Do you ever feel like you can only play one game until you beat it? I’m not sure how common that is, but what I do know is that the sunk cost fallacy lives in my head rent-free. For the longest time, whenever I sat down to play something, I would only choose from one of the games at my disposal—likely one I’ve beat before—until I finished the main game or, if I was feeling ambitious, 100% completed it.
However, I have recently discovered that this is, in fact, not the only way to play games (and I’ll allow you now to judge whether it took me too long to come to that conclusion). When I first started usingGame Pass, it was a bit overwhelming, and I avoided its catalogue outside the stuff I got the subscription to look at in the first place—but I was able to overcome this choice paralysis by just picking up a game that I fancied and giving it a whirl. If you lose the idea that you have to get invested in everything you try, you might just find a new way to enjoy games.
I’ve always found it pretty sensible to stick to one game at a time. When you do that, you get to whittle down a single experience without distraction, letting you focus on the title at hand. The problem with this approach is that it can make playing games feel like work—like you’re just trying to progress toward an end point. This makes any area where you get stuck all the more annoying; you’re less playing a game for fun and more trying to get it over with. I’ve been playing throughCelesterecently and,while it’s an absolute blast, my laser-focus on it has probably been detrimental to my enjoyment (as demonstrated by the bags under my eyes. I definitely didn’t take the game’s advice about breaks to heart). It’s a similar feeling to when you’re close to finishing a book at night and so stay up for longer to complete it, only for the ending to be cheapened by your increased fatigue from reading.
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It’s also shaped the way I think about new experiences. I recently wrote aboutmy thoughts on Toemand how I appreciate the brevity of the game and it’s opening. That still holds true, but I think my opinion may have been shaped by my drive to avoid trying titles that ask for lengthy investment. The thing is, regardless of whether a game wants two hours of investment or 50 hours of investment is immaterial as to the timeyouwant to put in. Sure, it’s less satisfying when you don’t beat it—in fact we’re hard-wired as humans to be annoyed when we leave things unfinished—but there’s a lot of value in trying out new things. Consuming a wide diet of media is a good way to inform your perspective and find new things that you enjoy. Focusing on one game at a time can be a tough habit to break, sure, but I reckon it’s worth it.
All that being said, what have I been dipping in and out of? Well a great example for our purposes isScorn, a game I found out about for its body-horror depiction of the far future. As a big fan of speculative biology pieces like All Tomorrows and infernally inspired gore-fests such as Event Horizon, the fleshy world of Scorn was more than enticing. Few games I’ve played have had as oppressive an atmosphere as Scorn, kicking the player into a desolate wasteland built from bone and long-rotten meat. Treading those ribcage catacombs and tampering with the eldritch machinery lying around reminded me of the post-apocalyptic hell-on-Earth from I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. I didn’t spend too much time on it due to me getting stuck on the opening puzzle, but I was glad to have tried it—I was glad to have given it a chance despite not enjoying the gameplay.
Other games I’ve tried out but not completed have includedBroforce,Astroneer,Redfalletc. Some of those I’ve disliked(looking at you, Redfall), but I’m happy to have played them, because it all adds to the experiences I can draw from. Picking up and putting down a game without finishing it is something I want to get more into the habit of. It’s opened my eyes to new experiences and made the games I was already playing all the better by giving me a break from them.
