I feel you. I’ve played video games almost all my life, but during a period of unemployment last year, I had to sell my PS5 and Switch (which I got during much better times) to pay a winter power bill. And consoles have only gotten more expensive since then, thanks to AI data centers monopolizing digital components. I did find a new job, but I’m making less money than ever, and can’t save, I’m paycheck-to-paycheck. As for my PC, it’s a mid-range Win10 laptop from 2016 that’s barely holding on, it can’t upgrade to Win11 and can only run the simplest games.
So I’m now mostly priced out of a lifelong hobby. Can’t play GTA6. No idea when I’ll be able to play big new games again.
That’s how i feel recently before i saved enough money to upgrade my pc from a lower end pc from 2015, but in your case, you can just install linux(mint, cachy, steam) and play indie games, there’s thousands of great indie that i’m sure you haven’t played. There’s no need to quit gaming just because the latest and newest looks so shiny and you can’t play it, i literally replayed games from 2010s before this and to this day there’s still tons of games i haven’t even touched.
New games doesn’t mean its good though.
Also since your laptop is older gen, 2nd hand part should be plenty. After i got my new pc, the old one i upgraded it to better hardware before i give it to my sister. It can run AAA game released up till 2024/25.
My laptop is only one year older than that commenter’s and I’d also describe it as “midrange” (at the time), and it struggles even with those types of games. It’s partly the lack of software support for the iGPU, but it just isn’t fast enough even for most pixel graphic games - they don’t need a LOT of performance, but they also just aren’t programmed as efficiently as they would have been in 2015, nevermind the actual 90s console games that inspired them. My options on that device are basically visual novels, emulators for like SNES or Game Boy, or games more in the vein of Minesweeper.
That said, I could upgrade to a much more powerful refurb laptop for only ~200€ that should be able to play at least pixel graphic games. I do have a PC for gaming, though, so I don’t bother.
Man honestly. With how tough my life has been.
I have been extremely angry and vindictive against Nintendo as a whole and Microsoft and Sony especially.
Like they pretty much priced me and many others who are relatively young and won’t ever get jobs that pay well out of their own hobby.
That and the fact that Sony and Microsoft bought the entire game industry and fired a metric shit ton of people and bypassed unions and ruined entire lives. I just can’t anymore. Like it really is starting to look like the end to the triple A game industry as a whole. As me and many others move onto games that can be sustainably made and funded and supported.
But it’s a real shame that GTA 6 is going to be the last of its kind. Because Gen Z really doesn’t have the money for any of this. As we move onto a market of millennials and Gen X supporting most of the economy even outside of gaming as a whole and well that will eventually implode in on itself.
Honestly that all really sucks to read, and I’m sorry you’ve had to make those sorts of compromises. I can’t offer much besides hope that all this shit is temporary, and that you’ll have better times to look forward to before you know it.
Nice art!
I feel you. I’ve played video games almost all my life, but during a period of unemployment last year, I had to sell my PS5 and Switch (which I got during much better times) to pay a winter power bill. And consoles have only gotten more expensive since then, thanks to AI data centers monopolizing digital components. I did find a new job, but I’m making less money than ever, and can’t save, I’m paycheck-to-paycheck. As for my PC, it’s a mid-range Win10 laptop from 2016 that’s barely holding on, it can’t upgrade to Win11 and can only run the simplest games.
So I’m now mostly priced out of a lifelong hobby. Can’t play GTA6. No idea when I’ll be able to play big new games again.
That’s how i feel recently before i saved enough money to upgrade my pc from a lower end pc from 2015, but in your case, you can just install linux(mint, cachy, steam) and play indie games, there’s thousands of great indie that i’m sure you haven’t played. There’s no need to quit gaming just because the latest and newest looks so shiny and you can’t play it, i literally replayed games from 2010s before this and to this day there’s still tons of games i haven’t even touched.
New games doesn’t mean its good though.
Also since your laptop is older gen, 2nd hand part should be plenty. After i got my new pc, the old one i upgraded it to better hardware before i give it to my sister. It can run AAA game released up till 2024/25.
My laptop is only one year older than that commenter’s and I’d also describe it as “midrange” (at the time), and it struggles even with those types of games. It’s partly the lack of software support for the iGPU, but it just isn’t fast enough even for most pixel graphic games - they don’t need a LOT of performance, but they also just aren’t programmed as efficiently as they would have been in 2015, nevermind the actual 90s console games that inspired them. My options on that device are basically visual novels, emulators for like SNES or Game Boy, or games more in the vein of Minesweeper.
That said, I could upgrade to a much more powerful refurb laptop for only ~200€ that should be able to play at least pixel graphic games. I do have a PC for gaming, though, so I don’t bother.
Man honestly. With how tough my life has been. I have been extremely angry and vindictive against Nintendo as a whole and Microsoft and Sony especially. Like they pretty much priced me and many others who are relatively young and won’t ever get jobs that pay well out of their own hobby.
That and the fact that Sony and Microsoft bought the entire game industry and fired a metric shit ton of people and bypassed unions and ruined entire lives. I just can’t anymore. Like it really is starting to look like the end to the triple A game industry as a whole. As me and many others move onto games that can be sustainably made and funded and supported.
But it’s a real shame that GTA 6 is going to be the last of its kind. Because Gen Z really doesn’t have the money for any of this. As we move onto a market of millennials and Gen X supporting most of the economy even outside of gaming as a whole and well that will eventually implode in on itself.
Man sorry to hear that. I am sure there are better times ahead for you.
I feel you about the price hikes, had the same issue with my old machine.
But started looking for games at GoG and found some fun old classics or god games that do run on my old machine too.
Honestly that all really sucks to read, and I’m sorry you’ve had to make those sorts of compromises. I can’t offer much besides hope that all this shit is temporary, and that you’ll have better times to look forward to before you know it.