How YOU Should Be Playing Games

[@hex1233]

I play a max of 2 games at a time. There's also periods of time where I don't play anything. I've come to terms that I can't play every game I want to, so I'll just enjoy the ones I do play. It's a lot healthier that way for me.

[@epcarter6]

This is my exact approach.

[@joelman1989]

I’m always playing one AAA game and one indie or classic game at a time. The indie/classic is fun and meaningful and the AAA is immersive and impressive.

[@SleepySheepish]

I have adhd and I’ve been scattered for so long but lately I’ve been disappointed by my lack of finishing games especially ones I really wanted to as a kid or classics so I made a howlongtobeat account to keep track of my backlog and I’m trying to discipline myself and finish games. I usually do a big game now 20 to 30 or more hours and then a smaller game 10 hours or less and I’ve had a great time. It’s so tempting to be scattered but if you can make yourself focus on one or two games at a time with a pallet cleanser in between it’s so very rewarding and I’ve beat a good amount of games and tried some games deserving of my time I never would have touched otherwise

[@nogame81]

Oh man howlongtobeat is the most useful site

[@ericcarlton87]

I mostly concentrate and play one game at a time. Right now it’s AC VI and while I want to move on, I haven’t beaten it yet and thus I cannot mentally give my full attention to another game. It’s a blessing and a curse

[@TheBlademan-]

personally i’ve always felt if you don’t finish a game, then you are sort of wasting money because you did not get the full experience you paid for

[@Gvern100]

I’m glad I’m not the only person that plays games scattered. It’s a curse all I want to do is finish but I also don’t want to miss out on whatever the current thing me and my friends are playing.

[@nogame81]

There’s just too much out there to play!

[@Aranak777]

playing only 1 game is a curse too its get you angry because if you switch game its done you wont touch this game until 1 or 2 years later

[@Phenom98]

Playing through a dark souls game for the first time (DS1) converted me into an ADHD focused gamer. I struggle a lot with not finishing games I like and I made a focused effort this time and it paid off

[@bruuh565]

This video essay sounds really high quality. I was surprised when I saw 100 subs. You definitely deserve more man

[@mastergameremanuel]

I wish I could make a video about my story but I uses to play focuse games. So I uses to focus at one game at a time. Why did I do that ? Simply because I didnt have the money to buy all the games that I wanted, to say it better my parents didnt have the money either. I though about the golden game I wanted to get, the game I would get most out of it or buy it if I like it and get the most out of the game that I could. Even if I didnt finish a game either because it was hard, a part I couldnt solve either cause of a puzzle or something that I didnt know how to do. I got the juice out of the games. Had games like halo 3, fantastic 4, smite, final fantasy 13 and 13 - 2 and final fintasy III, two worlds, black ops 2 and 3 and world war. Halo 4 and 5. And so on. Mario kart, super smash brawl etc. And I also had a lot of time but now I dont have time but I have money :( and now I am doing more scattered and I dont like it very mucho. I was focuse on a top of 3 to 4 games, normally one or two and now I have over 10 games. Cyberpunk, witcher 3, dragons dogma, god eater 1,2, 3, dead by daylight, control, bioshock 1,2 and infinite. Black dessert.

[@mewcat6000]

Really good video, looking forward to more from you. I will usually play games focused in a way when I play for the first time, but when I have to stop for an appointment or to go somewhere I quickly lose that interest and only play it occasionally this video actually helped me understand why, thank you!

[@noahsan92]

you know when you find a 200 view vid on your front page that it's gonna be amazing

[@Phirestar]

Focus play has become more important to me in recent years, as I’ve come to discover how certain games in my library / collection end up never being played due to a lack of commitment. I finished Metroid Prime for the first time just last year, in 2022, and that is a game that I’ve owned for nearly 20 years since the early-2000s when it was still relatively new. I would always repeat the same cycle: start the game up, play through the hour-ish long intro on the Space Pirate Frigate, then save and put the game down for a year or two before coming back and restarting. I did that probably close to a dozen times - I’ve replayed that game’s first level as much as I have some of my favorite games. And it was always the same reason: some other game would come along, that got my attention more, and I would play that instead and forget about going back until it was too late. Another great example is Amnesia: The Dark Descent. That is a short, 8-hour game that could be played in its entirety over the course of a week or less, and yet in the now 10 years that it’s been on my Steam account, I’ve never been able to stay focused long enough to play through the whole game. In all my attempts I’ve gotten as far as the Cistern, which is apparently just over the half-way point and is just 4 hours of playtime. Meanwhile, there are multiple other games that I’ve been able to dump over 100 hours of playtime into over the course of one month. It’s absurd, and that’s why I end up with some games sitting in my backlog for years or possibly even decades that I never manage to finish. I constantly go back and say to myself, “Okay, I’m going to beat it this time.”, and then I fall right back into that same trap of getting an hour or two in, and then saying to myself, “Hey, I want to go and replay that game I’ve played five hundred times in the past already.” It’s unfortunate, but you just can’t expect yourself to always finish games naturally. Sometimes you just have to be real with yourself and say, “Alright, you are going to play this game until you are done with it. You are not going to be distracted by other things this time. You’re not allowed to touch another game until this one’s complete.” If I sat there and let myself just play video games in a scattered way - playing whatever I felt like playing at the time, and not making conscious decisions about what games I choose - I’d sit there and replay the same handful of titles I’ve played for years and not touch a new or different title ever again. It’s just easier to enjoy something you already know you like, than to get into a new game that you’re unfamiliar with. I think that is genuinely the reason why we get stuck going back to those old favorites all the time, and it hinders our ability to have new experiences.

[@rudolphstrongbear]

We don't have to finish games we don't like or want to. Games are suppose to be fun, not a chore.

[@HSG4meR]

And because I find myself scattering my games, I just left Outer Wilds without being finished. Worst of all: I WANT TO PLAY IT. But I feel I need to find the specific moment to focus and I'm not finding it. I'm always worried about doing something else, or having a lot in my mind, I feel that if I neglect my time and play Outer Wilds just because I need to finish, I'll be hurting my experience, so I have to pick the right moment, the right mood, on vacation, head clear, and it just doesn't come.

[@nogame81]

That’s what I’ve been doing with Disco Elysium ever since the final cut launched - instead I’m playing Skyrim for the third time!

[@alexmcclellan3400]

This is a great video! Can’t wait to see what you post next!

[@andrewl3779]

I seem to jump between both, if a game is like, really damn good, I'll be focusing on it until that deed is done. Most of the time, it's scattered to find that experience that will click with me once again, I don't mind that as long as I'm entertained in the end. Usually I attempt to finish the games I started even if some are left for over a year, unless it's story focused. (Rip TLoU2 and Beyond: Two Souls)

[@nogame81]

Trust me you’re not missing much not finishing Beyond: Two Souls! And if you want TLOU2 completely spoiled for you I actually have a review of that up from a couple weeks ago!

[@andrewl3779]

​@@nogame81 Oooh I'll jump on that video once it arrives then. Cheers for the reply!

[@nogame81]

Random Review: The Last Of Us Part II kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXLWgZyegrahr9k

[@EhurtAfy]

I am mostly a scattered-gamer, but I take regular moments to analyze my progress, my backlog, and buckle down and finish games from time-to-time. Being focused can be very satisfying and I've improved my ability to do this over time. Sometimes I play a game and force myself to finish so I don't get distracted. I've beaten about 15 games in 2023 and played around 100. I've been trying to start fewer and finish more. It's difficult with RPGs that are 100+ hours like Persona and Fire Emblem *My Backlog* I have around 3000 games, 1500 on Steam, couple hundred on PlayStation and Switch, couple hundred on Wii U and 3DS. The rest are for various older emulated consoles like PS2, GameCube, and Wii. *What I Do To Clear My Backlog* I actually have a similar approach to KZbinr "Daryl Does Games* where he finished his backlog in one year. He recently uploaded a video called "How I Finished My Gaming Backlog (One Year Later) What I do is the spreadsheet approach. I have a Top 100 Games spreadsheet where I enter the following for each game: 1. Place a priority level or FOMO rating on each game, a 1 out of 10 rating. A score of 1 is reserved for only a couple games that I'm taking seriously 2. Whether the game supports controllers, this way I can play from a couch if I don't want to sit at my computer 3. Whether the game performs well on Steam Deck or laptop 4. Which platform the game is on 5. Identify a clear goal for each game; play, beat, complete, etc. 6. Approximate time to beat the game, I try to estimate this for games I'm playing. I'm a slow gamer, takes me longer than most people 7. Have a notes cell, where I write down my feelings on a game My Top 100 backlog is currently about 4500 hours long so... yeah

[@theknight1573]

Sounds like you should also use howlongtobeat. Just a tip fyi

[@chaoslord8918]

I find that I usually play my games in two phases: a starting phase and a finishing phase. Sometimes three if it's a longer game. It starts with that initial motivation to really get into a new game, and finishes with my obsession with 100% completing my games.

[@Halfrando]

Such an interesting topic. I always have to finish a game, as I know I will never pick it up again if I don't. Whereas I always take the piss out of my mate who probably buys a game weekly but has only finished one this year😂

[@nogame81]

I’m honestly still working off my backlog from my days where I was that guy you’d take the piss out of, it’s tough to get out of!

[@absin8078]

As someone with no gaming discipline I have a long streak of completing 50% of a game, then moving on to another game, repeat. I feel bad about it but on the other hand I feel satisfied enough with my experience to move on.

[@joepwrsurge]

I always restrict myself to just one console per generation (console determined by exclusives): it saves me from dropping big money on hardware, and gives me a chance to deep-dive into only one library.

[@Notfallkaramell]

Depends. I would play something like a big RPG and a small indie simultaneously to avoid RPG Burn Out.

[@Blazkowicz.]

Love how KZbin recommend me this video

[@lidge1994]

Personally, I play one game over a long period of time (currently Dark Souls 1), while sometimes choosing another story game to play whenever I'm not fully in the mood/am taking a break from DS1. And all the while, I play smaller, more casual games like Terraria or Stardew Valley. The story ones are the bulk of my trimmed down backlog, story games like a part of the AC series, Batman: Arkham series, Prototype, Enslaved, Vanquish, Half-Life series etc. (games I've finished) or Bioshock, Tomb Raider series, all the other FromSoft titles, Borderlands Series etc. I have about 100 games of that caliber....I just don't have the time to play them, which is bad for a backlog that keeps growing with sales!

[@Gavaroc]

As far as my solo leisure time, -intensely- focused. I find I can't enjoy something unless I'm immersed in it. If I come back to something and its been too long, I am compelled to start from the beginning. So if I'm going to stop playing something, that's a conscious decision with the understanding that playthrough is capital-O-Over. Exceptions for DLC/expansions and the like, things that are solid story breaks. This is true to the point that I generally only have 1 active game, I can't do 2 at a time. Even more so, if I'm watching a TV series, I play no games until I have finished that series. Or that book. My Primary Leisure Activity is always -one thing at a time-. That said, I'm also a streamer, and I can happily stream 3-4 games at a time without any of the same mental pressures that keep me from going on two journeys at once in my personal life. Why? Because those games will be rigidly scheduled at all times. xD Wednesday's game is Wednesday's game, Saturday's is Saturday's, etc. So it's still the principles of focused play, just timed differently. By that same logic I can watch a show with my girlfriend two episodes a night, since there's structure to it. In my loose, -solo- free time, though? If I have two options, I'll either lose track of one or have decision paralysis and spend way more time staring at a wall. So. One thing at a time. Always.

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

When I was in university I was scattered since I had less time to play anything, but now I'm a lot more focused. I have a hard time finding a game that I can really get into but when I do find it I'm going all in.

[@theknight1573]

Lol I wish I could have as much time to game as I did while in university. I might have had more time in the schools before it, but not the freedom to earn money and buy what I wanted as much. Now I have a job, gf and house to take care of every week... XD

[@andrewmares6875]

I’m a scattered guy, but will try more focused in the future

[@752shashank]

nice topic. playing more than one single player game usually ruins my experience. but multiplayer games along with one sp game is alright.

[@real_szop4692]

I always try to play one big game and a smaller one. Currently playing God of war: ragnarok and The messenger (great indie game you should play it btw)

[@kevo300]

Video is informative, I find this interesting because my friend has ADHD and his gaming is much scattered while im the opposite.

[@nogame81]

I’ve got a friend like that, one time I counted through his trophy list and found over 100 games with 5% or less, which stresses me out to think about!

[@HangMrH]

I have to be focused otherwise i forgot how to play or why i like it

[@cadearcher2258]

I used to be scattered and it worked because I had enough time to play. Now that I’m married with a baby and a career I have maybe a full hour a day to play if I play at all. I’ve had to stop being scattered cause I never finish anything anymore lol

[@fittedgosling5426]

I usually play 3 games at once, not including multiplayer games. usually I will favor one of the other 2 and there's always one where it's kinds the step child and it doesn't get as much love as the other 2. I played the quarry, kena bridge of spirits, and A hat in time and A Hat in time got like 4 hours worth of gamplay in the week and a half compared to the 10 both quarry amd kena got. I don't start a new game until all 3 are usually done or I pause the game. Like A Hat in time is passed for right now and I'm playing mk1, gear of war 2. They are kinda buffer games because I'm just waiting until spiderman 2

[@Ausar0]

I TRY to focus games until the end, but I usually end up playing something else that catches my eye, and before I know it, that new game becomes my new "main game" until some other shiny new thing pops up. It's annoying tbh because I want to have experienced all of the game's content, but I just end up not.

[@PANCAKEPAP1]

When I was playing Alan Wake 2, I would stop after an hour or two so I could recharge cos that game was so tense 😅. I think it tepends on the games you're playing

[@mikeross5836]

I try not to do more than 3 games at a time. That way I don’t get in a rut, and have some variety

[@slickstar96]

Im focused 2-3 games max they will get completed unless i find the narrative or the gameplay loop boring. I have also noticed i play maybe two dark story games and then balance it with a light cartoony game just to keep my pallet feeling fresh...

[@nogame81]

Balance is key, I’ve been working my way through the Yakuza series but I gotta play something else different in between to keep my sanity

[@rudeadventurer458]

Certainly a scattered gamer but I try my damnedest to be focused due to the fact that I play a lot of varied single player games. I playmobile games, emulator games on my phone, and a fuck ton on Xb1 I'm tryna finish shit so I can have a smaller catalog.

[@OneRandomVictory]

I tend to play 1-3 games at a time. Anything more and I start to forget story and plot points.

[@CoDiStHeOdIs]

Ahh it’s like nectar to my ears

[@CoDiStHeOdIs]

Well, except for the part where you told me the way I play games is wrong

[@cr-nd8qh]

I usually die to a boss twice tirn it off then think about it tirn it back on and beat the boss. Usually

[@GoldenLeafsMovies]

Man, I wish I wasn't distracted by all these other games so I could finish Xenoblade, Nier Automata/Replicant, and a whole bunch of others I've yet to even begin playing. I struggle with RPGs due to their time sink.

[@AlexCFaulkner]

i liked the speed dating metaphor

[@Nydhros]

I completely play in a weird scattered way in general with a few games I keep playing because they're live service so content keeps coming, but I do overfocus for hours and hours on end when a game takes a grip of me and I really just can't stop this one, maybe my ADHD makes me this way

[@theknight1573]

Guess I am a scattered focused gamer... i definitely like completing games and pouring a lot of hours into a game in a short time.... but I often juggle about 6 games at a time. I am too much of a patient gamer to go full scatter, buying the newest thing everytime. But I often cannot complete a game in one go without having at least another game in between. Guess the intial wow factor is often enough for lets say 20 to 30 hours in the first 2 weeks, and then trickles down to maybe 20 a month or even less. It doesnt help I replay a lot of games for my backseating gf, causing me to have basically 2 sets of ongoing games: 1 or 2 for my focused gf and ~4 for myself. And the reason it isnt more is because of lack of time mostly 😂

[@gamerji-li4755]

I'm scattered while my husband is focused 😂 He jokes that I just like buying games cause I don't beat games as often as him

[@mmdgamer7746]

8:29 game name plzzzzz

[@nogame81]

That would be Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s

[@mmdgamer7746]

tysm

[@MusicJunkie37]

What's the game at 5:00 ?

[@nogame81]

Grow Home

[@MusicJunkie37]

@@nogame81 Thank you, and good video

[@malikobaid2293]

A comment for algorithm

[@blightedrfs]

lower the music its distracting

[@nogame81]

Would you believe the music was actually higher and I reposted with this as the lower one? I’m working out some kinks as a new channel, I promise it’ll be lowered some more if you come back for my next video!

[@jacobewington7917]

Scattered. No one cares whether or not you finished a game. If your not having fun, put it down and move on or come back later. Its that simple