The Sad Realization That Some Games/Types Might Not Be For You

The older I get, the more I realize some games I used to like when I was younger, I no longer have the patience for. Tactical combat games, like X-COM and its ilk, for example. I’ve got less and less patience moving around little guys on a map to kill other little guys. I wanna BE the guy killing all the other little guys, hence my increased love of shooters and action games like Assassin’s Creed: Origins.

However, I came to the realization recently that I’ve not just run out of patience with some types of games, I’ve fallen out of love with them entirely. This was brought on by acquiring a copy of Dirt Rally 2.0 via the latest Humble Choice Monthly bundle.

Now, I still love racing games. Dirt 2, for example, is one of my all-time favorites (I’ve yet to play much of 4, and I didn’t like 3 too much). However, I prefer my racing games on the arcade side of the spectrum. Your Forza Horizons. Your Needs for Speed. Your Split Seconds. That sort of thing. I’ve tried to like pure rally games before. I tracked down a digital copy of Richard Burns Rally ages ago because I was told it had the best “Rally School” in all of video gaming. While it was damned impressive, I sadly didn’t stick with it.

So even though I knew I had this sordid history with more realistic driving/rally games, I was still excited to try Dirt Rally 2.0, because I kept hearing how much better it was than the first game. Well…I never made it through my first race.

I tried, I really did. But after the fifth flip over, I decided to call it quits and uninstall it. I don’t need to use ninetyish gigs of space on my hard drive for something I’m pretty sure I’ll never play. It was weird because I usually don’t feel this kind of certainty for a game, for or against. I knew in my heart of hearts though that Dirt Rally 2 just want for me.

The sad part is I WANTED it to be for me. I wanted to like it, really. I just know in my heart of hearts I won’t. I think, ultimately, that this is a good thing. Realizing what I won’t enjoy will prevent me from wasting money on those types of games. It’s just a WEIRD feeling coming from a guy who used to like just about everything.

Is this what getting older is? Getting more particular? I’m not sure I like it.

Still, I know that there are plenty of games out there that I still do like, and always will, so it’s not like I’m going to run out of things to play. It’s just kind of sad to know that I know there is a type of game that I want to like, but ultimately can’t.

Have you ever had this kind of realization? I’d love to hear about it. Thanks for reading!