Topic: How do you play games?

@Mergatro1d You sound exactly like me in that regard. I don't have a huge amount of time to game nowadays so I try and cram in as much as possible. That will usually involve an indie game, a AAA type game and a sports game. I sometimes think I'm missing out on a games full charm by only dipping in for half hour spells here and there. Some games I can play for a bit and then go months without touching again, that I may as well start the whole thing again because I've forgotten the controls etc!

The one constant is always the sports games. If it's not PES or FIFA then it's Rugby league Live or NBA 2K or Madden or Don Bradman Cricket! I find that, because I don't have huge amounts of time, I prefer to destress when gaming nowadays, and Sports games offer me that.

I couldn't care less about trophies (in fact, I'm still not sure what the point of them is), but then I'm not from the modern age of gaming. Don't even get me started on FUT and all that nonsense. All I care is to get to the end credits, and I very rarely ever do that either. I could probably count on two hands all the games I've completed. Nowadays I only want to get to the end of the game because I can reduce the backlog of games I have!!

@tomassi haha yeah we sound pretty similar in how we play! Like you, I always have a sports game on the go, often as a palette cleanser between other games.

I'm glad I'm not the only who approaches gaming like this. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just wasting my money by not completing most of them, then I realise it's my hobby and I'll enjoy it how I want!

@Mergatro1d yeah same here - I look at the digital store sales and ponder what I'm going to buy, and then stop myself because I have god knows how many games backed up already that I've barely played! I think now the PS Plus offerings seem to be getting better, I won't bother buying older AAA games even in the sales, and hope they appear on Plus in the time it takes for me to clear my backlog (if I ever do).

I don't get the trophy thing at all either if I'm honest. I like to get through a whole game just for the feeling of being able to delete it from the HD and reduce the backlog!!

I used to try to do everything which led to a huge backlog of games and me rarely finishing the ones I played. Now I try to aim mainly for the main storylines and only do side quests if they're 'on the way'. I actually find myself having a lot more fun playing that way as most side quests in games are a bit rubbish.

Several situations -

1. binge through way too quickly and feel annoyed as it's over too soon
2. nibble round the edges and never get into it as much as I'd like
3. get most of the way through, get distracted by something else and find it hard to go back or completely restart
4. multiplayer - enjoy the gameplay but end up playing solo most of the time and feel I'm missing out somewhat
5. perfect balance of game length, attention span, etc. and have very fulfilling experience
6. play for 5 minutes, hate it, never play again, feel bad for wasting money
7. restart many times/dip in from time to time but never quite manage to finish

Unsurprisingly I have never got a platinum, but have over 100 games currently installed on PS4 and over 300 games in Steam collection....

@CountFunkula78 Funny, cause your list/categories resonate a bit with me too. I can name games I’ve played that way for pretty nearly every category:
#1 Uncharted Lost Legacy, The Order 1886, and What Remains of Edith Finch, #2 Batman Arkham Knight, #3 Broken Age (I’m so close to finishing that stupid game but it’s been so long I just can’t go back now), #4 Rocket League, #5 Hmm.. probably Nier Automata, Uncharted 1-4, and Shadow of the Collosus, #6 No Man’s Sky (although I tried it more than 5 min and I need to try it again), #7 Dragon Age Inquisition (just can’t quite make myself finish that game, despite liking it)

And as far as platinums, all it takes is that first one and then you kinda get hooked. I only have 13 but each one holds a piece of me in it. Like a horcrux. If a virtual trinket could do that. Lol.

@KratosMD Don't get me wrong, I still have a few games that I play multiple times and explore every nook of, but now I find that out by aiming to finish the game by the path of least resistance rather than starting out that way. Once you let go of the compulsive gamer in you it is liberating though and I have been having some of my most fun times gaming since the 90s when hardware restrictions made most games have to be pretty tight in design.

@CountFunkula78 300 games in your Steam library? Guessing you haven't been taking advantage of those bundle sites, my Steam library is now threatening to invade small countries now...

I'm so slow at playing games especially with open world stuff where it is easy to get distracted. Whenever a review says how long it took them to complete a game I always at least double it to get a rough idea how long it would take me.

And I hardly ever replay games as finished stuff is either traded in or given away. I've too much in my backlog to waste precious gaming on replaying stuff I've already finished.

I really wish I could say I had the patience and commitment to get anywhere near 100% on any game I play. I'm kind of returning gaming regularly after a few years of very fragmented gaming. GTA V is probably the one I've spent the most time on in recent years to fulfil as much of the side missions etc. as I came across.

My teens were spent predominately playing Star Wars PC games and the Sims 2 and 3 so not really the same structure as most console games.

I have a weird thing that I can't start a new game until the previous game is complete. I started Tera a week before Gof Of War and as much as I wanna play GOW I have to finish Tera first. Every time I try to play GOW I go back to Tera. Has been like this for years. Makes it tough to play games online with friends.

If I like the story, the character and/or the pace of the game I try to complete it as soon as possible to enjoy those features in the best way. If the game is highly customizable, if I can create my own character, if the game is heavily focused on exploration and/or free roaming I just get lost into it and enjoy it in a "life simulator" fashion. I usually don't do the main quest in Elder Scrolls for example. My character in the pc version (the one I began first) of Skyrim for example is level 134 and I have not even killed the first dragon and unlocked the shouts (I avoided this on purpose so that npcs don't get randomly killed by dragons).
Basically it depend on the game, the genre it belongs to and what its best features are. I like both kind of games each one is intriguing for different reasons.

I typically tend to find a lot of the little secrets and collectables, but I'm not obsessive about it. I'll just keep searching around until it stops being fun, and then I'll move on to the next area.

If it's an open world game, I tend to explore as much of the map and do as many side quests and such as possible, assuming they're actually interesting. If it's something like Breath of the Wilds (IMO) horrible side quests, boring and empty world, and insane number of Korok seeds and whatnot, I typically don't bother with them or worry myself with exploring every nook and cranny.

In other words, I'm sort of a semi-completionist. I search around for all the hidden and optional stuff until I stop having fun with it.

@KirbyTheVampire I'm the same with trophies. If I think it won't be fun I won't do it. If I'm enjoying a game I don't wanna ruin the experience I've had by trying to go for an annoying trophy, just for the sake of something popping up on the screen and adding to a percentage next to my psn id.

@Tasuki there is a user called osekina who is posting a lot of spam in the forums including this one

i know i should report them but i don't really like to do that kind of thing so i just thought i would let you know

@FullbringIchigo Just report the user, at least that way you are not announcing it to the whole forum. Don't forget it is not just Tasuki that sees it when we report things, and I don't think it is fair on him to dump all of this on him, when there are others mods that can deal with it as well.

@FullbringIchigo Johnny is right please use that report button. Cause now not only do I have to clean up the spammer posts I have to clean yours up as well. Also by using the report button others will get alerted as well and if I am unable to get to it right away, i.e. I am alseep or at work then they can get them before the spammer causes a huge mess.

I appreciate you letting know though. It's just with the 8 hour time difference I sometimes to see it for awhile.