Playing video games is not too different from being in love: first we are invaded by uncertainty until we see that we are compatible, then everything is passion, hook and color; and finally things calm down until they become a stable relationship. Most people and video games crash during the first phase or when all the intensity ends.
It happens very recurrently that many video games enter and leave our lives very quickly. The pace of the industry is very frenetic and we don’t usually have all the time we want to be in front of the screen. And I don’t mean to criticize it! Some adventures are worth what they are worth. I’m the first to play a ton of titles throughout the year.
Despite all the ins and outs, there are several video games that I always have installed on my PS5 and to which I return almost daily to live experiences that I know for a fact that I like and are passionate about. I’m sure many of you do the same. Mine are The Division 2 and Destiny 2, ironically both pigeonholed as repetitive and boring after overcoming their campaigns.
It’s not magic nor is there a secret, you just have to know what you are playing
A few days ago I was browsing Reddit and found a a player’s post who tells why he doesn’t get bored after 1,000 hours playing Diablo IV, a video game whose main criticism is that it is boring, repetitive and that there is not much to do. And although I could debate some sections, I identify very much with the message it wants to convey.
The only purpose of a video game is entertainment. I don’t watch a TV show that I find boring, I don’t play games that I find boring, and I certainly don’t play for hundreds of hours telling everyone the game is “boring.”
I’ve been reflecting and chatting about it with some friends throughout the week. Although they have not been all what I wanted due to lack of time, I have managed to bring together different perspectives and reinforce an idea that I have had in mind for a long time. And I’m sure many of you do too.
How is it possible for someone to play hundreds and thousands of hours of a video game without getting tired? In my case, +1000 hours a The Division 2 and +700 hours to Destiny 2. And not only have I accumulated them, but I am still actively playing today. I am sure that many of you will agree with me on the answer, even if you play World of Warcraft, Valorant, Fortnite, etc.
I think it’s important to know yourself and know what the hell we’re playing at. Every day I see people jumping into video games that are trending (fads, controversies, played by content creators…) without being completely clear about where they are entering or what they are going to dedicate their free time to.
The comments that best exemplify this are those that point out that The Division 2 y Destiny 2 They are bad because you have to repeat the same activities many times to get better equipment. It is true that we must do it, but that does not mean that there is no variety of activities to repeat. Weekly and daily missions, modes, challenges, dungeons and raids, community and seasonal events…
In essence it’s shoot bugs, collect colorful things and repeat, but it’s an unfair reductionism that could lead to any other game, especially one that involves character and equipment upgrades. I can apply the same logic to battle royale, for example: enter, kill/die and start again. They bore me to no end, but they’re not bad. They are not for me nor can I enjoy them like millions of people who play them daily.
What new adventure is today?
My experience and the conversations I have had with other people have made the following clear to me: those who dedicate hundreds and thousands of hours to a video game (without necessarily being professionally) are fully aware of what they are playing. They know strengths and weaknesses, they are up to date with new developments and know how to set limits.
First of all, I never force myself to do anything; For example, people complain about how horrible Duriel’s 500 runs were. [farmeo]…YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THEM. YOU CHOSE to do them, even when you didn’t want to, even when the idea of doing another one filled you with dread. Just… Don’t do that!
Every day, I see many people burned because they are literally going to waste. They want the best for yesterday and do not accept any other path other than the one they have seen in the turn guide, which usually indicates the fastest and takes advantage of specific errors in the game. They abuse the first phases of falling in love and calm down too quickly, so they get bored. I know how they feel because it has happened to me.
I think it’s okay to set goals, but being stubborn almost always leads to frustration. Without going any further, a couple of weeks ago I felt like I had to get the exotic weapon Navigator of Destiny 2 and I ended up mentally exhausted after repeating the same dungeon for the fifteenth time. And putting pressure on yourself destroys any video game. I had to give myself a few days of rest.
Another mistake I have made on more than one occasion is forcing myself to play. It is true that The Division 2 y Destiny 2 They have had seasons of recycled content and during which playing for long sessions has not been the most pleasant. After getting burned a couple of times, I started taking advantage of those moments to give them a break and play other video games. Everyone I know with thousands of hours accumulated in other games does the same thing every so often.
I learned to play video games
It’s obvious that the Ubisoft and Bungie releases are very special to me. However, the accumulated hours are the tip of the iceberg, figures that have been growing without me realizing over the years. The fact of the matter is that I know and accept the experience they offer, I knew what I was getting into when I started playing and I return almost daily because I have learned where/how I can enjoy and be happy within their enormous worlds.
I really enjoy seeing how my character’s power grows in the direction I have set out to do, whether in pure farming experiences or The Division 2 y Destiny 2 or others focused on history like God of War and Death Stranding. Turning the character into something mine, something personal, is my motivation for playing. It’s something very genuine, so I look for experiences that offer many hours of that. Playing them is like coming home.
In short: everyone is free to experience video games as they want, as long as it does not compromise the enjoyment of others. We can agree that we often forget that the objective of these is to enjoy and enrich our lives, and not to overshadow it with burdens and disappointments. I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves to know ourselves and invest our time where we truly enjoy it. This is how I have accumulated hundreds and thousands of hours in these video games… even though they say they are repetitive and boring.
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