Help - can't finish games any more!

Bunga · Jul 6, 2018

I just can't seem to sit down and focus on one game until it's done anymore. I'm in this circle whereby I really want to play and complete more games to experience more stuff and to clear my backlog but I seem to have struggled for a long time on/off with the following circumstances which have from time to time prevented me from enjoying the hobby the way I want to:

- When there's a lot going on - I love open world games but when things inevitably really open up, e.g. after the tutorial sections/areas and there are X directions to go and/or absolutely loads to do/quest log fills up I have a tendency to get overwhelmed and have the urge to stop playing. For example leaving Siwa in AC Origins, I just zoomed the map out and basically noped out despite having enjoyed what I'd played up to that point. I feel unable to not do side quests, even if they're just not something I want to do or sound interesting to me.

- Feeling like I'm not playing the game properly or when I fail/die - I recently failed part of a side mission in a game, a completely unimportant, optional part of a side mission and the red cross beside it drove me nuts and I stopped playing and this was after 50 hours of play! Feeling like I'm not playing properly also happens to me quite commonly in games with stealth elements in them. Example, if I get detected in something like Dishonored, I just can't seem to live with having the ensuing scrappy fight with enemies and simply moving forward with the rest of the game. I feel like I'm cheesing the game or not playing it as it should be played if that makes any sense at all and I don't feel like I can just reload a save I view that as scumming/taking away the challenge of the game

- Not wanting to miss something or finding out I have already missed something - A lot of games feel like I'm just hoovering up loot after a while because I can't bare to miss something. E.g. if I'm in a dungeon let's say and there is a fork in the path, I will follow one path to where it looks like it finishes, looting everything on the way and if there is a door to another section of the dungeon, before going through that door, I will double back and go down the other fork in the path instead of just proceeding and seeing where the door goes. It's tiresome running around looking at the floor/minimap all the time for fear of missing something. Witcher 3 I spent more time staring at herb icons on the minimap and hoovering them up than I care to admit, despite probably already having a huge stack of those herbs lol.

TLDR - I seem to have a few sort of quirks and OCD-esque things going on that are stopping me from enjoying games the way I'd like to such as getting overwhelmed at open world games, failing at stealth sections, fear of missing out on things and compulsion to hoover up all loot. Anyone experience this as well? Anyone got any advice as this is really making games a chore to play.

ASleepingMonkey · Jul 6, 2018

OP, I wish I could help but I can't even start the ones I buy let alone finish them.

goldenpp73 · Jul 6, 2018

You shouldn't let compulsion drive how you play, I tend to like to finish the crap out of the games I DO play which results in not playing all that I might like, and that's fine. If you prefer to dip and get smaller but broader amounts of samples there is also nothing wrong with that, just enjoy yourself, that's all there is to this hobby.

sredgrin · Jul 6, 2018

I actually found AC Origins helped me in this regard with how much shit there was that I quickly focused on the content I actually liked (mainly side quests and the riddles).

I have found completing short games works to help with that "I'm drowning in games and will never be done" mania as well.

apocat · Jul 6, 2018

I don't finish most of the games I play. The game needs to make it worth it to me, and if it can't then keeping at it would be a waste of my time.

The OCD aspects you describe sounds like they would take away all enjoyment for me. Games are fun, but they are just that. Games. You don't have to do everything perfectly. That just sounds stressful and dull.

Deleted member 11093 · Jul 6, 2018

* Stop playing 3-5 games all at once, should never do more than 2 games at a time.
* Stop replaying old games.
* Avoid beating games longer than 15 hours for a while.

Aters · Jul 6, 2018

If modern games give you so much trouble, don't play them.

Saint-14 · Jul 6, 2018

You might want to stop playing open world games for a while, try some linear games OP and see how that goes for you.

Azusa · Jul 6, 2018

You don't need to finish a game to enjoy it. Just play the game while its fun and fresh.

Also dont thing long term. Play the game now and do what you think is fun now. No need to collect materials for end game craft or something like that. You just need to understand that you will drop the game any moment and you need to do what is benefiting you now, not in the future.

Emerald Hawk · Jul 6, 2018

I'm sure you already know this, but it sounds like you are getting hung up on finding the "right" way to play a game, and you wish you wouldn't.

At some level you either trust the game designers or you don't. If the designers are skilled and trying to make a fun game for everyone, then there is no wrong way to play it. However you get enjoyment out of it is a valid way to play. Your own experience won't be any worse than anyone else's, just different. "Failing" a stealth section isn't really a failure, in this view, just an emergent storyline that happened when things didn't go as planned.

Game designers who intentionally make one way to play boring or punishing, and make the story worse (not just different outcomes, but the story is less interesting or more annoying) if you "fail" something, just aren't worth your time.

+1 to the suggestion of playing some simpler, smaller games for a change. You have to burn the rope. ;).

To give an example from a "real" game, Metal Slug 3 is (or was) free right now with Amazon Prime. I blitzed through it last night in about an hour. I used like 32 credits (I played on infinite credit mode) and I don't care that I died a lot. It was fun and the pixel animations are a real treat.

SturokBGD · Jul 6, 2018

Bunga said:
Feeling like I'm not playing the game properly or when I fail/die

This one is interesting to me because I have this weird quirk where if I'll start up a game and play it for a couple of hours, having the time of my life until I die or fail at something, at which point I lose all my enthusiasm. Like the seratonin gets completely drained from my body or something.

eloxx · Jul 6, 2018

TheEnd said:
* Stop playing 3-5 games all at once, should never do more than 2 games at a time.
* Stop replaying old games.
* Avoid beating games longer than 15 hours for a while.

This is really good advice.

Kunka Kid · Jul 6, 2018

I was this way for a long time, but recently have forced myself to stick with one or two games at a time at beat them (provided I'm actually enjoying them, and that's key).

Also, creating a Google doc and tracking all the games I've beaten for the year has really helped with this. It's SUPER satisfying to finally add a game to the list after playing it for a while.

Boiled Goose · Jul 6, 2018

Remember... The only reason to play games is entertainment

Don't let compulsion make you feel like games are real life achievements to complete.

D4rth Man7iz · Jul 6, 2018

Try to focus on 1 or 2 games before moving on to something else.

Yiepekaiyei · Jul 6, 2018

I was having this problem when I tried to play as much games as I played in the past, with a fraction of the time I had back then. As soon as I realized that and focused on less games, I recovered my joy.

Crayon · Jul 6, 2018

Good good. The top of the muffin is the good part. Throw the stump away!

Jaded Alyx · Jul 6, 2018

OP, if you ever find the solution, let me know.

ThankDougie · Jul 6, 2018

TheEnd said:
* Avoid beating games longer than 15 hours for a while.

This, or at least focus on games that are more within the time you might be willing to allocate. 80 hour JRPGs just aren't worth it to me unless they're top of class gems like DQVIII. 40 hour JRPGs, on the other hand, seem just about perfect. If you know the time frame in which you start to get bored, look for games that clock in under that.

hwarang · Jul 6, 2018

You only have one life man. Don't need to waste so much time on every single sidequest for every single game. I've let go of that mentality and have found myself being able to beat more games.

Also, in this world of sales and backlogs - play and finish the games that you enjoy. No need to play a game you mindlessly zone out on for the sake of beating it. It's not worth it.

skeezx · Jul 6, 2018

if you're ADHD prone i don't think it is possible to finish most games in the modern age. you have pretty much every game you want at the move of a fingertip and once the reward receptors of your brain are the least bit disturbed you'll just move onto another game or watch netflix or youtube or whatever

i've tried pretty much everything to prioritize my back catalogue, or games that were good but i just dropped because reasons, it never really works out

blitzblake · Jul 6, 2018

Sound more like a OCD issue, which you should probably see a mental health professional about.

Tonypark · Jul 6, 2018

I used to be like you OP for side content collectible etc...
One day i stopped giving a shit and just enjoyed games for the story/experience.
I usually play on easy and stick to the main quest. Collectible don't matter i pick wtv i see but i won't search for them.
I played yakuza 0 and 1 without even touching any side quest or collectable and i had the time of my life. You also save lots of time to do other things or play other games.

Bunga · Jul 7, 2018

Thanks for all the replies!

I think in terms of filler side content and compulsion to do that is a hard one because some games make it harder to discern what is quite obviously like a repeatable quest or certain type of quest so you can make a decision on whether to do them or not. Assassins Creed for example actually does a decent job of saying you know there's an outpost mission here or a parkour trial here so you can easily pick and choose what to do or avoid depending on what you enjoy. It's harder in other games to do that. Some games also make it practically necessary to side quest to level up so you don't feel underpowered for the main storyline which is probably the biggest bummer.

SturokBGD said:
This one is interesting to me because I have this weird quirk where if I'll start up a game and play it for a couple of hours, having the time of my life until I die or fail at something, at which point I lose all my enthusiasm. Like the seratonin gets completely drained from my body or something.

This is exactly it. This is so strange and I know it is but it feels great when you're playing well, almost like you're playing an e3 demo, it's all really immersive because you're playing it "right" but when you die or fail a section it's like the immersion break is too huge to recover from. I know that sounds mental and is ridiculous but that's genuinely what seems to happen to me.

Deleted member 11018 · Jul 7, 2018

Play Civilization, i can guarantee you will sit down and not move your ass off the chair .
I don't have time to waste in gaming, so if the challenge is unacceptable or the game has obvious padding through grinding, i create cheats or use trainers.
The game is at my mercy, not the other way around, i paid for it, it is my property, i use it the way i want and don't follow the modern guide of "license only" and "terms of use", i use on my own terms, single player of course.

Hate · Jul 7, 2018

Play mp games that last a couple of minutes.

Deleted member 721 · Jul 7, 2018

Maybe you have ocd Op, Go check that

Benzychenz · Jul 7, 2018

Stop playing open world games with a million things going on if you have a compulsion to never miss anything.

ssnick37 · Jul 7, 2018

I play 2 to 3 games at a time max.

If side missions are fun I do them otherwise I skip them.

I used to try to get everything in a game. I also used to be a teenager and in my early 20s with nothing but time.

You gotta adapt.

dock · Jul 7, 2018

Try not to worry about it. I've spent 15 hours of Dead Cells, and it's lots of fun but I can't beat the first boss. Pretty obvious I'm never going to finish the game.

I found myself unable to progress in Yoku's Island Express because I found navigation a chore and I often couldn't find the next objective, so I've given up.

It's a shame when games are a mismatch for completion, but most games are about more than the ending.

Deleted member 8861 · Jul 7, 2018

You need to force yourself to accept that you won't succeed at all stealth sections and even more importantly, you gotta get used to missing out on loot.

What sort of game do you like? Perhaps we could recommend you some games that won't trigger these urges :D

Bunga · Jul 7, 2018

I think another issue as many have touched on so far is that I have far more time pressures these days. These issues were definitely less pronounced before I got married and had kids.

I often feel after a while of playing something that my time could be best spent on a different game and I'm not sure if that's just me not enjoying the game.

Interestingly I don't really encounter any of the issues when playing games on the go on my Switch.

Vex · Jul 7, 2018

You must first learn to recognize those feelings when they happen so that you may correct them immediately.

Bunga said:
When there's a lot going on - I love open world games but when things inevitably really open up, e.g. after the tutorial sections/areas and there are X directions to go and/or absolutely loads to do/quest log fills up I have a tendency to get overwhelmed and have the urge to stop playing. For example leaving Siwa in AC Origins, I just zoomed the map out and basically noped out despite having enjoyed what I'd played up to that point. I feel unable to not do side quests, even if they're just not something I want to do or sound interesting to me.

When this happens, immediately tell yourself, "I am going to go on the main questline. Nothing else." I know it hurts, but this will condition you. Emphasis on "condition".

Bunga said:
Feeling like I'm not playing the game properly or when I fail/die

When this happens, tell yourself it was

Bunga said:
a completely unimportant, optional part of a side mission

exactly. Ignore the "X". Move on.

Bunga said:
- Not wanting to miss something or finding out I have already missed something

Now Im not gonna lie to you, this is rough. My god is this rough. But here's what I do.

1. Stay away from online communities about the game you are playing. The less you know about an item hidden past the point of no return, the better you will feel about missing it.

2. If you still find out about missables, Then take pride in the fact that your game experience is unique. The path you carved through your gameplay hours is different from the other guy. Enjoy missables. Love missables.

Remember: when playing a game what your main objective is... to add it to your list of completed games. To reach A ending. You just need to start beating games. Recognize your impulses and stop them when you feel them creeping on you. It is all about replacing bad habits with better ones. So condition yourself to only want to beat the main objective. Build on that.

I have since beaten many games. But my bad habits are slowly coming back for the first time in over a year. I need to get back on that.

Help - can't finish games any more!

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