Soapbox: I Can't Keep Up with Service Games

I have a huge backlog and I like to discover new games all the time. Once I'm finished with a game I never go back to it (except racing games) so service games are the opposite of what I'm looking for.

Just play what you want to play at that time, simples

The good thing is we have so much choice now that there is pretty much always something good out there that we haven’t played, no matter how much gaming we do!

I like games with endings so I avoid MMOs and appointment gaming like Animal Crossing.

I went hard on the last Rocket League pass and got all the rewards. It was great, the items were awesome and I had a good time. I wasn't playing any new single player game at the time. But now I'm kinda lacking the energy to do it all over again for the new season. I've basically given up on Overwatch events as well. I think the only game I won't miss on any event or ranked season is Pokémon, other than that it's whatever I feel like

I've gotten out of the Service trap in the recent months with FF7 Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, and Cyberpunk. I've just sat down and played a game and it's been great.

This is exactly why I don't play any of them, I have no interest in any game dictating what I play and when and by and large very few if any ever feel worthwhile to play in the first place. I play games that I want to play at the time and don't want to be feeling that I'm missing out on something when I'm not doing repetitive daily or weekly tasks like its some kind of job.

I play single player games all the time.
If I find myself a game with good gameplay loop, I play it a lot. Like Souls, Fallout series, Witcher 3 etc. Cyberpunk is also feels like being included to the list.
The Last of us 2 has perfect gameplay loop, I beat it 3 times and I am confident I will beat it couple times more next year.
But I never play service games. In fact, I rarely go for DLC content, except for games mentioned above.

I simply don't have enough time and energy for service games.

Games, on the whole, are too big and have too much content these days.

Thankfully, 99% of my gaming diet is single player. The only "service" games I've really gotten into are Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and Tetris 99, and I've long since abandoned the first two.

The only service I've put time into was CTR Nitro Fueled. I got out of it pretty early after the first Grand Prix, because the gameplay loop to unlock all the cool stuff got tiring, and I wanted to play something else. Nowadays there's a lot of games that I've bought and haven't played or started, and I haven't replayed my favorites in a while. Most of my gaming time goes to the almighty backlog.

I will never complain about amount of content.
I like my games being large.
Like Red dead redemption 2.

Short games are simply not worth bying for the full price.

I was quite happy about lenghth of TLOU2, but when I heard there was cut-out content I felt like I'd play it and never complain about the volume being too much.
So, really good game is never enough.
Not-so-good game is not worth time spending.

I've gotten sucked into the Division 2 but I'm hitting a wall with the repetition of missions, however, I haven't even touched the NY expansion (yet). I also waste hours playing Fallout 76, but I haven't gotten into the new board that came out recently.

Racing games are my constant though, and somehow I find myself pushing through Dirt 4 even though better games await.

I can see how this could be especially challenging for someone like Sammy who plays a ton of games but even for people playing more casually it can be just as bad, if not in its own way worse.

Take Animal Crossing NH for example. The appeal is its cutesy aesthetic and, more importantly, its accessibility. One can pop on at any time and just piddle around. No real commitment.

But that's deceptive. It is very much a commitment. Want that fish or bug that's in season? Well, make sure you play between these hours. Don't have the time, too bad, do it anyway. Want those seasonal recipes? Yes alright well get ready to camp for untold lengths of time so you can shoot down all the requisite balloons needed to achieve that. Oh and make sure you're able to log on twice daily to track turnip prices. I could go on and on.

And as service games go, ACNH is fairly tame. But I just can't do it. Once a game starts feeling like an obligation or a chore, it's like, what the heck am I doing? Not to get all Tyler Durden here but I want to play my games, I don't need them playing me.

I play Fall Guys now and then but there's no pressure at all to unlock anything in that, it's just good simple fun with lots of silly costumes.

THIS!
I was talking to my friend the other day whilst playing League of Legends and said "Damn this, now playing videogames is like a full time job or something"...I was saying this because I need to grind 2000 tokens in league for a skin, I need to grind fortnite to level 100 to get Baby Yoda, I would like to have the pass for Legends of Runeterra (I did end up not getting it because I just don't have time), I would like to indeed play more Rocket League, I would like some Overwatch skins but I had to let that game go, I needed tokens on the Yule festival questline in AC Valhalla...IT'S RIDICULOUS lol
I spend so much time on League or other games not enjoying myself and simply playing because I want the skins...it's sad.

I need to slowly let those games go...

Edit: oh yeah, also Fall Guys lol

Some SP games are WAY too long these days (AC Valhalla). I’ve just completed Miles Morales which is a much shorter but far more enjoyable game as a result.

I think the idea is that the longer the game is, the longer you’ll play, but that isn’t the case at all. The longer the game, the less chance there is that I’ll ever finish it - especially if it’s padded with the same repetitive missions.

Service games are so repetitive. They are also more expensive given you can’t just finish them and trade them in for most of the cost back, nor can you really get them cheaper years later (usually).

That’s awesome that you’ve played GUN so much. My brother and I loved it on PS2 we both beat it a couple times.

Warframe and Destiny 2 really had their hooks in me, with almost 1500 hours into WF and another 1000+ into D2 I had to walk away from them both. They felt like jobs, not games. Best gaming decision I ever made.

For those of you who jump between games all the time - do you finish any? I only have one friend who plays several games at once, and he almost never finishes anything. My play style is I start a game, finish it, never play it again, and move on to the next one.

Between CoD seasons, AC Valhalla seasons, Fall Guys seasons, Ghost of Tsushima content, and all of the games I have yet to play/want to replay I have way to much to do. I’ve got assassins creed, final fantasy 7, spider man remastered with all the dlc, borderlands 3, final fantasy 15, person 5, and the last guardian to still play. I also wanna replay TLOU2, Ghost of Tsushima, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, death stranding, and fallout 4.

@KippDynamite Single player games with a beginning, middle and an end are my focus. I tend to finish a game I start unless something gets in my way. I always take a look to see how long it takes to finish a game before I start, sometimes I want sub 10 hours, sometimes 50.
Playing indefinitely until I lose the will to live just for a skin that shows off how good or more likely how much I play a game isn't for me. I guess service games are good for those with limited funds for gaming.

I’m mostly a single player gamer so I don’t have too much skin in the game but the only time this content really bothers me is when it’s timed. Like, life happens even for someone who religiously plays a particular game. It just seems short sighted to me to give your loyal fanbase one or two weeks to acquire some gear or whatever when a person could be moving or burying their mom...

The only games I have runned thru multiple times is Diablo saga, UFO/Xcom saga and beat em up games from slot machines (Final Fight, Metal Slugs etc.)

Ufo games are obvious. I love turn based games.
Diablo is true hack'n'slash gem.
Beat em ups are just satisfaction for all those coins I have thrown into machines.

Other games are like books. I play them and than put on the shelf, but that story is in my memory. I like to feel and enjoy many stories, rather than stuck only in a few.

Therefore games as service are not for me. Actually I see no purpose in events or daily/monthly challenges. And I'm glad I don't understand to it...

@Enigk "Playing indefinitely until I lose the will to live"

Exactly! Think about how much time and effort goes into crafting a story for a movie or a game. A good ending can have many features, but essentially they bring everything together in a way that is satisfying. Then it ends, and you are left with the whole story.

The experience of leaving a live service game is that you're exhausted by it, sick of it, or even hate it - not a great way to leave something. Certainly not how an artist would want someone to leave their work. This thread has several people saying things like "I stopped and it's the best decision I ever made."

You lost me at Dua Lipa

Nice article! But have you had an existential crisis yet?

My issue is with games that have various (un-asked-for) online services, single player games that have to be connected to the internets. Borderlands 3 loads up but you have to pause on the menu to see if there is a (not an update) hot fix. Immortals Fenyx Rising loads so quick on PS5, but then stops the main menu from loading while the game goes online and “checks for additional content”.

I feel like with the speedboat that is the PS5 SSD that the “connected features” can often be an anchor.

Yea somewhat. I realized I've just abandoned Genshin Impact for no reason, maybe cause it keeps giving and I feel I can't keep up, I'll be back surely. I'm not a one-and-done player, I'm a one-and-multiple-playthroughs player but being a one-and-liveservice-keepup player I don't think I can. Why? Cause they're like "You can't play any other games except me" games.

I started playing Valorant tonight and actually rather enjoy it. My CS:GO reflexes are coming back to me and I got MVP in my second game! I don’t bother with all the cosmetics and stuff and I really like the Riot service model so I might stick about for a bit. I also have FIFA 21 to start even though I’m traditionally a PES person, I’m waiting on the full next-gen PES.

Just replying to the title.

I can keep up but if I only play 2-3 at a time. After some years, those 2 or 3 change to another 2-3. I prefer co-op and single player games with an ending.

But I CANNOT play mmos, battle royale and survival games (dayz, ark, tarkov etc..). Too time consuming.

I can keep up some types of games. Atm I'm thinking rocket league, rogue company and fall guys. Temtem might be next.

Dropped fortnite and tlou factions which wasn't a service game. Gotta get back to monster hunter world. Dropped brawlhalla, killing floor 2, siege, overwatch and paladins. Imo multiplayer was weak this gen.

I did beat 26 games this year and in my eyes it was more enjoyable than some other years where I play 2-3 multiplayer games a lot and beat about 10 or less games.

I had to quit playing PVZ Battle for neighborville for this exact reason. I loved the game but then it started to become a chore for me to complete dailies etc and I started to get stressed out by it!

I’ve switched to SP only games mainly now because I know I’ll feel the same way with so many games going the live service/battle pass route.

@DerMeister I just bought it and beat it. Seems the updates ended.

@KippDynamite I play one game at a time. Sometimes 2. I left Nioh 2 to beat like 6 or 7 games and now I'm back on it, to beat for sure because after that, is Dark souls remastered and dark souls 2 and I'm ps5 ready.

True. I am enjoying Cyberpunk at the moment. Plus Cold War for my multiplayer fix. That means I have left Demon's Souls at the side for now, and I only have 1 hour in Miles Morales. Not enough hours in the day.

I can understand if you can only afford 2 games a year, FIFA and Call of Duty are probably a good pick. Throw in a game like Destiny 2, and those three could keep you busy forever.

Agreed. Destiny 2 keeps calling & the fomo never ends so I haven’t reinstalled since Forsaken

Service games are becoming a chore for me. The worst thing about a LOT of service games is the Battle Pass and because of one simple reason, the time limit. Now games are feeling like a job than actually enjoying playing them.

Think I learned my lesson a few years back realising I was in a warframe & latest fifa version loop - meaning I missed out on all kinds of gaming experience. These days I tend to have one or two main games on the go plus smaller/indie stuff for shorter sessions. But I suppose there isn't really a right way to game, do what you enjoy and be happy, if it starts to feel like work or too much of a grind - sack it off.

I agree. Having different events and makes that rotate is cool, but if it’s too much it’s a bad thing. Valhalla has no business with a timed event. It should be unlockable you should be able to spend some resources to throw it. It shouldn’t be gone and the gear shouldn’t be gone. It makes me not want to play these games a bit. There’s a place for this stuff, but it’s gotten out of hand. SP should never have timed and then forever gone events. The games should fit my schedule, not the other way around.
Same reason I don’t play Animal Crossing as someone above mentioned. I’m not pulling weeds because the game wants me to play it more often.

I am committed to no service-based games.

With game time already limited by family obligations and a backlog (which grew thanks to Christmas), I am pretty much a “one and done” person regarding games and I only have time to retread old ground if there is a lull.

I don’t think early 2021 is too filled up with games on my must-have list, so it will give me time to get through my backlog before something comes out that I want.

I'm really enjoying Vigor, checking up on my builds and a couple of encounters each day. I spent a lot of time years ago on FUT & MUT but not any more. Plenty of single player games on the pile too (GoW, GoT, Miles etc), so I agree you just can't keep up with everything.

I understand you, Sammy. I'm in a somewhat parallel scenario where I see all these events unfolding but I can't buy all the games together, specially at full price.

Honestly, for me the real issue is not the amount of events, but the fact that they all happen near launch day and too close to each other. In a matter of weeks, games go from season 1 to season 3 or 4. Seriously? Publishers should give it time. Think Netflix series, one season a year, and lots of series to watch. We manage to enjoy lots of series because of this approach.

It's just going too fast for adults to keep up. And I believe that nowadays adults are a major part of PlayStation, Xbox and PC audience.

Games made within the past decade have changed for me. Like sports many Devs keep us enthralled with news, content and events, and they keep on adding. And because of this I've had to give up many in order to enjoy the few. Nowadays I stick to genres FPS and strategy mainly. Anything else like open world, farming, rpg, retro, etc sadly no time. No time! Games have exploded!

"Service" games, i still just call them online or multiplayer games... Let's see, Rocket League, Battlefield 4&5, Firewall ZH and a bit of Wipeout Omega and Wreckfest, although the service part ended long ago for BF4 and Wipeout. Still can't get enough of them, lol. That's it, the rest is singleplayer such as Cyberpunk, Skyrim VR, TloU2 and Dishonored 2 atm.

@koffing "appointment gaming"... Yeah that's a great summary of animal crossing! And playing anything with friends for that matter. Acnh frustrates me....i refuse to plan real life around the demands of a video game.

I'm not keen on the live service model. Too often with them, they go all out with the FOMO factor with the limited time items and events, and trying to keep up with it can feel like a chore. And the way some live service games start off bare bones, gradually gaining content over time, is not ideal.

I have put a lot of time into Monster Hunter World, Crash Team Racing, and Fall Guys, but they were all big games that I was eager to play. Normally though, hearing that something is live service makes me less inclined to go and buy it.

@get2sammyb Shenmue 1-2 and Gun are also games I replay every couple of years as well. Shenmue is like a second home in video game form, Gun despite having a small open world I can't help but ride around and ranch cattle...
Are you sure you aren't actually me and also replay Tony Hawk's Undergroud 1+2 repeatedly as well?!?!

@Tasuki this is exactly why I stopped WoW - there were other games out there that were worth experiencing.

Nah, I don't play any mp or service games I don't have time for crap like that

I tend to have 1 service game, then my mainline game.. I switch between Fall Guys and Fortnite and my main game currently is Valhalla. It’s definitely the single player experiences that keeps me rooted to my console, I enjoy checking Fall Guys daily for new items and grabbing a crown or 2.
Fortnite I’m terrible at, but like to keep up to date with the community.. I really wanted Avengers to be my only service game... maybe the PS5 version will bring me back?

I like genshin impact but the fact I have to login everyday to get bonus, characters are gatcha so I have to grind to get it (or spend a lot of money), and the story never ends (because it's a live service game) means I rarely play it now. I like the game but I want to play new games too.

Gun...like the Maximo games,GTA LCS/VCS, NFS Underground 1 & 2,SSX Tricky,Capcom Classics Collections,Beyond Good & Evil,Splinter Cell series & others that should've been ported onto the ps2 classics on ps4 range! 😔
Insofar as the story post itself,that's the whole factor (apart from being HDD guzzlers), that puts me off. If you leave them for any length of time, then they encourage spending $$ to catch up,or buy new weapons 'cos your old nerfed ones are peashooters etc. CTR & Fall Guys are the last two games that I'd played,but I'll stick to my basic lot of outdated stickers/outfits/skins & don't use a headset on them so the kiddies can troll away all they like if I play them!😁

World of WarCraft best MMO ever had me hooked for 8 years. I left PC and came full time PS4 gamer in 2013. I played a little on PS3, ps2 and PS1 but they were mostly for the kids. I never want to get sucked into one or a handful of games again.

I have to really love a service game (like Splatoon on the Switch) to dedicate time to it.

The time limited stuff makes you come back for it. Else there's no urgency.

It's like in sales you need to create urgency or customers will walk. That's it and it's not good.

I play warzone every evening for a couple of hours with my mates and i am guilty of grinding the tier for the cod coins so i dont have to splash the cash for access to the next season but as far as i am aware that is the extent of my service experience..i dont think its a bad thing as the majority of people can decide for themselves if its for them or not..i think its harder for the developers to decide if their game is going to fall into this section though as if they release a game with too little content out come the pitchforks...release a game with a store front attached to the game advertising extra content and seasonal goodies...out come the pitchforks..so what is the ideal situation? If the player wants to prolong their experience with the service of their choice what is so wrong with a means to do that? I managed to platinum ac odyssey without dipping into the store and i really enjoyed that game..let the people choose what they want..

I understand the complaint, but we should probably be grateful that so many games are being updated for free. I enjoy this kind of content, and I don’t know who is being monetized for it, but it isn’t me.

I avoid "games as a service" period.

I feel slightly anxious that every time I go back to Warframe it’ll look totally different and I’ll lose another 200 hours. It’s like a drug and falling off the wagon!

This is the reason I quit Pokemon Go, fun game to be honest, but a week doesn’t go by without zn event that’s just stressful as hell

I've completely ditched the new season of Cod to finish off Kingdom Hearts, which I initially dropped not long before the PS5 to try catch up on the series' being added to. Playing whatever you want, and think you'll enjoy the most, at a given time is the way to go!

Relate a lot to this. I've put in probably around 1000 hours in Rocket League over the years but I just wasn't playing anything else I forced myself to uninstall it. Went back when I got my PS5 but quickly realized I was enjoying myself more playing new games, so it's gone again now and I'm working my way through the backlog. Might go back one day but trying to resist.

This is all too familiair for me. I see myself running toward compact games I can actually relax in for a few hours. Games I finished this year are Tetris Effect, Call of the Sea, Tell Me Why and Sea of Solitude: compact experiences, in the last three cases with limited freedom and still great feeling gameplay.

And it occurs in online coop with friends too. I'd rather have a couple of games of Killing Floor 2 and Warhammer Vermintide - which just feel finished after some time, but you can tweak difficulty levels - than Borderlands 3 or Destiny 2, which only seems to be out to get you to play as long as possible. Without too much focus.

Same for adventures. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End already felt too long for me, and I enjoyed the first limited island of Assassin's Creed Odyssey more than the gigantic open world that followed.

Whether it's via subscription models, lootboxes or making the biggest possible open world - please gamemakers, just limit the space and make the core mechanics as engaging as possible.

Most people can't even find the time to play many of the games that interest them let alone experience all of the time-specific content of individual games.

I sympathize to a degree. I haven't played any of Fallout 76 most recent couple of seasons because I want to play new games as well. It irks the completionist in me, but I can't be bothered to care that much anymore. You can't really complete games when they are growing every month.

I make a point of only completing games before I buy new ones so I never have a huge backlog although I offcourse have a wishlist of games I want to play. This keeps it more manageable. Liveservice games however you can't ever complete so they don't appeal to me for that reason. I think you should tell yourself to only commit to 1 or 2 at the most live service games if you're into them.

I usually play one big story game one big gameplay driven game and maybe short indie games in between.

its actually working very well for the backlog because between the three filters the games slowly keep decreasing, thanks to the short indies/games being played in between.

Mostly am a single player gamer. Always have been. Occasionally will co-op a campaign with a friend. Service games are never my thing.

@PossibLeigh Especially if you have a job and the liveservice games kill me in the time departement. 🤪

Im playing Timespinner now a small indie game pixelated look really nice its not too long and its fun. Blackwood Crossing that game was short but such a great little story i loved every second of it. A walking simulator i know some people hate it but i had a few good ones. Going for Dear Esther now after i finish Timespinner.

Sorry to be that guy, but honestly I hate the concept of games at a service and here's my take.

These games would be fine if they were "as well as" regular old fashioned "I bought this and it's mine" games - there as an option for people who like them - but they're not, they're taking over because they're so bloody profitable.

And there we have the root of your issue.

They're not actually a service at all, as service would imply that they were somehow serving you. They're not. They're about getting you to part with money, it's that simple.

The devs behind these models don't care about how you play. They don't care about your social calendar. You aren't keeping up because no one in charge cares if you do anymore, the money comes in anyway, even if the campaign's crap there's always the MP right? Don't need to rely on reviews of the story or complaints about how lengthy it is or those grindy fetch quests when people will gush on Twitch or YouTube about how much fun it is to blow someone's face off with the animation that comes with the newest dlc gun.

It's ***** but it's the way it's going. We the consumer could stop it by withholding our money but when does that ever actually happen...

I am so glad my PS2 still works honestly -_-

I think the biggest problem are the battle passes. A few years ago, there were lootboxes and you could just play when ever you wanted to unlock nice things. Now with every season you pay, You have to commit 100% to that game to make your money worth it. I really hat those passes. I don't want to be presured to play. That's why I just tend to ignore them.
It was hard at first. But it's just better to do what I want.

you don't need to worry about black ops cold war this season, it's an unplayable mess on PS5 after the last update.

according to the game time stats shown on PS5, i played more than 2000 hours of destiny 1! (mostly in its first year), the next highest is battlefield 4 at about 300. by comparison, if i add up all the games i played in 2020, it's under 200. most service games are built on a model that (to me) is just not very interesting..

@Shepherd_Tallon Thats why i quit overwatch and after MHW i bought Iceborn but i just cant get myself playing it somehow. Its not a bad game and i played 700 plus hours on MHW and still no Platinum. 🤪

I just like to play games with a story mode and then move on I haven't got unlimited time to spend on all these online types of games. I have a massive back-log of games anyway but that is mainly the fault of the Borderlands games and me spending way to much time completing them all(Story modes)

These days I look at myself, then look at a game, then look back at myself and ask: "Is this REALLY worth my time?" Not even money. It might be worth my money. But is it worth my TIME? Service games want me to keep playing forever, because if I'm playing then I might spend money on them. But the experience is almost always repetitive and even with a strong gameplay loop I'm going to eventually want to move on. Let me tell you, it's been utterly freeing to no longer care about FOMO. I'm not interested in collecting everything anymore, I don't need to see it all, and I don't care if I missed something along the way. Letting go of that has really revealed how empty and hollow a lot of the experiences offered by these games are for me personally.

@Shepherd_Tallon And i hate those trophies with the really small and big versions of the monsters if i cant get all those in 700 plus hours then #### it. 😅

@Shepherd_Tallon Trophies that work like that kind of ruin it for me its such a pity and it has nothing too do with skill just plain luck.

@Salt_AU Yup the gear resets made me feel what i did didn't matter. Expansions came out to slow even with me even leveling 8 characters to top level and gear.

@Tasuki WOW hooked a lot of people. I still think it the greatest single game I ever played. Funny that the same reason I left it's just a single game. At the time I really thought I might go back when the next expansion came out. But PS4 and all the choices I had in new games spoiled me.

@Shepherd_Tallon Thats one thing i loved about HZD you could not miss anything if i remember right.

@Shepherd_Tallon I have too be fair with Cyberpunk im going too wait for a PS5 version i rather get the best version its such a shame they destroyed their reputation.