial longitudinal fissure within the cerebral cortex, so once you get past the skin, muscle, and bone, it should be visible on the brain. I would go to Ace Hardware, buy a scalpel, a hatchet, and a bone saw, then liquify and inject bananas into your bloodstream for the pain, and then get to work.

I am so glad the last time I went to the doctor was thirteen years ago. My local Ace Hardware supplies none of those items.

Anyway...

I wish there was a way to help this situation, other than causing traumatic injury and inducing amnesia. Maybe there will be a way in the future to relive things as if it was first time, like you could somehow dive into one's brain and destroy the memory of playing Final Fantasy VII in a way that will still cause you to enjoy it again.

[Rowan]

Thanks for all the responses. At the least, It's nice to know I'm not the only one feeling this way. I have weened myself off of dota, and I feel like a genuinely happier person, that game was ruining my life in many ways, and that is not an over-exaggeration. I think what loaf said was pretty much the way I respond to RPG's if I don't play them frequently enough. Im just gonna take as it comes, I have dark souls 2 here to start, if i can finish this, i can finish anything. But its all about keeping that life balance. Immersing myself into the games world is important. I think growing up we tend to become burdened with responsibilities and our own concerns, which take us away from the immersion of the game we are playing; which is most important in an RPG world.

We'll see how I go, its not a huge issue anymore its just it was kinda concerning me since its one of my biggest hobbies.

[loaf]

We have too much experience playing these games. You know how they work. It's like when I picked up Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

I was running through the dungeons with no issues, and most RPGs feel like that too, you just know how they work and you can get through them fast. It's when you get past a breaking point is when you get back into feeling that pulls you in.

[Sean]

At least for me, as I've aged, I find it harder and harder to invest the mental energy needed to get invested into a new game, system, or world with new RPGs.

I did manage to get myself into Dragon Age and I think The Witcher 3 is likely the best game of the decade, but it took me a lot of trying to get into The Witcher 2, I haven't actually played any Final Fantasy beyond half of 13, and every time I go back to replay 7-9 I get horribly bored very quick. I did manage to get 3/4ths of the way through 6, but emulator fast forward really helped keep the tedium to a minimum.