I recently replayed Fable 2 and it got me thinking about how differently I used to play games when I was younger. Back then, I wasn’t focused on finishing missions or progressing the story. I’d get to a certain point in a game, and then just goof off, exploring or trying weird things until I got bored. Then I’d restart and do it all over again. There are still games I haven’t even finished because of this habit. Now, I find it hard to play like that without getting bored, and it kinda sucks.
Yeah man, hits home. Used to spend hours just messing around in games without even touching the main quest. Now my brain’s like ‘must complete objectives’ and it kinda kills the magic. Wish I could get that childlike wonder back.
@Shane
That’s what made those old Zelda and JRPG games great too. You had to actually read the conversations to figure out what to do.
@Shane
I picked up Skyrim for the first time in years and got stressed by how easily you can get sidetracked.
‘Oh sure, I’ll find that dog for you, that’s on my way and shouldn’t take too long.’
The dog: ‘Are you sure about that?’
@Shane
Right!!! That’s exactly what I’m saying. It hurts to grow up.
Blaire said:
@Shane
Right!!! That’s exactly what I’m saying. It hurts to grow up.
It’s not about growing up, in my opinion. Games have changed. Take the Elder Scrolls series, for example. In Morrowind, you get a basic tutorial and your first quest is just delivering a package. You’re encouraged to explore and do your own thing. No rush. But in Oblivion, they give you a big questline right away and you’re rushed to save the world. And Skyrim? Same thing — you can’t even unlock the main powers without doing the main quest. They put all this urgency into the game, making you feel like you’re ‘doing it wrong’ if you explore or do side quests. I doubt Elder Scrolls 6 will be much different.
@Sai
True, a lot of people complain about games like BOTW because they lack direction. Some players feel lost and don’t enjoy it as much. I think it’s up to the player, but many gamers, especially casual ones, prefer having more direction in a game.
@Sai
I never once in my 500 hours of Skyrim got more than one dragon shout, haha.
@Sai
I’ve put hundreds of hours into Skyrim and never even touched the main quest. I just wander around and do whatever, and it’s great.
@Shane
Baldur’s Gate 3 does that for me.
Looking back, I had way more patience when playing games as a kid. I remember playing Pitfall on the Atari 2600, spending hours on it every day for weeks. I’d die, start over, and just keep going until I eventually beat it. I never really got frustrated or gave up. It was just about having fun and not worrying about finishing or ‘beating’ the game. Same goes for when CRPGs became popular — I never looked up guides or worried about the ‘right’ way to play. I’d just dive in and figure it out on my own.
@Remy
I played it on Colecovision, but I’m sure it’s the same game. I did get frustrated and quit many times, mostly early on. But we only had about 12 games for a whole decade, so I kept coming back to it. Watching my sisters get past parts I couldn’t helped a lot. Eventually, I got better and beat it. Something I never thought I could do!
Check out Outward. It’s a unique game that captures that old-school RPG feel.
West said:
Check out Outward. It’s a unique game that captures that old-school RPG feel.
Sounds interesting. I’ll look into it.
Maybe the side quests you’re doing aren’t as good? Or maybe you just need a different type of side quest.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has great side quests that are just as good as the main story. Even Satisfactory has cool side quests in the form of collectibles that get harder as you progress.
I think we all change over time. How I play now is definitely different from ten years ago.
@Jensen
That’s a good point, maybe I need to try a different type of side quest. I’ll definitely keep that in mind next time.