Jonathan
Ratcliffe
|
by Jonathan Ratcliffe |
| How long did it take you to complete the last game you purchased? A day, a week, a month? Hopefully, one of the latter. Currently, most games can be finished rather quickly, and there are a few ideal solutions to lengthening the time from purchase to completion, if you can possibly stand not to hurry through the game. If you can complete a game quickly, should you? No. Let me tell you again, the purpose of a video game is for one reason, and one reason alone: Enjoyment. When this important factor dies out, there is no reason to remain playing. I've overheard a few gamers openly announce that they finished a game in two days or some other similar length of time. While, some say "Wow, you must be good," I look down in shame. See, this player may never pick up the controller and play that game again. Does he or she love the game? Yes, but after completion, there is usually nothing left but more games to finish. I've come to the point that I go out of my way to lengthen the games I play. If the game is worth playing, then I'll play it. If it's fun, I'll have the urge to play it constantly. If I regulate a few things, however, my love for that game will extend upon most others. Let me take my most recent experience and explain it to you. Most of us have awaited the Nintendo 64 and it's games since the announcement of "Project Reality." The suspense was built upon until the eventual release date of September 29. When finally getting my hands on that ergonomic controller to play my own copy of Super Mario 64, I just loved the game, and wanted to play all day and into the next morning. Why didn't I? You already know the answer to that question. Finishing Super Mario 64 in a week is the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't seek a strategy guide to help me, nor did I watch anyone else play the game a great deal. In fact, I went out of my way to avoid all of these, and I became very adamant about what I wanted. Perhaps, some of you may find that a bit absurd and silly, but with Super Mario 64 in my head for the last two years, I wanted the fun to last. I didn't want to spoil any surprises by cheating or warping to the end of the game. Currently, I refuse to finish the game until I find every star. I don't want to see the ending until I've seen the entire game, and I don't think that this approach is unreasonable at all. Whether or not I give in and defeat Bowser before collecting all of the stars remains to be seen, but I'm trying. Super Mario 64 is a game that I've truly enjoyed through most of the time I've played it. When I find another game I love, my behavior is very similar. I find it intriguing and illogical that some would rather skip the parts that they can't complete than earn the satisfaction of knowing that they did it themselves. I've had most of my friends ask me to play certain pieces of the game that they are unable to complete themselves. I won't. If they can't complete a part themselves, then they just aren't ready. They need more practice, and playing the parts that they've already completed will prepare them for later parts. Also, learning to cope with their own problems will only enable them to cope with future problems later. So next time, before skipping to the end of a game or bragging because you "beat the game in two days," look at your situation and find out if you're even helping your fun to last. Maximize your game playing enjoyment and you may discover a new side to your games, and yourself. |
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