I've been playing Texas Hold'em Poker quite often in the past month, almost exclusively on the Facebook application I recently installed. But we played a few hands at home last night, and it was a blast. Hold'em really is quite an intriguing game, with opportunities to bluff and read opponents. There's still a lot of intricacies that I have to learn about the game, and I'm sure I'll pick it up the more I play.
About an hour into the game, we were on the last few hands of the game. Audrea was already knocked out, and there were only 3 of us left. And despite having a weak hand, even with the community cards on the table, I upped the ante, and in essence, threw the game. I had a very (very!) slim chance of winning, but I just threw the game. My patience ran out, and I just wanted it to end. I didn't have a problem with the players, I just didn't want to play. And more often than not, that's what I'd do on Facebook to get out of a game as well.
And it's the same thing when it comes to videogames. I really get into the game at the start, and I play it religiously for about a week or two, then I completely abandon it. I get bored and I lose patience and I can't be bothered anymore. The last videogame I completed was God of War: Chains of Olympus about 2 days ago, and before that was Portal and Mass Effect. And before that... well, I can't remember... It's might be Metroid Fusion, and that was about 5 years ago.
I just don't have any patience for long, rambling games that try to substitute depth with length. I didn't complete Bioshock, Oblivion, Half-Life 2, Dead Rising, Diablo 2, System Shock 2, Wind Waker, Super Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime 1, 2 and 3. I could name many more. Even GTA IV.
Invaribly, I always reach a point in the game where I lost all interest and patience. You mean I've gotta sail this boat to that island to get the iron boots so that I can go back to the other island to walk into the cave (Wind Waker)? Or I have to exact revenge for your lost wife and child when some phantom guy blows up a submarine just because you told me to over a walkie-talkie (Bioshock)? Or I have to deal with one crazy person after another while wading through throngs of zombies (that part was fun), walking back and forth an ever enlarging game map to get the news story on some government plot while waiting for the helicopter to come and rescue me three days later (Dead Rising)? Can't be bothered, mate.
The one game that continually stays fresh in my mind as something that I absolutely felt driven to complete was Grim Fandango. An adventure game with an interesting premise, the thing that drew me were the characters and the simplicity in the gameplay. And more that anything else, a story that was so simple yet so beautifully told. A man, attempting to make amends for mistakes long past, encounters a woman with an unfortunate fate. While he makes all effort to save her, he in turn saves himself. Never mind the fact that the main protagonist is a walking skeleton and grim reaper, and his driver is a bumbling orange-coloured demon. I felt compelled to experience the whole game, and it suppressed my natural instinct to otherwise abandon it. The style and the pacing did enhance the experience, but it was the story that kept me coming back. A well-told story, with narrative depth, fleshed out interesting characters is what will keep me in the game.
It's sad to say that I haven't yet experienced game that matched those same levels of compulsion. Portal came close, but that was easy to finish because it was so short. Mass Effect was just a good sci-fi yarn, which has always been a weakness of mine. Besides I blew through that game as quickly as I could, and I can't say I remember much aside from the main plot. I can't even remember any of the characters' names. But I do remember the names of Manny Calavera, Mercedes Colomar, Domino Hurley and Glottis. And there's a very good reason for that: I was absolutely charmed by their story.
About an hour into the game, we were on the last few hands of the game. Audrea was already knocked out, and there were only 3 of us left. And despite having a weak hand, even with the community cards on the table, I upped the ante, and in essence, threw the game. I had a very (very!) slim chance of winning, but I just threw the game. My patience ran out, and I just wanted it to end. I didn't have a problem with the players, I just didn't want to play. And more often than not, that's what I'd do on Facebook to get out of a game as well.
And it's the same thing when it comes to videogames. I really get into the game at the start, and I play it religiously for about a week or two, then I completely abandon it. I get bored and I lose patience and I can't be bothered anymore. The last videogame I completed was God of War: Chains of Olympus about 2 days ago, and before that was Portal and Mass Effect. And before that... well, I can't remember... It's might be Metroid Fusion, and that was about 5 years ago.
I just don't have any patience for long, rambling games that try to substitute depth with length. I didn't complete Bioshock, Oblivion, Half-Life 2, Dead Rising, Diablo 2, System Shock 2, Wind Waker, Super Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime 1, 2 and 3. I could name many more. Even GTA IV.
Invaribly, I always reach a point in the game where I lost all interest and patience. You mean I've gotta sail this boat to that island to get the iron boots so that I can go back to the other island to walk into the cave (Wind Waker)? Or I have to exact revenge for your lost wife and child when some phantom guy blows up a submarine just because you told me to over a walkie-talkie (Bioshock)? Or I have to deal with one crazy person after another while wading through throngs of zombies (that part was fun), walking back and forth an ever enlarging game map to get the news story on some government plot while waiting for the helicopter to come and rescue me three days later (Dead Rising)? Can't be bothered, mate.
The one game that continually stays fresh in my mind as something that I absolutely felt driven to complete was Grim Fandango. An adventure game with an interesting premise, the thing that drew me were the characters and the simplicity in the gameplay. And more that anything else, a story that was so simple yet so beautifully told. A man, attempting to make amends for mistakes long past, encounters a woman with an unfortunate fate. While he makes all effort to save her, he in turn saves himself. Never mind the fact that the main protagonist is a walking skeleton and grim reaper, and his driver is a bumbling orange-coloured demon. I felt compelled to experience the whole game, and it suppressed my natural instinct to otherwise abandon it. The style and the pacing did enhance the experience, but it was the story that kept me coming back. A well-told story, with narrative depth, fleshed out interesting characters is what will keep me in the game.
It's sad to say that I haven't yet experienced game that matched those same levels of compulsion. Portal came close, but that was easy to finish because it was so short. Mass Effect was just a good sci-fi yarn, which has always been a weakness of mine. Besides I blew through that game as quickly as I could, and I can't say I remember much aside from the main plot. I can't even remember any of the characters' names. But I do remember the names of Manny Calavera, Mercedes Colomar, Domino Hurley and Glottis. And there's a very good reason for that: I was absolutely charmed by their story.
2 comments:
Increasing technology changes has led to rising frenzied & stressed lives. With IM, sms, email many people are conditioned to react fast.
People talk about having time to smell the flowers, now we hardly have time to smell the kopi.
Do you walk fast? Do you eat fast? Do you often do 2 or more things at the same time?
Well, I wouldn't necessarily blame the advent of technology as the cause of my impatience. That would be far too simplistic.
I am, however, fully aware of my own gaming habits, and always wanting to jump to the next new thing. If a game doesn't keep me interested and compelled, abandoning it is only a matter of time. In addition, there are many things in games, especially videogames, that I am unwilling to overlook, or suspend disbelief for.
A game must be able to effectively diffuse my otherwise critical eye in order to keep me interested long enough to complete it.
I would not say that it is due to any increasing technology changes.
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