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[AJUMP23]

I have never connected with a game or form of media on a personal level. I enjoy the entertainment, but I don't know how I would begin to connect to it.

 

[Deerock71]

I'm trying to remember a time when I've ever connected to video games on a deeply personal level.

 

[Punished Miku]

I enjoy the entertainment, but I don't know how I would begin to connect to it.

1. Deeply enjoying a game
2. Thinking about the game for months after you've finished it
3. ???
4. Cosplay
5. Poverty / societal rejection / evolutionary failure to pass on your genes

 

[AJUMP23]

1. Deeply enjoying a game
2. Thinking about the game for months after you've finished it

These I relate to, but that is not a personal connection. A connection to me implies an exchange, I give and it gives. I play the game it shares the story. But there is not an exchange, just an experience. I have exchanges with my friends and family. I think I connect to people.

Star Wars means something to be but Disney is trying to kill that.

 

[ungalo]

On a global level i may agree but in the end it's a matter of personal preference. I "connect" with Cyberpunk just like with The Witcher 3, if not more because i think thematically the game is precisely much deeper and introspective than TW3. So when you say they "dropped the ball", we can agree on objective things like the state at launch but it's as far as it goes, i don't think it deserves the word "hollow" whereas TW3 would feel very personal and so meaningful.

But yeah it's becoming rare for a AAA to be really magnetic. But i think these last years Red Dead 2, Elden Ring and Cyberpunk had that effect on me.

 

[justiceiro]

Oh, sure, just because I'm able to engage with fictional storytelling on that level then it must mean that I have no life.

Man, shut up, lol.

You called you work sick to play videogames. Wanna convince me this is healthy behavior?

And also, no, you are not able to connect in that level anymore, that's what this thread is about, right? Wake up.

 

[Jetpac]

The Witcher 3 was the single most boring game i’ve ever had to endure with Control a strong second.

 

[Jetpac]

Now persona 4 golden i felt like i didn’t want it to end because of the friends in the game.

 

[Drizzlehell]

These I relate to, but that is not a personal connection. A connection to me implies an exchange, I give and it gives. I play the game it shares the story. But there is not an exchange, just an experience. I have exchanges with my friends and family. I think I connect to people.

Star Wars means something to be but Disney is trying to kill that.

Well, clearly I wasn't talking about that. It's more about the game that resonates with you because it tells a story that's personally relatable for you, or the characters are written so strongly that you just wanna vicariously experience their adventures and relationships and root for them along the way.

 

[mhirano]

AAA sucks, play Nintendo games.
I'm smiling all the time when I'm playing Mario Wonder

 

[Drizzlehell]

You called you work sick to play videogames. Wanna convince me this is healthy behavior?

And also, no, you are not able to connect in that level anymore, that's what this thread is about, right? Wake up.

Dude, that was almost 8 fucking years ago. Plus it didn't stop me from having even more friends back then than I have right now because we were all in our mid-20s and not married/without kids.

Quit projecting.

 

[AJUMP23]

Well, clearly I wasn't talking about that. It's more about the game that resonates with you because it tells a story that's personally relatable for you, or the characters are written so strongly that you just wanna vicariously experience their adventures and relationships and root for them along the way.

I do jump on turtles and mushrooms a lot.

 

[March Climber]

As much as I hate the shit landscape of broken releases,battlepass gaas riddled garbage that gets flung our way nowadays I can't believe I'm saying this considering the gaming industry nowadays and what I've just mentioned but I'm having the greatest years of my gaming life at 30 years old right now,between my insane backlog,the incredible games that have come out this generation I can safely say this is one of the best years in gaming ever.

Lies of P made me feel like a giddy kid while playing it reminding me of Bloodborne which is my fav game of all time. Cyberpunk Expansion restored my faith in CDPR,getting Spidey 2 and Mario Wonder on the same day reminded me of December 2008 when my parents bought me Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet and the same feeling of excitement I got back then. Baldur's Gate 3,one of the most amazing rpgs created is still waiting for me in my backlog as well as Tears of The Kingdom,then we have RE4,Separate Ways and Street Fighter 6 in the same year that reminded me of Capcom's golden days plus much more moments that stuck with me and reminded me that even though we have so many broken releases,gaas garbage everywhere and corporate greed and consolidation,despite all that the gaming that made us all gamers is still very much alive and kicking.

 

[ADiTAR]

I was emotional playing TotK.

From returning to Tarry Town, Hateno village, and Lurelin as well.

To the story itself and the epic conclusion.

 

[Yonyx]

Indies is the answer you are looking for. Play Brothers or Inside.

 

[Shodai]

A lot of modern games feel hollow to me. Suspension of disbelief is often shattered by games asking you to spend more money (or even being designed to do so).

 

[buenoblue]

The longer you game (or pursue any hobby) the less it will amaze and impact you. Sooner or later you have seen everything/you have bigger things in your life. Those Sega/Nintendo games from my youth are objectively shit by today's standards but they remain amazing in my mind.

Imagine mass effect Andromeda in 1988 would of been the best game ever made.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Cyberpunk is fuckin awesome. I connected emotionally with Jackie, and if you didn’t, you’re dead inside. *pour one out for Jackie*

Well, it's just one scene out of a 60-hour game (give or take). But besides that, I don't think there was anyone else that I really cared about that much. I got more kicks out of pondering the question of digitizing one's consciousness and the potential effects that it would have on one's psyche or the meaning of life in general.

V's struggle to make the best out of the time he or she had left to live was also relatable but I thought that CDPR pretty much wasted the potential that this whole premise had from a narrative and gameplay perspective. I think it would be much cooler if there was an actual time limit on how much you could fuck around before having to resolve the story's main conflict, otherwise, your brain would just get taken over by Johnny Silverhand and you'd be forced to complete the rest of the game as him. Kinda like you could continue playing RDR2 as Marston after finishing the main story as Arthur. Then maybe they could have a morality-like system where taking certain actions would either give you more time to save V, while others would keep bringing you closer to getting taken over by Silverhand faster. You could maybe also choose to take the pills or ignore them, and I picture a similar system to the malaria pills from Far Cry 2, where you'd have to complete dedicated jobs to get the medication you need.

I dunno, I just feel like there was so much that they could do with that story and it would make the game like 10000000 times more engaging and replayable to me. But, such as it is, the experience feels very hollow and I don't feel much need to revisit it like I did with The Witcher series where certain choices had very impactful consequences. To the point where you could play an entirely different act in The Witcher 2 depending on what choice you made at key junction in the first third of the story.

 

[Humdinger]

Think of the last game where you got so enamored with the story and gameplay that it was all that you could think of for an extended period of time. A game that you'd spend every possible waking hour playing, and if you weren't playing it, you kept thinking about playing it. It had to be a game that you were so completely invested in that it felt like binge-watching a really great TV show and as soon as it was over, you felt a bit of an emptiness, kinda like the one that you feel when you miss a really good friend, and the only way to heal it was to start playing through the game again. It had to be the kind of game that would completely occupy you for a very long time and cause you to ignore all the other releases for at least a couple of months. The kind of game that very much resonated with you on a personal or emotional level thanks to its themes, characters, or the story that it was trying to tell.

Tbh, I've been gaming for 20+ years and never had that sort of experience. I've had plenty of games that I've been immersed in. I've had some games that I have thought about when I'm not playing them (typically big RPGs). I've had games that I've played for hours a day, months in a row. I've had games that I've enjoyed a lot and been immersed in.

But you are describing a much higher level of obsession or involvement. I've never had a game where it has been "all I could think of" or where I "spent every possible waking hour playing it." I've had games where I've been sad that they are over, but never where it's "like I'm missing a really good friend" and I have to start the game over immediately as "the only way to heal." I've never felt that way about a game. I've never felt that way about any piece of media or entertainment.

The closest experience I can think of is my connection to some books I read when I was in my mid-20s. These books turned my life upside down. They were all I could think about for a long time. But I've never experienced anything remotely like that with games.

Almost always -- like, 98% of the time -- games are just entertainment to me. I enjoy them while I'm playing them, but when I switch them off, they fade from my mind like the screen going dark. Apart from causing me to waste time on GAF talking about them (ha), they don't impact my psyche or real life. Games are just entertainment to me -- enjoyable for the moment, and that's about it. Which is fine with me. That's really all I'm looking to them for.

 

[b0uncyfr0]

OP, Yes.

 

[Jigsaah]

Now, what do I mean by that? Well, think of the last game where you got so enamored with the story and gameplay that it was all that you could think of for an extended period of time. A game that you'd spend every possible waking hour playing, and if you weren't playing it, you kept thinking about playing it. It had to be a game that you were so completely invested in that it felt like binge-watching a really great TV show and as soon as it was over, you felt a bit of an emptiness, kinda like the one that you feel when you miss a really good friend, and the only way to heal it was to start playing through the game again. It had to be the kind of game that would completely occupy you for a very long time and cause you to ignore all the other releases for at least a couple of months. The kind of game that very much resonated with you on a personal or emotional level thanks to its themes, characters, or the story that it was trying to tell.

For me, the last game that hooked me that hard was The Witcher 3. I was so into it that I wouldn't play anything else for the better part of that year. I legit played it for the entirety of 2015 and haven't touched any other game in the meantime. I also remember on a number of occasions I would call in sick to work just because I spent the entire weekend playing the game and didn't want to stop, and then I would continue doing so throughout the week, playing roughly 17-18 hours per day.

That shit was pretty wild and what kinda bums me out is that I never found another game afterwards that would have the same effect on me. So much time has passed since then that I'm actually starting to wonder if it's just me who can't find that kind of passion for gaming anymore, or is it the games that have been on a downward slope ever since?

To paint a better picture of what I'm talking about, there were a number of games that I was really looking forward to and was hoping to hook me in a similar fashion, but every time they fell short of my expectations for various reasons:

• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Good, but disappointing in a lot of ways.
• Mass Effect Andromeda - Do I really need to explain...?
• Red Dead Redemption 2 - Close, but no cigar. The gameplay was just too boring and I saw no reason to revisit that depressing-ass story again.
• Jedi Fallen Order - By far it's the game that came the closest to the kind of experience that I'm talking about here. Really fun and emotionally engaging but I dunno, I can't put my finger on what was missing here.
• Death Stranding - Very unique and sometimes even emotional experience but overall, it's just too fucking weird and repetitive, lol.
• Cyberpunk 2077 - I think that was the final nail in the coffin as far as killing my enthusiasm for gaming goes. If CDPR dropped the ball so hard, then there just wasn't any hope left that I would ever find another game that would engage me in the same way that The Witcher 3 did.
• Starfield - The jury is still up on that one but so far I'm leaning hard towards "no" because the characters all fucking suck and I hate them and the story and how it's presented is very lackluster.

Try Baldur's Gate 3.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Returnal

The whole world, labyrinth of a story and lore completely sucked me in. Before that, probably Dark Souls.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Games today are different no question, it’s talked about how developers are pressured to meet dead lines and force games out.

 

[Pejo]

Had to read the OP to get what you meant, but I thought that my first blind playthrough of Elden Ring was pretty damn special.

 

[KXVXII9X]

I understand what you mean. I don't think it is aging either. There are a few modern games that still give me that feeling you describes such as Yakuza Like a Dragon, BG3 which already is giving me these feels while not being too far into it, and the same with HiFi Rush. I play a lot of different stuff, but I do love those story heavy games, with an excellent ambience and OST, and characters I really care about.

Next year seems to have a lot of Japanese story-driven games I am anticipating. Mostly with Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, the new Professor Layton game, Metaphor, Eiyuden Chronicles, and Unicorn Overlord to name a few. I think for me personally, I need something of a story, enticing characters, and great music and presentation to keep me hooked. I even fell off of Zelda TotK for now which is unfortunate. It's an excellent game but outside the important story beats, I'm growing increasingly fatigued and disconnected. I'm enjoying Super Mario Wonder a lot, despite not having a story so it isn't fully required to grab me.

 

[Ikutachi]

For the most part. I moved on with romhacks.

 

[Metalman96]

I think it might be a bit of a personal issue on your side, man.

 

[Rudius]

No, you're just getting old. It happens.

Rarely nowadays do I get to that level of obsession with a game where it just devours my psyche. Elden Ring was probably the last time and that seems like years ago at this point.

If you play old games that you never tried back then and find them to be good, then it is not that you are old or have nostalgia, but just that current games are inferior in some aspects. That is often the case for me when playing older titles.

 

[Hugare]

Saw a video recently about the "Marvelization" of cinema, but it also applies to games



Games, well, entertainment in general is now more than ever seen as a product, and not passion projects

I'm feeling this way about many Sony 1st party games, specifically. Ragnarok, Forbidden West, Spider-man 2 ... They lacked the heart that the 1st entries had.

But games like Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty, Baldurs Gate III and Alan Wake II were made with passion behind them. You can feel it while playing.

They are hard to come by, considering how inflated budgets for games are nowadays. But look carefuly and you'll spot them.

 

[Ozzie666]

It has been a long time since a cast of characters like Persona3,4,5 and Mass Effect have left long lasting impressions years later. When I finished Persona 4, I felt a sense of sadness that I was leaving behind some friends. As strange as it sounds. PS1 Final Fantasy games approached a similar level. I can't recall the last memorable game that hooked me in like that? Maybe the cast of Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor? But that's more of a Star Wars double wammy. KOTOR as well.

I barely remember FF16 now, not the same emotional beats.

 

[BouncyFrag]

Sten, Wrex, and Grunt are my forever bros.

 

[WitchHunter]

Start reading books and your depression will be cured.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Gaming is just entertainment. And when it comes to gaming, I want gameplay not watching cutscenes. I skip as many cutscenes as possible.

I find gaming no different than watching sports or National Geographic or playing a board game with fam.

 

[Fabieter]

While I liked witcher 3 I never got into that gameplay ever. So it might be your taste tho.

Are you hoping for story suggestions or is gameplay equally or more important? Because there are alot of similar great stories in video games.

 

[TastyPastry]

resident evil is still amazing
thank god for capcom

 

[PanzerCute]

Stop playing only AAA games, fall in love with video games again.

Easy.

 

[SHA]

PC guys are the ones who understands we are not living in a perfect world, I suggest to stop complaining cause it's not worth it, I'm not saying this is weird and you are the only one, there are things in this world is just a little too much to bear with and money sometimes helps if spent to prevent ourselves from that.

 

[Hudo]

Most people can't even connect deeply to their significant other nowadays.

 

[Nickolaidas]

It's the same thing with horror movies. At some point you've seen so many your mind gets numb and is not easily fazed. It's definitely a 'you' problem, though I completely get you.

 

[Arsic]

Play yakuza franchise and stfu OP.

 

[Davesky]

gaming realism is inversely proportional to ambiguity, which means games are becoming less and less expressive, which means people are finding it harder to connect to games on a deeply personal level, apparently.

 

[Filben]

Disco Elysium; Signalis; Chained Echoes; El Paso, Elsewhere; Rise of the Third Power; Pentiment; Roots of Pacha; Return to Monkey Island; Tears of the Kingdom; Alan Wake 2; Baldur's Gate 3...

... are only a few from the last few months I've been playing and I connected deeply them.

I always find it hard to make case that games in general are now this and that these days. The facts I could think of is that we definitely have more monetization options than let's say 15 years ago and that AAA games has I'm increase in production costs.

But with less and less market entrance barriers we also get a lot of games that would have been hard if not impossible to make 15 years ago. The downside is if you have more games than ever to browse through to find that one.

Listen to podcasts and YouTubers and friends you share similar tastes with and you find those games you can connect with. Don't only look at the curated ones by major publishers.

 

[elbourreau]

I don't need to connect on a deeply personnal level a game or any entertainment to have fun, or to enjoy. I want solid stories, good writing and great characters. Anything else is a bonus, great value and precious memories, but not mandatory.

 

[Shubh_C63]

The only game where I felt something were,

To the Moon
Mass Effect 3
Persona 5
TloU-1 is up there but not quite.

I always maintain story in videogames are BAD. Its hilarious people hope to connect with anything Starfield or DeathStranding. Very poor writing.

edit - and GoW:Ragnarok Kartos at last mural.

 

[Soodanim]

For the most part. I moved on with romhacks.

Any favourites? I do love a ROM hack

 

[Scotty W]

 

[RaduN]

For me Death Stranding offered the level of connection i haven't felt for the past ~ 20 years. Every step from the very last trip to the incinerator was painful, was full of regrets and i wanted to scream, just like Sam. It has to be a very special kind of experience to achieve that.

But overall,a hard yes; the output of games that don't feel like they're made by a producer comittee is getting thinner by the year.

 

[chilichote]

The older i get, the lesser i get connection to games (and everything else^^).

 

[Krathoon]

Really, I have found that games with FMV have more of a resonance with them.

The 7th Guest VR is pretty good.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Try Baldur's Gate 3.

I'm planning to do so during the Christmas break. I'm currently balls deep into Rogue Trader but I've been itching to try BG3 for a while now. A friend of mine recently told me that they've updated the game's third act so I guess holding out on it paid off, at least.