Why we Play

Let's see here...

1) Leaves are turning colors

2) Crisp air

3) Cold, blustery evening with a snappy wind.

Yeah, its Fall alright. Or "Autumn" for the English majors out there. I feel too much like an asshole using that word. In any case, a new season is definitely upon us. Better enjoy it while it lasts, because winter will be upon us before we know it :(

But that's not the point of this post. Today I want to talk about gaming ruts. That is, when you find yourself in a videogame slump, when it seems that nothing can hold your grasp for very long, and you either switch between different games on an almost daily basis, or you just stop playing for a while. Right now I'm in such a rut, which may explain my slowness in creating new articles over at the Lamer. Almost every weekend I'm sitting down with something else in the pile of games the roomates have amassed, and I been able to see very few through to the end. It gets frustrating not because of a desire to finish anything and everything; if I don't beat a crappy game, I'm probably better off. The problem comes when I'm having troubles getting through something like Steambot Chronicles, a game I'm pretty damn sure I like. At this point the problem is with you as much as it may be with the games. The slump has hit, and its time to get out.

So what exactly triggered Gaming Slump '06? A lot of it has to do with time. Whether it is class work, real work, or just being out and about, my opportunities to sit down and play are either infrequent or very small. Some games are just hard to get into for 20-30 minutes at a time, thus I never load them up for fear of going 1 or 2 hours straight when I have something else to do.

Part of it is guilt. I want to just sit down and stop caring, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm thinking about what many other things I could, perhaps should, be doing. Its hard to focus when you just know that working on that paper would be time well spent.

Finally, a lot of it comes down to displeasure with certain games. I load up Fable, find it kind of interesting for a while, and then find my first quest involves wasps or bees or something. I try Dragon Quarter and find I don't have the time to beat those long, incredibly hard stretches between save points. Jet Set Radio Future was poorer than the original, but still good enough, at least until I realized that every mission would be the same thing, and the game's music selection algorithms were getting on my nerves. Maybe my tastes are changing to suit my lifestyle, or perhaps I'm seeing game design differently than before. Either way, I'm finding myself getting increasingly bored with learning complex control schemes that use every button on a game pad. Tired of clunky AI, pointless challenges and heavy handed stories. More and more, modern games seem to be nothing more than very old concepts with extra layers of bullshit piled on top of them. And for some reason, the bullshit is taking over.

Okay, so that is quite an exaggeration. There are still a lot of great things coming out, and good ideas going around. Its just that I'm finding that the best way to get out of the slump is to avoid the things I don't like. That's easier said than done. These days completionist syndrome has infected many of us, to the point where any and all games have to be finished (especially if you can play them for free). Otherwise you're missing out on parts of the gaming spectrum. And how then can you call yourself hardcore?

Its simple; hardcore isn't measured by how many notches are in your belt. How many consoles you may or may not have. How much trivia you might happen to know. All these things may be factors, but in the end the most important thing is your passion for playing, for thinking and discussing the world of gaming. Hardcore means you love to play, no matter what.

So here I am playing again, this time going back to the modern classics. Resident Evil 4 still delights, especially the new missions on the PS2. Devil May Cry 3 still has some of the most visceral combat this generation. And its only after everything is unlocked that fighting games really show you what they can do. These games may not necessarily lead to 100% and Ultima Weapons or six alternate endings, but they don't need to. They're good, fun games that shun story and steep learning curves for pure enjoyment. It feels good to have that excitement again.

And don't worry. There'll be plenty of articles to write still.