Do games have less staying power now?

Is the effective lifespan of a game much less than it used to be 2, 5, 10 years ago? I remember when Halo 2 came out that the active population (at least seemed to be) was large for years. Now, the active population for a game like Halo 4, Battlefield 4, etc. drops off significantly within a couple months.

For single player experiences, I remember back in the day playing the game game over and over again for years, even if I had already beaten it. Seems like these days most people run through it once and then are done forever.

So do games these days have less staying power? Do gamers get bored more easily now? Is there just so much more out there to play that people move on to something else faster? Or, has it always been this way and my perception has just changed now that I'm out in the real, post-college world?

I feel like there is just such an extreme amount of blockbuster type games that come out so close to each other. I don't think it's that gamers get bored, it's that the change of pace that happens when switching games is almost a breath of fresh air. You have 3-4 big name games come out around the same time, it's bound to happen.

@3eyedrazorback: I feel like what you're saying is the most common explanation. It seems like big name blockbuster titles are released with much greater regularity these days. Also, the amount of them out there compared to the "good old days" seems much higher.

Mario Kart has staying power. :) So does Smash.

TES games have definite staying power. They'll modding the shit out of those games for years to come.

Halo 3 still has a following.

The problem is most games just aren't good. COD and Battlefield campaigns are laughable, and Skyrim is just too fckng long doing the same thing over and over again.

I think most people move on quickly these days not because they're bored but because there are so many great games coming out, I know I do. There's been numerous games that I could have easily kept playing and enjoying had there not been so many other excellent games that I wanted to experience as well.

You mean longevity simple too many games too much competition. Other reason is that casuals are fickle.

Personally, its the case of been here done that so a lot of stuff today don't keep me interested.

Most gamers are fickle.