4 ms·

Why I don't finish games: 1) Lose interest - the game mechanic seems repetitive (puzzle games), I've seen this level before, now it's a little bit tougher or i

Why I don't finish games: 1) Lose interest - the game mechanic seems repetitive (puzzle games), I've seen this level before, now it's a little bit tougher or it's a different color. 2) Sudden ramp up in difficulty - I'm enjoying a nice casual game (Terraria comes to mind) and suddenly I have to beat a boss character. As I play on a laptop on the cough, I'm not as agile on WASD keys + mouse, which didn't really matter until it suddenly went from minecraft to a platformer. 3) Needless frustration - either from 2 above or from dumn things. I really hate consoles b/c I can't save when I want. I have limited time so when I need to stop, I _really_ need to stop and save, not when the game designer decides I am allowed to save. Also glitches. 4) Choice - I've been playing since the NES/Dos days. We've never had so many awesome and fun games. You can get a great game now for a few dollars on sale. If I runt into frustrations (see above) I just quit and switch. 5) Laptop friendly. I can't sit at my desk on Saturday morning like I used to. It's easier to play on a laptop when I have time or while my son is watching a video (after our Obama mandated exercise time). Get home from the pool in the summer slump onto the couch and nice laptop friendly game is nice. Some recent examples: Witcher 2: Man is it tough (for me) to get started. But Normal is too hard and easy is too easy. (fun game, stopped playing it, can't remember why, probably pick it up again) Terraria: Fun game but sudden ramps up in difficulty, plus being a platformer and a "mining" game makes it somewhat frustrating. God of War (Series): Made me return my PS3. Again sudden ramp up of difficulty as I had to do some kind of triple crazy jump. I just don't have the patient to practice some stupid arbitrary move. I could go on, but you get the picture. I think there is a great niche for casual games (brilliant, right?) that aren't diner dash but are still fun for the "aging" game like myself.

pragmatic 15y ago
Also, I have a lot of "distractions." Wife, son, get an email, etc that I really need to take care of. When a game only tells me something relevant once and then is gone, It's really damn frustrating. Put in a quest log for zeus's sake. I may have been looking away or talking to someone or doing something else on the side. This is good advice for a program too. Young people (man I can't believe I'm saying that) don't understand. You think your app is the center of the universe. You don't understand that someone may get interrupted while filling out your online mortgage application. The kids may wake up, the wife wants something, you get a phone call. Don't _punish_ people for this. Don't let my session time out, etc.
- jerf 15y ago
  "Put in a quest log for zeus's sake. I may have been looking away or talking to someone or doing something else on the side." ... or coming back to a save point halfway through the game after two years. My game of Persona 3 spanned three years, I think. Didn't have a reason to finish it until suddenly my evenings were tied down with caring for a new (sometimes colicky) infant, which isn't a literal 100% of your time job, but the shattered remnants of your evening left over certainly aren't useful for much else.

pragmatic 15y ago

Also, I have a lot of "distractions." Wife, son, get an email, etc that I really need to take care of. When a game only tells me something relevant once and then is gone, It's really damn frustrating. Put in a quest log for zeus's sake. I may have been looking away or talking to someone or doing something else on the side. This is good advice for a program too. Young people (man I can't believe I'm saying that) don't understand. You think your app is the center of the universe. You don't understand that someone may get interrupted while filling out your online mortgage application. The kids may wake up, the wife wants something, you get a phone call. Don't _punish_ people for this. Don't let my session time out, etc.

jerf 15y ago
"Put in a quest log for zeus's sake. I may have been looking away or talking to someone or doing something else on the side." ... or coming back to a save point halfway through the game after two years. My game of Persona 3 spanned three years, I think. Didn't have a reason to finish it until suddenly my evenings were tied down with caring for a new (sometimes colicky) infant, which isn't a literal 100% of your time job, but the shattered remnants of your evening left over certainly aren't useful for much else.