Giving Up and Letting Go of Un-Fun Games
This seems like it might be straightforward, but it's not. If a game is un-fun should you keep playing it? The answer should obviously be "no" but often we keep playing games we're invested in. Or we put down a game and tell ourselves, "I'll come back to that soon." but we never do.
I feel like these games have a mental weight. For me they definitely do. These type of games will be in the back of my mind in some sub-process of my thoughts until I explicitly tell myself that I'm done with a game and I let it go. But it's a hard thing to do.
Sometimes it feels like failure. What if you've only played 30 minutes of a game? What if you've played 40 hours? What if you're right near the end? All of these are valid jumping-off points but they all carry different feelings and can lead to guilt. I know I feel it.
One of the best ways I've found to let go of these games are to write about them. If I can get my thoughts down on the page I can get them out of that sub-process constantly running in the back of my head.
So, let's do that today. I'm owning up to two games that I keep saying, "I'll come back to that soon." For me, right now, those games are Bloodborne and Majora's Mask.
I thought Bloodborne would be a good game to play while riding my exercise bike. It was intriguing for a few days but after that it has been nothing but frustration. I haven't touched it in over a month. I've been playing Destiny again because Bloodborne wasn't clicking with me. Today I'm letting go of it. I know now that Bloodborne isn't for me. That's ok. It can be for other people but I don't need it in my mental RAM anymore.
Majora's Mask is harder to admit. I love some entries of the Zelda series but find that other ones fall flat for me. I loved Majora's Mask the first time I played it, but this time I'm finding it more of a chore. I remember enough that the fun of exploring the world is gone but I don't actually remember enough to complete the puzzles without a guide. I end up using a walkthrough to solve puzzles that I mostly remember to get to story beats that I definitely remember. It's still a good game, but it's not a fun game for me right now. And that's ok. I'm letting it go too.
How about you guys and gals out there? Do you have any game that's mentally weighing you down? Do you want to let anything go and get it out of your head?
Try it.
It might help.
I feel like these games have a mental weight. For me they definitely do. These type of games will be in the back of my mind in some sub-process of my thoughts until I explicitly tell myself that I'm done with a game and I let it go. But it's a hard thing to do.
Sometimes it feels like failure. What if you've only played 30 minutes of a game? What if you've played 40 hours? What if you're right near the end? All of these are valid jumping-off points but they all carry different feelings and can lead to guilt. I know I feel it.
One of the best ways I've found to let go of these games are to write about them. If I can get my thoughts down on the page I can get them out of that sub-process constantly running in the back of my head.
So, let's do that today. I'm owning up to two games that I keep saying, "I'll come back to that soon." For me, right now, those games are Bloodborne and Majora's Mask.
I thought Bloodborne would be a good game to play while riding my exercise bike. It was intriguing for a few days but after that it has been nothing but frustration. I haven't touched it in over a month. I've been playing Destiny again because Bloodborne wasn't clicking with me. Today I'm letting go of it. I know now that Bloodborne isn't for me. That's ok. It can be for other people but I don't need it in my mental RAM anymore.
Majora's Mask is harder to admit. I love some entries of the Zelda series but find that other ones fall flat for me. I loved Majora's Mask the first time I played it, but this time I'm finding it more of a chore. I remember enough that the fun of exploring the world is gone but I don't actually remember enough to complete the puzzles without a guide. I end up using a walkthrough to solve puzzles that I mostly remember to get to story beats that I definitely remember. It's still a good game, but it's not a fun game for me right now. And that's ok. I'm letting it go too.
How about you guys and gals out there? Do you have any game that's mentally weighing you down? Do you want to let anything go and get it out of your head?
Try it.
It might help.
I have a draft written on this exact subject. I agree with you completely!
ReplyDeleteThat's reassuring to hear! I'd love to read your opinion on it.
DeleteThis is a fascinating subject. Letting go is additionally complicated when you've developed community/guild relationships along the way. I hope you're able to 'let go' and continue to move forward!
ReplyDeleteIt can be complicated, especially with MMOs.
DeleteIt's especially important to be able to let go of "live" games, I've found. Since devs can and will keep messing with the game, it's inevitable that the game won't be what it was when you decided you liked it. It's OK to move on; there are plenty of other games to play.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good point. Games aren't static creations these days. They get patched and tweaked and changed.
DeleteMost of the games I feel this way about are the ones I actually play a lot, but just don't have fun doing it. This includes things like Hearthstone, any MMOs, a lot of mobile games. Basically most games that don't have an actual ending. Hearthstone is the game right now that fits this. I play a few games a day, but don't really even like playing? But it's something to do on my phone while I watch TV?
ReplyDeleteHave you tried cutting it out and replacing it with something else? It can make a huge change in your level of happiness.
Deletedang those sound like great games. played some loz games but not majoras mask. i want to let go of destiny but i cant. ive collected too much wonderful gear and weapons, and made good friends. the raids are super fun to do with my clan, but keeping up with poe and nightfalls is alot of work. the game is a job in itself if you want all the goods!
ReplyDelete