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[Labrynian Rebel]

As an adult I hardly have any time to play games... so I just buy and play fewer games. I just upped my standards and got more picky and don't buy a game unless I finished one. Took me a whole summer to playthrough Xenoblade Chronicles. I'm dreading the timesinks Xenoblade Chronicles X and Zelda Wii U will have in my future. Oh well, I just spend less money on video games and get a really long time to savor the games I do play.

 

[Canucked]

As an adult I hardly have any time to play games... so I just buy and play fewer games. I just upped my standards and got more picky and don't buy a game unless I finished one. Took me a whole summer to playthrough Xenoblade Chronicles. I'm dreading the timesinks Xenoblade Chronicles X and Zelda Wii U will have in my future. Oh well, I just spend less money on video games and get a really long time to savor the games I do play.

I actually enjoy games more this way.

 

[Inotti]

I don't think that's true at all. PS4 will get more retail games the longer it's out and there are more older retail games that have stopped selling that they can put up on PS+. Not much they could do with it the first year beyond indies as companies aren't going to give away new retail games in the first year of release very often if ever.

I hope you are right.

But there shouldn't be any reason why they couldn't give us any decent ps3 or vita retail games anymore. This month it's only cheap indie games for all platforms. :/

 

[valeo]

I'm the same. I basically load up a game and if I can't finish it in one sitting then I will never finish it.

 

[clav]

Same here.

Why I play mostly multiplayer games.

Who has time for story?

 

[krameriffic]

I am most able to play the more passive games these days, aRPGs like Diablo and Marvel Heroes, MMOs like WoW, and low-skill custom maps for SC2 like tower defense. The reason is Twitch.tv. I always have a stream on my second monitor and I like to play a game that I don't have to fully focus on so I can watch a stream on my other monitor of someone else playing another game. It doesn't work well with games you actually have to pay attention to.

 

[Glass Joe]

For me it's a lack of time and sometimes motivation. I'd really like to attack my Backlog as a New Year's Resolution. I think I'm going to make a spreadsheet of every game I own and use a random number generator to pick one each week. And I either beat that game or it beats me before I move on to the next.

 

[Wasp]

I'm 30 and I finish way more games as an adult than as a kid. A few reasons why:

Trophies and achievements are a great motivator. They also quickly allow me to keep track of my backlog and see what games I haven't played much.

Games are shorter and easier than ever before. It's practically impossible to get stuck in a game because of difficulty these days, and there's always the internet a click away if you do get lost.

At £40 a pop games are expensive. I hate wasting my money by buying a game, playing it for half an hour, then sticking it on the shelf to collect dust for months. I like to get my monies worth out of a game.

If anything I've actually got more free time as an adult. I remember doing homework every weekday night from 6pm to 8pm when I was at school. Thanks god those days are over.

 

[GreatestHits]

Our imaginations were big when we were kids. We didn't know what an engine was, or assets, and if we did, our minds didnt break down the experience and ruin it. We were invested in this game world, and we aren't going to break our gaze until we beat it

Welcome to looking behind the curtain. Now you know it's all just a game, and it's hard to get back into it when you get out of it. This is the reason I became a videogame developer. AI and procedural generation are going to take care of what our imaginations used to, as they should. We're adults now, and technology has matured right along with us. But for the most part games are still pretty shallow, and if something breaks my immersion, well good luck getting my attention again, ' it's just a game '

Like all the complaints with Skyrim, and how you realize it's all just a shallow game after a while. You won't see that perspective on a younger-player-dominated gaming discussion board very often. They're trying to use their imagination and feel like they are their character. We on the otherhand, are nitpicking the mechanics and saying shit like "Oh wow, I enjoyed the combat". Please

Devs like Miyamoto-san have great respect from me because they understand this childhood magic, and they attempt to harness it

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Seems to me you get frustrated too easily and lose interest. IMO you like to "buy" games more rather than to "play or finish" them. Sounds like to me that gaming isn't your thing anymore. So its time to hang up the mantle and find a new hobby? That's just my 2 cents.Also how old are you op? I am just curious.

None of this really applies, as I get a decent amount of the way into every game I play and usually put in at least 20 hours before I lose interest. Also, I'm 26.

Our imaginations were big when we were kids. We didn't know what an engine was, or assets, and if we did, our minds didnt break down the experience and ruin it. We were invested in this game world, and we aren't going to break our gaze until we beat it

Welcome to looking behind the curtain. Now you know it's all just a game, and it's hard to get back into it when you get out of it. This is the reason I became a videogame developer. AI and procedural generation are going to take care of what our imaginations used to, as they should. We're adults now, and technology has matured right along with us. But for the most part games are still pretty shallow, and if something breaks my immersion, well good luck getting my attention again, ' it's just a game '

Like all the complaints with Skyrim, and how you realize it's all just a shallow game after a while. You won't see that perspective on a younger-player-dominated gaming discussion board very often. They're trying to use their imagination and feel like they are their character. We on the otherhand, are nitpicking the mechanics and saying shit like "Oh wow, I enjoyed the combat". Please

Devs like Miyamoto-san have great respect from me because they understand this childhood magic, and they attempt to harness it

This is actually less of a problem than it was in my teenage years. Knowledge of the mechanics that go into making a game does not intrinsically strip them of any sense of magic and wonder. In fact, as the writing type myself, it gives me an entirely new appreciation for the creative energy that's poured into each game by its developers. I love looking at set pieces and thinking, "someone thought this up, and made it come to life". It's a new kind of wonder that breathes magic back into fiction for me. I wouldn't say the wanderlust and imagination of youth are lost, either, really - I recently replayed Metroid Prime and stopped the game in awe to soak up the environment more than once, and it wasn't because the game was a technical or creative marvel (although it was those too) but because I was genuinely enthralled by the atmosphere of Tallon IV. So this isn't really the problem either.

 

[eojoko]

I'm the opposite. When I was a kid, I had a habit of replaying the beginnings of games repeatedly until I had them perfect. Never used to finish games. Now I finish most of the games I start.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

Yep, me too. I'll get half way through, then I'll just stop.

I come back a month later and just tell myself "ok, fuck all these side missions! Just finish the game god dammit!"

I like the games, I think I just get bored? I only have Watchdogs left to finish, so thats not too bad for me.

 

[SkeptiMism]

Are you enjoying the games otherwise?

If you are, then is it a problem for you if you don't finish them? If it is, could you try to change your attitude regarding it? For example try to consider it as just playing however much you want of the game and then just stop it when you feel like it and move on to the next one?

If you're not really enjoying the games that much, you could try playing different kind of games. As you get older, your taste sometimes can change too. It might be that you could enjoy something completely different. Or maybe you'd just prefer some a little bit shorter games.

As for me, I'm pretty picky with what I start to play as there is only so much time so generally it's easy for me to finish what I started. I give some room for possible surprises though.

 

[BuggeryBugz]

As an adult I have to find time to play but I try to once a day but I can't stand not finishing a game (and rarely do). I don't play through multiple times and don't achievement hunt anymore but once I finish the game, if it doesn't have a decent multiplayer, I will likely never play it again.

 

[Sol_Goodguy]

I don't buy a whole lot of games (somewhere around 4 or 5 per year, if that), which makes it easy to finish what I start. I usually allocate 2 months or so of exclusive time to newly bought games. That's usually more than enough time to do multiple playthroughs and get 100% completion. If I can't finish a game once in that amount of time it's probably too long of a game for my tastes.

I guess you could say I'm the opposite of you; I rarely start new games.

How often do you buy games? Maybe if you buy less often you'll be more motivated to finish what you start?

 

[TheyTookOurJobs]

I'm getting this way with RPGs, I lose interest, or don't want to sit in front of the computer looking up an FAQ. I'm getting to be a fogie.

 

[SphericalCrusher]

I don't care to get 100% or any close to it, before I beat the game... my pet peeve is just beating a game I've started, which I do every single time. I play so many games that it's rare I 100% anything, but I do complete games that way if I have the time.

 

[Insane Metal]

Yup same with me.

 

[King Gilga]

I pretty much never finish games I start.

I don't really see a problem with it.

 

[RBK]

Sadly have the same issue.

Try to pace myself through games so it seems like I'm getting my money's worth. but never end up finishing them.

Pretty much just play MP games all day.

 

[tilomite]

Just moved in with my fiancee and got my son full time, it cuts down on gaming time considerably. And now I can afford more games. It's tough being an adult gamer.

 

[Dalek]

To follow up on this, I rarely go to the movies anymore, now that I'm a dad with a kid-very little free time. I told my wife I wanted to go see Interstellar and she said sure, today would be a good day, I could take some "me" time to see it. I looked up the show times and saw that it's nearly three hours. I was like "LOL NO" and decided to take a nap instead. Long movie times are a big investment on my free time too.

 

[Bedlam]

I found that many of today's games are just not motivating enough. That is why I don't finish some of them.

Here's my advice: try a Souls game. It's all you need and it'll get you hooked,

 

[Aspiring]

For me it's a time factor.

U just finished up 2 weeks holidays and soared through my backlog. Funny thing was I never realised how close to finishing the 6 games. Most were only a few hours some were literally final missions. Between work and kids and new games, I would think that's enough and move on. Now there done though and it's GTA time haha.

 

[akachan ningen]

Yeah, I don't have the patience for shit games that I had when I was a little kid.

 

[stuminus3]

Seems to me you get frustrated too easily and lose interest. IMO you like to "buy" games more rather than to "play or finish" them. Sounds like to me that gaming isn't your thing anymore. So its time to hang up the mantle and find a new hobby? That's just my 2 cents.Also how old are you op? I am just curious.

This is terrible advice. The OP clearly enjoys gaming. Stop.

 

[Briarios]

With age comes wisdom ... you realize that when you're not having fun, you should stop. I no longer try to fool myself into liking a game. If I don't enjoy it, I just don't -- no big deal. But, I have better things to do than to "work" at my entertainment, so I move on.

Plus, my backlog is huge ...

 

[DeviantBoi]

I used to have this problem.

Then I stopped buying more games until I finished what I was playing.

That helped a lot!

 

[Iorv3th]

None of this really applies, as I get a decent amount of the way into every game I play and usually put in at least 20 hours before I lose interest. Also, I'm 26.


This is actually less of a problem than it was in my teenage years. Knowledge of the mechanics that go into making a game does not intrinsically strip them of any sense of magic and wonder. In fact, as the writing type myself, it gives me an entirely new appreciation for the creative energy that's poured into each game by its developers. I love looking at set pieces and thinking, "someone thought this up, and made it come to life". It's a new kind of wonder that breathes magic back into fiction for me. I wouldn't say the wanderlust and imagination of youth are lost, either, really - I recently replayed Metroid Prime and stopped the game in awe to soak up the environment more than once, and it wasn't because the game was a technical or creative marvel (although it was those too) but because I was genuinely enthralled by the atmosphere of Tallon IV. So this isn't really the problem either.

I kind of have the same problem as you. I think a big part of it is that I have too many distractions now. I used to have no problem playing a game for 100+ hours but now unless it's something social or that I can play in small chunks I just end up getting bored and moving on to something else.

Is really annoying.

I used to have this problem.

Then I stopped buying more games until I finished what I was playing.

That helped a lot!

Yeah I kind of realized this was part of my problem, having disposable income and buying new games when they come out meant I wasn't finishing what I had.

 

[DoomGyver]

I've only finished two games this year, I've bought six. I think, for me it's more about not having games that draw me in 100%. Last generation started when Gears of War was released, I'm still waiting for this generations "gears of war". (A game that makes me go woah, this is really next gen. Not only single player, but multi and coop as well.

 

[III-V]

OP, I don't care how anyone else does it.

Go on and do it, do it, do it, 'till you're satisfied...what ever it is, as long as it pleases you. Just take some time, and relax your mind. Then do it 'till your satisfied.

If you get bored, drop it, maybe you will come back to it later, maybe not. It's a game, not a chore.

 

[todahawk]

You just have no motivation to finish them.

Seems like we ca nothing do about that.

yep, as an adult I finish way more games than I ever did when I was younger.

 

[MThanded]

I buy a ton of games. I also rarely finish any of them.

 

[Senketsu]

Same here OP. When I was in high school I used to play the fuck outta my games, but now every time I buy a new one I just play them for several minutes then they started collecting dust.

 

[pot]

I am the same way, I need to work on my backlog so bad.

 

[mrklaw]

Sometimes i'll get into a game, but it'll fizzle out after a while. Forza Horizon 2 is doing that to me now after spending lots of time on it from launch. If it starts to feel repetitive or pads I tend to stop caring. But I think that's ok as long as I've enjoyed playing. For this reason I' moot a fan of filler content like in assassins creed, although I did 100% Tomb Raider which seems to have a similar approach, although far fewer collectables which might make the difference.

Another big problem I have is playing occasionally, I'll often forget where I am in the game and even the controls, and it'll take me 30 minutes just to get my bearings. I guess that's the gaming equivalent of getting distracted and reading the same paragraph in a book three times in a row.

 

[SeriousApes]

I've been on the decline in terms of finishing games for years now. But on the bright side, I haven't really continued to buy games like I used to. It's pretty much just Steam sales for me now. And even then, I used to buy anything with a deep enough discount that looked even a little bit interesting to me. Nowadays it has to be something I really want to play (and most likely never finish).

It's the journey, man, not the destination. I'll play until my desire to have played said game is satisfied. And honestly, that's typically a period of about 2-3 hours, unless I get really absorbed. But I can have a strong desire to play something, get my fill, and then not feel the want to go back to it the next day. And it'll sit for months or years in that stagnant state. But I don't fret it. Maybe someday I'll get back into it, maybe not. At least I've tapered down on my buying.

 

[iAmTheTot]

I'm having difficulty even starting games. The motivation just isn't there. Yet I'm buying more games than ever before. In the last week, I just bought 8 and I had to stop myself from buying more. I feel more like a collector than a player at this point.

Good lord I can completely relate to this.

 

[TheSpoiler]

I find myself finishing more because I'm the one spending the money. It also helps that a lot more research and effort is put into each buy as well.

 

[TheFatMan]

This is something that boggles my mind. I'm really into finishing every game I buy, and I try to pace myself so that I can accomplish just that.

However, every time I open the Trophy menu on my PS4 and see how few people actually FINISH just the main parts of any game is astonishing to me.

It's not uncommon to see a game with only 20-30% of people getting the trophy for finishing the game.

 

[shink]

Spare time is something I don't have much of, so it's actually been good for me to be a bit more selective on my purchases this year. I play a particular game until it loses interest and move on, I really don't have time to waste on games I'm not enjoying.

I'm also glad I mostly buy games that are cheap as to not feel like I'm throwing money away for nothing.

 

[radioactivez0r]

I think it's more that some people treat games as work and not for fun. If you aren't enjoying what you're playing and just playing it because it's being hyped and everyone is just saying how you have to play a certain game, you aren't going to feel motivated at all to finish it and it just becomes a chore.

I think this is 1 of the 2 important lessons I am having to learn (but it's a slow process): I don't need/won't like every big new cool game that comes out. It's funny, because I avoided Destiny for this reason pretty easily but managed to pick up Mordor and I just don't think I like it - or more accurately, I'm sort of tired of open world icon-fests unless they have a really compelling world (see: Sleeping Dogs). It's hard to accept this fact for some reason.

The other lesson is that I don't like as many types of games as I believe I do. I'm having to accept that most RPGs, a lot of platformers, and generally a lot of well-liked games just aren't for me. It's a challenge having to narrow my focus as I can find aspects of lots of stuff to enjoy but if the core gameplay isn't exciting, why am I sticking with it?

This of course doesn't really help solve the problem of owning 5 consoles and too many games, but as I am moving soon it may be time to dump extraneous "collection" games and focus on a small number. I envy the people who play a game when it comes out to whatever level of completion they deem acceptable, then go about their life until another game comes out they want to play. This "I have another 200 games ready to go" thing seems dumber and dumber with time.

 

[GreatestHits]

This is actually less of a problem than it was in my teenage years. Knowledge of the mechanics that go into making a game does not intrinsically strip them of any sense of magic and wonder. In fact, as the writing type myself, it gives me an entirely new appreciation for the creative energy that's poured into each game by its developers. I love looking at set pieces and thinking, "someone thought this up, and made it come to life". It's a new kind of wonder that breathes magic back into fiction for me. I wouldn't say the wanderlust and imagination of youth are lost, either, really - I recently replayed Metroid Prime and stopped the game in awe to soak up the environment more than once, and it wasn't because the game was a technical or creative marvel (although it was those too) but because I was genuinely enthralled by the atmosphere of Tallon IV. So this isn't really the problem either.

I love that your experience with games has become like that as an adult. As an artist yourself, a writer, you have learned to understand what that magic was, because you create it yourself. However we are the minority. But it is safe to say I think that a big chunk of gamers are this way too. However I think the majority are not, it's a more mechanical affair, with art as something to see but not be 'inside of' per say (the natural roleplaying that comes with imagination).

And I think this is close to the reason why people know they love games, so they buy a ton, but don't really care to play ('it's a game, not too exciting, but I know it's awesome' is the feeling i had in that phase) . It's a disconnect from the feelings you had when you played before. They aren't there now and it's more tedious than anything. My proposed theory is the imagination, and the kiddie 'pretend' thing, plays way more of a role in videogames than it gets credit for. I think video games is one of the last places we can play pretend and our 'egos' be OK with it as adults.

I think good games (immersive types, crossing all genres) use all resources available to immerse you into this state, without you knowing it lots of the time. The game is just good, and we play to be in this state. Once things become tedious and we lose the sense of immersion, we might play if the mechanics (gameplay) is still fun in itself, but then once that becomes tedious, it's over. But perhaps that's just me

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

It's OK to not finish games.

Just play them until you don't enjoy them anymore. Just as long as you feel you got your money's worth.

 

[Tidus_Great]

if a game entertains me and i like the story i'll finish it no matter how tough it is.

find games you like and maybe get better at games?

 

[KarmaCow]

It's OK to not finish games.

Just play them until you don't enjoy them anymore. Just as long as you feel you got your money's worth.

I wouldn't even bother with the last part, the money is gone either way. You're not getting your money back unless it's something like a Valve game with drops you can sell.

 

[Omega]

If you're one of those people, where does your "spark" come from? What is motivating you to finish the games you play? It's really unsatisfying to have a pile of started-yet-unfinished games in my backlog.

If it's good enough to get me hooked or extremely short

I have a ton of free time and I still barely finish games, most of them aren't good enough for me to care so if I beat them it's either because they're really good or they're 4 hours

 

[Cubed]

As an adult, I find myself just buying far less games but getting a lot more out of them.

For instance I have only bought seven games this year, thus far, and I have platinum'd four of them.

I've bought:
MGS V: Ground Zeroes
InFamous: Second Son (Platinum'd)
Wolfenstein: New Order (Platinum'd)
Watch Dogs (almost Platinum'd)
The Last of Us Remastered (Platinum'd)
Metro 2033 Redux (Platinum'd)
DriveClub (almost Platinum'd)

I think I actually prefer this over when I was a teenager and in my young 20s, just buying every new game I wanted and barely getting through half of them.

 

[LouisaFerre]

I just really love the games.

Also I still have enough outside of my full time job to play as much as I want, really.

 

[JimiNutz]

As I get older I have a pretty low tolerance for games...
If something can't hold my attention and starts to feel like a chore then I'll drop it and move onto something else. My logic is that there are so many good games out there, why waste my time on something that isn't able to hold my attention and entertain me when I can play something else that will?

It's only when I have more than 3 unfinished games that I reevaluate and see if I fancy going back to any of them (rather than purchase something new and creating an even bigger backlog).

For example at present I have:

Destiny - stopped playing about 50% of the way through the campaign as found it boring and repetitive.

Tomb Raider (Xbox One) - stopped playing a few hours in as didn't like how many cutscenes/QTEs there were at the start of the game. Very stop/start.

Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition - got about 60% of the way through and just kind of lost interest/motivation to keep going. Really enjoyed what I played so far though.

Halo MCC - matchmaking doesn't work...

So rather than go and buy a new game I'm looking at what I have unfinished before buying anything new.

Think I will go back to Guacamelee and try to finish that as I was actually really enjoying it (at least until Halo MCC gets fixed).