By Kiba Snowpaw, a gamer since the dawn of the 90s who’s finally had enough
Introduction: A Gamer at the End of the Road
I never thought I’d write a blog post like this. If you told me in the 90s that I’d one day walk away from gaming—not just for a few months, but for good—I would’ve laughed in your face. But after decades of playing, reviewing, supporting indies, and even coming back after previous breaks, this time is different.
I don’t just feel burned out. I feel done.
You might ask why—what finally pushed me over the edge? To be honest, I think the AAA industry has finally succeeded in driving away one of its own core audiences: the lifelong, no-BS, not-here-for-the-fomo, just-let-me-play crowd. People like me.
Let me tell you how it happened, and why—unless something truly massive changes—I may never come back.
1. AAA Studios: From Dream Factories to Content Mills
Once upon a time, names like Ubisoft, EA, and Blizzard meant something.
Ubisoft was the studio that gave me Prince of Persia and early Assassin’s Creed. EA? Command & Conquer, Mass Effect, Dead Space, Need for Speed, classic sports titles. Blizzard made Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft—the kind of games that defined entire generations.
Now? Ubisoft is a laughingstock, EA’s business model is lootboxes and “surprise mechanics,” and Blizzard is… well, you know.
But it’s more than just nostalgia. These companies have fundamentally changed how games are made and who they’re made for.
• Live Service Hell:
Everything is a platform, not a game.
Assassin’s Creed is no longer a game you finish; it’s an “experience” with FOMO events and store tabs in the main menu.
• Monetization Over Meaning:
Remember when unlocking a new skin was about skill or secrets, not credit card debt?
Now, half the “content” is cosmetic, time-gated, or stuck behind premium currency.
• Open-World Bloat:
Games have never been bigger—and yet, they’ve never felt so empty.
Checklists, maps cluttered with icons, copy-paste activities, meaningless side quests. It’s not exploration; it’s work.
2. The Death of Passion (And the Rise of “Player Engagement”)
Let’s get one thing clear: games are no longer made by gamers, for gamers. They’re made for metrics, stockholders, and marketing slides.
Every publisher brags about “player engagement,” not fun.
- Ubisoft’s latest earnings call: more time played = more money spent = success (even if the game itself is garbage).
- EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson cares about “player spend per hour” and “live services” (not innovation).
- Activision Blizzard: Layoffs after record profits, recycled expansions, sexual harassment scandals, a Blizzard community that barely recognizes itself.
It’s not about making something good. It’s about making something addictive.
And somehow, I just can’t do it anymore.
3. Gaming Fatigue: When Your Hobby Starts Feeling Like a Chore
I’m not a kid with all the time in the world anymore. I work, I create music, I make videos, I take photos, I live life. When I sit down to play, I want to feel alive again—not like I’m clocking in for my second shift.
But for the past several years, gaming has started to feel like… work.
• New releases feel like I’ve played them before.
• AAA open-worlds feel like checklists.
• Even “innovative” titles get run into the ground with sequels, remakes, and microtransactions.
Sometimes I’d quit, only to come back, hoping something had changed. It didn’t.
4. The Indie Exception (and Why It’s Not Enough)
Sure, indie studios are still fighting the good fight. There are bright spots—Kickstarter darlings, passion projects, games made by tiny teams that care.
But even here, the industry’s rot is spreading:
- Indies are getting swallowed by big publishers (Embracer, Tencent, Epic).
- Steam’s discovery algorithm buries passion projects beneath asset flips and shovelware.
- Even the indie scene is being hit by rising dev costs, AI asset spam, and the never-ending demand to “add a battle pass.”
I still support indies. But even the best indie game can’t fix an entire industry.
5. My Personal Journey: From Childhood Joy to Reluctant Retirement
I started gaming in the early 90s—before DLC, before online passes, before “deluxe editions.”
I played on consoles, PCs, handhelds, emulators. I lived through the glory days:
- GoldenEye 007 on N64 with friends
- Counter-Strike in internet cafes
- Diablo II and WoW at launch
- Every mainline Final Fantasy and Metal Gear
I built a Steam library of over 2500 paid games. I beta-tested. I modded. I reviewed. I bought games at full price to support devs.
And, yeah, I took breaks—sometimes because of life, sometimes because of burnout. But I always came back, because I believed there’d be something new worth loving.
Now? I feel like the industry has changed so much, and so deeply, that I can’t come back.
Not to AAA, not to the endless loot caves, not to the hollow open worlds, not to the soulless grind.
6. Why This Time Feels Final
This time it’s not just a break. It’s a resignation.
- I don’t trust the big studios anymore.
- I don’t believe in the hype cycles.
- I don’t care about “next-gen graphics” if the soul isn’t there.
- I’m tired of waiting for “one last good game” from the companies that built my childhood.
I’d rather spend my time on something that gives back—photography, music, writing, exploring real life.
And I’m not alone.
Every forum, every Discord, every subreddit is full of lifelong gamers quietly putting down the controller for the last time.
7. Some Cold, Hard Facts (and Why It’s Not Just Me)
- Ubisoft lost 20.5% in sales this year. Most of their money is from back-catalog and DLC, not new games.
- EA’s core is FIFA/EA Sports FC, Ultimate Team, and Apex Legends—live services that exist for monetization, not creativity.
- Blizzard is a shell of itself. (Look at Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, WoW expansions.)
- AAA layoffs: Thousands of developers lost their jobs in 2024–2025 alone, even while execs cash out.
The industry isn’t in a golden age. It’s on life support, propped up by whales, FOMO, and the next monetization gimmick.
8. Is There Any Hope? (Maybe, But Not For Me Right Now)
Maybe someday things will change. Maybe the next generation will demand better. Maybe some indie miracle will remind the world why games matter.
But as of now? I’m not holding my breath.
Conclusion: The Final Logout
I don’t hate games.
I just hate what they’ve become—at least in the hands of the studios that once made them magic.
I’ll always be a gamer in my heart, but for now, I’m logging off.
Maybe permanently. Maybe not.
But this time, I mean it.
And if you’re reading this and feel the same…
Just know you’re not alone.
Kiba Snowpaw 
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