When Minecraft came out, it was hard to understand, not that good looking and only really catered to nerd gamers. There was no recipe book, no cute animals, no lush caves to explore, just an unforgiving Day-Night cycle and few, very creepy caves.
But those days are behind us. Minecraft is now considered a kids game and someone who bought the game as a grown up when it still was a grown up game now face ridicule and are “second class gamers” in the eyes of the developers imo. Not to speak of bedrock edition (eww) with its microtransactions and dumbed down UIs.
I remember making a paypal account for the express purpose of buying it after reading about it in a tech magazine (on paper - can you believe it?).
What do you think are currently games that are not focused on children and have great potential?
Slightly off topic here, but the most “grown up” way to play “grown up” games is to just play what you want and not care about what people think.
If you like Minecraft stick with it. Or just play any other games you enjoy. Only kids care what their peers think of the games they play.
Its not about what people (or peers) think. Its about the fact that minecraft isnt as fun as it used to be. Sorry if that wasnt clear from my post.
The game has changed a lot but also you might have too.
Thats a good point. I did change as well.
Its about the fact that minecraft isnt as fun as it used to be (to you)
It sounds more like you have changed, rather than minecraft.
That is normal. People’s tastes change.
What do you think are currently games that are not focused on children and have great potential?
That is such an open ended question as to be impossible to really answer well.
You have stated you no longer enjoy minecraft but not what you do like playing. So again, quite hard to make a recommendation.
Do you want building sims? Tropico or Cities: Skylines.
Other than that, I have no idea what to recommend.
Thanks for the feedback.
I do enjoy games like factorio, satisfactory, now jagged alliance 3, dyson sphere program, witcher (1+3, 2 not so much).
The thing that I liked about minecraft was that it was so tough to get into and the mechanics we‘re pretty obscure. if you didnt spoil it for yourself by looking it up you could really watch your brain working.
I made a server where players really needed to think to get going but most new players gave up frustrated because it was too hard.
And thats ultimately what bothers me. Minecraft in its infancy was cool for me for totally different reasons than for others (especially now) and I‘m probably just fed up with being the oddball all the time.
That make sense?
That make sense?
Yes, it does.
It sounds like the discovery of the mechanics was more rewarding for you as making progress and winning.
I‘m probably just fed up with being the oddball all the time.
Don’t be. It is the oddballs of the world that are actually the agents of change.
Having read this I would suggest you have a look at Kerbal space program. On the surface it is a fairly simple game but the mechanics of actual space flight are very complex.
Thanks for the suggestion. I actually own that game. It’s a lot of fun, i agree.
The judgemental attitude and self victimization detract from your post. You’ll find people to be friendlier and more helpful to you if you manage to tone it differently.
Anyway! It sounds like you want games that prioritize being interesting over being popular? Dwarf Fortress would be my immediate thought.
There is no judgement and no self victimisation in my post. Minecraft changed drastically from what it was and I‘m fully allowed to not like it.
But thanks for the suggestion dwarf fortress seems to be quite the thing to try. Will check it out.
I get Minecraft probably played a huge role in your life, and that would explain why you feel so disappointed with it. I don’t think it’s as bad as you described it, and I don’t think it’s leaning towards children more than before, but you’re talking from a place of nostalgia and I kinda understand that.
I don’t know how long you’ve been playing it but… maybe you’ve just… outgrown the game? Or got tired of it. You’re talking about when Minecraft came out… that was 13 years ago. It’s really hard to not lose interest in a game (any game, really) after so much time. Not to mention… you got older, too, and your tastes evolved.
I can’t really recommend you another game from your post (your question is way too broad, just play whatever, you don’t have to stick to one single game). But maybe you should consider that Minecraft is fine, that you spent maybe too much time with it, that it’s time to move on, and to be at peace with it.
Thanks for elaborating. I can see your point.
What I‘m somewhat weary of is the idea that there is a „way of doing things“ for a lot of folks. That way is not for everyone. playing a particular game over a long time (among others) isn’t unhealthy or wrong. Also, just because the gaming industry forces marketing down our throats doesnt mean a game needs to change or we need to be ok with it.
Think chess. How did it change in the past 10 years, or 20?
My point is not nostalgia but I miss a neurological bias called the framing effect. This makes me see things a lot different than a lot of folks. And from that pov, a great game changing and focusing on something else than it has in the past in my mind is perfectly reasonable.
I do get that people are upset with how I phrased it. I was frustrated and needed to talk about it. People didnt like that and I understand it.
Yeah I get it too, and I understand there’s nothing wrong with playing the same game for a long time. But a lot of people will get tired of the same game after 10 years. Even chess, not everyone dedicates a lifetime to it.
Nostalgia can be very strong when you have a very strong connection with a game. I miss the times when I ate pizza with my friends and played Rock Band together all night long. I could still play Rock Band, but it’s not the same anymore. What I miss is that point in time, the context, the friends who’re not there anymore. The game hasn’t changed. I did, and my life did.
I agree. Rockband hasnt changed. But minecraft has.
Had to explain this special situation with minecraft to my wife today and she gets it since she knows me for many years: I loved the challenge, the obscurity and being forced to learn new things without a lot of help.
If minecraft were catered for people like me, we‘d not have camels and allays but vastly extended redstone, new and complicated crafting recipes and definitely no recipe book.
People keep saying „dont use it“ or „use mods“ but thats a lazy answer imo. Obviously, thats giving me the responsibility to fix a game i used to love.
Have you played Stardew Valley? That’s another great game to sink a few years into.
I havent yet but it looks cool!
Why spend time worry about what toxic gamer think?
I dont. My point was the game changed to cater to a different audience and I am fed up by it.
I started playing Minecraft Oct. 2010, and despite what you think, it wasn’t a “grown up game” and a LOT of kids played back then as they do today.
Meanwhile, if you don’t like the state of affairs in gaming, make your own game or help someone make one, but don’t come here with a shitty attitude that nothing meets your expectations. Be the change you want to see.
You can keep your condescending attitude to yourself. I‘m perfectly allowed to be unhappy about things and you cant do shit against it. Don’t like it? your problem.
The game was totally different back then and just because kids played it in 2010 doesnt mean I‘m wrong to think it didnt need the additions I mentioned.
The game is really not that different, you can play old versions just fine, and mods easily add or subtract any mechanics you like.
Its not minecraft bud
Sure, the Mojang team itself tried to make it more accessible, which is a very reasonable thing to do for any game really. I know there are many games, where a wiki is mandatory, buta game should explain itself, so I understand why they did that.
However (although I haven’t really followed it) the community still seems to be pretty much the same as before to me. If anything the stuff they archieved is even bigger, than back then. Stuff like Distant Horizons or the Create Mod could simply nit have existed back then.
What I’m getting at is that you don’t have to play vanilla and there are more possibilities than ever before (including lots and lots of modpacks and servers, which definitely do need an external wiki)
I like your take. I‘m perfectly fine with differing opinions.
Back when I started playing there was no community so the difference is pretty large but I get how its cool to many and bad for a few. As it is often in life. Is that reason to be frustrated? For me it is.
“Back when I started playing there was no community”
I’m sorry but that’s just… false. Maybe you weren’t aware of it, but even in the Beta there were already mods. I myself started playing in 1.0 and played until around 1.7 and basically all the playtime I have was playing on servers or modding the shit out of this game. (Back then you actually needed to do that manually, as mod launchers weren’t a thing)So I’m still a bit confused as to why you are frustrated, since noone is forcing you to play the new vanilla versions.
I know it’s great to be right and all but showing others why their experiences actually didnt happen does not benefit anyone. I played minecraft in the browser first, approximately the classic version. You can argue all you want that more than two people technically constitute a community but it doesn’t in reality.
Play Java edition and play large modpacks. The servers I’ve played on have an average age of 25-35.
Thanks for the suggestion. I already host a couple java servers which is what keeps me playing. Its the changes to the game itself that keep me guessing as well as the low key fear that java may get discontinued at some point because bedrock make number go up.
Yeah, this, not too many kids playing GT:NH.
Life is too short to worry about what people think. If you like the game, play it! That being said, Valheim has an older player base and scratches the same itch.
If you still like Minecraft, you can go back to a version you are interested in. Many people are still playing beta 1.7.3. Maybe try the “Better than adventure” mod.
Also have a look at vintage story.
Thats an awesome idea! I might do this. Thanks.
Maybe Satisfactory? Or Factorio?
Quite irresponsible of you to just recommend those games like that without any sort of warning :P
I have both and sunk about 300 hours into each. Very cool games. Thanks for mentioning them.
Ah, so survival base building is a good lead. I’m not into this genre but I’ve heard about these (in order as they came to my mind):
Vintage story
I don’t recall it ever being considered a grown up game though. Even when Minecraft first came out most of the people I played with was more interested in playing WoW. I think League of Legends was around that time too.
edit: yeah 2009 was mid wrath of lich king, cataclysm didn’t come out until 2010. So that was way too huge a year for WoW to not be pulling most of the older players.
The main reason I stumbled across minecraft was the fact that I had stopped playing games mostly at that point and only played console if at all. When minecraft started, I read about it in a tech magazine and had bought a new computer recently for writing resumes I think. Thats why I wasnt caught up by wow I think.
I’d care less but other great game are Velaim, 7 Days To Die, Project Zombiod
Thanks for mentioning them. The last two are on my wishlist.
Dwarf Fortress?
Will check it out! Thank you! :)
EVE Online.
Check out ‘Rimworld’
I’ve sunk many hours into the game. It rarely goes on discount but I and many other players have found the price tag pays for the hours of content it provides many times over
P.S I find the newer caves to be much more challenging and certainly more interesting than the old caves. Plus you can just not use the recipe book and play on hard or hardcore mode
I actually own rimworld and multiple dlcs. Ive sunk 300+ hrs in there as well. Its awesome, no doubt. I raided a hole planet once which was fun. Good suggestion though. :)
