I've forgotten how to play games on my own

[Twenty9Twelve 33]

For the last 8 months I've been playing with a group of friends on the PS3. 3 or 4 nights a week, casually jumping on FIFA or Battlefield or GTA or whatever took our fancy. That has been pretty much all of what I have done in gaming the last 8 months. But then about a month ago, all my friends jumped onto next-gen and bought PS4s (co-inciding with Destiny and FIFA 15's releases), but I haven't had the money to get mine yet. I figured it wouldn't bother me that much, I'll wait a couple of months and save up the money, I already had loads of games to play that I never got round to playing properly because I've been too busy playing with my group. But I've noticed something, and I think it's finally dawned on me.

 

I've forgotten how to play games on my own.

 

So I'm looking at my games library now and there are 11 games with single player modes that I haven't finished (that's not including what I've got on my hard drive). I figured I'd be happy to just go back to them and finish them off, maybe restart if it's been too long and I can't remember things. But for the last 2 weeks my gaming pattern has essentially been "I really want to play that game" *plays for half an hour* "meh, maybe I'll do something else for a bit, I'm kind of bored" rinse, repeat.

 

I used to be happy playing single player, as a gamer I have always defined myself as a single player guy. Yea, co-op is fun, but nothing beats playing through a great single player experience. Only now it's like I can't even bring myself to sit down and play a game for an hour without getting bored and switching my console off. And it doesn't matter what game it is, I've got South Park: Stick of Truth sat on my shelf, I can't even bring myself to put the disk in because every time I look at it I just go "meh, not today".

 

In a month or 2, I'll probably have the money there to have a PS4 and I'll be able to rejoin my friends, but I'm kind of worried. There's some really big single player games coming (Dragon Age: Inquisition and Batman: Arkham Knight in particular), games I've been waiting for and wanting for years. Something tells me thought, when I have those games they're going to end up sat there on the same shelf as the rest, gathering dust while I go have a FIFA night.

 

I'm curious to see if anyone else has had similar experiences.

[Apex Spartan 2,017]

I don't know, I've never had issues. I can balance myself since I play lots of MP and SP and I just play what I feel like. I'm not always in the mood to play with someone, sometimes when I'm just feeling tired or feel like going through an epic experience alone, I go play singleplayer. When I'm feeling bored and feel like having fun with someone, I go play multiplayer. Or when I just want to master or become good at one MP game, I focus on it, meet people and play with them and I play SP again when I feel like it.

 

I just play depending on my mood. But what you are going through is quiet interesting lol, never heard of anyone have such experiences. 

 

#gamingproblems

[Puntosmx 304]

I've had that feeling when leaving Clans on World of Tanks. Suddenly, there's an empty feelung where the clan mindless chatter used to be.

It's never been to hard for me to stop playing, but onr misses the companionship.

[Recoveryanonymous 336]

I know that feeling all too well. I was in a group and we played Halo (didn't matter which one) almost religiously for two years. Things will be back to normal once the MC Collection comes out though; we're all just split between platforms right now.

[Apex Spartan 2,017]

Someone who has spend 2 years with a gaming group playing Battlefield 3 almost every day for 2 years, you kind of form connections with people that way. You love the same things, you spend time together playing the game you love. Once I quit, due to some personal issues I had plus things were falling apart due to some incompetent leaders that came later, I left. Took me a few weeks to get back to normal as well though. I mean one night I played a singleplayer game and at one point I knew that few weeks ago on the same day and same time, I was playing with those guys and laughing over some random crap we always used to talk about.

 

And when you split up with certain people that you like like that, it can take time to get used to it but I went over it. I'm still in contact with some of those people but everyone plays different games and platforms now but we all miss the times. However, you just get over it, at least I did by playing some games or getting into other games with some other friends and meeting more people like that. 

As Punto said already, sometimes you just miss the companionship. 

[mrfool 206]

Ever considered taking up a MOBA? I hear you can make new friends that way...

 

 

...Said no one ever.

 

In all seriousness, do you still want to play Single Player games? If not, it's not really a bad thing. Do what you enjoy, no point playing a game or type of game you don't enjoy anymore.

[Glaice 415]

I tend to have the opposite effect as I do more SP than MP but I don't entirely suck at it.

[Ghaleon 455]

Perhaps you are trying to play single player games when you feel like playing with your friends...I mean deep down what you really desire at that moment is your friends, and you just associate that feeling with games, so you think it's logical to try playing a game, but since that's not what you really want you aren't satisfied. Try playing them when you don't think you particularly feel like playing games, but don't really have anything else you need to do at the time.

[MrMadakey 93]

For the last 8 months I've been playing with a group of friends on the PS3. 3 or 4 nights a week, casually jumping on FIFA or Battlefield or GTA or whatever took our fancy. That has been pretty much all of what I have done in gaming the last 8 months. But then about a month ago, all my friends jumped onto next-gen and bought PS4s (co-inciding with Destiny and FIFA 15's releases), but I haven't had the money to get mine yet. I figured it wouldn't bother me that much, I'll wait a couple of months and save up the money, I already had loads of games to play that I never got round to playing properly because I've been too busy playing with my group. But I've noticed something, and I think it's finally dawned on me.

 

I've forgotten how to play games on my own.

 

So I'm looking at my games library now and there are 11 games with single player modes that I haven't finished (that's not including what I've got on my hard drive). I figured I'd be happy to just go back to them and finish them off, maybe restart if it's been too long and I can't remember things. But for the last 2 weeks my gaming pattern has essentially been "I really want to play that game" *plays for half an hour* "meh, maybe I'll do something else for a bit, I'm kind of bored" rinse, repeat.

 

I used to be happy playing single player, as a gamer I have always defined myself as a single player guy. Yea, co-op is fun, but nothing beats playing through a great single player experience. Only now it's like I can't even bring myself to sit down and play a game for an hour without getting bored and switching my console off. And it doesn't matter what game it is, I've got South Park: Stick of Truth sat on my shelf, I can't even bring myself to put the disk in because every time I look at it I just go "meh, not today".

 

In a month or 2, I'll probably have the money there to have a PS4 and I'll be able to rejoin my friends, but I'm kind of worried. There's some really big single player games coming (Dragon Age: Inquisition and Batman: Arkham Knight in particular), games I've been waiting for and wanting for years. Something tells me thought, when I have those games they're going to end up sat there on the same shelf as the rest, gathering dust while I go have a FIFA night.

 

I'm curious to see if anyone else has had similar experiences.

Previously I posted in a post claiming about "Gamers block"

This is a form of gamers block my man and is another reason I am suffering from it. I get bored of single player quite easily now to the point that I actually went looking for a server for minecraft yesterday because of how bored I have become.

Too much multiplayer has made singleplayer slightly dumbed down for me. AI doesn't react the same and usually have patterns about 90% of story at the moment just reminds me of an interactive film. I want a game not a film lol. On multiplayer all of this is handled aswell as playing with your friends.. Why wouldn't I play MP.

Due to doing this though I now can not stand how easy single player and how dumbed down it can be xD

[Ghaleon 455]

There are plenty of difficult single player games though. In fact just last night i popped in my mushihimesama-futari again and its been so long i couldnt even beat normal without continues, and im no scrub.

[fridgeracer 381]

stick of truth lets you do abortions, and you can play as a Jew. you should really play that game. i'm just like you. you just seem burnt out from single player gaming, like i am. but still, with this feeling, that i also have, stick of truth held me for many hours this year and it's the best game i have played this year. really really... play it. just put the disc in, sit down and play it. don't think meh... just force yourself. guaranteed within 10 mins you will be hooked.

 

aside from that, like i said, this looks like a feeling of burnout from gaming. different people have different ways of overcoming it. for me personally... although i dont have the money to try it yet, i believe if i played game genres and  / or a console besides the PC that i have NEVER played before, the experience would be completely new to me and therefore appealing.

 

currently, i dont like the idea of playing any game genre or game that is similar to games i have played so many times before. i am past the point where i dont mind an FPS so long as the story is good... im going to hate it anyway because it's an FPS AGAIN... ive played so many... no story is going to convince me to sit through another game where i run around shooting things with a gun.

 

for me i need something completely different. for you, it might be a different answer. experiment and see what happens. but again i do recommend you start with forcing yourself onto that south park game, it's SERIOUSLY good fun!

[MrMadakey 93]

stick of truth lets you do abortions, and you can play as a Jew. you should really play that game. i'm just like you. you just seem burnt out from single player gaming, like i am. but still, with this feeling, that i also have, stick of truth held me for many hours this year and it's the best game i have played this year. really really... play it. just put the disc in, sit down and play it. don't think meh... just force yourself. guaranteed within 10 mins you will be hooked.

 

aside from that, like i said, this looks like a feeling of burnout from gaming. different people have different ways of overcoming it. for me personally... although i dont have the money to try it yet, i believe if i played game genres and  / or a console besides the PC that i have NEVER played before, the experience would be completely new to me and therefore appealing.

 

currently, i dont like the idea of playing any game genre or game that is similar to games i have played so many times before. i am past the point where i dont mind an FPS so long as the story is good... im going to hate it anyway because it's an FPS AGAIN... ive played so many... no story is going to convince me to sit through another game where i run around shooting things with a gun.

 

for me i need something completely different. for you, it might be a different answer. experiment and see what happens. but again i do recommend you start with forcing yourself onto that south park game, it's SERIOUSLY good fun!

I will agree with this. The stick of truth was probably my favorite game this year...

[Twenty9Twelve 33]

Thanks for the response guys. I think all of you are right in a way. I'm on a bit of a burnout.

I had a thought today after posting this and reading a few of the responses. Maybe the reason I can't motivate myself to play these games is that they're all games iv played that I'm going back to. So immediately it's like "should I restart? That's going to be boring. I can't remember how to play this or where I'm supposed to go. Ugh, effort." So I went out and bought myself 3 games iv never played before which everyone tells me are awesome. Darksiders, Sleeping Dogs and Spec Ops The Line

[SirSeaBiscuit 172]

I balance MP and SP games pretty well. But these days I don't have time to play games at all, so if I do it's probably MP with some friends for an hour.

[AveragePegasus 175]

Thanks for the response guys. I think all of you are right in a way. I'm on a bit of a burnout.

I had a thought today after posting this and reading a few of the responses. Maybe the reason I can't motivate myself to play these games is that they're all games iv played that I'm going back to. So immediately it's like "should I restart? That's going to be boring. I can't remember how to play this or where I'm supposed to go. Ugh, effort." So I went out and bought myself 3 games iv never played before which everyone tells me are awesome. Darksiders, Sleeping Dogs and Spec Ops The Line

I have play spec ops if you didnt get the story spoil you will love it

[Beatmaster A.C. 378]

just watch this video. It's like a a healing potion for your hobby, that pumps you with "videogame Adrenalin" while you getting goosebumps before you will shed a tear at the end.