I have looked, being a gamer from the 90's, I have had the privilage of seeing the gaming industry come back, and now days, it is hard to find a good game that isn't either slop from the triple A companies, or malware trying to steal from you. Not to say all games are this way, but I have played many games now, and I find it harder to get into a good game these days. Even Final Fantasy VII Rebirth I found enjoyable, but a huge slog to get through, so ya. It is nice to find a game that is in the midsts of creation, seeing it come to fruition, and although I am not sure how I feel with the new controls in 0.9, I do like the progression forward and the more in depth hands on approach it is taking as far as upgrades and the new ATV are concerned. Will be fun to try the new build.
Yeah, unfortunately I have basically the same problem. The only places I can find good games are typically in the indie scene - there's lots of shooters like Ultrakill or Cruelty Squad (or Psycho Patrol R, for that developer's more recent game) but I've also found that Vampire Survivors, Different Strokes, and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead are all really fun, and there's lots of other games to find on Steam. Even if you don't have much money, there'll be an occasional gem in that you can find on a steep discount or, from time-to-time, for free, though that's exceptionally rare.
On that topic, C:DDA is free if you look up the name in any search engine and download it through their website, and though the graphics can be a pain in the ass to decypher, it's at least something my laptop can run and not make it sound like it's a helicopter preparing to take off. Also Dwarf Fortress is good, though that can be very taxing depending on the world size/history. (Again, that's one you have to find off-platform - the Steam version is not free for a variety of reasons.)
I'd recommend Good Old Games (or GOG dot com) as a platform that supports and helps to preserve older games like with what you're talking about. I've recently bought a pack consisting of the OG Doom and Doom 2 on there, and I'm currently also playing the original Fallout, though I got that one on Steam a while back. (The original Fallout may or may not be bugged on GOG - I haven't bought it myself to confirm, just out of precaution.)
I have a decent library on GOG and Steam, getting Postal 2 for free was nice, and it was only 97 cents to get the Paradise Lost DLC, I hate to say I was late to the game, started playing when it was 0.7.3b I think. Saw Vargskelethor Joel playing it and I got to the point I wanted to play it just to see everything for myself. I started as all do with nothing, and thank the devs for the mailbox system, has made new game plus nice or when having to start over again. I have the Doom collection on steam, and all you can get but Doom 3 on GOG, I still have my original Doom 3 and RoE expansion discs and codes. Fallout 4 GotY and the GOG mod Fallout 4 London, Starfield was fun, but not to go over my libraries . Voices of the Void is
something I have been yearning for. It is something new, it is something inventive, while I get it was inspired by Signal Simulator, it really gives me an envirment in which is both uncomfertable, yet cozy.
I could go on and on what I enjoy about this game, but to put it simply, it gives me the thrill of exploration, and scratches that itch that most tend not to, giving the player the freedom to do whatever the hell I want to. My recent playthrough I found with a mod I could actually have a working rifle in game that does what it should do. Makes clearing the maniquines out easy, and it works on the boars and tanks, so no throwing molotovs as I am not very good with those without setting myself on fire lol.