My interest in gaming had hit a nadir right around the middle of the Xbox/GameCube/PS2 generation (it had been sliding since the intro of 32-bit, slowly at first but gaining speed as time went on) because, on the whole, all the games seemed to be the same for at least that generation and the generation before. I found that not only was I losing interest in a hobby (and, later, job) I'd been engaged in since early childhood, but that I was also buying games just because it's what I did, even as a stack of unplayed games kept growing and growing with no end in sight. That all changed, however, with the introduction of the DS.

With its intro, there was finally some actual creativity being brought back into the business: rather than simply concentrating on selling the same game, again, with better graphics and sound, developers actually thought outside of the super-cliched box for once. Via its novel input method and dual-screen design it finally ended what was, in my eyes, nearly a decade of stagnation in creativity and gave me something that was truly new and novel and, most importantly, fun--fun that I hadn't experienced in quite some time.

This trend continued into full flower with the intro of the Wii and, though I'm still not as into them as I was at the height of 16-bit (at least as a hobby), I am certainly a lot more interested than I have been since 32-bit rolled around. And yes, I still play the occasional 360 or PS3 game but, on the whole, they merely keep offering up prettier versions of the same games I've been playing for a good decade. Sometimes change is good.

Also to add in, I think it is easy to realize gaming is becoming dull when people are looking forward to remakes sometimes more than new IP's. Although of course I know this does not speak for everyone.

For example, with me Final Fantasy IV DS is the first game since midway through the PS2 era that I am actually striving for a 100% playthrough.

My gaming peak was 1992 to 1996, thanks to sonic 2, 3 & knuckles, revenge of shinobi, streets of rage 2 & 3 on the sega megadrive

I then moved on to the sega saturn and was still at a peak in terms of my gaming enthusiasm due to classics like Guardian heroes, Fighters megamix and Daytona usa..... it dropped a lot after that but picked up a little in 1998 to 2000 with games like Shenmue, Metal gear solid and resident evil 2

Now with online gaming becoming HUGE my gaming peak is back..... i'd be lost without Virtua fighter 5, Virtua tennis 3, Ultimate mortal kombat 3 and smackdown vs raw 07 multiplayer sessions on my beloved 360

I am 31 and my apathy for games has been growing for a few years. I find myself reading more than playing now. My favourite game is The Secret of Monkey Island. After replaying it recently it did remind me why I loved video games. What do I want, a new monkey island game. Something with a fantastical storyline that keeps me entertained, makes me laugh out loud and is different to the stream of endless clones we are force fed now.

An extra few players in an online game does not make it different to the rest.

 +1 for the Simpsons reference!

What has happened to the industry that makes you find other hobbies to occupy your time?

I feel that there are too many shooters and not enough of anything else.Everything seems to have guns and Im tired of it. Also, most of these shooters are mediocre or just suck.The type of games I grew up with have almost disappeared.  I think the Wii attracts gamers but doesnt do anything great with them because most of its games arent that great, the 360 is mostly shooters and apart from Gears all the exclusive shooters are overatted. Vegas and Bioshock are good but they come up rarely(multiplatform). PS3 has excellent exclusives but everything else is just there. What happened to the great platformers, JRPGs, and Action games.Also Consoles are also starting to focus on multimedia instead of games.

How long has it been going on?

Since the beginning of this gen.

What are a few of your favorite games?

Metal Gear Solid series, Kingdom Hearts games,Jak series, Final Fantasy series,Gears of War, Uncharted, Tekken series, God of War series, Resident Evil 4, Naughty dog Chrash games,and Brave Fencer Musashi( sorry if its too long)( I think PS2 is the greatest system of all time by far)

What do you want in your "perfect" video game? Innovative controls, story, gameplay length, etc.

Amazing story, great gameplay, great graphics and controls, memorable soundtrack, and little shooting emphasis.NO SWIMMING PARTS

- What other media do you enjoy? TV, film, literature, etc. If you want to mention some of your favorite books, movies, etc. even better.

Books-Harry Potter

TV-Dragonball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Family Guy, Everybody Loves Raymond, NBA

Movies-Pirates of the Carribean series, The Matrix series, The Dark Knight(saw it 2x already), Batman Begins, Spider Man series,in no specific order

How old are you?

16

*EDIT* sorry I like gaming as much as eer, didn't see that part.

- What has happened to the industry that makes you find other hobbies to occupy your time?
Nothing, I am growing richer and have more money to spend on games :D

- How long has it been going on?
N/A
- What are a few of your favorite games?

Super Mario 64, SMB3, Super Mario World, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Sunshine, Harvest Moon 64, Fire Emblem, Pokemon Silver, Kirby Air Ride, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Double Dash, Super Smash bros series.

- What do you want in your "perfect" video game? Innovative controls, story, gameplay length, etc.
I want a GOOD sonic game that is 50% chao rasing and 50% sonic platforming sonic only and really good. And the chao rasing has to be really deep and satifying and have alot of area that is creative to explore and have a chao garden makers tool

- What other media do you enjoy? TV, film, literature, etc. If you want to mention some of your favorite books, movies, etc. even better.
I like the Dark Knight, and Batman Begins, and Monty Python and the Holy grail, and The History of the World part 1. I found the book Bambi to be thought provoking, and I also liked the play Rozencratz and GIldenstern are dead (or however you spell their names) Jonathan Swift's writing is also very good. I love the Simpsons and Like futurama. I don't rally watch TV though other than those two, and I watch Futurama rarely.
- How old are you?

My interest in gaming faded a lot in 2006 when I finally gave up on Star Wars Galaxies and MMORPG's entirely. I spent more time with Galaxies then any other game I played before, so I kinda felt like I'd had hit a brick wall with it. Then I got a Wii and DS and I kinda of got more into them again, as both of them provided some original things or simply new twists that freshen up old tricks. Somehow wound up getting the HD consoles as part of my newfound interest. Both of those haven't done a whole lot for me personally, so now I'm kind of back to where I was but looking forward to dicking around with whatever weird curves Nintendo or anyone else throws at the industry.

Guess I'm uninterested a lot of the modern industry's offerings as so much of it feels the same. Lot of games where you're a one-man army/rag tag group of do-gooders up against en evil empire/murderous megalomaniac where you're mindless slaughter is justified through a flimsy storyline/muted because you're fighting in-human monsters. (Zombies, Ogres, Robots, Aliens) Don't really mind that kind of set-up, but there seems to be bizarre fixation on emphasizing the set-up at the expense of what the actual player winds up doing these days. More about what shows up on the screen instead of what you actually did.

Because of that I tend be more interested in either games that do one simple thing right, or go apeshit over the top. Probably why Loco Roco and Conker's Bad Fur Day tend to be a couple of my personal favorite games. Most of the stuff in-between tends to blur together. Generally over-complicating otherwise simple tasks and mechanics to create "depth", and including poorly done to mediocre mini-games or out of place driving or rail shooting segments to create "variety", all to supplement a generally sub-par narrative where your actions make no difference other than what ending you wind up with.

That and I'm 23 and getting older and simply have less time for a lot of things in general. But I still play games, just can't get into this "cinematic" game trend that's popular on the single player front, and I've never been too big on the overly-completive online frag fest and/or annoyingly specific strategic killing that's so popular in them multiplayer front that's spilled over from PC gaming. Can’t really get into the “Games as an art” thing either since the things in video games that tend to be praised as “art” are the same things in movies or tv shows that are praised as art, and they tend to do it better. Even when those elements are good, it tends to just be a good movie/television series interjected into a video game. Rarely it seems like developers try to make the interaction “artistic”.

Guess that’s where I’m at in a nutshell.