Losing Interest In The Gp?


Azure

Trust the recursion...
Joined
May 21, 2003
Messages
3,805
Location
California, USA
I bought my GP32 June of '03 as the "item of the summer," and I just fell in love with it. I spent at least 3-4 hours a day playing on it every summer. I remember staying up till the wee hours playing NesterGP with FF loaded. At that time I also became heavily interested in GP32 forums. First with GP32 Emu, though that kind of went downhill pretty fast because it wasn't broad enough (4 very small forums, one being a dev forum). Then I left for GP32x, which seemed like the perfect place to set up my tent.

In the first several months of owning my GP32, I would constantly look for something new to put on it. Whenever something was released, I always quickly grabbed it and tossed it onto my SMC to take it out for a test drive. I would also become a regular on these forums, posting frequently every day helping n00bs with their questions, and even having others helping me with my n00b questions. I would visit GP32x every day for as much time as I can, reading every thread that popped up. I'd always look forward to reading the forums every day to find out local gossip about SNES9xGP and find out what everybody was talking about. Though things slowed down a bit.

My first year of school with my GP was my Freshman year in High School. Although I feared that I would be overwhelmed with work, thus causing me to forget about the GP, I actually had at least an hour every day to play some good old Doom. However, I did start to slow down getting the latest GP32 apps. Sure, if there was a new version of Snes9xGP or something else huge released I would quickly throw it on my SMC, but I started to neglect A LOT of other GP programs. I'd read about them, think they were pretty cool, but never actually end up putting them on my SMC. However, I was still pretty lively on the forums. But then the summer came, and I had a new interest in mind, Beatmania IIDX.

During the Summer, I found myself spending more time reading other forums, such as bemanistyle.com. I also realized that I wouldn't touch my GP for weeks at a time, proving that I might be losing interest. Of course, after I got it modded I continued playing for a little while, but that slowly faded away. My time spent on the forums also diminshed quite intensely. Instead of spending 5+ hours a day on GP32x, I would just spend an hour every day, and I would only make a few posts here and there. However, there was some hope, C++.

Around the middle of July, I picked up C++, obviously to program for the beloved GP. And if you hung around the GP32 Dev forums, you'd notice that I posted there frequently. C++ relieved my fear of losing interest in my GP because I would continue to spend those 5+ hours on GP32x and #gp32. Posting frequently everyday in the dev boards, I soon realized that that was the only thing that I was doing. I wouldn't touch my GP at all, I would hardly visit the other forums, I would just concentrate on learning C++. I would only skim through news posts, only actually taking the time to read articles if something caught my eye. Something was wrong, I definetly was losing interest, and this became even more apparant when this school year started just last week.

Ever since school started last week, I've been swamped with work, so much work that I would hardly do anything on the computer anymore, except visit forums, but those forums wouldn't include GP32x. I haven't touched my GP in over a month, I haven't put something on my SMC since OS9XGP 0.3, my daily post count is practically non-existant. If I'm lucky, I'll actually post on these boards. All of this can only lead me to the frightening hypothesis that I might be losing interest in the GP32.

I might actually still be interested, I don't really know anymore. Maybe it's just because I have more more this school year, maybe it's just because I just got into IIDX and I've been preoccupied with that, maybe it's just that the community has changed so much that it doesn't appeal to me anymore...or maybe I've changed. The latter is a definite possibility, but I think I'd have to go with the community change.

When I first joined, the GP32 community was relatively small, and so were the boards. Everybody knew each other pretty well and we were all very close to each other like a big, yet small, happy family (Not to say that the current community isn't like this, it's just, in my eyes, not as close). The GP32 seemed to be like our own personal gem that nobody else was aware of but us. But, since then, the GP32 has gotten mass publicity (Okay, maybe not mass like the Big N, but it has gotten a lot of it), thus making the word GamePark almost seem as common as Nintendo (Okay, maybe not, but GamePark has been recognized by others a lot more than when it first debuted). This familiarity brought onto the community hoards of new fans, which obviously is a good thing, but it's starting to slowly abate the closeness that was apparant when I first joined, which I'm starting to miss.

So, what's this mean? Am I leaving the scene? Well, not really. I still have to dev something for the GP, why else would I take up C++. It just means that I won't be "around" as often as I used to be. I'll pretty much just become a lurker, making a few posts a week, and just sitting in the background of the community.
 
I remember fading out of the Gp32. I went to the Zodiacgamer.com forum more so than this. Then when I realized the Zodiac had no programs at that time, I sold it and started visiting the gp32x.de forum more so then the zodiacgamer.com forum. You tend to get more interested in new things you purchase, its just natural. You may or may not be losing interested in the Gp32, no need to feel guilty or anything.

Besides many developers rarely post on these boards.

All I know is that you live in California, which is good enough for me. If you lived on the east coast, then maybe we got a problem. :eek:
 
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Jr2swiss posted on Sep 1 2004 at 02:14 AM said:
I'm very sleepy right now and you post so much.... :huh: . Do you have any idea what time it is? You obviously do because you live in California as well. I will read it next time, edit this post later, so it will look like I was first to post.

Haha, I was thinking the same thing, and it's 3 hours later time here I think. I live in RI. Anyways, Azure long time no see dude. I sent you a PM, hopefuly u remember who the hell I am lol

EDIT: Jr2swiss, I am guessing you are the same person I have been sending PMs in the other forum bothering you with questions lol
 
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not to be rude but you just wrote an essay on something that could be done in a paragraph :mellow: . i began "losing interest" in the post about halfway. ^_^
well... plz stay with us as long as you please
 
i am amazed that you can spend 5 hours within a forum. My advice is seriously go find something else to do. i run my own IT software company and i try and avoid the computer as much as possible. i look on gp32x every now and then ( as you can see i don't post alot). Where you live the weather must be alot better than here in the Uk. If i was you and your age ( im in my 20's) i would be playing football ( i presume you call it soccer!) all the time with my mates. :)
 
Well azure, i see you point, and i understand it, but you must realize that the gp32 is in fact only meant te be played games on.

This scene stuff is something i usually lose interest in within a year. (the happend to me when i had my gba for 1 year).

So if you've been active longer, i really only indicates how good the console is.

I must say that the gp32 is the most interesting gadget till now (apart from the amiga) for me though.
 
I barely ever post, but I must say that I've had my GP32 for 2.5 years now, and I'm still interested in it. But my interests *have* moved with the tides, as it were. There have been months at a time that I leave the scene, but then I find something to bring me back (usually Wonderboi).

Azure, try leaving it alone for a while. Come back in a few months and everything will be new again

:p
 
hey i remember being a kid in high school (i don't like where this is going!)

there was nothing going on with me + girls and sports were pretty damned uninteresting, so video games absolutely dominated my attention (+ my friends')

of course.. a couple years later, it was off to college. I was a sophomore or junior when playstation I and N64 were coming out and at that point, after YEARS of gaming like I was possessed, I could really care less. That's what happens, you grow up + out of things. Some hobbies stick, some don't. Some just morph into other things. My love of games got stale but my interest in graphics became promenient. Now it's come full circle and I make games for a living (but damn if I ever spend any time playing modern games, feh!!)

Of course when emulation came into vogue it was like being a kid all over again... sort of. And when GBA + flashcards (and then GP32 came out) emulation became interesting again.

I will go ages without touching my GP32. I may be one of the people who reads/posts most on these boards and actually plays with the damned GP32 the least (considering that I own one). But you know. Every now and then you pick it up and get sucked into something new. Then back it goes for awhile. But hey - it's always so much fun to watch the scene, I check gp32x nearly every day since I found it (@ when gpengine was released) and I'm sure I'll be here until it's gone...
 
I haven't played my GP32 since October, but I grew to love the 'scene' (or community) instead so I'm still here. I don't feel pressured to play it. I bought it, I enjoyed it and I probably will again when I need it, but at the moment I don't.

In particular I don't base my life around one community. I learnt a long while ago that it's impossible for me to stick to one project or one forum. So even if there is a decline that a 5+ hour / day user like yourself might have noticed, there hasn't been any such noticable decline for me.

EDIT: And that 'Rico...changed' shit just irritates me. The only reason that would happen is if I was putting up a front just for this forum. I don't have the time nor inclination to do that, so everything I post is me, jackass. The one that's changing is you.
 
I still use my GP32. Its the only thing that chills me out when I go to work (Doom64 amongst others). Then this board chills me out when I'm in work. The two go together quite well and keep me calm and sedate for the 8 hours or so while I'm doing my time. :D

Oh yeh and Rico has changed.... into an elf ;)
 
ricoelf.jpg


/crappy paint chop
 

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I definately agree with the strength of the scene thing. In fact, this is the first and only internet community that I've become a member of. I sold my GP at the end of last year.
 
Almost same story here...

But I'm still learning C++, but I must say it looks a lot like C so its easy.
If I want a video on the GP32, I have to take a movie and then convert it (maybe even correct some stuff and do it over) then copy it to the SMC and then I can see it.
Well, I love doing that... But I have seen most of the movies I own, so its more like 'now I can see it 20 times'. Like one time, I had a SpongeBob episode on it and I've seen it so many times that I could actually say (inc. soundeffects) what there was said.
 
nah.... I'm not losing interest.

There is still a strong scene with some great people apart of it.
There are some idiots, but not many, and thats always been the case- Blipped4 and Counter etc.

The time when I lost interest a bit was when it was really really quiet with no news and little new members.
 
*unlurk

Just leave it alone for a while and then come back. I've gone through cycles of this for ages and it just helps to keep everything fresh. You don't want games to become a chore.

*lurk
 
I only skimmed though your post but I get the idea.
Shame really, but for the best.

I bought mine in may, played with it for a couple of days and give up (PC link up problems, 16mb card, poor emulation) But I recently come back to it after I started to lurk here. Seeing the things you can do with this gave me the will to go back to some of my old game ideas (3 in fact) one which I dreamt up when I was 12 (now 18). I'm not going to be on this board much (moving out, college, working, designing, lack of internet) but I'm glad I came cause I found out how quickly things change for the GP.

Leave follow your dream(dreams) and come back a fresh with 2 blank SMC's
 
I have never really played it since i got it, mostly due to the fact i havent been on any trips/journeys since i got it

but now I prefer my PPC since the SCUMM on it is nicer to control

but the GP32s staying for fgen32 and Osnes9x (shitty PPC controls!!!)
 
I stay with the community, though there is always going to be times that I play more than others. In the end, it's just a fancy toy, which, although fantastic, is not a life-and-death thing. I find participating in the community as rewarding as using the GP32 itself, if not more so. Even if I got rid of my GP, I'd still stay around here (no plans to get rid of it though!).

Take a break Azure, and see how you feel afrter a bit of time. I left my GP alone for about three months at one time and when I came back to it, it was great - like rediscovering it all over again.

The most important thing is to enjoy it, and not be so intense about it all.

Cheers
 
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