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Comment by wayneftw | Hacker News Reader

I think I must be a simpleton compared to many people. I am able to play the same video game for years and years before getting bored with it. Currently that game is Rocket League. Before that, it was Skate, Skate 2 and Skate 3 and before that...World of Warcraft.

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On the other end I sometimes just enjoy the shopping, buying, collecting games. Even just collecting digital games on sale can be entertaining in its own way.

As I age and my family grows it's becoming obvious I'll never complete many of them. But that's OK too.

I agree with the collecting aspect. I have some 292 games in my steam collection. I no longer consider the unplayed ones as being on my "pile of shame". I like having them at my disposal. And I like collecting them.

Spending 3 or 4 hours on a game that cost a dollar or two feels fairly economical. I got Alien Isolation for $2 recently. That probably would have just gone into my collection unplayed. But I did give it a shot. And would say it's probably worth full price.

I think I've played maybe .5% of my Steam account library... and I'll still put new games in there. I dunno, it's just fun.

I'm starting to do the same thing for my Switch. I've just gotten a fat 500gb microSD card for it. I'm even rebuying games I already had on PC just because the portability factor is nice.

My partner says it's bad money management. I dunno, it's a hobby I think. My only concern is that Steam kicks the bucket one day.

Try GOG, no DRM.

Another advantage of GOG: you're typically launching the game from the desktop, rather than through a launcher that also serves as their storefront. There is far less temptation to acquire new games that you'll never play.

Whenever I look at my pile of shame, I keep promising myself I'll sit down and play every one of them when I retire.

(All the while, there's a little voice in the back of my head snickering and calling me a liar.)

I've implemented a new system. Can't buy another game until I finish the current one.

Same with books. So far it has kept the pile of shame from growing.

I could be wrong, but I feel like there are more people like you that play a lower number of games for years than people like me, that play most big releases as they come out. It's a big reason why games are moving to the "live service" model, where they continually release updates for released games. Many people find a game or two they like and stick with them for years, so companies are trying to find the best way to monetize those types of players.

Yup.

Tetris, Civilization, XCOM: UFO Defense, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Spelunky, Brogue, CDDA, and now Slay the Spire.

There have been a lot of other games, but those are the ones I've really played in my life. Others are pretty much relegated to 6 hours maximum, and that's just for games I really enjoy.

Slay the Spire is so good, nice choice! I'm really bad at it though, it's the first deck building game I've ever really played.

Also a big fan of Slay the Spire, I have about 200 hours in it. Another game I'd recommend is One Step From Eden, a hybrid deckbuilder and roguelike similar in a way to StS, but with a much more involved style of gameplay.

I find that it feels just as challenging (and satisfying) at my current ascension of 18 as it felt when I struggled to complete a run pre-ascension. Which is a remarkable achievement in game design.

I do wonder if me getting bored with it will occur at Ascension 20, Ascension 20 with Heart, or sooner.

That doesn't have to make you a simpleton. Some of the most complex hardcore games take years to master. Like EU4. I've been playing it for many years, and I'm still learning new things.

I tend to stick with games for a long time.

> Like EU4. I've been playing it for many years, and I'm still learning new things.

I just learned that cavalry sucks. I probably have 1000 hours in EU4. Though Paradox needs to patch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-62B7GiwDw

Paradox is constantly patching it. I believe a new patch is about be out right around now, adding tons of new missions to minor nations.

Steam claims I've got 3000 hours in the game (I think much of that was paused while I was doing something else), and I'm just doing my first complete iron man game. Possibly the first time I ever got past 1700, or at least the first time in a very long time.

I have newer systems & games but I'd probably be just as happy catching up on all the reputedly-very-good SNES, Playstation 2, et c. games I never got around to playing the first time, or re-playing ones I really like.

This is true of a lot of things. A weird effect of having so very much excellent work available in so many media is that my quality of life probably wouldn't suffer noticeably if they just... stopped making new art of those kinds, entirely, for the rest of my life. Novels, games, movies, recorded music. I don't have time for all the good stuff that already exists, as it is.

As someone on the other end of the spectrum, I wish I could do this. While MMO addiction is a real problem (or at least it was... I don't seem to hear about it much anymore), being able to stay interested in a game for years at a time is something I've never experienced and I do feel like I'm missing out on some things because of it. I've never done any kind of "end game" content (e.g. WoW raids) in any MMO because I rarely stay interested long enough to even level a character, and that disappoints me a little bit.

I'm with you. I keep buying all of these awesome AAA games and somehow end up just playing Rocket League.

I just slept 5 hours because of Civilization V, so you're not alone. But yeah, lots of people go through tons of games very quickly. Some buy stuff they will end up not even playing, like it happens with books.

I'm the same. I'm not interested in any of the new releases (besides maybe DOOM) and I've never really been able to enjoy games with a long story, I get distracted too easily and generally prefer TV shows for that type of story-driven entertainment.

I pretty much bought a PS4 only for Rocket League and Gran Turismo and that's all I've played in the last years. Plus a few SNES platformers. Perfect for 20-30 min gaming sessions without too much involvement

A suggestion: avoid AAA games and try indie games focused on gameplay or action.

People who buy games more frequently are a bigger part of the market because they buy more games.

You can still play Skate 1 and 3 on modern Xbox! Holding out hope we’ll get a 4 some day...

There’s THPS 1&2 remake comming in this summer!

Was discussing this with my partner recently.

We have all these hundreds of games we've paid for, and somehow just end up playing free co-op tower defense mods in Dota 2.

WoW is hardcore and people still playing it of course. I would think simpletons can't retain attention that long.

rocket league is a competitive esport game, WoW is an ever-evolving MMO, and the Skate series are just the deepest skateboarding sims that exist I think.

Nothing wrong with continuing to play those type of games forever. I've been playing counter-strike for 20 years now. Some games just have endless play and replay value.

that's what a lot of the industry is. that's ... exactly why games like fortnite, league, cs:go, dota, etc are all based around monetizing cosmetics and other DLC. lots of people play games like that. a lot of them ... just play fortnite now.

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