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[Madserb2023]

A weirdly big part of my life. When I look back, some of the best memories I have is playing a particular game. As I am getting older though, they just don't have the same pull anymore. Don't think I will remember 99% of games I have played over the last 5 years.

 

[notseqi]

Gaming for me is very special as I always have liked video games. I have Series X and it's such a nice thing to have in my life now. Gaming brings me joy, enthusiast I am, YouTube videos about games, following news stories. Reading NeoGAF, you guys are very dear to me.

How about you?

I just remembered: I watch Smash Bros Ultimate Reveal Reactions if I need a good cry.

 

[ReBurn]

I love video games. I have for as long as I can remember. I don't like modern games as much as I liked the games in the 8-bit and 16-bit and arcade glory days, but I still enjoy playing games. Modern games are often more complex than they need to be, or they focus too much on telling a story and not enough on just being fun to play. The way gaming is evolving most of it is outgrowing me. I don't have hours at a time to play through interactive movies, so good pick up and play games are my favorites. Too bad they don't make as many of those as they used to.

 

[bender]

It's one of my favorite hobbies that I've participated in for over forty years. I tend to like it less these days (/old robot yelling at clouds) but that doesn't mean that I don't still enjoy the hobby or that there are no games I'm looking forward to, and if all else fails, there is a tremendous back catalogue to enjoy.

 

[Ainem Enamas]

I love videogames. There's so much to enjoy in games from the gameplay, to the visuals and music and even the stories or concepts that still keep you thinking about them even after beating the game.

Not only that but we are lucky enough to live at a time in which have access to all kinds of videogames, new and old. It's quite exciting to see what's to come next, but to me at least it can be even more exciting do dig up and old gem you didn't know shit about and falling in love with games again.

Plus indie games are great, a good way for small devs to express their creativity.

What are you currently playing?

 

[_Ex_]

Gaming for me is very special as I always have liked video games. I have Series X and it's such a nice thing to have in my life now. Gaming brings me joy, enthusiast I am, YouTube videos about games, following news stories. Reading NeoGAF, you guys are very dear to me.

How about you?

 

[Robb]

Love ‘em’!

But tbh I probably spend more time doing other things these days than playing, like posting here and discussing them. But that’s just life as you get older I guess.

But I still play quite a bit when I get the chance I feel. I have kids now, and it’s amazing playing stuff alongside them, although frustrating as well. But, for example, just playing a bit of the latest Zelda they get so excited by just finding a new echo/ability. I kind of miss that feeling, I don’t get that anymore, but I still enjoy the actual puzzle solving immensely.

 

[LMJ]

Video games are so much more than many on here give credit too...

Back in the day games were primarily fun, that was the most important part! However the tech was limited so Devs had to use imagination and art to bridge

That fun could be in finding a way to challenge oneself, mentally or physically (we've all gotten the blood flowing in tense moments), but soon the scope and tech grew and just saving a Princess or they day became far more involved.

Now you were saving Kingdoms, toppling corrupt regimes, being villains or destroying them and as the technology grew so did the artistic vision and scope had broadened so much even exploring 3D worlds and having movie like plots

As time grew the scale and depth of the games did as well

Games have become a feast for all of the senses and the worlds only continue to grow and impress

So yes gaming means a great deal to me, it is a way to literally get lost in imagination and scope

 

[Tams]

 

[TintoConCasera]

What are you currently playing?

SMT V and UFO 50, both very cool games that I do recommend.

 

[Synless]

I used to love gaming as a hobby. Easily for 37 years I’ve been on this train. However I’d say in the past 8 years or so I have been playing less and less.

Nintendo seems to be the one that gets my interest the most. Sony at this point has fallen into a firm second place for gaming when it used to be my go to. They have lost the plot as far as I can tell.

I dunno, we shall see if the ship can be righted. I’m on to other hobbies in the meantime.

 

[Duchess]

It's a form of entertainment for me, along with TV shows, movies, and books. Video games rank the highest, though.

 

[GMAK2442]

Gaming is a good way to refeulish energy. Take a brake from the job.

 

[DAHGAMING]

I fucking hate it, im just addicted to it.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I fell in love with gaming when my neighbors played Super Mario Bros on NES. Then again with my very own SNES plus Super Mario World. Gaming is so much better than before. I feel like I can always wait for a big game or announcement.

I have friends who are all about N64 and that era of games. While I love the past. I’d much rather play a remaster or even a port that got released later. Sometimes it frustrates me that they only focus on the past. I ask about CoD or maybe an RPG and they can only recall games from their college years. Nothing is wrong with retro. I play my own fare share of retro games, but I also enjoy new releases and remastered games. Another person I was friends with enjoyed Silent Hill and Final Fantasy. It was to the point where I let him borrow my Xbox One just to play RE7. We don’t talk anymore due to our wives ending their friendship. I guess my point is. I love gaming, I enjoy the people I meet on here who are my age, and the excitement that comes with new games.

As an adult, it’s much harder to find best friends or good friends around you who enjoy them on the same level as you. I don’t know anyone who jumps up and down when they kill a boss. Do they have to? No, but would it make things better? Hell yeah it would.

 

[MaestroMike]

There is the real world and virtual. I like leveling up and fighting monsters or doing gangster sh!t u can’t do in the real world. Still gotta work and interact with ppl so I can’t just check out and live in virtual land completely also I enjoy watching mma and exercising/cooking and doing family stuff but in the end I need the escape and gaming fills the hole to make maestromike complete

 

[Stu_Hart]

I do miss videogames of the past where we have fun arcade racers, marvel at the tech that I can't experience on home consoles, and just play fun games without worrying about other real world stuff.
I miss the previous 2-3 gens of console gaming where there are more exclusives for the respective consoles.

 

[abstract alien]

I love tinkering with things and figuring my way around closed systems, so gaming clicked with me immediately as a kid. Tie a story, art direction, good sound design and controls to it, and I never stood a chance. This medium is like no other, and I love it with the depths of my very soul

 

[Ainem Enamas]

Video games are so much more than many on here give credit too...

Back in the day games were primarily fun, that was the most important part! However the tech was limited so Devs had to use imagination and art to bridge

That fun could be in finding a way to challenge oneself, mentally or physically (we've all gotten the blood flowing in tense moments), but soon the scope and tech grew and just saving a Princess or they day became far more involved.

Now you were saving Kingdoms, toppling corrupt regimes, being villains or destroying them and as the technology grew so did the artistic vision and scope had broadened so much even exploring 3D worlds and having movie like plots

As time grew the scale and depth of the games did as well

Games have become a feast for all of the senses and the worlds only continue to grow and impress

So yes gaming means a great deal to me, it is a way to literally get lost in imagination and scope

Very insightful post!

 

[Ainem Enamas]

I used to love gaming as a hobby. Easily for 37 years I’ve been on this train. However I’d say in the past 8 years or so I have been playing less and less.

Nintendo seems to be the one that gets my interest the most. Sony at this point has fallen into a firm second place for gaming when it used to be my go to. They have lost the plot as far as I can tell.

I dunno, we shall see if the ship can be righted. I’m on to other hobbies in the meantime.

What change do you dislike the most in gaming?

 

[RagnarokIV]

you guys are very dear to me.

Aww thanks mate.

 

[GC_DALBEN]

Im 41, i love gaming, i played games with my late father a lot (some of my best memories), with my brother and i still play with some friends. I love gaming but i play it only with friends, gaming alone is boring, the only games that i play alone are FROMSOFTWARE games.

 

[Ainem Enamas]

I fell in love with gaming when my neighbors played Super Mario Bros on NES. Then again with my very own SNES plus Super Mario World. Gaming is so much better than before. I feel like I can always wait for a big game or announcement.

I have friends who are all about N64 and that era of games. While I love the past. I’d much rather play a remaster or even a port that got released later. Sometimes it frustrates me that they only focus on the past. I ask about CoD or maybe an RPG and they can only recall games from their college years. Nothing is wrong with retro. I play my own fare share of retro games, but I also enjoy new releases and remastered games. Another person I was friends with enjoyed Silent Hill and Final Fantasy. It was to the point where I let him borrow my Xbox One just to play RE7. We don’t talk anymore due to our wives ending their friendship. I guess my point is. I love gaming, I enjoy the people I meet on here who are my age, and the excitement that comes with new games.

As an adult, it’s much harder to find best friends or good friends around you who enjoy them on the same level as you. I don’t know anyone who jumps up and down when they kill a boss. Do they have to? No, but would it make things better? Hell yeah it would.

What retro game are you currently playing?
What retro game you would like to see to be remade/remastered?

 

[Ainem Enamas]

Aww thanks mate.

Very dear. Have been following NeoGAF's drama, comedy, discussions and reactions for a pretty long time

 

[Ainem Enamas]

I do miss videogames of the past where we have fun arcade racers, marvel at the tech that I can't experience on home consoles, and just play fun games without worrying about other real world stuff.
I miss the previous 2-3 gens of console gaming where there are more exclusives for the respective consoles.

Which gen defines it the most what gaming means to you?

 

[FeralEcho]

I love gaming, It's the thing that gives me the most joy and what calms me when I'm upset or stressed, it's where I get to enjoy thousands of stories,worlds and visuals that I wouldn't get to enjoy anywhere else.

There's nothing else out there that gives me the same rush that gaming gives me,whether it's playing,watching,hearing or reading stories about it.

I may be critical of the industry nowadays but I wouldn't ever abandon gaming regardless how bad it might get.

It's been my main hobby since I was 4 years old and I'll probably be playing games or at least reading about them till I'm a grizzled old man.And hopefully still talking about it with you guys here on GAF

 

[Northeastmonk]

What retro game are you currently playing?
What retro game you would like to see to be remade/remastered?

I finished Castlevania Order of Ecclesia on my Steam Deck. Idk if you’d call that retro since it was 2008. I’ve got a handful of them I’ve played before that I have queued up. Last year I finished Tactics Ogre and Star Ocean 2. I was playing Parasite Eve again. Right now I’m playing the MvC Collection and I finished The Punisher. I had the ability to play Super Sidekicks 3 and Dolphin Blue.

I’m looking forward to Front Mission 3’s remake. I’d like to see Final Fantasy Tactics remade or a remaster. A lot of the stuff I enjoyed has been brought over, but we still don’t have another port of Parasite Eve 1 and 2, Fear Effect, and Vagrant Story.

 

[Bond007]

Probably the only i hobby of mine i can do on the regular. Generally gives me some relaxation if i'm unbothered while gaming- which can be challenging with kids.
It is however the only hobby that at the same time makes me feel like i could probably be more productive doing something else or engaging in one of my other hobbies more.

 

[sigmaZ]

They are a waste of time. And I love wasting time.

 

[Majormaxxx]

For a long, long time I loved games as escapism because I was going through a very rough patch and couldn't cope in other ways. This really helped. Now, I still love games a lot, been gaming since I was 11-12, but it is more balanced.

 

[Synless]

What change do you dislike the most in gaming?

Open world and Ubisoft bloat is soul crushing for me. I miss more refined linear games with high production values.

 

[Ainem Enamas]

Open world and Ubisoft bloat is soul crushing for me. I miss more refined linear games with high production values.

But what you think of the open world Zelda games?

 

[FoxMcChief]

About this much.

 

[Sept Terrion Of Nothing]

I've tried exploring different hobbies, but nothing ever quite captivated me the way video games do. There was a period where I think I approached gaming the wrong way. The worst years were definitely when I was obsessed with trophy hunting, being a lifelong Sony player. I'd get so fixated on getting a platinum that I'd burn myself out before even finishing the game. It wasn't until I let go of that trophy-hunting obsession that I rediscovered my love for gaming.

Growing up with video games, I always knew they were more than just a passing phase. But many people I grew up with seem to have outgrown them. They still hold the mentality that video games are for kids, and even if you play as an adult, it's only occasional and limited to titles like Call of Duty and FIFA.

I admit, there was a time when I felt embarrassed about my gaming hobby. People would look down on it, as if it was childish and I needed to "grow up." But now that I'm an adult and married, and I see some of the crazy and even dangerous hobbies people pursue, I'm genuinely grateful for my love of gaming.

Okay, enough rambling from me!

I can relate to this. I'm not married and I'm playing games nearly 35 years but lots of people around me criticized me all these years. Until some point in my life I ocassionally thought "Maybe I'm doing something wrong?". But when I was playing games I always felt free. And at the start of my 30s I just stopped listening people about my lifetime hobby. Playing games making me happy and there was nothing wrong with me. I accepted myself again and didn't look back from that point forward. I don't give a shit about others's opinion about my hobby anymore.

And nearly at that time I encountered a sentence like fate dictated it and everything sealed for me: I love games because they are games and I really love playing them. Wished that I had unlimited time to play everything but alas such is life. Oh by the way the saying I encountered goes like this and now it is kind of my motto in life:

"Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is a choice." Do not chase or worse, kill your inner child brothers and sisters.

 

[daninthemix]

Games are mostly annoying.

Gamers are even worse.