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Developers, I'm in my 30s, I have a 9-5, I only have time for one living game and its likely not yours

RingRang

RingRang

Alt account banned
Banned
Oct 2, 2019
2,442
Living games? Pfft

If your game is more than 20 hours long chances are very high I'm not even considering buying it, and I don't even have kids. I just have other shit to do and other hobbies. I have little interest in games that want to take over my life, and very few games justify being that long.
 
Rodney McKay

Rodney McKay

Member
Oct 26, 2017
12,189
I also don't have much time for games these days, especially GaaS games.

Thankfully very few of them that have appealed to me yet. Destiny, most Ubisoft games, Anthem, Warframe, etc. none managed to grab me

I did want to get into Assassin's Creed Origins, but it just felt so gigantic I didn't want to spend all my time in just one game, and Odyssey is even more huge.
 
Sterok

Sterok

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,083
Live service games that aren't good or at least lack some sort of hook will fail, just like any other product that becomes popular with plenty of options. Competition might make things harder, but that means developers will have to work harder to make an appealing game that enough customers will continually pay for. Nothing new really except that the number of successes might be a bit lower than earlier, but live service AAA games are releasing less frequently, so it all works out in that space.
 
Armaros

Armaros

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,901
Jonneh said:
I get ya, it can even be tough to balance when it's your job. Unfortunately this guy is quite often the target audience
51639815-cool-kid-holding-a-skateboard-and-pointing-on-a-blank-panel-with-his-hand-isolated-on-white-backgrou.jpg
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Except they are all playing Fortnite. and only Fortnite.
 
StrappingYoungLance

StrappingYoungLance

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,390
Melbourne, Australia
Hell, even with loads of free time I really only want to be playing one of these games and I've already made my choice. It doesn't seem like having everyone chasing that audience is super sustainable.

I don't really understand why some people are responding like they've been personally insulted.
 
demondance

demondance

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,808
TheInfinityGauntlet said:
You're not the main demographic anymore, it sucks but it's true
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Who is the main demographic? NEETs?

I barely had time to play Regulsr SP or MP games alongside even one MMO or PSO/Diablo type game when I was young. Nobody has time for more than one game built intentionally to consume hours of your week by itself for a year or more at a time.

I think the OP *is* the demographic for these games. Someone with disposable income willing to grind the same game for months at a time, even if it's the only game they play at all.

The problem is that every new service game needs to try to get this guy to quit the one he's already on, unless they can crack into a new audience somehow.

Under-discussed fact of life for GaaS games: new successful ones either settle for smaller but consistent numbers under a singular giant, or more often they stumble into new market conditions.

Destiny blew up because of an audience unfamiliar with WoW's rhythms (not to mention WoW's natural decline). Mobile gaming was a whole new medium with a new audience. Without a blank slate market reset it seems incredibly difficult to chisel out a large enough niche.
 
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Surakian

Surakian

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
10,822
I get where you are coming from, but these games are all aiming for different sorts of people. Don't play GaaS games and stick to single-player experiences.

They are typically the better choice anyways because you go into it knowing how much time you have to devote to it and also know that the game will be the same when you pick it up after a few weeks of being busy.
 
Spedfrom

Spedfrom

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,132
I'm in the same position. And that's why these days I like the Uncharted 4 type of games even more. Cinematic, fun gameplay, a good story, around 20 hours to complete, more or less. These are perfect. It's another reason Naughty Dog is doing so well, they sell to different demographics because they tell compelling stories with satisfying gameplay that last a good amount of time but without overstaying their welcome.
 

Deleted member 426

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,273
I agree with OP and I actually think we're going to see a push back against Live elements in games where they don't really fit, because the time investment isn't worth the return companies get. In fact that's probably happening already.
 
Elven_Star

Elven_Star

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,958
In the end, it all boils down to money. Developers aren't here to solve our problems or fill our time with the most fulfilling content. They are here to make money same as everyone else with their jobs. If it stops selling they will stop making it. It's quite simple really.
 
steejee

steejee

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,605
This applies to most every medium -

I ended up cancelling my Economist subscription because as informative a read it was, the density of it meant that to keep up I didn't have much time for other books (Economist runs like 80 pages of solid text a week, and very info dense). Well, that and giving a platform to Ben Shapiro, even if just for one podcast...

For gaming I've all but cut out anything resembling GaaS. My go to is SP games that have a pretty clear end that let me shelve the game and move on.

A decade+ ago (holy shit) when I was playing WoW it ate up most of my gaming hours, with few other games getting much of a look.
 
Fairxchange

Fairxchange

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,382
Will be 30 next year, also have a career. Tried getting back into Destiny. Yeah, that's not gonna fly anymore unfortunately. These games are basically full time jobs.
 

aerozombie

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,075
tommyv2 said:
A person that's 39 is a millennial? That's absurd.

I work at a tech company with 400+ employees and the gulf between someone that's 30 and someone that's 39 is basically an entire eon of social differences.
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Boomers were born 1945-1965, essentially they are those part of the post-WW2 birth increase. Your 30-39 year old issue is the Gen X - millennial cutoff
 

NuclearCake

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,867
Even if i won the lottery and didn't have to work a single day in my life and just generally had zero responsibilities. I would still not have anywhere near the amount of time that i would need in order to play most of the worthwhile stuff that is out there. So don't stress it pick a game that you want to play and take your time. No need to play everything.
 

Harlequin

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,614
They don't care. They only need a relatively small number of "whales" to stick around to make it worth their while.
 
Mr.Deadshot

Mr.Deadshot

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,285
Just don't play them. Or beat them once (story) and fuck Endgame. That's what I do. Endgame grind is a waste of time in most cases for me.
 

RoastBeeph

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,027
Wtf is a living game? Would something like injustice 2, which can be a daily time sink, be considered a living game?
 

Deleted member 56752

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
May 15, 2019
8,699
It took me one full week and a LOT of effort to beat the outer worlds. A small indie title like AFTERPARTY is taking me like 4-5 days now and still going. Please no more living games
 

Bundy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
20,931
Spedfrom said:
I'm in the same position. And that's why these days I like the Uncharted 4 type of games even more. Cinematic, fun gameplay, a good story, around 20 hours to complete, more or less. These are perfect. It's another reason Naughty Dog is doing so well, they sell to different demographics because they tell compelling stories with satisfying gameplay that last a good amount of time but without overstaying their welcome.
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Same here. That's why I love Sony's story-based singleplayer games. I can play the games whenever I want, without having to wait until my buddies are ready / have time (multiplayer games) etc.
Keep making them, Sony. I'll buy them.
 
80s Old School

80s Old School

Banned
Oct 28, 2019
442
Hmm I don't get the point of making this declaration. Do devs make business decisions based off Era posts? Era doesn't even line up with the mainstream market. Following preferences from here would loose you money. So is this is about telling the forum again how much an individual doesn't like the trend of Gaas? Ok continue to yell at clouds then. Op this thread was not well thought out.
 

IamFlying

Alt Account
Banned
Apr 6, 2019
765
Just read era, every game will be drawn to the mud here, and DigitalFoundry will do the rest with nitpicking on minor technical details (you will see once or twice through the game). After that you automatically lose interest in gaming.

Or get a Switch, it really helps grown man and woman to play a little more.
 
berlin_420

berlin_420

Member
Jun 6, 2018
58
We have a situation where monetization highly influences game design, since every publisher is trying to get the most of your available free time.
It feels a bit like the movie industry. Especially with all those different game stores having exclusive content and Netflix having a higher focus on series than on movies.
 
Shatty McKracken

Shatty McKracken

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,946
I really don't want to pile on to what maybe 75 other people have said in this thread...but these games aren't for you anymore or catered to someone with your lifestyle.

And that's ok.

I love MMORPGs. My all-time favorite genre. I started with Everquest around 1999 and then moved onto World of Warcraft in 2004 and played it for 6 years. I spent YEARS of my life playing these types of games.

I can no longer do that. I don't have the kind of time you need to commit to play these games at a high level. Both in physical time commitment to play the actual game at that level and the time you need to put in fostering the relationships that are necessary to help you play at a high level.

I moved on to a different stage of my life now. I'm in my mid 40s with children and I've recognized that I can no longer play those kind of games. Its ok. There are dozens of other genres and thousands of other games out there. Take a look and you'll find something else you might like.
 
AllChan7

AllChan7

Tries to be a positive role model
Member
Apr 30, 2019
3,670
The only live service game I think I'd ever invest into is MHW. But other than that, I just stick to single player focused AAA or AA games and that has consistently paid off for me
 
DrScissorsMD

DrScissorsMD

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Jan 19, 2019
564
I mean, just don't play them OP. I don't really get what your complaining about, there are still plenty of "standard" "non-living" games to play. Is complaining about live service games the new "only multiplayer games are being made, where are all the single player games?!" I don't complain about JRPG devs for not catering to my tastes, cause they're just not made for me.
 
Wrexis

Wrexis

Member
Nov 4, 2017
21,230
You will never have as much time as you had in your teens and 20s to play games again. Deal with it and find new games to play.
I'm 36, trust me I know.
 
Watchtower

Watchtower

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,640
The funny thing is this exact mentality is why I actually don't mind GaaS titles all too much.

Because $60 is $60, and if I'm gonna drop $60 I want it to last. I don't wanna buy a game, slap through it in like a week or two, then just jump back in the market and find something else to throw money at, because I just don't...do that. And a service game is by design meant to be long-lasting, assuming it isn't made like total garbage.

And part of it is me being a massive cheapskate who skirts around F2Ps and services like PS+ and Game Pass, and part of it is me just not being as all-in on "completing games now" as an enthusiast forums like y'all is, and part of it is me just wanting to jump in on a weekend and chill for a bit.

So.....yeah, I guess.

/flame-shield
 
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