How do you play games now compared to 10 years ago?

This is a question I have been contemplating for a while now, and perhaps even you think about it from time to time as well. Of course, I have changed over time, not only with the types of games I play, but how I play and experience them has changed vastly as well. Most of this change has been for the better, but certainly not all.

People have often said to me that gaming is a childish pass-time, that I would grow out of it and go on do other things with my time, like reading books, or contemplating the meaning of life (I don’t know what passes as an adult pass-time nowadays). I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement, and sure enough 15 years since I started, gaming is still my hobby of choice. Maybe I don’t have as much time as I used to, but I certainly enjoy games a lot more.
I have found that as I have matured as a person, I have also grown in the way I play and enjoy games. Years ago, failure to me meant dying, or losing a mission, or getting a game over, while today I only ever fail in a game if I fail to have fun. I have learned to find the humour in sucking at games, and I love exploring new and exciting ways to have fun with the mechanics the game provides.

Certainly, I can still have fun playing more competitive games, I am an extremely competitive person, so I play to win. But again, I have learned to have fun with it, and not get too serious about winning or losing, as I used to be (broken controllers and even a busted TV can attest to that).

Even more so, I know what kind of games I enjoy. Gaming starts off with a lot of trial and error, or at least it did for me, playing lots of different games, and over the years, figuring out the genres you have the most fun with, or get the most bang for your buck from. I find that this experience allows me to better evaluate which games I should be buying and which I should be skipping, particularly now I am old enough to be buying games for myself.
I still continue to experiment from time to time, there are so many new and innovative types of games that have come out over the past few years there is always bound to be something for every type of gamer. Indie games in particular continue to surprise me since I discovered Crawl roughly 2 years ago, and recently delving into more atmospheric games like Inside and Witness blew my expectations out of the water in terms of the experiences video games can provide.
So I know what kinds of games I enjoy, and continue to find new games I never thought I would be into, and I know how to maximise my enjoyment in these games. Definitely the most surprising change that has occurred with time though has been how I play games I used to play.

Even playing through the newly released Crash Bandicoot remaster, I couldn’t help but notice how much fun I was having with the little aspects of the game that I never really pay attention to. Spinning enemies and seeing them fly into boxes or their own comrades was hilarious, and even seeing an enemy walk straight into a nitro crate, killing itself in the process, was something I appreciate a lot more compared to ten years ago.

But these are just some of the changes I have noticed with myself, I would love to hear from you. How have changed as a gamer over the years? Are there any games you have come back to after a long time with a different experience? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, stay beautiful, and keep having fun in this wonderful age of gaming we live in today.