Comments on: Minding the Gap

By: cary

cary — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 15:29:24 +0000

Reblogged this on Recollections of Play and commented:

As we roll (ever so slowly it seems) in Spring, my gaming time is becoming more and more scarce. Before too long, I know that it may take me weeks to return to games that I've only just started. In this article I wrote for United We Game, I examined those gaps, those long droughts between gaming, and how they affect play. Some games are fine to let go of for awhile, while others demand immediate attention, and determining the right time to play the right game can be a challenge sometimes.

By: duckofindeed

duckofindeed — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:20:29 +0000

Definitely true. Games like “Mario”, for example, are very easy to leave and come back to. I have some old “Mario” games on the SNES that have been left unfinished for years and years. Because they’re so darn hard. And then every once in a while, I come back and try and see if I can get any farther. Usually I can’t. The only problem with leaving such games for a while is I get out of my groove, and I don’t play as well when I do return to the game. But, as you said, at least there’s no story that I’ve forgotten.

By: simpleek

simpleek — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 17:59:49 +0000

As you know, I’m doing my video game challenge! :) I do find it hard to recall what happened previously in a game I left to sit for months or even years! Yikes. At least for RPGs, I make sure to finish one mission level before potentially letting it sit for a while. At least it’ll be easier to jump right in without trying to figure out what my objective was. Level by level games are easier to leave in the middle because most of the time there isn’t a significant story or plot point to keep in mind really.

By: cary

cary — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:48:57 +0000

Old habits die hard, right! As I said in my post, I continue struggle with overcoming the desire to game when, in reality, there are so many more important things that need to be done. I’ll certainly admit to occasionally procrastinating on the important stuff to squeeze in a little game time here and there.

I agree that the gaps get with additional playthroughs, or even just trying to complete side quests after a game is complete. I’ve still got tons left to do in Red Dead Redemption even though I completed the main story, but who knows when I’ll actually be able to get to any of it. But beyond that, it’s sometimes hard to find the motivation when there are so many other games to play.

By: cary

cary — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:43:02 +0000

I did the same with Chain of Memories — took a break because I just wasn’t enjoying it all that much. After a couple months, I went back to it and had a much better time (though it’s still not my favorite KH game.)

As I said in my response to BlaksamuraiX, starting a game over is sometimes the way to go. But it can be tough returning to old games. There’s so much out there to play now, and the more new games that come out, the easier it is to push old ones aside.

I’ve never played Ecco the Dolphin, but I’ve read things both good and bad about the game. I understand that it it might be up for a remake. Not sure if that’s a good thing.

By: cary

cary — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:36:43 +0000

You make a good point that starting over is sometimes the best way to get through a forgotten game, especially an older one. Last year I attempted to pick up with Final Fantasy VII after a very, very long time. I could hardly believe it when the game started up right where I had gotten stuck. I didn’t get very far before realizing that I’d probably be better off just restarting the whole thing. (I haven’t done so yet, but I keep swearing that I’m going to finish that game someday!)

By: Hatm0nster

Hatm0nster — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 02:28:18 +0000

I typically play all the way through games when I first get them, but it’s when I start trying to do additional playthroughs that gaps start happening. Sometime I’ll come back and want to finish, something I’ve found to be easier in games that have actual “levels” like Mario. With games like FFVII or more recently Mass Effect, I lose investment in playthroughs I’ve left to stagnate, so I’ll start over. It works out fine in most cases, but sometimes I’ll get into what I call an infinite loop: where I’ll keep starting a game over and over until I eventually stop playing altogether.

When I had more time for games this wasn’t much of a problem, but now that I’m limited to weekends I’m in the position of trying to break myself of 17+ years of gaming habits. Progress is being made, but slowly. :)

By: duckofindeed

duckofindeed — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 19:09:04 +0000

I usually have time to play all the way through a game without any gaps. My main gaps come when I get distracted by another game or a game gets too hard, and I give up. Most of the time when I quit a game and come back to it years later, I just start the game over from the beginning, hoping that if I beat it this time, I’ll get to enjoy the full experience rather than just a chunk of it

I did, however, stop in the middle of “Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories” on the PS2 in order to play a newly bought copy of “FFVII”, but that was fine, as “CoM” is a bit boring, and I needed a break. I also stopped in the middle of “FFX” in order to play the PS3 I just bought, but I didn’t have much trouble getting back into it, luckily, and I wasn’t very far into it yet.

I do have trouble going back to games on this Sega Genesis collection I have on the Xbox 360, though. I forget where I am in those, or I forget the passwords required to start a previous file again, which was the case with “Ecco the Dolphin”. I don’t feel like starting over in that game…

By: BlaksamuraiX

BlaksamuraiX — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 17:42:56 +0000

I know what you mean. Ive had several occasions where I leave a game for a few months then try to get back into it. My most recent one was final fantasy 9 on the Playstation I havent played that game in over half a year but I figured Id try it again (the reason I stopped playing was because school was becoming a little much.) And as soon as I start it up Im thrust into the middle of this world map with no direction and no idea of what I was doing. I realize that that was before games like that had reminders and such, but I just wound up starting over. I manged to beat it faster because I recalled areas where I had trouble and it also helped that I was still on the first disc. But generally I don’t have too many problems picking up left behind games. I just give myself a couple of days to get myself back in the groove.