Wired article on why we suddenly walk away from games...

[Clay]

Here's an interesting article from Wired:
http://wired.com/news/games/0,2101,69299,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2

The topic is why we tend to binge game on one particular game and then walk away from it without looking back.  It's an interesting read that anybody here will find some truth in.

[Toe]

I don't experience this "suddenly burnt out" syndrome. It's pretty much always a gradual shift, often due to a new game entering the picture that starts taking up some of the previous one's play time.

[Calvin]

I usually get pretty burned out on one game, switch, etc etc.

[gameoverman]

I thought that was a pretty good article.  I find myself feeling that way about gaming in general these days.

Last couple of years I have 'played' 1 game: Max Payne 2('played' being defined as playing the game as designed and finishing it).  

I have played Dungeon Siege II, BF1942(online), Doom 3, Half Life 2, Deus Ex 2, Rise of Nations...in the sense of playing only partially, or playing only mods of the games.

Since last January almost all my game time has been spent tinkering with Garry's Mod(a sandbox tool for HL2), DS II had me for a while but I have stopped playing that.  I hit that point in DS II that the article talks about- I just felt like it wasn't worth it anymore.

Now the only new game that interests me is The Movies and that is ONLY because I can see myself tinkering with using it to make movies.   I have no interest in actually 'playing' The Movies.

I have burned out on gaming once before, got out of it for a couple of years then jumped back in.  It could be that I'm headed for that again.

[Eduardo X]

I don't like the article's comparison to top 40 music. We almost never look back at a game we liked and say "what were we thinking?" There is no Vanilla Ice of the gaming world, thank you very much.

[tcweidner]

single player games I usually go in with a goal, whetherit is to finish the game on normal, win the game playing a certain faction etc, and once that is accomplished I am pretty much done with it.  As for MMORPGs, my true love< Iusually play until I can no longer ignore the glaring problems in game design.  I kinda fear the day someone gets aay from eq templates and does a MMOG right, my god the time I could waste in such a place is frightening.

[mikeg]

Like Calvin said, play til I get bored of it and find another.  I can't see me getting burnt out, but I can see me getting financially unable to continue.  I spend entirely too much on this stuff.  I should invest it all in retirement, but I am weak and stupid.  Not a good combination.  I honestly see me some day just doing my first hobby, reading, because it is very inexpensive and the supply is limitless.   Financial pressure will force me there I think before I am mentally ready to succomb.