this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2025
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Patient Gamers

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A gaming community free from the hype and oversaturation of current releases, catering to gamers who wait at least 12 months after release to play a game. Whether it's price, waiting for bugs/issues to be patched, DLC to be released, don't meet the system requirements, or just haven't had the time to keep up with the latest releases.

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Feel free to replace "friends" with "anyone you know in real life" or even online groups you trust or are close with.

"They":

WOM marketing is highly effective as 88% of consumers trust friend recommendations over traditional media.

and my own personal experience; most games I have bought in the past 10 years have been off of recommendations from r/gamingsuggestions before Reddit went to crap and Lemmy came into existence; and even moreso when it is a personal friend recommending things to me.

Mods, feel free to nuke if this feels too close to advertising or better-suited for !videogamesuggestions@lemmy.zip (my own community); I mean it more as a discussion piece but I don't run the place.

EDIT: The "not" in the title is optional; I'm asking about both successful and failed recommendations.

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[–] caseofthematts@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

The only one I can currently think of is Gris - and I say that because I can't recall buying a game that made me want to get my money back upon finishing it.

Gris is very highly rated across the board, so clearly there's something I'm missing as to why. I enjoy walking sim games every now and then, but it'd be hard for me to even call this one a game. People point to the story as being beautiful and deep, but it felt like nothing new and, for me, a bit trite. There was nothing engaging about this game to me. The worst part? It's like 3 hours long.

Sorry if whomever reads this really likes Gris. I'm glad you could enjoy it. To me, it's one of the worst recommendations I've ever received.

[–] Dran_Arcana@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It was recommended to me not as a game, but like an interactive movie. As more art than game. Going into it with those expectations is probably why I loved it so much. I can definitely see how someone might get a very different experience with very different expectations.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Yeah I absolutely adored it but I love artsy games like it. I played it by candlelight and it was pure delight

[–] caseofthematts@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I can definitely see that if you're not expecting it to be a game, it'd be a lot more enjoyable. It's been a couple of years, so I think all I really knew about it was that it was highly rated and a platformer.

All I can say is that I'm glad I got it on deep sale, as I'd be even more furious if I paid the local price of $20 for this game.

Gris is a hard game to recommend because, while it is a game, it doesn't really do anything particularly unusual for a game. The platforming is passable and there really isn't a narrative in the sense of the game telling you what is happening. If you go into it expecting a game it will be disappointing or at least just ok.

Instead, if you go into it expecting a visual and audio journey through the emotional prossessing of grief, and growing to move forward, it is incredible. Especially if you happen to play it while working through your own grief.

People who recommend it need to provide a caveat that it is less the game mechanics and more the emotional journey.

[–] fulg@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

I have good memories of Gris, but it is a game about grief. It was kind of janky but I was in the right mood for it I guess, having lost someone earlier. I completely agree that it is not for everyone. I enjoyed it but I certainly did not have fun (what a weird thing to say about a game!).

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I agree with you, the game seems mediocre at everything it does (platforming, puzzles, etc.) and there are much better "games as art" out there.

http://www.gorogoa.com/ always comes to mind (although it's definitely a "harder" puzzle game).

[–] CancerMancer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

One of the most emotional gaming experiences I ever had was Iji, a freeware game I happened upon while looking for something else. I did not expect that.

Prepare yourself for two playthroughs :)

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Oh god, I actually played this year's ago. Great game!