this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
396 points (98.8% liked)

Games

38929 readers
1011 users here now

Welcome to the largest gaming community on Lemmy! Discussion for all kinds of games. Video games, tabletop games, card games etc.

Rules

1. Submissions have to be related to games

Video games, tabletop, or otherwise. Posts not related to games will be deleted.

This community is focused on games, of all kinds. Any news item or discussion should be related to gaming in some way.

2. No bigotry or harassment, be civil

No bigotry, hardline stance. Try not to get too heated when entering into a discussion or debate.

We are here to talk and discuss about one of our passions, not fight or be exposed to hate. Posts or responses that are hateful will be deleted to keep the atmosphere good. If repeatedly violated, not only will the comment be deleted but a ban will be handed out as well. We judge each case individually.

3. No excessive self-promotion

Try to keep it to 10% self-promotion / 90% other stuff in your post history.

This is to prevent people from posting for the sole purpose of promoting their own website or social media account.

4. Stay on-topic; no memes, funny videos, giveaways, reposts, or low-effort posts

This community is mostly for discussion and news. Remember to search for the thing you're submitting before posting to see if it's already been posted.

We want to keep the quality of posts high. Therefore, memes, funny videos, low-effort posts and reposts are not allowed. We prohibit giveaways because we cannot be sure that the person holding the giveaway will actually do what they promise.

5. Mark Spoilers and NSFW

Make sure to mark your stuff or it may be removed.

No one wants to be spoiled. Therefore, always mark spoilers. Similarly mark NSFW, in case anyone is browsing in a public space or at work.

6. No linking to piracy

Don't share it here, there are other places to find it. Discussion of piracy is fine.

We don't want us moderators or the admins of lemmy.world to get in trouble for linking to piracy. Therefore, any link to piracy will be removed. Discussion of it is of course allowed.

Authorized Regular Threads

Related communities

PM a mod to add your own

Video games

Generic

Help and suggestions

By platform

By type

By games

Language specific

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 130 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

The amount of options isn’t the issue.

For most 25-40€ games I buy, i can get a great experience for the next 30-50 hours.

Indie games absolutely crush the statistics, where some sub-15€ roguelikes have such insane replayability, that i’ve clocked over a thousand hours into a couple. Not to mention how incredibly creative, unique, and story rich some of them are.

Meanwhile, what used to be 60€, and is now 80€+, is some “cinematic” 20fps on console slop, that you can barely get 5 hours of real gameplay out of. I don’t wanna sit there and watch a movie with an occasional A button press. Or even worse, play something like the Assassins Creed reboot, that had 500 hours of gameplay, 490 of which is just useless collectibles around the map.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

Measuring games by hours has become an increasing less useful metric to me because I already have my grinding games that I can endlessly replay. When buying new games, I'd rather get something I'll really enjoy for a short playthrough than a long epic JRPG I can't bring myself to actually set aside time for - even though I do really love JRPGs.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 4 weeks ago (10 children)

Check out Expedition 33. It feels like a love letter to jrpg but without the time commitment.

load more comments (10 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 weeks ago

I feel like play time per money spent mattered when most people were buying offline games at full price but to me it hasn’t been relevant for a long time. I might pay full price for a game that is incredible for 5-10 hours but a game that is mediocre for 100 hours I wouldn’t even play for free.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 weeks ago (17 children)

Would be interested to know what games you have >500 hours in. Especially if they aren't multi-player online games.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (5 children)
  • Oxygen Not Included

  • Caves of Qud

  • Fallout 4. A lot of this is going to be due to mods.

  • Wargame: Red Dragon. Intended to be played multiplayer; I played it single-player. Steel Division II is a far better single-player choice if you don't mind the different setting, as the AI is much more interesting.

  • Skyrim. A lot of this is going to be due to mods.

  • Rimworld

  • Civilization V

  • Fallout 76, the only entry here I actually play multiplayer (and even that to a minimal degree; that game tends to have players having pretty minimal interaction with each other unless they're actually trying to play with each other). I would recommend playing Fallout 4 over Fallout 76 unless you specifically want multiplayer; Fallout 76 is just the closest thing to "more Fallout" short of a Fallout 5.

Not run through Steam, so no Steam stats (though available on Steam) but I'm sure that they're way up there:

  • Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. Free and open-source, though there's a commercial build on Steam if you want to effectively donate. If not, can download from their project page.

  • Dwarf Fortress. Free, though there's a commercial build on Steam with a fancier, more-approachable UI and such.

  • Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup, though that's going back a few years. Free and open-source.

Some others with a fair bit of playtime:

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 weeks ago

RimWorld ...

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Minecraft, slay the spire, civilisation, atomicrops.

Balatro could have been a contender but I lost interest suddenly and unexpectedly.

spoilerTetris the daddy

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (2 children)

Stellaris, civ v, oxygen not included, city skylines, x3/rebirth/4, workers and resources: soviet republic, kerbal space program, rimworld, crusader kings 2 and 3.

Basically anything civilization/city/base/colony builder is my jam and some of them have over 2000 hours over the years. I like building perfect societies and roleplay how people live in them in my head while i do it. It's one of the ways i relax and express creativity.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (13 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

It kills me the the Jedi games, TLoU2, GoW games, they're fun but they're what, max 30 hours to beat? And they're trying to up the price to 80?

Red dead 2 deserves 80. Cyberpunk in its current state could deserve 80. Both are around 100-120 hour games and I've replayed them multiple times. 30 hour games by proportion deserve a quarter of the price.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Never will understand people equating monetary value with how long they spend time with a game. Quality /= quantity or else Ubisoft and gacha games would be the best games of all time.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 76 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

But it still spooked Wall Street, as parent company Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s shares plummeted as much as 10% following the news.

I think our economy might be predicated entirely on stupid.

Also, $80 is a lot when typical people's buying power is decreasing. I think like half of americans can't tank a $500 surprise bill, and they want people to blow nearly 20% of that on a video game? Fuck off, capitalists.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

We (the gaming community) say this every time, but microtransactions and lootboxes have spread like viruses because gamers are buying them.

I hate predatory pricing on principle, but whale votes count for a lot more.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

Those systems are literally designed to be psychologically addictive and prey on those weakest to such tactics. It's not stupidity; it's literal brain washing via Pavlovian response.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 weeks ago

Basic human psychology has been weaponized against us, and they've been getting better at it faster than we're getting better at resisting it, for decades.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think I've ever bought a microtransaction or cosmetic. I'm doing my part!

*Ok, i think I paid like $5 into warframe after 200 hours, and I used some fake money from google surveys on pokemon go, so I'm not entirely without sin.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 58 points 4 weeks ago (9 children)

Don't pre order games. Don't buy games at full price. Support indie devs.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I will buy indie games at full price, thank you very much.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I bought Schedule 1 for the full $20 last week.

I can't stop playing. It's too fun.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (8 replies)
[–] [email protected] 44 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I have 170 games in my backlog and the summer sale is coming. I ain't spending 80 bucks on one video game.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 32 points 4 weeks ago

I will continue to wait until games go on discount

[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 weeks ago (14 children)

What AAA title is worth $80? The most time I spend gaming is in a 10 year old shooter, and an indie survival game. Both of which I bought for <$20.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 weeks ago

One you can spend at least 40 enjoyable hours on, I’d say

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 weeks ago (4 children)

KCD2 Is pretty damn amazing.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (12 replies)
[–] [email protected] 23 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

It sucks that waiting for a sale might only bring down to the original $50 new full price it used to be.

Just have to wait longer I guess.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

[email protected]

The amount of games on the PC is way to large to be buying right away.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 weeks ago

I made a rule that I can't spend over $10 on a game until I've played through my entire backlog. I haven't bought a game over $10 in 10 years and I've spent $6k on Steam since I started using it.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 weeks ago

[email protected]

There are so many options out there that asking for $80, or whatever the equivalent is, is just ridiculous. I really hope people stand up against this bulshit.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

There are very few games I would spend $80 on. Actually, at this point I don't buy a lot of new games to begin with, I'm mostly just grinding the same old favorites now.

But for the games I really care about, I'm willing to spend on games I know will be worth it to me. I've waited 22 years for a sequel to Kirby Air Ride and if I have to pay $80 for it, I will pay $80 for it.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I pirate games first before buying. Too many games become shit past the return window on Steam. I buy every game I like.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 weeks ago

I’ve only bought one $80 game thus far (And that was during a 30% steam sale so only $55) and from my years of experience of buying games, I can confidently say that my enjoyment in games goes down as price goes up.

Although weirdly all of the $80 games that released so far have been pretty bad so that’s strange.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm over the massive, over-produced games. I looked at the price of the new Indiana Jones game (AUD119), and even though I loved Machine Games' previous work, I noped out. These days, I'm mostly reverting to simple arcade games more akin to the early era of gaming I grew up on. Shotgun Cop Man, from the people that made My Friend Pedro, just came out. It was $13. Finished it in one sitting, but I'll probably play it multiple times. Much better investment.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

I think Titanfall 2 is still on sale on steam for uh... 5 dollars.

Its got Northstar, a custom client that allows for private multiplayer servers... also works on linux, literally has its own custom proton version.

Oh and there are mods as well, guided installers, mod managers, etc, for windows and linux.

Runs great on a steam deck!

... and looks ... basically the same as a shooter from 10 years later, at least at 1280 x 800?

(its built on a custom forked version of the portal 2 source engine, so it actually runs efficiently and looks good =D)

Doesn't have a huge playerbase, but it is decent enough that you can probably find a few well populated servers, at least in NA region.

... looks like titanfall 3 got turned into an extraction shooter and then cancelled.

So anyway yeah, hilariously its time to return to tradition for enthusiasts of many old school competetive games from before the bullshit of endless battlepasses and MTX kicked into high gear... and as others have pointed out, the indie scene is full of gems.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 weeks ago

At garage sales books can often be found for 25 cents a piece (320 books in $80).

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 weeks ago

No kidding. Not counting games I play 'any way I can':

  • Oolite
  • Endless Sky
  • Nethack
  • Shattered Pixel Dungeon
  • Dwarf Fortress
  • Liberal Crime Squad
  • Mindustry
  • WarZone 2100
  • OpenTTD
  • OpenRCT2 (though this requires some investment, you need the files from the original 2 games)
  • FreeCiv
  • EDOPro
  • Card-Forge

That's just what I have on this machine. If I check my GOG account, I'd have more. And I don't give money to Valve.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 weeks ago

certainly wont purchase a 80$ game with mid-tier playability.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 weeks ago

Just like other aspects of commerce, we’ll see what the market does. I hate to say it that way, but that’s simply how it works. Look at what’s happening to McDonalds right now. They’ve been raising prices for years, now tariffs have made things even worse, and people have responded accordingly and go to McDonalds less. Ball is in their court.

Another good example is the recent news about Beyoncé no longer filling major concert venues. I know there’s a lot of factors going on in these situations, but the truth at the core of it is that prices finally went up to a point where a not insignificant portion of her audience noped out of the transaction. Simple commerce.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

Bruh it's 2025 and I'm still on a spin cycle of mostly 10 years old or more games

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 weeks ago

I live in LATAM. I bought civ v once and never stopped playing it since

I don't know who's all this people who can buy games every launch, but they must be so incredibly privileged

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

I still have so many games I've picked up on Steam sales that I'll happily wait for those $80 games to go on sale while going through my back catalogue

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 weeks ago

That's basically what I've been saying ever since the switch 2 announcement, I'm glad I can just copy the Sources from this article to support my intuition. Thank you, Superjoost!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

For the last 10 years I've only paid full price for one AAA game: Elden Ring. I've gotten something like 200 hours out of it. It may be the best value for a AAA game ever, in my book. (And I haven't yet played the expansion.)

I'm happy to wait for sales on everything else, including the secondary market for Nintendo games, but after their recent fuckery in multiple arenas, I'm not keen buying anything they produce. (Not that it matters. Their stuff will sell regardless.)

load more comments
view more: next ›