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[Games of Today]

I didn't need to hear this. Makes me sick. lol

 

[graywolf323]

Western countries don't do anything to stop kids from getting addicted to mobile phones, dumb social media trends and addictive online games, China does.

The Chinese version of Tiktok was exactly the same as the western version and just as successful except the Chinese government stepped in and forced radical changes on that app. That doesn't make China the bad guy here, that makes us stupid for letting our kids waste away their talents in their most precious years on the dumbest shit.

How China takes extreme measures to keep teens off TikTok

TikTok announced a one-hour daily limit for users under 18, but authorities in China have pushed the domestic version, Douyin, much further.

www.technologyreview.com

China’s internet addiction regulation could hit Big Tech users over time

The new regulation that takes effect next year is not expected to have much short-term impact, but user habits may shift over time.

www.scmp.com

China keeping 1 hour daily limit on kids' online games

HONG KONG (AP) — As the week-long Lunar New Year holidays in China draw near with promises of feasts and red envelopes stuffed with cash, children have another thing to look forward to –- one extra hour of online games each day.

apnews.com

that’s not true, China’s TikTok uses a different algorithm intentionally, it’s not even the same app given the Chinese use Douyin and TikTok as we know it is blocked entirely in China (again intentionally)

edit: found a Redditor who explains the difference pretty well

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Not at all - the first really big GaaS hits were Golf and Kart Rider - and then there was the whole rise of 'Social' gaming a few years later (which didn't die - it's bigger than ever on phones, it just migrated platforms) that happened in the middle before mobiles were even thing. By the time PS4 came about - we've already had DF, XFire and LoL each hitting 5-10M CCUs, and that was just tip of the iceberg. Not to mention Minecraft...
The only thing PS4 gen changed was that some of the traditional publishers finally found success in the market (mainly Activision - but still).

Minecraft was proto-MMO at that time (it was on PC with Java version originally and I think private or custom servers). Don't remember.

And regarding LoL, it was still akin MMO or cybersports at that time - like Warcraft 3 Dota, Starcraft etc. Truly massive monetization moves did not take off until the rise of mobile gaming. Even on PC at that time it was nothing much (of course Korea with their MMO was ahead in that regard).

By Kart Rider exactly game do you mean?

 

[mckmas8808]

I notice the same with my stepson.
All he does is spend his allowance and gifted money on Fortnite and FC.

But tbh, most people I know only play either football and COD, football and Fortnite, or football and Apex Legends.

GaaS is here to stay due to internet, the younger generations especially don't know any better.

That's why I always look at people complaining about GaaS as grumpy old men complaining about how things were better in the past.

Yes, GaaS is here to stay because it makes sense and it's a good thing to have in some games. But being a young kid (say 11 years old), it's kinda bad and disappointing hearing out some of these kids are only playing 2 games over a 3 year period.

When we were younger that wasn't possible. We were forced to play many games and I think it made us into more rounder gamers. Which made the video game industry better overall. What's going to happen to the industry in 20 years? Will it be able to support itself if these kids don't change their behavior?

 

[twilo99]

I understand that.. 90% of single player games are quite boring, I much rather play with or against other humans

 

[deeptech]

I guess just let them do whatever they want, play whatever seems best to them. I have a little brother, and he seems very similar, he doesn't even care about owning a PC for games, he plays FIFA on his phone and that's it. Some of them still surely play stuff like DMC, RE, TLOU or Souls games or whatever and probably love them. Perhaps it's the same as it always was, except now everyone is playing something or other, and ones who enjoy higher quality gaming experiences exist in same relative number as 20 years ago.

 

[aclar00]

Let me guess, you have no kids....



The thing about Spiderman. My kids played Spiderman 1 and than miles Morales but never finished the "second" because it was already to much of the same stuff. They never wanted Spiderman 2 even though I offered them to get a PS5 for Christmas.

Spider-man is more of the same stuff, but playing the same game over an over for years on end isnt? I ask this genuinely as i am not too familiar with Fortnite, Minecraft or Roblox. I just know Roblox to some degree appears similar to Dreams?

Does wearing a red shirt with a smiley face on it add something new when compared to wearing a green shirt with a thumbs-up,l on it? Is it just social online aspect?

I am so far gone from monetizations though. Ive spent maybe $100 total on extra content in the last 15 years, and that was likely all in DLC expansions. Dont even bother with SF6 due to monetization.

 

[aclar00]

I understand that.. 90% of single player games are quite boring, I much rather play with or against other humans

As ive gotten older its become the opposite. Height for me though was SFIV. First online was SOCOM, then played OG Modern Warfare on PS3. After that, MP games just dont really do it for me anymore.

 

[Jaguar Victory]

Yup. They're designed to enslave the kids' mind to an unprecedented level now. It's pretty disgusting... What's worse is when parents do nothing to make their children aware of the psychology of it and keep feeding the digi-slop to them.

The thing you're missing in this is that these kids use these games as a social platform to engage with their friends. They prefer this socialization over single player games. The simple graphics in Minecraft and Roblox allow them to be hyper accessible from many devices so the likelihood of these kids hooking up with IRL friends to play is better. I know, because my 7th grader is like this. Once in a while he'll play an undertale, Naruto, DBZ or something else in the zeitgeist but Roblox and Fortnite are their go-to's.

 

[mdkirby]

I think you're on the wrong forum.

Gaming touches on many aspects of the human experience. Sometimes that means it intersects with sociology, philosophy, psychology or politics. This is one of those instances.

 

[iHaunter]

Current kids are not Gen Z, they are Gen Alpha

I can't keep track.

 

[mdkirby]

Strict parenting in China vs absolute freedom in the US: which country will produce the most engineers that shape the future? We'll find out in 20-30 years - my guess is that the US will lose miserably.

Oh for sure, the US education system from what I read/understand is pretty dire, the uk (where I am), seems a bit better but very flawed still. That said wealthy Chinese families still love to send over their kids for the prestige of a degree from the red brick unis, and they have a fascination with British history and culture.

I expect education to change radically in coming years with ai. Everyone learns differently, but it’s not efficient to teach to the needs of individuals so we teach to the masses, this is fine for some, terrible for others. Ai allowing us to have our own personal tutors will be incredible…again tho china is much better placed to experiment and double down on significant overhauls of institutions like that, so we’ll no doubt fall further behind

On the gaming side, not all of the online games kids get addicted to are entirely bad. Some can have demonstrable value, Minecraft I think is definitely a net benefit, and if they utilise the creation tools, then Roblox would be too.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Depends on the kids. But agreed Roblox is completely gross.

In my family kids love anything on a phone. Including tiktok even if they’re 7. Lol. And they love Roblox on iPad. But they also love Mario Kart and anything Mario on Switch. I always make it pretty clear I’ll only play with them if it’s Mario or something fun and an actual game like that.

Otherwise I’m like “kids what are you watching?” Or “what is that?” Lol and then I shake my head and walk away.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I know it's a video game but can we talk about this part more? At my aunt's usual Christmas dinner, I had my niece and little cousin take photos of damn near everything to put on Snapchat and Instagram. As we were about to have the family dinner, they even told everyone to wait to snap a picture to put on their social media.

As much as I love them both, I wanted to tell them to fuck off and that this is a private family moment and that I had been starving myself since morning because I was looking forward to eating.

Same shit happens in restaurants where I go out with friends and their spouses/girlfriends, and they pull out a fucking phone to snap pics of the meal and post it on social media. GTFO with this shit.

Always seeking attention and validation from strangers. I don't fucking care about what you're having for lunch.

This type of behavior was partially responsible for a huge rift in my marriage and eventual divorce. Me making the decision to disconnect from social media entirely was a massive no-no for her and I wanted to bodyslam her every time she ruined another moment with "staging" it for her Instagram. She started fucking asking waiters to pose with food when we went to a restaurant and asinine stuff like that. I felt like I was living a shitty low-rent reality TV show that felt about as fake as that. Any sort of attempt to talk to her about this was met with her saying I'm trying to control her.

At this point this shit has become acceptable social behavior and it absolutely disgusts me. Narcissism, arrogance and self-indulgence used to be negative things.

PS: I've known junkies and alcoholics more willing to talk openly about their addictions because we all agree and actually know it's bad. This shit is so dystopian to me.

 

[Outlier]

To be fair, why would a kid want to play an anti-social game like Spiderman, when they can play a game designed for kids to get "together" with their peers and do activities with?

Spiderman is a game for teens + who want to experience a story, while doing cool tricks, BY YOURSELF. It's not social.

Kids LOVE socializing!

 

[twilo99]

The thing you're missing in this is that these kids use these games as a social platform to engage with their friends. They prefer this socialization over single player games. The simple graphics in Minecraft and Roblox allow them to be hyper accessible from many devices so the likelihood of these kids hooking up with IRL friends to play is better. I know, because my 7th grader is like this. Once in a while he'll play an undertale, Naruto, DBZ or something else in the zeitgeist but Roblox and Fortnite are their go-to's.

 

[LordCBH]

I really just don’t understand the popularity of stuff like Fortnite. I just don’t get it. I get the gameplay part sure. But spending shit tons of cash on character skins that do nothing for the gameplay itself? Why?

 

[Quantum253]

I really just don’t understand the popularity of stuff like Fortnite. I just don’t get it. I get the gameplay part sure. But spending shit tons of cash on character skins that do nothing for the gameplay itself? Why?

I've asked the question and got a multipart answer:

1) my favorite streamer has that skin and want to be like them.
2) I want the skin to brag to my friends and make them jealous I have it and they don't.
3) I like the look/character/color scheme and wanted to get it since it's the only way to obtain.

It's all psychological manipulation and kids get it full force.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Yes, GaaS is here to stay because it makes sense and it's a good thing to have in some games. But being a young kid (say 11 years old), it's kinda bad and disappointing hearing out some of these kids are only playing 2 games over a 3 year period.

When we were younger that wasn't possible. We were forced to play many games and I think it made us into more rounder gamers. Which made the video game industry better overall. What's going to happen to the industry in 20 years? Will it be able to support itself if these kids don't change their behavior?

Fair point, but I think it'll be fine.
Just look at Spiderman 2, which has become the fastest selling game in Playstation history.

I think singleplayer games will always have a place, but GaaS will be the main method for gaming.
Which makes sense, because singleplayer games can only be replayed so much, if at all.

Personally, singleplayer games are one and done for me.
So GaaS offer me something to play in between major releases and I believe that this will go for the majority of gamers. Even the kids when they grow older.

 

[Drizzlehell]

If that's the kind of thing that they're into these days then fair enough. Let kids have their own childhoods instead of trying to impress on them the things that us geezers loved back in the day.

If it bothers anyone, think of it this way - these are the types of kids who wouldn't give a rat's ass about "our" games even back then, and they'd probably be playing Tibia or some shit like that. Or better yet, they'd be running outside and chasing girls with a shit on a stick, which was way more fun than any video game that I played as a kid.

 

[Jaguar Victory]

I've asked the question and got a multipart answer:

1) my favorite streamer has that skin and want to be like them.
2) I want the skin to brag to my friends and make them jealous I have it and they don't.
3) I like the look/character/color scheme and wanted to get it since it's the only way to obtain.

It's all psychological manipulation and kids get it full force.

The way I look at it is these games are free to play. I don't mind supporting the developers with paid content. If it brings you joy and is worth it for the number of hours you play then why not.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Spider-Teen sucks. That aside, gaming as we know it is all but over. Hope you saved some older systems and physical games, otherwise you yourself are doomed to a life of subscription services.

Emulation is a thing and PC can play most titles with little issue (outside of a few PS exclusives), so why do I need to keep a bunch of old hardware?

 

[Quantum253]

The way I look at it is these games are free to play. I don't mind supporting the developers with paid content. If it brings you joy and is worth it for the number of hours you play then why not.

Games are weird where you can break them into pieces and sell them individually as opposed to the whole experience. I'm sure that's a long-standing argument though for/against DLC/Micro-transactions/etc (paying movies/books by the chapter, etc). I'm old school where you buy a game complete and enjoy until the next one comes out. I'm all for supporting developers and studios when they put time/effort into making something worth purchasing. I don't like piecemeal systems developed to manipulate the user into nickel and diming out of money for digital content that holds no real-world value. If you have to manipulate and disguise content for support, it's a scummy practice and doesn't deserve to be supported. Even in good taste/format, a thousand others will come forth ruining it (Just look how shitty loot boxes and the B.s. around that have become). At least offer the option to buy the game with all the content if that were the case.
However, it's a personal decision and if a rational adult wants to spend their money on it, then who cares? It's kids convincing unsuspecting adults to get money for Vbucks/whatever and a level of expectation. It's the price of content that becomes the issue. If was a few bucks, okay, but when you give $100 just to be thrown away, it becomes a problem for me at least. That's why I stopped giving gaming gift cards and only physical games. When the all-digital future hits, I probably still won't gift gaming cards.

 

[Jaguar Victory]

Games are weird where you can break them into pieces and sell them individually as opposed to the whole experience. I'm sure that's a long-standing argument though for/against DLC/Micro-transactions/etc (paying movies/books by the chapter, etc). I'm old school where you buy a game complete and enjoy until the next one comes out. I'm all for supporting developers and studios when they put time/effort into making something worth purchasing. I don't like piecemeal systems developed to manipulate the user into nickel and diming out of money for digital content that holds no real-world value. If you have to manipulate and disguise content for support, it's a scummy practice and doesn't deserve to be supported. Even in good taste/format, a thousand others will come forth ruining it (Just look how shitty loot boxes and the B.s. around that have become). At least offer the option to buy the game with all the content if that were the case.
However, it's a personal decision and if a rational adult wants to spend their money on it, then who cares? It's kids convincing unsuspecting adults to get money for Vbucks/whatever and a level of expectation. It's the price of content that becomes the issue. If was a few bucks, okay, but when you give $100 just to be thrown away, it becomes a problem for me at least. That's why I stopped giving gaming gift cards and only physical games. When the all-digital future hits, I probably still won't gift gaming cards.

I know where you're coming from - I held the same view for the longest time (I'm 43) - we bought "The Legend of Zelda" for the NES and we played it and beat it and then we shelved it or traded it for a while with a kid in the neighborhood so we could both experience a new game. It took me a while to soften my stance on it and I think what did it was holding myself to the same intellectual standards I hold for other entertainment. My stance was inconsistent. I could go to the arcade and blow $20 like nothing and walk away with nothing. I could go to the movies and spend $30 and walk away with nothing. Then I would play Overwatch for 4 years for $60 and use the MP servers, etc. I softened my stance, as an adult with money, I felt it was logical to support the developers who maintained these servers and moderated (even if poorly) and kept this thing running.

 

[twilo99]

I really just don’t understand the popularity of stuff like Fortnite. I just don’t get it. I get the gameplay part sure. But spending shit tons of cash on character skins that do nothing for the gameplay itself? Why?

It plays into "individualism" ... human nature mostly

 

[Jigsaah]

Gotta teach these kids the value of physical ownership. Those Fortnite skins don't actually exist.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Emulation is a thing and PC can play most titles with little issue (outside of a few PS exclusives), so why do I need to keep a bunch of old hardware?

Some of us don't game on pc, and if the grid goes down when we have a second civil war come November '24 elections, you can't depend on the internet.

 

[Generic]

I really just don’t understand the popularity of stuff like Fortnite. I just don’t get it. I get the gameplay part sure. But spending shit tons of cash on character skins that do nothing for the gameplay itself? Why?

It's simply a great game.

 

[sono]

US equivelant of 7th grade

I am not an American I am curious why you expressed his age that way

 

[kruis]

Gotta teach these kids the value of physical ownership. Those Fortnite skins don't actually exist.

You have to teach 'em the value of money first. That concept will only become real once they start earning money themselves.

 

[Jigsaah]

You have to teach 'em the value of money first. That concept will only become real once they start earning money themselves.

Well...I know back when I was young, my pop would give me odd jobs to do either around the house or out in the neighborhood to earn money for things I wanted. Learning this can start very early...I'm saying like by age 8-10.

 

[mayham2199]

If it isn’t your kid then really fuck games. It’s a shit hobby. Get them into hiking.

I have a great job in IT because of gaming. I make more than I ever thought I would because of it. I will say fuck console gaming for kids. PC gaming? Go ahead and do it and help them build it. Also don't make the PC to powerful purposely hold it back. If it wasn't for my dad getting a PC and me playing games on it I would have never known how much I love working in IT.

iv'e never seen my mates kids without a phone or some sort of tablet in front of their face, and they go spastic if any of the parents tries take it away. says it all

Yes says it all about those parents. My kids get 30 mins a day during the week and 2 hours on the weekends.

My son is 6 and has clocked over 90 hours in Spider-Man 2 since release. He loved Miles morales. He’s played the miles game through 3 times too.

He kind of messes with Fortnite, at least the Lego stuff, enjoys Minecraft, and has also completed both SpongeBob games. He super digs the hello neighbor games but doesn’t get far. I’ve beaten both with him since he’s a scaredy cat lol. We recently tried wobbly life and get some kicks out of that too.

The only way you’ll get a kid to play other games is to… throw money at games, let them try it, and then go from there. Similar to how we would go to blockbuster as kids, and either go balls deep over the weekend or say fuck it till next weekend to try a different game.

Get gamepass or ps plus, then try stuff out with them.

If it isn’t your kid then really fuck games. It’s a shit hobby. Get them into hiking.

Yep my nephew just told me he bought Skyrim and was loving it. When me and my cousin were younger we played all sorts of SP games but now he wont play anything but MP games. People grow and change. So will there gaming habits.

 

[Rac3r]

Nothing wrong with being a casual and only playing big multiplayer games. A lot of people are missing the point here.

The problem is predatory MTX, FOMO, grinding, etc that all these games have implemented. There’s no escaping it anymore.

 

[archangelmorph]

I own a gaming capable PC, PS5 and Series X I'm always looking for the next thing to play.

On Christmas day my nephew(US equivelant of 7th grade) ,who up until now had been playing games on my brothers Xbox account (on a seperate console mind), was given a PS5 unexpectedly.(to share with his younger brother)

I saw the video of the unwrapping, it was packed in with Spider-Man 2! They seemed excited

When I arrived that day I gave him a £50 PS voucher, what wonders will he buy he in the sale I was thinking?

Subsequently I watched him use the card and part of another one to buy £70's worth of Vbucks. then take a snapchat to show off to his friends how many he had. I couldn't even contemplate spending that much in one go on fleeting cosmetic items.

When I asked why he wasn't going to buy any other games, he said "I play Fifa(EAFC) that's on the xbox account, and Fortnite! what else would would I buying?"
The younger brother, then during the older's down time, played some some Roblox "touch football" level.

Even under suggestion, there was no interest in even starting Spider-Man.
The Times They Are A-Changin'

This isn’t a new phenomenon.

The simple fact is your nephew is casual.

There are many who are like this even in my generation.

They’re simply not gamers.

 

[BlackTron]

 

[Lupin25]

This isn’t new. Games like Fortnite, GTAO (RP) & Roblox aren’t just games to kids either now, they’ve become social phenomenons.

Places (Games) to flock to with friends, stay engaged with certain events, to role play, to witness celebs, collect cosmetics/animations, to create their own fun, etc.

 

[Solidus_T]

They've been trained/poisoned with BS to get to this point. Most of these kids would be shocked to know that you can buy a game like Vampire Survivors for less than the price of the smallest order of Fortnite V bucks

 

[kurisu_1974]

Maybe those kids suck and there's also cool kids I don't know.

Happy Xmas!

 

[Ronin_7]

Wait until you work with those kids in the future, based on my experience with Gen Z... Oh boy.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Yup these kids all watch their favorite fortnite and minecraft streamers playing on PC and that’s what they want. My 10 year old nephew asked my brother for a PC.

 

[Tams]

My 8 years old nephew had a fornite birthday cake

Pathetic.

Get him the chad of birthday cakes next time and throw the Fortnite shite out of the window.

 

[Aesius]

My niece just turned 8 and is obsessed with Roblox. It's trash. When I was 8 I was playing through FFVI.

Whoever said that our parents probably looked at our beloved classic games with disgust is correct, but come on. The classic games we grew up with were created by people who aspired to make something impactful, profound, beautiful, and memorable. In addition to being fun to play. The shit that's popular with kids now might as well be created by an AI/algorithm with the sole purpose of extracting as much time/money/attention from kids as possible.

I have two boys, 3 and 1, and I just showed my 3 year old the Genesis Classic. He liked it but it was a bit beyond his abilities right now. I can also already tell that, despite limited time with tablets/phones, he already prefers touch controls over controllers.

 

[jshackles]

Pathetic.

Get him the chad of birthday cakes next time and throw the Fortnite shite out of the window.

Is that a chocolate covered flesh light?

 

[nikos]

I think this is more of a "casual" or "regular" gamer thing than an age thing.

I know people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who stick to the same few games.

Just yesterday somebody, who I've known for decades but don't talk to much, randomly sent a message saying "just find a game and stick to it."

I have my go-to games that I play regularly but I love trying new games in between.

Some people don't even give good free games a chance for whatever reason.

Then you have the people who spend a few grand on building a PC and pretty much only play free games on it. Or people who will play the same game for years and never spend a dime on a battle pass or a skin. That's just being a cheap ass.

 

[Tams]

Is that a chocolate covered flesh light?

U fukin w0t m8?!

 

[mckmas8808]

Fair point, but I think it'll be fine.
Just look at Spiderman 2, which has become the fastest selling game in Playstation history.

I think singleplayer games will always have a place, but GaaS will be the main method for gaming.
Which makes sense, because singleplayer games can only be replayed so much, if at all.

Personally, singleplayer games are one and done for me.
So GaaS offer me something to play in between major releases and I believe that this will go for the majority of gamers. Even the kids when they grow older.

The problem is.....there's only going to be so many good GaaS games for them to play 15 years from now.

 

[bender]

I understand that.. 90% of single player games are quite boring, I much rather play with or against other humans

Humans are boring though.

 

[mckmas8808]

Humans are boring though.

And annoying. Do these same kids lose their mind when they watch their favorite TV shows or movies by themselves? Or do they need their friends to watch it with them while they are FaceTiming each other?

 

[Happosai]

Really surprised me that they wanted a console to begin with. I've noticed most kids don't really play video games anymore and didn't even know Roblox, Minecraft or Fortnite were still a thing. Seems most kids just want tablets or cell phones and parents buy cheapie mobile games. There seems to be zero interest in kids who'd care anything for a video game console of any sort.

I was born during 3rd gen and grew up with 4th gen being the new kid on the block. There were typically come-and-go trends but video games were something everyone would really boast about. Middle school 5th gen was in full swing and that's the first I really noticed graphic wars becoming a thing.

Moral here is that most sales figures for video game consoles are teens or adults purchasing. I wouldn't even invest into buying children game consoles nowadays unless they played one at a friend's house and were really sold on it. Otherwise, you're just buying another console for yourself that you may not want or need.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

He will be beat Spiderman in a few hours of course he’s going to play multiplayer games. As someone who competes at work I play pvp games because I love competition.

I don’t even understand how some of you like Spiderman outside of graphics doesn’t the hame bore you after you complete it.

Hell GOW bored me in an hour…


Is experiencing Spiderman 2 really new?

If your game has an amazing playback loop of course I’m going to want to play that over a single player game that i can beat within a few hours going up against some mindless AI.

I see what you are saying, but with thousands of games out there and many that even play similar to what they are playing, I figure gamers would at least try out something else occasionally to mix things up or see if there is something out there more enjoyable. Then again, it’s their money and time.