Why I'm Bored Of Video Games

I only occasionally play computer games - mostly I watch my wife shoot people on screen while I give her "helpful" advice like "he's behind you" and "don't walk into that fire." I am a good husband.

The main reason I don't play much any more is that I just don't get the sense of pride and accomplishment which comes from games.

In most video games, you don't get better - your weapons get better.

Modern games appear to be about grinding away to upgrade all your gear, buying the best possible weapon, and quick-time-eventing the end boss. Basically, if you could give a newbie a save-game which takes them to the last level fully tooled up, they stand a decent chance of winning.

My favourite games are things like Portal, Lemmings, and Papers Please. Once you've played the first few levels of each, you have all the tools you need to beat the game. What you don't have is the skill. I'm not talking about the quick-twitch response which games usually involve, but the ability to critically evaluate a system, predict its outcomes, and manage resources efficiently.

Oh gads-and-little-fishes! I'm talking about a job, aren't I?