Guys how can I care about modern games without needing to play them?

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

Cuz I don't have the hardware to run them and I can't care for stuff made for stuff I can't afford

 

[Stookymalarkey]

I guess you could watch Let's Play videos on YouTube, since it's the only way to engage with games if you can't afford the hardware. The only other option is a game streaming service like Amazon's Luna, which lets you play games through a browser. Not a perfect solution, but at least you don't have to worry about hardware limitations.

 

[MajesticSiN]

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

I guess you could watch Let's Play videos on YouTube, since it's the only way to engage with games if you can't afford the hardware. The only other option is a game streaming service like Amazon's Luna, which lets you play games through a browser. Not a perfect solution, but at least you don't have to worry about hardware limitations.

I don't like spoilers and i'm sure Amazon luna doesnt exist here

 

[Varyag]

you don't?
if you can't engage with them and you don't want to watch them, you're only giving yourself grief by getting into them. either play retro games or indie titles your machine can run.

I've been in a similar situation for years.

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

you don't?
if you can't engage with them and you don't want to watch them, you're only giving yourself grief by getting into them. either play retro games or indie titles your machine can run.

I've been in a similar situation for years.

Yeah but everyone talks about them no matter where I go online

 

[PrismRed]

Don't force yourself to care about them, just like what you like.

 

[Tonberry]

Yeah but everyone talks about them no matter where I go online

Psst...!
I'm gonna let you in on a super secret little place not many people know about.
Check this out *opens giant trench coat to reveal*:

General Retro Gaming

retrogametalk.com

Don't force yourself to care about them, just like what you like.

Also this

 

[Deleted member 914785]

Maybe cloud gaming?

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

Look, I get you're still young and everything, but a big part of growing up is realising that FOMO is complete bullshit and only serves to make you more of a sheep. It's much more rewarding to live life by your own rules and standards, move to the beat of your own drum, so to speak. Basically; don't feel you have to care about these things just because others do. Find the things you GENUINELY like, stick to them and enjoy them on your own terms.

 

[stealthRUSH stealthRUSH]

suggest you play games that interest you the most

 

[Jdan-S]

I was in a similar situation once. In the PS2/Gamecube era, the latest tech I had was a PS1 and a GBA, and our PC wasn't meant for gaming. I made do with what I had and turned to emulation instead, and I had fun.

A good number of games released today are modern remakes/remasters. To name a few:
Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Persona 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Dragon Quest III, Final Fantasy VII (and the Pixel Remasters), Resident Evil 4, and Star Ocean: The Second Story.

You could likely emulate the originals even on relatively low-spec hardware. Nowadays, even Android devices have gotten pretty good with emulation. The originals often won't be the same as the remakes, but the subject matter is mostly the same (characters, plot, etc.). If people who played these modern versions talk about them, you could follow the conversation to a certain extent.

But really, the best advice as others have said is to just do your own thing. Don't pressure yourself to like something just because others do.

 

[RustySK]

I'll absolutely echo that you don't have to give a shit about something that you don't give a shit about.

That said, if you genuinely feel like you have no choice (which I'd say you absolutely do) - videogames are made up of so many moving parts and so many narrative and creative and interactive elements that there's a myriad of ways to approach them that go beyond simply playing them.

Like trying to suss out which audience what game is trying to cater to and why or trying to understand where which creative trends originated and how devs/publishers are trying to follow that trend and whether they're successful at it.
Or tracing the history behind either specific games or genres and design tropes. All modern games are built on the backs of older ones that inspired them - how and why did those influences evolve?
Or taking a closer look at the artwork behind a game's visuals and designs and maybe finding out which artists you like and/or what inspired them. Same for soundtracks and music.
Interests can lead to interests can lead to other interests and other perspectives, other topics and and and.

Or just accept that you don't have to participate in mainstream discourse just because it's loud and in your face.

 

[Scotty Scotty]

I just watch other people play them.

Of course, no one is forcing you to enjoy modern games. Play whatever games you enjoy the most.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin]

have your own ambitions, don't just go along with the popular thing.

Also not exactly related, but even when a new game comes out that I'm interested in releases I end up procrastinating on it for years. It usually goes "wow that game looks cool, but I still haven't played _". Just happened with Romeo is a Dead Man, I like Suda's games but there are a lot of other ones I still haven't played. This one looks very No More Heroes inspired, I really like 1, but I still haven't played 2 or 3, which are both still sitting on my self. By the time I get to Romeo is a Dead Man it'll be like 90% off on steam.

 

[Bakuma1997]

As many stated, simply stick to the ones you have already and stick to gameplay or resume videos when you can't get it

Also be patient and wishlist them, eventually you will nab a nice offer, screw FOMO, add new games WHEN you can, not when it's new, i just got Blashpemous II roughtly 2 years after its release when it got a neat 70% discount, also you will get the game with balance and bug corrections that way

 

[NeonKnights]

I just watch people play them on youtube and then go back to playing PS1/2.

 

[dkpopman]

Its a real predicament to be in. I spent many years way behind on hardware, always wishing to play new releases. I don't really have any good response, It never got better for me until I caught up hardware-wise. Even then, my PC is kind of a turdbox.

I will say, if you enjoy retro stuff, maybe the best idea would be to only engage with retro stuff that you can play. Only other advise I have comes down to "just don't care, be yourself" which isn't very helpful.
If you, as a person, are interested in new games, but can't play them, thats never gonna change most likely.

 

[Xenocloudarius Xenocloudarius]

Simply, don't worry about it.
Remember, any old game you haven't played is a new game.

 

[saturnsh2x2]

Back when I was in high school, I didn't have a PS4 or Xbox One, and mainly stuck to playing games on my 3DS. On one hand, it kinda sucked, because it felt like most of the gaming zeitgeist was focused on games released for those consoles, but on the other hand, I also felt most of the games I was actually interested in were dropping on 3DS anyways, even knowing this is Wii U-era Nintendo we're talking about here. I had a PC, but didn't really use it much, and was already a little dated by the mid-2010s, so I empathize with where you're coming from.

When the Switch dropped, I didn't really have the spare cash to spend on one, and 3DS support was rapidly waning, so I tried to start expanding to PC games with the laptop I got for college, like, AAA-type stuff that people were talking about, like The Witcher 3. I could never quite get into them the way other people seemed to, and for a while, it felt like I was losing touch with video games, or at least the modern industry.

During COVID, though, I found myself spending a lot of time at home, and ended up getting really into Yakuza 0 around this time; it was a revelation, since I didn't think I had it in me to complete a 60-hour game by this point; between that and replaying Sonic 3, it affirmed that yes, I did still care about the medium, and that even if not every tentpole release caught my interest, there would still be stuff out there worth playing. Nowadays, I mainly stick to older games and indies, with a smattering of AAA if they happen to actually catch my interest.

tl;dr definitely go out and look to expand your range in terms of games you're interested in, but don't beat yourself up if you can't get into them, or if the public sees something in them that you don't. I'm assuming you're pretty young; you still have plenty of time to define your own taste.