Why can’t guys just say they’re not interested?

The thing I’m finding the most difficult about dating is that guys don’t seem to be able to say when they aren’t interested? It would make things so much easier if people would just be straight up. I’m very tired of getting slow faded or ghosted. The thing is, I am 31 years old, and I don’t want to play games. I also (wrongly) assumed that dating other people in their 30s would mean they would be mature enough to just say if they are no longer interested. I don’t think they care about hurting my feelings because if they did they wouldn’t just ghost. The only thing I can think of is they have better options and don’t want to definitively say they aren’t interested so that if things don’t work out with the other options they have a backup plan?

Sorry, just kind of ranting because I’m fed up!