I think I may stop Gaming and upgrading

I'm wondering how much of it is just due to growing old. I'm 42 and feel like I'm ready for something new besides gaming, but don't know what it is. The only gaming I've done recently is play BF2 singleplayer. That's right, singleplayer.

I've got the big HD tv, and now I'm sick of paying craploads of money for basically 10 HD channels? That sucks. In fact, I'm considering purging myself of TV somehow, especially now when getting HD content is simply overpriced.

However, I may have to drag myself back to the PC world (with an eye towards gaming) because in order to upgrade my wife's pc, I usually just give her mine, and build again!

In any case, I need a new hobby of somekind. I'd like to try something like restoring antique airplanes, but I have no workshop, nor an airplane.
 
Staples said:
For you guys who say that games run fine on old systems. Sure they run but I can't deal with 20fps on average with everything turned off and neither can others. Sure some like yourselves can but many can't.
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You act like consoles have this down perfectly too *looking at you Gundam and King Kong*
 
eat2na said:
I am just older now. I am 40 and somehow don't feel that excited about it anymore. Also Hardware upgrading has gotten too expensive for me. I got a DFI NF4 and an ATI1900XTX in my machine and only play games like less than 1 hour a month since I purchase the Video Card to play Oblivion like 6 months ago.

Mostly what I do is surf the web and that also gets annoying since I only got dial-up. So I guess for the next 5 or more years I will stay with my current setup and not even upgrade to Vista since can't afford it either and XP is fine to surf the web and just play current and older games once in a while.
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You are me. Upgrading has grown tiring and I began to notice just how much money I was dumping into my computer(s).

I took a leap of faith and bought a Xbox 360 about an year ago. Best purchase in YEARS! Now for $400 I'm set.. no need to upgrade until the successor to the 360 is out. I already had a HDTV, and if I didn't I'd play it fine on my SDTV or use a VGA cable and play on my LCD monitor. Either way.. best $400 in a long time.

I suggest trying out a console.. its perfect for those 1/2 hour gaming fixes that you need with little to no overhead. :D
 
I think games like alan wake, crysis, and other dx10 titles are going to bring back a sense of wonder and awe with pc games, and not just visually. so I wouldn't throw in the towel yet.
 
damonposey said:
I think games like alan wake, crysis, and other dx10 titles are going to bring back a sense of wonder and awe with pc games, and not just visually. so I wouldn't throw in the towel yet.
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I agree wholeheartedly. I'm not trying to get into a console vs. PC war since that's a fight that no one wins, but PC gaming is currently in one of the biggest dry streaks I've ever seen. Everything on the horizon though points to a rather spectacular resurgence. It's just that the convalescence of the next gen consoles, dx10, and Vista all coming out within a relatively close time frame of each other, none of the development studios want to do any PC games at the moment.

That said, there's a post on the gamespot forums listing upcoming games for 2007 and list is packed with great titles. Like your aforementioned dx10 titles, Supreme Commander and C&C3 should bring new interest to the RTS genre similar to what CoH did in '06 and the list of new FPS games is too long to say which is great because there's really been nothing new in the multiplayer FPS genre unless you like the battlefield series.
 
damonposey said:
I think games like alan wake, crysis, and other dx10 titles are going to bring back a sense of wonder and awe with pc games, and not just visually. so I wouldn't throw in the towel yet.
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Those same titles are coming out for the 360 not to mention Bioshock. I'm getting up there with these guys too. Honestly the more I read through these posts I'm wondering if this isn't going to turn into a trend for gamers getting long in the tooth. Between mortgage, car payment little ones.... The expense placed into upgrading a PC could easily go into a big screen HD TV, console and some games that everyone would get a benifit from.

In my own situation though. I have played every game from Doom to Quake IV and every genre from FPS to RTS. No games have held my intrest like Tribes or Starcraft maybe diablo. Lately even WoW has petered out. Hopping on the 360 to play a quick GoW or Halo 2 match is becomming more appealing to me.
 
As for the expenses, don't upgrade so much. Use mid-range hardware and buy game of the year editions and bargain bin stuff for $10-20 a title, complete with expansions. You can get good games that run on hardware that isn't bleeding edge for a small fraction of what you pay to play the latest greatest stuff.

If you're just not into gaming, then honestly I wouldn't bother. Get you a console and go casual :)
 
Wrench said:
Those same titles are coming out for the 360 not to mention Bioshock. I'm getting up there with these guys too. Honestly the more I read through these posts I'm wondering if this isn't going to turn into a trend for gamers getting long in the tooth. Between mortgage, car payment little ones.... The expense placed into upgrading a PC could easily go into a big screen HD TV, console and some games that everyone would get a benifit from.

In my own situation though. I have played every game from Doom to Quake IV and every genre from FPS to RTS. No games have held my intrest like Tribes or Starcraft maybe diablo. Lately even WoW has petered out. Hopping on the 360 to play a quick GoW or Halo 2 match is becomming more appealing to me.
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It's not getting crysis
 
ynnek888 said:
here's the best list so far of upcoming pc games.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1073842430

I upgrade every 3 years or so.. and take breaks from gaming with my other hobbies (cars, bikes, and music).. and I only buy one game at a time, until I either finish it, or decide to stop playing it.. Usually I finish it, unless its that boring or buggy.
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That list felt like I was looking at the same game over and over again for each genre
 
I think is mostly a money situation really and maybe for me is good that things got too expensive. I mean if money was no issue, I would be shopping right now to move up from this 939 rig. But then the excitement and the high will wear off and I will be shopping again, just so I can run a few benchmarks :confused: . Is pathetic. It doesn't help that I don't want to settle for midrange hardware when I do decide to upgrade.

Don't get me wrong I do play and have finished a few games like Half Life2, Doom3, Riddick, Fear, NFSMW, The splinter Cell games but after I while they just looked like not impressive enough. Like, is that it? I just spend all that money and they just look like cartoons. I think I concentrate too much on the graphics or something.

I do like oblivion and I am waiting till I get in the mood again to start playing it since I only played it for a few weeks four months ago and then I stopped and haven't touched it since.

I started thinking that it maybe was too many FPS games. So I purchased my first ever RTS game, COH. I enjoyed at first but it got really hard and it was not my thing to micromanage everything that was going on. I ended up selling it for $25.00 bucks shipped.
 
Netrat33 said:
That list felt like I was looking at the same game over and over again for each genre
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Yea, thats a sign that your gaming days may be numbered.. Basically, you just see through all the graphics, gamplay, sounds, and plot, and just see varying patterns of actions.

Now for me, If a game's story, env, characters stop entertaining me, then the game itself dies... because then its just doing the same things over and over again. Even online games feel like this after a while.

Only game that shows promise to me is Crysis.. Because if what is shown in the demo is really possible, then I could imagine myself doing things in various differnet ways throughout the game to amuse myself, that I wasn't able to do, in one game.
 
Part of it is because games don't have lava anymore. Remember golden era of FPS's? Lava, acid baths.....bright, orange, lava.....
 
eat2na said:
I am just older now. I am 40 and somehow don't feel that excited about it anymore. Also Hardware upgrading has gotten too expensive for me. I got a DFI NF4 and an ATI1900XTX in my machine and only play games like less than 1 hour a month since I purchase the Video Card to play Oblivion like 6 months ago. ....
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I agree and I'm 39. Things are and have been stale for awhile IMHO but I go in cycles of playing then not. Hopefully with the new stuff coming out it will do it again for me. I'm suire I'll still upgrade to dx10 components., cheers!
 
ynnek888 said:
Yea, thats a sign that your gaming days may be numbered.. Basically, you just see through all the graphics, gamplay, sounds, and plot, and just see varying patterns of actions.

Now for me, If a game's story, env, characters stop entertaining me, then the game itself dies... because then its just doing the same things over and over again. Even online games feel like this after a while.

Only game that shows promise to me is Crysis.. Because if what is shown in the demo is really possible, then I could imagine myself doing things in various differnet ways throughout the game to amuse myself, that I wasn't able to do, in one game.
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I think it shows lack of creativity. Crysis, Bioshock, Alan wake, those seem like interesting premises and a bit more unique. Not just this cookie cutter JRR Tolken rip off over and over again.

And I agree: more lava....bright, orange, lava :D
 
I don't need to have the bleeding edge of technology. I upgrade when I can, but I always know that something better is just down the way. I'm a big fan of eVGA because of their step up program. It has allowed me to get cards that I wouldn't ever buy out right.

I do feel a bit of a let off in good PC games. I have a X360 too but I just don't use it very much. I think if i had that big HDTV and a really comfortable couch then I would play more. But that just doesn't work when you are in college. It also hurts that the games are $60. That is just a big chunk of change that I don't have to drop on games a lot of the time.
 
Consoles do have the same repeat problems as PC's tho imho. Any platform you choose nowadays is going to have only a few interesting original titles i think and the rest will be remakes or reinterpetations of what was before. PC's and Consoles are both guilty of it the past few years. There will be a few exceptions though.
In my own case, i play 4-5 games a little at a time to keep my interest up rather than burn out playing hardcore on just one title. (a scenario here, hour or two of play there). Works well for me...
 
In the past 6 months I've actually downgraded my PC, since I really didn't need an X1950XTX to play the occasional DoD:S, CoD2, and CS:S.

I've been playing much more 360 and Wii since I've got the big HDTV and lots of people to play multiplayer with. It's much easier and more fun to invite a few people over to play on a whim rather than stay in my room, shut in, playing alone (even if its with people over the internet, it's still alone.)

Not to mention it's pretty much impossible to play games like Wii Sports, Fight Night, and Madden with a bunch of people on a 57" HDTV with a PC.
 
I'm the Dude said:
Part of it is because games don't have lava anymore. Remember golden era of FPS's? Lava, acid baths.....bright, orange, lava.....
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hehe. totally. what game do you want lava in? if it has a map editor and i own it, ill import a lava texture and make a nice spacious lava pit for you :p
 
Just don't have the cash to upgrade the system every year or so to keep playing games. I barely squeaked by with Oblivion on my P4C + X700. Makes me wonder how much guys here on the forum sink into their PC...obviously a lot of them have well-paying jobs/out of college, but still suprised me at how many people could afford to dump twin 7900s and jump straight to 8800(s).

I've been on a retro spree for the last six months, so it doesn't really bother me that much.
 
damonposey said:
hehe. totally. what game do you want lava in? if it has a map editor and i own it, ill import a lava texture and make a nice spacious lava pit for you :p
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Games that need lava:

All of them :D

There aren't enough environmental hazards in today's games. Sure the odd long fall kills you, but that's not particularly fun. With modern graphics, the deaths could be spectacular, the player running about on fire before being consumed. Or melting in acid. That'd be fun.

I recall a Doom map (the Pentagram one, I think it was the last level of Ep 1) that was an island surrounded by lava. I had a particular stunt I pulled on everyone I played at least once: get them chasing me, run up some stairs, and fall off the ledge on the other side. I would fall straight down, backing against the wall on a very narrow strip of land. They would go sailing out into the lava to their deaths, not knowing they were running to certain death. It wouldn't get you credit for a kill, but it's a blast to watch.
 
movax said:
Makes me wonder how much guys here on the forum sink into their PC...obviously a lot of them have well-paying jobs/out of college, but still suprised me at how many people could afford to dump twin 7900s and jump straight to 8800(s).
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I'm amazed at how much people sink into stuff like this as well. I make pretty decent money but just can't bring myself to spend more than a few hundred a year on my system. I've just got different priorities, I suppose.
 
i think it comes down to where you are in life.

for example 5 years ago i could and did upgrade my comp all the damn time too keep up with the best graphics out there.

As of today....i'm married, have a full time career and a 1 year old little boy....i don't have the money to spend on an upgrades every 6 months....i mean i do but then i would be able to make a car payment or a mortgage payment.

I recently got a 360 and love it. My wife and i got a 56" Samsung DLP back in the summer and the 360 looks wonderfull on it.....i love being able to lay on my couch and play games instead of hunched over in front of my comp. The only thing i'm using my computer for these days is the internet and WoW.

pc gaming is for single people or married people without kids (and i'm talking about people that are always upgrading)

consoles are for people like me
 
I know plenty of people with children and full time jobs and they play pc regularly and upgrade regularly. BAD EXCUSE. :D

Maybe you are just a better family man, heh.
 
Nate_MachV said:
I know plenty of people with children and full time jobs and they play pc regularly and upgrade regularly. BAD EXCUSE. :D

Maybe you are just a better family man, heh.
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maybe...i don't know how they live...or maybe they make shit load of money
 
I agree to the thread but I am sure my eyes will pop outta my skull with dx10 titles and my visa card will be out
 
lost0822 said:
maybe...i don't know how they live...or maybe they make shit load of money
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Sometimes people make the same amount of money as you, but they started off better than you (no car payment, no student loan, very little if any debt) and of course they're going to have more disposable income. It's been my experience that some people just got a good start on life. Here are a few things I know that helped friends of mine:

-Their parents paid for their college or they had scholarships (my wife and I used student loans and conditional grants)
-They were given a new car before or during college, which translates into not having to buy one immediately after, as both my wife and I did when our early 90s models broke down.
-I know several people who were given land by family members as wedding gifts and such. That's a huge cost saving when you're looking to build a house.

For those of us who have been out of school for a while, those three things can have a HUGE impact on your level of disposable income. I've learned that a financially supportive family makes a WORLD of difference in the early years of adulthood.

(Note: I'm hinting to my fellow young parents: plan to help you kids in ways like this without making spoiled brats out of them. In my experience it's worth five or ten years of struggling on their part.)
 
Another thing that single people don't have to deal with is when your spouse really hates how much time and money you are spending on your solitary hobby.

Most of the time it was my fault as I tuned myself out and spend too much money. So I decided to only do any hobby oriented stuff after the rest of the family needs
have been taken care off. It has worked out for the best but not much you can do with just one hour a day after they go to bed and trying to get some sleep myself. Getting up early etc.

So all you single guys out there, beware. If you really like when the UPS/FedEx truck arrives and get you all happy about it, when you get married, you may dread it, as it will be just another fight.

It got so bad that I had to time the deliveries for a time when my wife would be at work and make sure I didn't leave any evidence:eek:

Then she gets home and see the computer on pieces motherboard here, video card there etc. "What happened?, "What are you doing now? yada, yada.
 
I only get to upgrade my PC every two or three years... :( Usually I just scavenge for more memory when I need it. But my next upgrade will be this spring or summer.
 
movax said:
Just don't have the cash to upgrade the system every year or so to keep playing games. I barely squeaked by with Oblivion on my P4C + X700. Makes me wonder how much guys here on the forum sink into their PC...obviously a lot of them have well-paying jobs/out of college, but still suprised me at how many people could afford to dump twin 7900s and jump straight to 8800(s).
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The funny part is that those people you see with dual card setups only post in the video card forum and have never once posted in the games forums. Makes you kind of wonder how many of them are actually using their computers to play video games and how many are just buying them to show off on the internet.
 
Staples said:
The funny part is that those people you see with dual card setups only post in the video card forum and have never once posted in the games forums. Makes you kind of wonder how many of them are actually using their computers to play video games and how many are just buying them to show off on the internet.
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Hmmm, I have a duel card setup and I post in the gaming forums quite often, games are the reason why I have two cards afterall, spending money to show off on a internet forum is just retarded.
 
Too many cool things coming this year for those with money to burn. Just when we worry about how to afford two $600 dollars video cards, now we have to buy two $200 dollars PSU's.

How about this Antec case ready with two PSU's. Don't need to bother with that wimpy 5.25 bay GPU dedicated PSU. It comes with two PSU's but for the extremist, maybe you also want to buy two of the 1000Watts units.
P190 dual PSU.JPG

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Shiny!!!
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I sometimes think I play games mostly just to have a reason to upgrade my PC hardware.

Play WoW, with their cartoonish graphics, you won't need to upgrade.
 
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