Do you find yourself 100% completing games less often as you've grown older?

[perfectchaos007]

This is something I've thought about recently because between the time I was kid up until the point of my late teenage years I would 100% complete most of the games I owned. Of course by this I mean I would beat the game, and then beat the post game quests/side missions/ game+/collect all items/ whatever it took to get the "100%" next to my save file which almost always required doing more than simply "beating the game".

Potential reasons why I no longer 100% games like I used to when I was younger.


*less free time as an adult
*increased backlog which adds pressure to finish one and move onto the next one ASAP
*more disposable income to buy games, which adds to the backlog
*lower cost of entry for games, which adds to the backlog (there are hundreds of really good games to buy in the $10- $15 range these days. This wasn't the case 20 years ago before the digital marketplace era.)
*It's just harder to 100% complete games now with DLC's and finding hidden items within massive open world games like GTA5, BotW, etc.

For me, basically it all boils down to the backlog I have now vs the non-existent backlog I had when I was younger. As a child, I could sometimes go months between getting a new game because I had limited income and all new games were $50 (which is like $70 when you adjust for inflation). For those reasons, I would fully exhaust just about all the content in the games I had. It was a simpler time, but in some ways I miss those days.

How about you?

 

[Zolbrod]

Ever since I got into Achievements/Trophies, I've been 100% completing games more than I used to.
It's a good way of keeping track of how much there is to do.

 

[Tovarisc]

For me it's all about if game is engaging enough for me to care to follow through all the way.

E.g. Outer Worlds just didn't keep me hooked for me to bother with final few missions where I couldn't put down Witcher 3 for almost 150 hours + 50-ish for DLCs.

 

[Siggy-P]

It's two things:

A) I have a lot more disposable income than when I was a kid, so more games in general rather than having to scrape the barrel of games I already finished twice for extra hours of boiler playe content. And,

B) Games nowadays are getti g bigger and bigger with more filler. Honest to god Dragon Age Inquisitions collectables killed the idea of 100%ing open world games for me anymore.

 

[DrJamesOxford]

I find myself 50% completing games less... so many games, less time and a bad habit of buying deeply discounted games

 

[nsilvias]

i beat less but thats because games have turned into jobs

 

[JustJavi]

I'm to old to lose my time doing side quests.

 

[Dogui]

I never completed 100% in games aside stuff like Super Mario World and Crash Bandicoot 2/3.

 

[bushmonkey]

Im completing way more games now. I used to play everything and jump between games all the time, never finishing anything. I now try not to do that as much. I completed Control and Death Stranding in January so far for example.

 

[Valkerion]

I thought I was 100%'ing less but I realized I rarely did it before anyway. Now that there are visible measures of it in most games ala trophies and achievements, I can see that I don't.

i beat less but thats because games have turned into jobs

Click to shrink...

Also this is true.

 

[BizzyBum]

Way less.

Too many good games to play to worry about getting 100% in every game.

 

[BobLoblaw]

I'm a working adult. Just finishing a game is good enough for me. Plus my backlog is ridiculous. Ain't nobody got time for 100%.

 

[collige]

It's probably less now because games tend to be much bigger. That said, I've always only 100%'d games I really like. My backlog doesn't really play into it either since I'm going for the RDR2 100% right now despite having Icebourne and a ton of other shit to play.

 

[henhowc]

Dont Be a slave to those trophies man.

 

[Jorjk]

I buy less games but get complete them 100%. I now know which games I like and which grinds I can tolerate. When I was younger I bought way too many games, 2-3 full priced games per month, and did my best for the 100%. Now I am more selective, 1 game a month, but still do my best to 100% it. Right now I got sekiro need to acquire all skills and am 100% done. Nice topic btw thanks for posting.

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

If it's fun I will go for 100%. Which means I play less games than if I just beat them and went to the next one, but I personally find it gaming more fulfilling that way.

I rarely play RPGs though which are usually a chore to 100%. I would never attempt to 100% a Fire Emblem game, for instance.

Though these days games tend to have more and more modes which are minor variations of the main mode, usually different characters that barely change the gameplay. Thinking of stuff like Blaster Master Zero o Mighty Gunvolt Burst that have a ton of characters. In those cases I will beat it with 1 or 3 characters and call it a day.

 

[Jon Carter]

Some games I bought, enjoyed, and ended up playing less than an hour, because I don't have time. I have a full-time job, a young kid, a wife and two dogs. Ain't nobody got time for 100%.

 

[Sword Familiar]

Yeah. When the credits roll, I'm usually done. I tell myself that I'll get back to it later, but you know...

 

[Deleted member 61326]

As soon as I see the credits, I'm done. Eject disc/cartridge, sell game, decide what to play next.

 

[Joe White]

Less, as there rarely is enough reward for going for the 100% and there are always other games waiting.

 

[perfectchaos007]

I never completed 100% in games aside stuff like Super Mario World and Crash Bandicoot 2/3.

Click to shrink...

It's funny you mentioned crash bandicoot because that game was a big inspiration for this topic. 25ish years ago I played the original trilogy on PS1 and recently bought the remaster on Switch. Back in the day on the PS1 I would go back after beating the game to get all the relics and emeralds, but when I played the remaster I quit right after reaching the credits. I Didn't bother to spend the time and energy going back to get those challenging relics/emeralds.

 

[Rats]

Honestly, these days it's remarkable if I stick with a game through the end of the campaign.

My completionist heyday was probably, like, ages 18-23 (I'm 31 now). Didn't go to college right out of high school, then meandered between working, not working, and going to community college, while devoting 80% of my free time to games.

My situation is decidedly more stable now, which leaves me less time/motivation to play. A large part of me wishes I could just go back to not giving a shit, lol.

 

[Geido]

It sort of went all over the place during the years for me. As a kid, I never finished games, because I sucked at them. Fast forward 15 years and when PS3 and trophies came around I 100% everything for the trophies (also being in college and having time helped). But that seemed like a chore so a couple years later I swung hard in the opposite direction were I just wanted play through as much games as possible. 52 games a year challenge etc.

But now just playing through games just to finish them also doesn't seem very fun. So if I'm having fun I'll boot up the NG+ or get some extra trophies. If not, I move on to the next game.

 

[Nida]

Definitely doing it less. I did everything in SPiderman, but then saw I had to do a ton of random crimes to get the final trophy and I moved on.

 

[nillansan]

I very rarely aim to 100% games, it feels like work most of the time.

 

[Tangyn]

I've never really given a shit about collectables so don't think I've ever 100% completed a game in that sense. I finish plenty but I don't think I ever have 100% since lists of collectables came into games of course.

I play til I'm bored and move on. That's my only goal ever

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

I think it's about the same, and it's pretty rare. I usually only 100% a hand full of games any given generation and it's usually just a passion thing — if I really, really enjoy it, then I 100% it. I play and enjoy way more games than I 100%, but going out of my way to do so is usually an indicator of above-and-beyond level of appreciation.

 

[EllipsisBreak]

Yes, much less often. But only because I can afford to buy more new games. My younger self didn't have this backlog.

 

[Milennia]

I only 100% games I really really just want something more to do in because I enjoy the game that much, it's pretty rare to begin with for me

 

[Mbolibombo]

I very very rarely go for 100% in any game.. I just dont find the appeal anymore. Also with a huge backlog it's easier to just skip an awful grinding part of a game to reach 100% to start a new game that you want to play.

 

[Oaklight]

Whether I 100% a game or not really depends on if I like the game in question enough to put in that extra time. I recently played Witcher 3 and got burned out on the game right after I beat the main story because of how repetitive and over abundant the dialogue is and the total lack of emotional range in the characters that aren't Geralt, Yenniffer, or Ciri.

DBZ Kakarot however has me hooked and I've already Platinumed it. The second I feel like I'm not fully enjoying a game, I simply aim to complete it and move on as fast as possible.

 

[Deleted member 31873]

More because of trophies.

 

[DvdGzz]

Lol 100%? More like 17% average now. Too many games.

 

[Dazraell]

If I ever complete a game 100%, it's only when I like it enough. When I play RPGs, I usually try to finish every quest, scan through every corner of the world, talk with every NPC, etc. When we are talking about achievements and trophies, I only try when is not so much extra hassle involved and gameplay itself is fun enough to convince me to spend additional time on doing required tasks. But when a game requires multiple playthroughs on highest difficulty levels or New Game+, I'm out. My gaming time is too limited to even bother.

 

[MrWonderworld]

I don't 100% complete almost any game really. It feels like a chore. To me it's enough that I complete the main story/game. Some games i invest more time in than others but not to the point of concerning myself over 100% completing them.

 

[JCal]

Yeah that ship has sailed for me, especially in RPGs. I finished up FFX HD for the first time last week and during a different time in my life, I would have totally gone after all the Dark Aeons and Penance. But no more.

I still 100% some games here and there, but it's rare.

 

[GeometryHead]

I complete fewer games now than I used to. I don't think I saw credits on more than one or two games last year (Control, and possibly something else). I used to go after platinum trophies, but that hasn't happened in a while. Life gets in the way, I don't play for a while, and then I don't feel like jumping into the game again, and I end up not finishing them.

 

[hersheyfan]

There are so many great games coming out nowadays from indie and AA developers that it's become completely impossible to finish them all.

It used to be that I had to make a game in my wheelhouse (like a good, meaty JRPG or a new Diablo) last for a long time, not just because of financial constraints but because there weren't a lot of people producing the same content. Now there's plenty of games that scratch the same itch, and it's become easier than ever for me to find out about the less publicized titles.

I got off the 100% train when I stopped collecting trophies near the start of the PS4 era. Instead of playing a great game in a way that might not be all that fun, I'd rather just move on to something new and get some value out of my collection.

 

[Deleted member 45414]

I've never completed a game 100%, and I will often stop short of finishing a game if I feel like I've gotten enough out of it.

 

[onpoint]

I find myself barely playing games as much as I've gotten older, much less 100%ing them.

 

[Lucreto]

I have bought fewer games and 100% them more.

I think I bought 5 games last year and got the Platinum in 4 of those.

Trophies are the main reason for this

The only games I don't 100% and sometimes barely 50% are Nintendo games because they are easier to put down that games with trophies.

 

[Piggus]

I never used to 100% games and I don't 100% them now either. I don't find any value or satisfaction in grinding in order to find every random floating piece of paper, tear down every poster, find every hidden package, drive over every stunt jump, skin every animal, find every stupid korok seed, etc unless they offer something really useful in the end. The only thing I go out of my way to complete are side missions or actual story-driven encounters.

 

[oni-link]

I just beat the story and do all the side content I find fun

Clearing out camps? Sure, that's fun

Collecting every hidden feather/package/coin, no, that sounds like a chore

I treat side content like a buffet, I just take what I enjoy. I don't try and eat everything as that will probably make me sick

I did the same thing as a child, so I have zero platinums, and zero 100% completed games, but I beat the story in 25-45 SP games a year

 

[Sanctuary]

I have never bothered with that busywork, because I have never cared about arbitrary achievement icons. When I "complete" a game, that means finishing it and doing all optional content. Or rather that's what it used to mean in most games. Anymore, too much optional "content" is complete filler and not worth investing any extra time in.

 

[Hate]

I complete more now.


Now that I have to pay for the games, I don't just get another one as soon as I finish a game.

 

[Klart]

I try to plat my favourite games.

 

[Zok310]

i beat less but thats because games have turned into jobs

Click to shrink...

This!
I actually have more time now for entertainment in my 30's than i did in my youth.
For me it have nothing to do with age, some devs just suck at making games that can hook you start to finish.
For example, i love Far Cry games, but Primal got my attention for 15 hours and i gave up on it never looked back. To date its the only FC i have not completed.
Some games carry a good pace, some don't. In other cases i find my self picking up games (good or bad) that are just not for me, like The Last of Us. Picked it up but just could not finish it. Great game, deserve all the praises it received, but I fell for the hype and forgot that most ND games bore the shit out of me minus U2.

 

[Dogui]

It's funny you mentioned crash bandicoot because that game was a big inspiration for this topic. 25ish years ago I played the original trilogy on PS1 and recently bought the remaster on Switch. Back in the day on the PS1 I would go back after beating the game to get all the relics and emeralds, but when I played the remaster I quit right after reaching the credits. I Didn't bother to spend the time and energy going back to get those challenging relics/emeralds.

Click to shrink...

I think the normal game is like 2/3 hour long and with all the extra stuff it gets to like 5 haha i always do everything in replays due to how short it is. But i also really love the first Crash trilogy, would probably put them above any 3D Mario :p

 

[Pyro]

I actually do it more now, but that's because I'm also a LOT more selective with what I play. I don't feel the need to play everything so when I find something I like, I stick with it.

 

[Wackamole]

Yeah there is absolutely no fun to that anymore for me. Maybe because how game are these days (a chore often times) but also because i have limited time.