Is there a game genre, or type of game, that you won't buy, play, or take; even if it's free?

[mainer]

I'm starting to hate the word "genre" in terms of gaming. It's just so muddled these days, so many games seem to blend into those various genres that they become difficult to place in a nice, neat category. So maybe it's better to stick to: Is there a type of game that you would never purchase, play, or take; even if it's free? And this is in no way to disparage any "type or genre" of games. It doesn't mean they're not good/great games, just that you have no interest in spending your gaming hours with them.

For me, sports games fit that category. I just have zero interest in ever spending time with them. There are a lot of great sports games out there, very popular, and I'm happy for those that play them; but I wouldn't buy one, play one, or even take a free one. That's just my personal gaming perspective. I'm not being derogatory about sports games, they're just not for me.

A close second would be any MMO's, those games seem to pop up all the time, and I have almost, almost no interest in them. No hate here, just no interest, with one exception. Every time the Elder Scrolls Online goes on sale (which is pretty frequent), my right index finger twitches over my left mouse button when the cursor is near the "buy" button. I haven't succumbed to that urge yet, but my with my love for the Elder Scrolls games, I often wonder if that might be the MMO that changes my mind.

Do you have a type of game that you wouldn't buy, play, or take for free?

 

[Johnway]

Normally i don't take or play any sports games as generally i'm not interested in them especially the likes of 2k and EA can go to hell.

speaking of 2k/EA f2p p2w games i just avoid. most of them are there to price gouge you of your money and frankly i can think of better games to play that i will find more fun. games that rely on heavy MTX ignore these days.

party games for multiple people i generally don't play as i don't have friends to play with. So not much point grabbing them.

Low effort indie itch.io titles i give a miss. odds of me playing them is low and they're not worthy my time. If it reaches steam i would say its been vetted somewhere and i'll have a look. Will i get it/play it? maybe, maybe not.

Visual novel hentai games. VN aren't really my thing tbh being mostly interactive books with little actual gameplay. sleazy perverts could find alternate places for instant gratification instead of playing a "game" to get it.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Would Tony Hawk count as a sports game, or should something like Football Manager be lumped in with Fifa? I feel like sports games have pretty distinct sub genres that shouldnt be lumped together, and I've spent quite a lot of time playing Football Manager and International Cricket Captain in the past. I wouldnt buy Madden though, because I have no idea what is going on in that type of 'football' . Anyway now I'm mostly done being contrary...

I'll try almost anything, and if I haven't tried that type of thing for a few years, I'll try it again and see if my mind has changed.

Everyone gets different things out of gaming, and that's how it should be. But for example I've tried Assassins Creed and Far Cry games in the last year after a long gap just to see if things are different, or if those games had evolved yet to meet me somewhere in the middle.

Spoiler: Spoiler

They haven't yet

There are certain types of aesthetic that put me off trying things whatever the genre, but in terms of game mechanics I have preferences that can change with mood or where I'm at in life, but there's been fun in nearly every type of game at different times.

 

[Zloth]

"Pixel art" games are out. I had plenty of that back when there was no choice, thanks. I don't demand AAA graphics, but I do demand something that looks like it was made in this millennium, or at least the very late 90's/Y2K. (Except NetHack, but there's a lot of nostalgia helping there.)

Isometric RTS games. I keep trying them, I keep getting bored. I never really quite know why. Same goes for real time 4X like Sins of a Solar Empire or Solaris, and for Diablo-clones. Make them 3D, like BattleZone or any number of action RPGs and I'm good. Make them turn based and I'm good.

I don't have anything against sports games, I just haven't gotten to any of them in a long time. (That reminds me, I need to give Frozen Cortex another shot. Even if I don't like it, I can at least get a screenshot for the quiz! )

Online shooters - no way. MMOs can happen, but I keep comparing them to City of Heroes and finding them wanting.

 

[mainer]

Normally i don't take or play any sports games as generally i'm not interested in them especially the likes of 2k and EA can go to hell.

speaking of 2k/EA f2p p2w games i just avoid. most of them are there to price gouge you of your money and frankly i can think of better games to play that i will find more fun. games that rely on heavy MTX ignore these days.

party games for multiple people i generally don't play as i don't have friends to play with. So not much point grabbing them.

Low effort indie itch.io titles i give a miss. odds of me playing them is low and they're not worthy my time. If it reaches steam i would say its been vetted somewhere and i'll have a look. Will i get it/play it? maybe, maybe not.

Visual novel hentai games. VN aren't really my thing tbh being mostly interactive books with little actual gameplay. sleazy perverts could find alternate places for instant gratification instead of playing a "game" to get it.

I'm with you on all of that. I've looked at games that I couldn't even tell you what type or genre they are, but know that they hold no interest for me. And as far as "visual novel hentai" games go; and I promised myself not to be disparaging to any type of game, but I can't help but wonder why they are even called games, why they even exist. There's probably a cross section of people/gamers that enjoy them, but.....well, I just can't add more without being entirely negative.

Would Tony Hawk count as a sports game, or should something like Football Manager be lumped in with Fifa? I feel like sports games have pretty distinct sub genres that shouldnt be lumped together, and I've spent quite a lot of time playing Football Manager and International Cricket Captain in the past. I wouldnt buy Madden though, because I have no idea what is going on in that type of 'football' .

And that's the whole "genre" thing when it comes to gaming; that game is this genre, this game is that; it all just comes down to an individuals perceptions I guess.

Online shooters - no way.

Those are also on my list of never buy, play, or take for free.

 

[Colif]

i remember giving away the free wrestling game that came with a play station 3. Only sport game I ever liked playing was Golf.
Its much easier now to know what the games are before you get them, early 00's it was... I wonder what the game in this box is like.
I bought plenty of games I never got into.
Games I wouldn't play even if paid too:
Minecraft
walking simulators?
non games?
All pvp games, I prefer to kill the computer and not a person who will get annoyed and want revenge. Computer generally doesn't want revenge... yet
No king rat forged from all the rats I killed in Sacred 2 has yet hunted me down.
Multi player games. I just prefer single player. Can pause game for hours and not need to explain absence when you come back.

Considering its easier for me to the list the genres I do play and everything else is ignored, we could be here a while

 

[mainer]

All pvp games, I prefer to kill the computer and not a person who will get annoyed and want revenge. Computer generally doesn't want revenge... yet
No king rat forged from all the rats I killed in Sacred 2 has yet hunted me down.
Multi player games. I just prefer single player. Can pause game for hours and not need to explain absence when you come back.

I've always disliked the PVP aspect of games, especially ARPGs. Give me a competent enemy AI any day. As far our computers wanting revenge, not yet, but maybe in the future. I also prefer the single player game, or the single player mode for a game that has multiple options.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

And that's the whole "genre" thing when it comes to gaming; that game is this genre, this game is that; it all just comes down to an individuals perceptions I guess.

We're a long way from beat em ups, shoot em ups, puzzlers and platformers.

 

[Krud]

Probably some genre/type that isn't even occurring to me at the moment. MOBAs, CCGs, and Arena(?) type games (Fortnite, PUBG, etc.) don't do anything for me, and I think many of those are free, I'm not sure. Beyond that, I am a sad sucker for free games, and as a result I have all sorts of games in my library that if I'm being honest I'll probably never play, including dozens of pixely indie games that I'm sure are great for what they are, but... eh.

Every time the Elder Scrolls Online goes on sale (which is pretty frequent), my right index finger twitches over my left mouse button when the cursor is near the "buy" button. I haven't succumbed to that urge yet, but my with my love for the Elder Scrolls games, I often wonder if that might be the MMO that changes my mind.

If you love the mythos/lore, then maybe. But in my opinion, ESO didn't give me anything I couldn't already get in some form via the regular Elder Scrolls games. And now there's Skyrim Together, giving even less need for it, though I'll admit I haven't yet tried it so I don't know how well it works.

 

[Ryzengang]

I don't know that there are particular games that I would automatically discount, necessarily. I like trying a wide variety of games and I've been surprised how much my taste has broadened over the past few years since becoming a PC gamer.

I will say, though, that one genre I struggle with is CRPGs. I just generally can't get into them. They just strike as being some awkward middle ground between actual tabletop RPGs and modern 3rd person/1st person RPGs. They have pieces that I genuinely like, such as their heavy emphasis on RPG (very involved character creation/back story, etc) which is usually much more in depth than most modern RPGs. Nonetheless it is just hard to me to get immersed. Isometric view is part of it, I think. I just feel more disconnected from the characters and the world. Also, many suffer from walls of text and just in general being overly dense and complex. Admittedly it is hard for me to fully describe why CRPGs don't work for me. I think the line I wrote above is my best summation: CRPGs feel like an awkward middle-ground genre.

Still, strictly speaking this struggle with CRPGs doesn't meet the requirements of the thread. I would still try a well-rated CRPG if it was given to me for free. It is just probable that I wouldn't like it that much and just not finish it.

 

[McStabStab]

I'll take any free games, but even if 2D platformers have great reviews I do not enjoy them. The closest thing to a platformer I like is Terraria. My friends wax poetic about Hollow Knight, Spelunky, and Celeste, but they're just not for me. I made it pretty far in Cuphead but that's about it.

 

[Alm]

I went all in on MMOs when they first came out but I haven't enjoyed a single one. These days I won't give them the time of day.

 

[ZedClampet]

I could go on all day about types of games I won't play. A few years ago I was playing Battlefield and Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, and then one day I realized I wasn't having fun anymore, and I haven't played a PvP game since. Any game where I can't avoid PvP is out of the question now. (Edit: I just realized I still play some PvP in strategy games like Civilization and Total War).

I absolutely refuse to play Diablo-likes. Can't stand the hot bar combat.

I don't like, but don't completely avoid, time loop games or games where you have to try over and over (rogue-like). I played Hades for awhile and really enjoyed it, but having to die and go back to the beginning and level up over and over again just killed it for me.

I generally don't like FPS's anymore. I played them for years, but now they bore me. If a game has combat, I much prefer melee.

I'll stop there. I'm kind of picky. But as for sports games, I'll play them if you don't control the players. Basically, they have to be management/strategy sims, like Football Manager (even though that game is over my head because I know nothing about soccer). There are a bunch of sports management sims on Steam, and I'll play them from time to time. My favorite of all time was NFL Head Coach made by EA back before the advent of microtransactions and loot boxes. It was a genuinely great strategy game. But there's an exception, the one sports game where you control the players that I actually enjoy is the Super Mega Baseball series.

 

[Colif]

I wouldn't play any of the games that are listed on these polls

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its funny, i don't think they represent the games we all play but they sure popular with visitors.

 

[Brian Boru]

"genre" in terms of gaming. It's just so muddled these days

Totally agree, I don't pay much attention to listed genre anymore. I check out the tags on Steam, and if those look good, then a couple of loner Steam reviews and some gameplay on YouTube—since I don't buy games new, I can always find useful player reactions.

"Pixel art" games are out. I had plenty of that back when there was no choice, thanks

Same here. I think last one I played was ~15 years ago. I enjoy a visually appealing environment, altho it's not essential.

Only sport game I ever liked playing was Golf.

Same here, played a bit ~30 years ago. Which is a bit odd, because I never played golf IRL, but did play a nuber of other sports. I tried a rugby game in 00s, gave it up within an hour. I will play a good crazy golf game tho!

Computer generally doesn't want revenge

Hmm, I dunno… Monty and AxelGrinder used to keep coming after me in every new Civ4 game I started

Give me a competent enemy AI any day

Absolutely. Even an incompetent one, and I can forego the super weapons or kit upgrades if I need to for enjoyment.

I have all sorts of games in my library that if I'm being honest I'll probably never play

Guilty—maybe we can share a cell. Loads of 'extras' I got in bundles, some to support a dev whose other games I liked, …

I'll grab if free in case I change my preferences later, but games I won't play currently:

Third-person shooter;
Multi-player of any kind;
Melee—only part of Far Cry Primal I found very boring was frequent clubbing;
Rogue-like—no interest in being sent back to start, unless I want a new game;
Platformers—played a load 25-30 years ago, shredded the T-shirt;
Fighting;
Arcade;
Marble Popper;
Visual novel.

I avoid anything too fantasy or sci-fi oriented, mainly because I don't want to spend time learning all the units strengths & weaknesses and all the new mechanics—not for game after game.

On the casual front, I'm very picky about Hidden Object & Match 3.

 

[flashn00b]

Any game made by Nippon Ichi Software.

Back in 2012, they released ClaDun X2 while Disgaea is more or less at the height of its popularity and due to the failure of NIS' first PC game, other Japanese game developers took that failed game as a lesson that while PC gaming is too big for them to ignore, they should also be incredibly superstitious of the PC gaming market, much to the point where you'll always have to buy x so y can be on PC. For example, even though THE IDOLM@STER: Starlit Season can't be purchased by most PC gamers, it's still the petition for future Bandai Namco Studios games on PC such as the likes of Tekken, SoulCalibur, Ace Combat and Tales Of.

Honestly, I could go on a long tangent about the future of the Japanese PC gaming scene and my opinions on the direction it's heading but for all intents and purposes, I think the vast majority of problems surrounding it could be traced back to Cladun, and I think an apology for its failure on Steam will be necessary to let old wounds heal rather than to fester and rot like it's doing right now.

 

[Pifanjr]

I can't think of any genre that I won't play, but there are plenty that I don't play:
Sports
MMO
Racing
Platformers
Visual Novel
Fighting
MOBA
Horror
Puzzle
Match 3
Point & Click
Tower Defense
JRPG
Rhythm

Actually, while going through a list of genres, I did find one I won't play: Gacha games. I tried a few and they're just plain bad. Even worse than MMO's, for which I haven't found one with gameplay that isn't done better in a single-player game, but where you can at least play with friends.

I've tried every single genre I listed and for every one I've played a game that I enjoyed, at least for a little bit. They're just not good enough to come back to, especially with how limited my gaming time is nowadays.

The only exception would be if the opportunity arises to play one with my friends while visiting each other. I've played a lot of, for example, FIFA, Mario Kart and Soul Caliber with my friends and would not hesitate to do so again, but only if we're in the same room together.

 

[Brian Boru]

a list of genres

You found a few I missed.

Racing—may possibly play a Rally game in the future, there's one where you get to drive around the lovely English countryside… but that's it.

Horror—agree, not interested unless it's Hitchcock-style psychological light horror.

Tower Defense—I enjoyed the original Plants v Zombies a lot, great humor, play and value. Also a recent one, War Robots Planet Defender, which I played twice and will again. But mostly, no.

JRPG—Never.

Rhythm—Never.

Gacha—Never heard of it

 

[Pifanjr]

You found a few I missed.

I think one more genre that no one has mentioned but most gamers probably won't touch is idle games, e.g. Cookie Clicker.

Personally, I've played a few when I wanted to play a new game but had no time or energy to actually play a game. I'm not sure why idle games would scratch the itch, as you're not really playing anything, but for me it worked.

 

[mainer]

Actually, while going through a list of genres, I did find one I won't play: Gacha games.

I'm curious about this as well, what exactly is a Gacha game?

A Q, are you lumping anything with nudity into that bucket? Just currious because to me there is a huge difference. Though honestly even that is not much different than the old penthouse letters in many ways.

No, I have absolutely no objections to nudity in games, which is completely different from what Johnway wrote about VN Hentai games that have little gameplay, and who's primary focus is sex (at least that's how I view those games). There is nothing wrong with depicting nudity in games, whether male or female, and it can actually help a game's (primarily RPGs just from my experience) world feel more real, a bit more mature, and less like playing a game; adding to that "suspension of belief" feeling when playing.

I also like games, mainly RPG-type, that have a well developed and optional romance story line that basically becomes an undocumented side quest. Bioware, I feel, has for the most part done this extremely well. But the key word there is "optional". Players can completely ignore that, as it's not the main focus of the game.

If you love the mythos/lore, then maybe. But in my opinion, ESO didn't give me anything I couldn't already get in some form via the regular Elder Scrolls games. And now there's Skyrim Together, giving even less need for it, though I'll admit I haven't yet tried it so I don't know how well it works.

I've looked at the Skyrim Together mod a few times, but it seems to have a lot of bugs and compatibility issues the last time I checked. I'll also probably never actually get ESO, as I just have the feeling that I'd want to go back to Skyrim SE and do another modded playthrough. I don't think I would actually devote enough time to ESO to make it worthwhile.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I suppose if you consider Free to Play a genre then it would take a lot of convincing for me to try.

Gacha games are free to play games that try to get you to gamble on loot boxes for items or characters. Like Genshin Impact, very popular in Asia. Not sure if its a genre, or a mechanic in different types of free to play games tbh, dont know any others than Genshin.

I think one more genre that no one has mentioned but most gamers probably won't touch is idle games, e.g. Cookie Clicker.

Personally, I've played a few when I wanted to play a new game but had no time or energy to actually play a game. I'm not sure why idle games would scratch the itch, as you're not really playing anything, but for me it worked.

Thats the thing, they work by preying on that little dopamine hit they give you for making the numbers go up even if you haven't even done anything other than click. Its like the Star Trek TNG episode, making the discs go into the hole, they're controlling your frickin mind man!

I didnt even think of them as games but youre right, I guess that's where I draw the line.

 

[OsaX Nymloth]

MMORPG - tried bunch of them long time ago, nothing stuck with me. And now I just don't have the time for them anyway.

Hack'n'slashes - they make me sleepy. 30 minutes of anything (I tried a lot of them, yes, Diablo included) and I am zoning off.

Most sports games with exception of Football Managers. I am trying to fight that addiction, k?

Anything "sims-like" or "fortnite-like" also gets instant pass.

 

[Zloth]

Fortnite like? Meaning games where a lot of people pay money to dress up avatars as walking advertisements?

 

[Lewis7442]

Games like Roblox .

 

[Brian Boru]

Oxenfree

Thanks, wishlisted!

Anna

Hmm, can't find that on Steam or GOG…?