Tobold's Blog
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
 
Curing a gaming slump

Keen from KeenandGraev.com is in a gaming slump, not enjoying any games at the moment. He wonders whether that is because he read too much about Warhammer Online and can't enjoy the current games because he is looking forward to the next big thing. That would be bad, because it'll still be a year before WAR comes out. So how do you cure a gaming slump?

I noticed that trying to play something completely different isn't much of a help. Chances are that if you don't feel any enjoyment from the MMO games you are usually playing, changing to console games or other genres of PC games won't help much. Only if you happen to get hold of something new you were really looking forward to it might break the slump, but as I said, if you are waiting for WAR, don't hold your breath, it will take too long.

I think the only thing that really works is taking a break from gaming. I'm feeling a bit in a slump myself, but hey, just 4 more days until I leave for a 3-week holiday without computer. That should cure it! Nevertheless the thought of 3 weeks without games, and the weather forecast predicting rain, makes me a bit nervous. Being terribly bored for 3 weeks will cure your gaming slump, but the cure is worse than the disease. So I packed my PSP and all the games I have for it, and will test the suitability of the PSP as a holiday emergency gaming device.

That is insofar a good idea that I didn't yet play my money's worth out of my PSP. You simply don't play with a handheld gaming console if you are at home with three PCs and two video game consoles, even if those aren't "next generation" yet. But for a rainy holiday the PSP should be perfect. I have Puzzle Quest, both Metal Gear Acids, Everybody's Golf, Field Commander, Lego Star Wars Original, Sid Meier's Pirates, Tales of Eternia, and Worms: Open Warfare. Not that I plan to play all day, I'd rather get a lot of sun and fresh air. But if rain should keep me indoors, I have the Lord of Rings trilogy to read, and the PSP to play, so I'm covered. It'll be a mix of not playing at all and playing something completely different. And I fully expect to be out of the gaming slump by August when I am back.
Comments:
Warhammer Online a year away?

Yeah, probably. I never thought for a minute that a late 2007 release was even a remote possibility, and I chuckled at those that hoped otherwise.

It would surprise me to see WHO pushed back to Q4 2008, in fact, though the fan boys would howl with frustration.

The safest guess is that Warhammer Online will go live sometime between Spring 2008 and Summer 2008.

That's pretty vague, however, so let me pin it down.

May 2008
 
Ack, I mean it wouldn't surprise me to see WHO pushed back to Q4 2008.

Edit please )
 
Slump! Why I have too much to play!

I definately looking forward to WAR, but despite really liking what I see, I'm not getting my hopes up that it will be the BEST mmog ever and perfect. It won't be, and it is bound to have elements of MMOG I hate ;)
 
Total slump here. I'm subscribed to lotro, but just not hooked like I was with WoW after it came out. I've been playing a lot of demo's lately, but nothing that stuck. Maybe it's just summer and my body wants to be outside and not in front of a computer all day. I'm kind of looking forward to Tarr Chronicles; I've been looking for a good space sim. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sim/tarrchronicles/index.html?tag=result;title;0
 
Maybe Tobold has already written about this in the past, but if WoW was your first mmorpg, then just accept the fact that no future mmorpg will ever be as fun as the first month you played WoW.

Ever
 
If your only platform is PC, I do think there is a kind of slump. Both MMO and stand-alone.

I bought Loki just out of an attempt to fill the time and it ain't great. I'm losing interest in LOTRo and am leveling an alt on WoW just in lieu of anything better to do.

In some sense WoW left big shoes to fill, and it's not filling it itself anymore.

Hellgate London is the only real promise on the horizon for a summer release, but who knows maybe there are surprises.
 
If you follow these games long enough, you develop a kind of mmorpg sixth sense, and my mmorpg sixth sense tells me that tabula rasa and age of conan won't have legs.
 
As a veteran in MMO's I would suggest to never hold or put too much expectation for a yet to be released game. You never know when (and if) it will ever be released. And if is released you never know how really is. On paper they are all interesting but then you need to see them to check if every piece fit properly making the difference between a normal game and a great one.

Spending too much time reading and dissecting every bit of information (official, leaked or just rumor) is just a waste (for me). Better keep feets on floor and just keep an eye to what you are interested in. And be ready to jump on the train. But don't expect too much. Doing so, if the game won't get released or reveals to be a bad game... you won't fall from to much high and won't get hurt (metaphorically speacking). At same time if the game is a great one, you'll enjoy it even more.

Having told that.... I'm really eager to see WAR myself too. But I refrain myself from reading everything about it. For now I just give a look at EA Mythic newsletter and watch their funny (and interesting) video podcast. That's it
 
I've played games too long to expect that the demo and the actual game are going to be one and the same thing. Too often the demo is more fun than the game.

I currently have about 2 PC games and 3 console games sitting on my shelf unopened.
I dislike having to learn games, so starting a new one is always a bit of an effort.

I have never bought a hand-held games machine and I never will. I like to think I am not totally addicted to games. When I'm on holiday I like to go back to reading books, or do things with my other half.
I suffer from games withdrawal for a couple of days, but I think it is useful to get away from them now and again.
 
I've been using a my Nintendo DS a lot recently in particular playing Hotel Dusk which is great. Other than that I've been considering trying out the multitude of free MMORPGs that have been popping up. Maybe you could try one of those each week and give us a review ?
 
Whenever i fall into a gaming slump, i always end up playing Transport Tycoon Deluxe. So simple to get the hang of, but gets very challenging once your network starts to grow. The TTDPatch by Josef Drexler has been amazing at keeping the game and its dedicated community alive to this very day, as has the more recent OpenTTD project.

Great game and runs on anything. I used to have it on a thumb drive so i could play it when i was at TAFE :D
 
If I'm ever in a slump, I log onto battle.net and play some DoTA from WC3 TFT. Its a great time waste.

I agree with the few posts above about getting over-hyped for an upcoming MMO. They all sounds amazing coming from the devs, and when released....
 
LocoRoco is a must on the PSP if you get stuck indoors! :)
 
Hey Mr DoTA fan, here is a song for you. heh. http://youtube.com/watch?v=0OzWIFX8M-Y

check out boten anna as well, the words crack me up. decent tune, but the guy must be a gee^H^Hamer as well.
 
I was watching a video for the Ghost Rider game and realized that there is a serious me too malaise affecting game development.

There literally is very little 'new' going on.

Thus, I've recognized I'm in a slump too, but it's not because I'm waiting for something in particular, it's because I'm waiting for something new and engaging.
 
I haven't been in a slump since I stopped playing MMOs. But I suppose I see the point that if that's the type of game you want to play, you may find yourself in trouble between games!
 
I'd say, aside from not playing for a while, a possibly good cure would be to go back and play an old game that you love. Like sometimes when I get bored with WoW, I'll go play Warcraft III, or Starcraft, or Counterstrike.
 
I am deciding on buying a PS3. I want to have Playstation 2 games on it as well. Can someone tell me what PS3 supports PS2 gaming?
 
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