Opinion Indescribable hardness of starting a game

Kuro

Kuro

"Oh yeah? Aren't you gonna punish me?"
Dec 22, 2018
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Lately I've realized, it's very hard for me to start a game.
The Netflix syndrome.

I sit there look at my PS4 start menu or Steam shortcuts thinking what I'd play and usually after sometime end up playing some timewaster MP game like Fortnite. Now, while there's nothing wrong in playing such games (Siege, Overwatch, Rocket League.. you name it, easy to pick, easy to drop) this is the dilemma I have with games that I'd like to finish games I've started.
Many games sit there half-way through or even at last boss (The Witcher 3 looking at you..) but I have no motivation to turn on the game - yet if I do I always end up having fun for many hours.
It's lot easier to start new game than continue old one, and while some may say it's because the old games aren't good enough, I don't think it's that.
 
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As I often say, my biggest problem is indecision leads me to just play the same stuff.

I could play one of the four or five games I bought recently...or I could just go play one of my old standbys that I know will be a good use of my limited time.

It's hard sometimes.
 
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I believe the word you should be using in the title at least is 'difficulty', not hardness.

I have my own system for clearing thru my backlog but if a game just isnt doing it for me i drop it and move onto the next game on the list.
 
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I have so may distractions. At least in the old days internet was limited, and lacked all sorts of streaming or other content to grab my attention. Like, I do want to start Hollow Knight now, buuuuuuut I could also listen to music instead. Or, I could read manga, watch an anime or live series, or just waste time on social media. Also, thanks to bundles and everything going digital it's way easier to build a library of stuff so that it feels kinda expendable? Growing up I didn't have a collection like I do now so when I got games back then I'd make sure to play the hell of them as soon as I got them.
 
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I'm pretty sure it's about time investment, I have this problem too, there are those games where you just can't do much in 15 or 30 minutes, so you run some game that works that way and you end up playing such games for hours... so might as well played time investment game. It's just one of those gamer life peculiarities.
 
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You're not alone. Choice Paralysis is real.
An abundance of options sounds like a good thing but can hinder one of deciding on a game because you're not sure if you chose wisely or could have even more fun by going with another game.
It's why so many have good memories of playing generally mediocre or even bad reviewed games in their childhood. They didn't have much choice and simply played what they had and enjoyed it.
There are tactics to battle this but you need to google them and try out. For some it can seriously help to give the power of choice and thus responsibility to someone else.
 
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freshVeggie said:
You're not alone. Choice Paralysis is real. An abundance of options sounds like a good thing but can hinder one of deciding on a game because you're not sure if you chose wisely or could have even more fun by going with another game. It's why so many have good memories of playing generally mediocre or even bad reviewed games in their childhood. They didn't have much choice and simply played what they had and enjoyed it. There are tactics to battle this but you need to google them and try out. For some it can seriously help to give the power of choice and thus responsibility to someone else.
Click to expand...

yeah, that's soooo true ... "back in the day" i had like 5 games, so i didn't really have a choice, lol :P

i spent like 500h playing Dune 2, lol
 
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I can relate so bad. Lack of motivation + excess of choice = nothing gets played.
Sometimes I do a marathon of 4 or 5 indie games, playing the first few minutes of each and uninstalling all (or most) of them afterwards, just to say I gave them a chance. And I constantly have to fight my urge to replay old stuff. There's nothing wrong about it, of couse, but I have many unplayed games that I also want to get to but never do.
 
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texhnolyze said:
Maybe I'm just old school. But I still do this in order:

- buy game
- install game
- finish game
- uninstall game

If I'm not going to play a game right away, I won't buy it. I often refund my game on Steam after I impulse bought it.
Click to expand...

Every time I have reinstalled windows fresh, I go in with this mindset. In the end multiple games start to pile up.

I seem to have a taste for RPG's/open world games, which are usually long, but my attention span is too short, so I end up playing 30hrs or so of each one. Right now I have around 50 games installed, all of which are worth playing and yet I will end up on youtube or netflix.
 
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This is absolutely a thing. Not just from game to game, but sometimes even within a game. Take something with a ton of options and replayability like Football Manager, the Civ series, etc. Just decided on options like which leagues to load in FM or how many Civs/which map type, etc. in Civ and I find myself staring at the screen for way too long to the point where I often end up just doing nothing.

Once in I'm fine but getting over that initial hump is something else.
 
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I feel the same way. Some times I look around my Steam library searching for some unplayable game just to download play it for 15 minutes and ignore it completely while going back to Warframe or PoE.
 
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lashman said:
yeah, that's soooo true ... "back in the day" i had like 5 games, so i didn't really have a choice, lol :p

i spent like 500h playing Dune 2, lol
Click to expand...
I still love my strategy games... on PSX!
Warcraft 2, KKND, Dune... I swear they're perfect for PSX.
 
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lashman said:
no ... they're really, REALLY not :p

they all play MUCH better on PC, lol
Click to expand...
I ain't taking any of that.
tenor.gif
 
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lashman said:
yeah, that's soooo true ... "back in the day" i had like 5 games, so i didn't really have a choice, lol :p

i spent like 500h playing Dune 2, lol
Click to expand...

Thats one of the best RTSs
Me and a schoolfriend had it on the Amiga, great times.

But OT, I have 100s of games that I should be playing but am currently debating wether to reroll a new character in Dark Souls
 
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The main problem I have is that I will start a game, leave it for a while. Eventually return then start a new save, done this with The Witcher 3, The Forest and Stardew Valley.. numerous times..
 
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Complete opposite here. I love starting games. It’s how I wind up in the middle of 8 games and don’t finish any of them.
 
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I limit myself to about 3 games I play regularly, and keep installed at the same time. I make sure they are from different genres to make it more varied.
Once I'm done with one, I usually look if there's something that interests me in my backlog, or if not, maybe something in the wishlist.
usually not much of a problem.
 
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yup, this is very much a thing. much like "post game blues" when you finish a particular long game for example (usually rpgs or games where you are more involved with your char or the cast than usual).

but going back to your point, yeah its deffo a thing. I usuall have to start a few games until something "clicks"
 
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Yep, and I have the same problem with movies and TV shows.

So lately I just end up watching RuPaul DragRace on Netflix while playing Book of Demons, as I'm actively trying to stay away from Grim Dawn until the next expansion.

I do want to finish AC:Odyssey and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, to start Hitman 2 and the others 2018 games that I have not played yet, but I just can't bring myself to actually start them...
 
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I've been using a temporary laptop which has Yakuza 0 and a bunch of small games installed, and I'm currently in a place where I'm using my mobile data to use Internet.

So far, it's helped me having more focused gaming sessions (and really loving Yakuza!)

Twitter and YouTube kills the momentum at times. These two are my biggest "enemies" in that regard.
Post automatically merged:

Also etdp attacks on MetaCouncil 😛
 
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