Meet people without actually meeting them!
The reasoning behind it was mostly because of my not wanting to get sucked in. To this day, I still hear stories of people losing countless hours to the massive world completing raids with clans or even just exploring. Most of the people I talk to don't regret putting so much time into the game, but every now and again they'll express that questioning curiosity: What if I never played it? I couldn't help but wonder the opposite: What if I did play it? It wasn't until recently that this reasoning became more clear. It was because I didn't want to put a lot of time into the game, but with an added caveat: it was because I couldn't put that much time into the game.
I'm not afraid to admit that I've spent "too much" money on video games for my liking over the years. I vividly remember forcing myself to complete Assassin's Creed 3 despite not enjoying it, trying to put hours into Guild Wars 2 even though I wasn't really committed to it, and the list goes on. These were games I bought at, or close to, launch. The reasoning at the time was to get some enjoyment during my down time at school, but it's clear now just how much I was coaxing myself to indulge myself with satisfaction of completing a game.
In retrospect, I can say with confidence that owning/completing a game was emblematic. As this was the case, the pursuit of playing a game wasn't just for the enjoyment, but to be able to discuss it and dissect it. To be frank, rarely did I even get chances to discuss video games, I just wanted the ability to do so. Part of this came from an insecurity issue that resulted in me constantly trying to measure myself up to other, but the other part was riding the high of a conclusion I had some doing in.
I'm not afraid to admit that I've spent "too much" money on video games for my liking over the years. I vividly remember forcing myself to complete Assassin's Creed 3 despite not enjoying it, trying to put hours into Guild Wars 2 even though I wasn't really committed to it, and the list goes on. These were games I bought at, or close to, launch. The reasoning at the time was to get some enjoyment during my down time at school, but it's clear now just how much I was coaxing myself to indulge myself with satisfaction of completing a game.
In retrospect, I can say with confidence that owning/completing a game was emblematic. As this was the case, the pursuit of playing a game wasn't just for the enjoyment, but to be able to discuss it and dissect it. To be frank, rarely did I even get chances to discuss video games, I just wanted the ability to do so. Part of this came from an insecurity issue that resulted in me constantly trying to measure myself up to other, but the other part was riding the high of a conclusion I had some doing in.
My review of Assassin's Creed III: I had fun, I think
After having an expensive March with the release of the new Tomb Raider and Bioshock: Infinite, I began to question my motivations. In fact, Bioshock: Infinite may have been the game that made me come to this realization. I had completed a game that I had so highly anticipated in a different way, with patience. I consciously told myself to slow down, enjoy the moment, take the surroundings in, and try to truly understand the story. Realizing how different an experience this was, I decided to slow down on buying games not just for my wallet's sake, but to enhance my enjoyment from the games I loved.
So why didn't I play World of Warcraft? I was worried about it being a time sink, but now it's clear just how much of a wasted experience it would've been. I'd be on my own, chasing quest completion, grinding until I could say I had truly "completed" the game. This would be a disservice not only to the game, but to the MMO genre. Sure, there were other hurdles (I'm looking at you, $15 a month fee. Server maintenance be damned, I don't cherish any game enough for that cost) but the primary issue was always about time and the thrill of completion.
My issue with gaming as of late is that it seems to thrive on this "completionist" ideology. Playstation has trophies; XBox offers accomplishments. Both offer boasting material for us to display to our friends. My view of video games has drastically shifted to the point where I view it as a possible artistic medium. But can video games truly reach that point if there is a community of people who indulge in games to garner up symbolic accomplishments? I won't claim there to be a single way to enjoy games nor there being a proper way to play, but I can't help but feel that games will be damned by one aspect that makes them enjoyable: they're games. They're chances to play and if part of that play is to gather up achievements and trophies, then who am I to judge.
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