Working and Enjoying Games More.

[JetHawk95]

Another topic inspired me to make this,

I've learned over the last year that if you go out and work your ass all week to get some money for a game, Your gunna enjoy it a whole lot more..

I wanted Sonic Generations so badly and someone offered to buy it me but I declined, I felt I had to put the work in life to get the enjoyment out of the game.

If you've been fed money all your life by your parents, There's nothing wrong with that, I just cant stand people who will criticize a game when they haven't even earned it, Theyve just had it served up onto a plate for them because they "Wanted It".

It's even worse if you pirate the game.

I'd just like to make this point clear, Cus Im sick of people pissing and moaning about how Sonic isn't the same anymore and how they dont enjoy it anymore..

The reason most people don't enjoy is it's just given to you by your parents or by you downloading it! If you actually got off your ass and worked for some money to buy the game, I bet you would enjoy the game a lot lot more.

#Rant over

[DimensionWarped]

Funny. I've never really felt that way, and since I started earning all the money for my own entertainments roughly half a decade ago, I haven't really seen any relationship between the money I spend on something and how much I enjoy it.

[tentril]

I disagree wholeheartedly. Earning money for something doesn't make it any more enjoyable. It generally leads to less time for you to enjoy it actually. I can't really think of a job I've had where my work improved my play.

[FanGameRevolver]

haha, Now that I have money, I'm able to buy more games, Because I don't have time for all of them, I quickly realize that some of my games are actually quite Shit, and shouldn't be played, when many of my games are actually quite amazing.

[Falk]

Working hard for something definitely makes you appreciate it more, regardless of if money is involved. I'm not too sure I'd lump 'enjoying video games' into that category though, especially when there are many factors unrelated to that (i.e. sonic 2006- if I planted rice for 5 years and saved enough to buy that I'd probably still think it's a terrible game)

I honestly thought this topic would have been about burning out on games if you worked in the games industry. Oh well. :V

[Serephim]

Another topic inspired me to make this,

I've learned over the last year that if you go out and work your ass all week to get some money for a game, Your gunna enjoy it a whole lot more..

I wanted Sonic Generations so badly and someone offered to buy it me but I declined, I felt I had to put the work in life to get the enjoyment out of the game.

If you've been fed money all your life by your parents, There's nothing wrong with that, I just cant stand people who will criticize a game when they haven't even earned it, Theyve just had it served up onto a plate for them because they "Wanted It".

It's even worse if you pirate the game.

I'd just like to make this point clear, Cus Im sick of people pissing and moaning about how Sonic isn't the same anymore and how they dont enjoy it anymore..

The reason most people don't enjoy is it's just given to you by your parents or by you downloading it! If you actually got off your ass and worked for some money to buy the game, I bet you would enjoy the game a lot lot more.

#Rant over

you don't have to buy a game to enjoy it. A friend from highschool literally gave me Twilight Princess when he moved away. One of my favorite zelda games.

My tiny little advice for enjoying games more? Start ignoring review sites.

If you're anticipating the game, you've been paying attention to it, and it looks like something you'd want to buy, then perhaps you should just buy the game and play it first. Going into a game full of negative bias about "medicore" this and "this wasn't done well at all" that, "X game did it better" and blah blah blah....it'll just insure that you won't enjoy the game nearly as much as you would otherwise.

It's pretty easy to see what im talking about. Ever had a game you played before, that you seemed to really enjoy, yet you read the reviews later to see how others liked it, and they go on and on about shit that you probably didn't even sweat too much or even notice while you were enjoying the game? Happens to almost every popular franchise in existence. Counts triple for sequels.

I noticed this because these days, I (and many of you, probably) can simply look at a gameplay video and tell if you would enjoy playing it or not. There are plenty of games (usually older ones, but some newer ones) i've played that i felt were wonderful, yet whoever reviewed the game seemed to be focused on aspects that really had nothing to do with why the game was enjoyable. I just think it's annoying how game reviews have turned into a beauty pagent of sorts. Exceptional games obviously get praise they deserve, but scoring shit on a number scale just does not do justice to this industry, in my opinion. Even with lacking textures, no voice acting, "OUTDATED" design decisions, "non-innovative" systems or a buggy camera system, you can still get great enjoyment out of games. And as for reviewers, i think people put a bit too much stock in the opinions of these random people.

People just do not focus on the finished product anymore; rather, it's like they nitpick at specific portions of the game comparing it to other games (they enjoyed) that did it differently. While that's also like the heart of innovation, I just don't feel like it's working anymore. THAT, and how can you really trust this guy's opinion anyway? They blow through games for a living, and have their own shitty opinions just like everyone else here on this forum. You don't have to get paid for it to do the job.

tl;dr

try the game yourself. If it looks like shit, it probably is, but otherwise, you've been playing videogames your whole life -- you should have some intuition.

Also, i've found a new love for TVs with Headphone jacks. You hear shit in videogames with headphones that you never would notice otherwise, especially if the sound team did a good job.

[Ristar]

I dunno whether I enjoy games I've worked for more or whether I just try harder at them.

I bought Dynamite Headdy off the Virtual Console well before I installed HBC and I spent AGES trying to finish the game. Before that I just had a naughty version of it on my computer alongside about 400 other megadrive games that I never really bothered with.

Same with the Ultimate Megadrive Collection I bought to play on my girlfriend's PS3 whenever she's working; I have versions of those games on my PC but because I'd bought this collection I actually tried a lot harder (I mean, why would I ever play Super Thunder Blade?)

[FanGameRevolver]

Also, i've found a new love for TVs with Headphone jacks. You hear shit in videogames with headphones that you never would notice otherwise, especially if the sound team did a good job.

Consoles with Headphone jacks are even more rad.

The other things reviews tend to do is:

>OMG IM SO HYPED FOR THIS GAME EVERYBODYS GETTING IT.

>oh shit why did I want this piece of poop? I don't like this at all.

[ila]

I paid money to play Sonic Unleashed. I didn't like it. Your argument is invalid.

You're trying to create a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. People have differing opinions. It happens. You don't need to go around creating some hair brained reason for why that may be.

[Rawr]

I gotta echo ignoring review sites. Or rather, ignore the score. I find reading reviews to be at least offering up a perspective on something, but I like to read from multiple sources (that aren't IGN, I don't like their reviews much). In the end I find I watch more gameplay videos and read general player feedback on a mass scale to help me determine whether or not something is on my MUST BUY NOW list or "I'll get it eventually". Generally if I am interested in a game I really don't need these other perspectives per say, because I tend to know very much what I like before I buy. Thus, almost every game I do get I end up enjoying regardless of how hard I worked to get it.

I have only flubbed twice in years on games - Fallout 3 and Left 4 Dead, two games that weren't worth the price of admission, and Fallout 3 being the one I returned to get almost what I payed for it back. I got it on a sale for 40 dollars, traded it in at a different store a month later and got back 40.

Now, what RUINS my enjoyment of games are a lot of the mob mentality telling me I -have- to like something the moment I express a bit of disinterest. It goes from being disinterested but still open to something, to just flat out ignoring it. Or like when Portal 2 came around and I found it to be incredibly average, and people put it on a godlike pedestal and then shout at me when I say that I thought it was only decent, then that also ruins things for me too. So I guess I've just learned to try and ignore that shit too - because then I enjoy my games more that way as well.

[DimensionWarped]

I think you should ignore any score above the "meh" range. Reviewers can generally recognize truly terrible games, but when it comes to games that cater to niche tastes, it gets a lot harder to place something.

[1LT Worm]

I've been in Kuwait after I got out of Iraq. I bought a Wii once I got here, and got Zelda: Skyward Sword, New Super Mario Bros., Goldeneye, and Wii Sports. I thought, "Oh, I'm back in garrison! I'll have plenty of time! This is going to be fuuuunnnn!!" But I've been working roughly 10-hour days, six days-a-week. So, essentially, it collects sand that blows in through the A/C unit.

So, what tentril said.

[Slingerland]

I thought this topic was going to be about working too much and still enjoying games, because my current deal is that I'm really tired when I get home. I don't want to play anything. I just catch up on my DVR.

I haven't gotten anywhere in Skyward Sword. Shit takes too much effort after a 12-hour day. I have no desire to play it and that's sad, given my gaming history.

[Serephim]

I think you should ignore any score above the "meh" range. Reviewers can generally recognize truly terrible games, but when it comes to games that cater to niche tastes, it gets a lot harder to place something.

I think this is where it really goes in the end.

I paid money to play Sonic Unleashed. I didn't like it. Your argument is invalid.

Now take the fact that i paid money to play Sonic Unleashed and liked it just fine, and it makes my argument completely and totally valid.

And this has very little to do with Sonic Unleashed, or even Sonic games in general. Unleashed is the first sonic game i've paid money for since SA2. Unleashed IS a wonderful example of a game that got scored unfairly from any even slightly non-biased direction you look at it, though.

But, speaking of Sonic games, they are going to get full blast of opinionated bullshit from now til probably forever because it's just the nature of the series now. It's easy to see even here -- everyone seems to have their own idea about what makes a sonic game good. Some people thought Generations was more of the same shit from unleashed. Some people thought it was the best thang smokin. Me personally? Sonic 2 is my most memorable, Sonic and Knuckles was the PINNACLE of the 2D series, Sonic CD was annoying as shit, Sonic Adventure 1/2 are classics, and the rest are decent enough games with gaping holes in them that are easily detectable, yet difficult to pinpoint.

My beef with reviewers is mutli-layered. But i think somewhere in my head, i blame critics for alot of things that have gone wrong in videogames today to me. I play older games, i love them, i see how people review them, and i see how they completely and utterly overlook everything good about something just because the textbook definition of a concept wasn't visible. It just pisses me off.

But like i said, that's my own opinion, and it's kind of difficult to put in words, really. I don't feel like wasting time trying to elaborate coherently though.

Now, what RUINS my enjoyment of games are a lot of the mob mentality telling me I -have- to like something the moment I express a bit of disinterest. It goes from being disinterested but still open to something, to just flat out ignoring it. Or like when Portal 2 came around and I found it to be incredibly average, and people put it on a godlike pedestal and then shout at me when I say that I thought it was only decent, then that also ruins things for me too. So I guess I've just learned to try and ignore that shit too - because then I enjoy my games more that way as well.

You know, it's really funny how that effect works on people. I think the most effective way someone can get me to play something these days is to just go "this game was pretty cool, you should give it a shot sometime". I think over hyping things just sets it up for terrible disappointment in the long run. It took me years to touch Cavestory when it came out, because EVERYBODY i knew online kept going on and on about this little fuckshit pixel shooter. Then i play it, and it's the best game ever.

But yes, i've played many games people rave about, and just can't get into them. Super Meat Boy was one of those games. Sure, it's cool looking, sure, it's innovative ( i guess? ), sure it's INDIE (as if that automatically makes a game genius), but i just couldn't bring myself to care about that game for more than 3 minutes of playtime.

[Rawr]

Its not actually the fact that people are raving about them that ruins it for me though, I love Cave Story too and people rave about that (I too only got into it yeaaaars later). Hating something because its popular isn't really my thing.

The problem for me is when that mentality becomes ITS THE BEST EVER YOU CAN'T DISAGREE AND YOU WILL LIKE IT OR ELSE as opposed to the "this game is pretty cool, you should give it a shot". It also brings up the argument of 'well everyone else enjoys it so it IS good and you have bad taste' which is the comment I fucking hate. Bad taste=/= something they like but I don't. This has happened to me with friends before so many times.

Or when I like something (like Portal 2 for example) but only find it to be an average game and nothing more than that (which is okay) and people start berating me because I don't hold it up to the same godlike status that they do. I've had people jump down my throat for simply stating my opinion on that as if I was personally insulting them in some twisted way. It kind of ruined it all for me.

[Serephim]

The problem for me is when that mentality becomes ITS THE BEST EVER YOU CAN'T DISAGREE AND YOU WILL LIKE IT OR ELSE as opposed to the "this game is pretty cool, you should give it a shot". It also brings up the argument of 'well everyone else enjoys it so it IS good and you have bad taste' which is the comment I fucking hate. Bad taste=/= something they like but I don't. This has happened to me with friends before so many times.

Yeah, agree 100%. Me and my friends have these arguments all the time.

And i think the whole idea of "bad" vs "good" taste in concept / execution is maybe a very good chunk of why i secretly lothe popular game critic websites. That and blatantly obvious bias.

[Ristar]

also the majority of the big review sites get little handouts from game developers anyway (Kane and Lynch lol).

when I want a decent review of something I go for Classic Game Room and CGR Undertow because they generally tend to be fair as well as putting a light spin on everything.

most games I've bought in the past year or so have been bought on Mark's good word.

[1LT Worm]

I spent more money on casual games in the last year...shit I can play while I'm waiting in line or hiding out in bunkers.

Tiny Wings, Tiny Tower, Angry Birds, Sky Burger, Where's My Water, Cut the Rope, Pix'n Love Rush, etc. etc.

[shadowgoten]

DW and tentril's first posts pretty much nailed it for me.

I work so much I barely have time to enjoy the things I pay for nowadays, and instead I'm left with a huge backlog because I don't have nearly enough time to thoroughly enjoy each game I buy, and if I take too long I feel like I'm missing out on everything else.

[Epon]

You'll quickly find that when you have a grow up, have a full-time job, and try to balance other things out in life to make ends meet... video games become much more enjoyable because of the scarcity of playing them.

Case in point... I buy maybe one or two games a year now. MAYBE. I love these games because when I will waste my precious free time on them, I better damn well enjoy them!

The other sad thing is that these games aren't even 3D console games on XBox, etc... They can be on my iphone or live arcade remakes. I don't mean to sound like an old prick bashing gamers... I just have watched myself grow up and now appreciate things differently.

[Serephim]

All in all, games dont seem to be as fun as they used to be to me.

[shadowgoten]

You'll quickly find that when you have a grow up, have a full-time job, and try to balance other things out in life to make ends meet... video games become much more enjoyable because of the scarcity of playing them.

Case in point... I buy maybe one or two games a year now. MAYBE. I love these games because when I will waste my precious free time on them, I better damn well enjoy them!

The other sad thing is that these games aren't even 3D console games on XBox, etc... They can be on my iphone or live arcade remakes. I don't mean to sound like an old prick bashing gamers... I just have watched myself grow up and now appreciate things differently.

Expanding on the whole growing up thing, I find myself just not enjoying a lot of the games that try to do the same thing I'm used to anymore. I hate the been there done that feeling, but it happens way too often nowadays.

EDIT: Seraph it's the been there done that effect.

[Duckboy]

I've only bought a few games in recent years. Cataclysm and Pokemon: White. Cataclysm/WoW in general I play more than anything, since it's 15 a month and it's a good source of entertainment when I have free time. It's affordable is the main thing, where as I can't really afford all the new games that come out. (and I wouldn't ever dream of trying out a new MMO like SWTOR) Luckily I've got friends that buy me games for me on occasion (SG got me Minecraft way back in the day. A friend of mine "bought" me Portal 2). Sonic Generations I made a rare exception to not renting games and found a blockbuster around here. And the I played Heavy Rain recently because my roommate happens to have a PS3.

So much of my money goes to either bills, rent or food, that's it's rare I get to really splurge on anything. If I do play a new game, it'll just be renting and that's very rare. Single Player games are even MORE rare for me to bother with unless they are a big deal to me (like Generations). Multiplayer games or games that have multiplayer stuff such as WoW, Pokemon, Smash Bros, Portal 2, whatever, area lot more appealing cause then I can include gaming in my social life.

There are a lot of games I'd love to play. But I just don't have the time and money anymore to play them. Which sucks cause I do feel like I'm missing out. But thems the breaks. I have a lot of TV that I watch too, and honestly that takes precedent (I just recently got caught up on all 8 seasons of House so there's ANOTHER show to add to my TV watching, but because of my marathoning it, I'm now behind 2 weeks on all my other shows like Parks & Rec, Adventure Time and The Office).

I didn't include iphone games on there because they're either like 1-3 bucks or get gifted to me (usually gifted)

If a game comes out that really does something different I will take notice and try to get in on it. Minecraft did that. The Portal games did that. Team Fortress 2 did that just by how the art style is. Heavy Rain. Spore (which honestly ended up being more of a disappointment than anything). If they ever release Half Life: Episode 3... There's a game coming out soon that looks really creative and I probably will spend the money on it. Quantum Conundrum. Look up the videos for it, it looks really neat.

edit: As for the main topic, working hard for the money ITSELF feels way more satisfying, but the stuff you get with that money doesn't feel any more or less satisfying than it normally would.

[Floofy]

All in all, games dont seem to be as fun as they used to be to me.

I'll echo that. It seems the older I get the less appeal they hold, of course I can still find games I enjoy, but I don't get the same high I used to.

This is either a personal conflict or the fact that they just don't make games like they used to.

I still love the games I enjoyed when I was younger. This might just be nostalgia, but I've been genuinely excited for Luigi's mansion 2, I loved the original.