Tired of all the killing...How about you?

[JustKneller]

Has your gaming tastes changed as you've aged? I just tried to have a bash at Pillars of Eternity and am already starting to crash out in the Gilded Vale. Meanwhile, I also recently run through two back-to-back Subnautica runs with zero gaming fatigue. I think I've identified that I am no longer interested in games that use combat as the primary solution in the gameplay loop. I'm fine with incidental combat, not really combat as the main thrust of a game. At least, I think this might be the case. Conversely, I still like Icewind Dale, and I currently have the original Diablo game on my gog wishlist. However, these games could just be there for nostalgia. Part of me is kinda bummed about this. I never did do a full play through of PoE or the Shadowun Series. It may be too late for me at this point. Anyway, I'm curious, has gaming changed on this level for any of you over the years?

 

[WarChiefZeke]

I do have more of a taste in life sim aspects now that I am a bit older. I enjoy a bit of Rune Factory because it has good life sim, farming, and combat elements, all of which I enjoy (but it explictly mentions that nobody dies during combat; they get sent back into the forest)

I definitely enjoy games with an atmosphere like that, much more wholesome, but still having the more exciting game play loops of RPGs. I even play Skyrim VR like this; being a farmer and homesteader more than anything else.

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

I'm old AF, so my gaming preferences changed a long time ago. I used to play action games, or those that required physical dexterity. Scrollers, EA sports titles, old school Resident Evil, etc.. Now I strictly play turn-based games, and atmospheric titles. That's why I got into dice-based CRPGs, civilization, etc.. And combat definitely gets boring now. There's nothing I hate more than trash mobs. I still enjoy good fights, but, as you say, incidental.

 

[O_Bruce]

Hey, have you considered doing some pacifist runs/playthroughs in games your own? That might be a neat new way for you to experience them, given you recent mood. And if that is not an option, I think it's worth to take a look at indie game scene, there's bound to be something you can roll with.

Now that I am thinking about it, even in mainstream you can have a racing and sports games, that doesn't require killing your enemies. We are on a RPG forum though, so I don't really expect for it to go anywhere.

Answering your question, it is only natural for our tastes to shift and change as we age. Myself, I am not fond of first-person shooters for a while. As a kid I used to play platformers a lot, but that's not the case anymore. As for killing enemies and combat in videogames, my general stance shifted a bit. As a kid, in general, I liked the fantasy of being a hero and beating crap out of evil. Nowadays, I see enemies in games as part makes gameplay work. If enemies are not challenging, beating them offer you nothing, not even a satisfaction, then they are pointless. If slaying enemies is way too rewarding, the game loses friciton, balance and becomes too easy.

I also have one unpopular opinion about "trash mobs", and that is that they are welcome to make the game's world lived in, and also to make you do anything other than rushing straight to the goal. Two examples. First, on the world lived in, let's take Baldur's Gate 3. Despite my disposition to the game, I can easily praise it for combat encounter being thought out in a manner similar to what DM might do. Unfortunately, the figurative DM lacks any capability to impovise - there's no random encounters whatsoverer, and because of that, whenever I needed to backtrack somewhere, the world in this allegedly rich RPG game seemed dead and hollow. This is the great segway to the next example: Dark Souls is the game many people play basically as a boss rush, while not engaging with basic enemies and envoirment, which is a shame - the level design in the first game is geniuely good, and later on offers challenges to offset player's eventual overleveling. Running through it all, enemies included, makes entire experience shallow.

 

[JustKneller]

Hey, have you considered doing some pacifist runs/playthroughs in games your own?

I have done that before, especially for stealth games. I've even done (with stealth games, in particular) ghost runs where I would get through the game without even being detected. One of my favorite gaming experiences was an extreme Lytha run of the Thief series which is basically a run where you have to get every bit of loot, can't knock out or harm anyone, and can't even be detected by any enemies.

I also have one unpopular opinion about "trash mobs", and that is that they are welcome to make the game's world lived in, and also to make you do anything other than rushing straight to the goal.

I think that's an interesting point. IWD is mostly a gauntlet of trash mobs with a mere few big battles. But, without all those trash mobs, what would you really do in the game?