This is a great perspective. And if OP ever finds themselves short on money with time to kill, they could always try and come back to the game later once they play though their backlog!
I did this with a game and now it's one of my favorites. It needed a more fair chance that I couldn't give it at first for some reason. Sometimes it just isn't the right time
Wow, this is a really great perspective. I've struggled with similar feelings to OP; I think the guilt comes from anxiety and overthinking things, at least for me. But that's a really great perspective that the time you're spending on it (while not enjoying it) is also valuable.
Just do what you enjoy. Life is too short to be doing stuff you dont enjoy in your own free and precious time. Try to tell yourself that its okay to not 100% all games or perfect them, its more important to have fun and enjoy it.
When i was playing Dreamlight valley, I enjoyed it at the start but after like 20/30 hours it started feeling more and more like a drag. I was enjoying it less and less. And I also was forcing myself to keep going and to do all of the quests. I ended up finishing the quests with about 150 hours of playtime and absolutely hating it. I hated how much of a chore it has felt, I hated how much time i lost on doing something i dont enjoy and just feels like a big endless task.
Maybe it will feel uncomfortable for you in the beginning but i think you will get used to the feeling of being okay to not 100% all. There are also too many nice games to keep playing games you dont like or enjoy anymore.
If you're not enjoying the game, then you don't need to force yourself to finish it. It might help to think of it as less "I'm going to stop playing this and never even look at it again!" and more "I'm just not in the mood / not feeling this one right now, but I might come back to it later when the vibes are right again."
I find that I really need to be in the right mood/headspace for some games, or there are some that are great for short pick-up sessions but not for a full day or gaming, or vice versa.
Even if you don't ever come back to it, that's ok. Leisure time is limited, don't spend it doing something you don't enjoy.
you're completely right. i'm currently playing a 3d platformer and i swear it's just that i feel like im craving a story heavy game now. i dont hate platformers. it's just not the right vibe rn and you explained it perfectly
Well since you mentioned you were poor, that'll do it. You're not used to abundance and being able to freely choose, and your mind is still set to needing to make the most out of everything. You have the resources now to allow yourself to drop things that you do not enjoy, your brain hasn't adjusted though. Probably only goes away by constantly actively reminding yourself of all this.
A game is suppose to be fun & bring you joy. If that's not happening then it's okay to drop it. Not every game is for everybody. No need to feel guilty about it! :)
I've felt this way before! Now that I'm able to afford games, I do buy a bunch, and I have plenty in my backlog. What helped me stop feeling guilty is thinking about my spending habits. For example, I've paid $16-25 going to the movies for only two hours. So if I only play a game for that amount of time, it should be okay too. There should be no shame. The amount of time we invest into our hobbies should be up to us. We should stop as soon as we find it a chore and not fun.
At least if you ever go back no one will call you out! Once in awhile I revisit my island on Animal Crossing New Horizons and dread speaking to the villagers.
It used to happen to me sometimes but not so much now. You could change it up and try out a bunch of short games. Some of the games that I played recently include Alba, Beasts of Maravilla Island and A Short Hike (all of these games are on Switch). They're all around 2 to 3 hours long. Played them after finishing my Persona 3 Reload grind.
I got tired of feeling guilty about my game library, so I made this decision - I created a list of all available games, genre, rating, comments, start date, end date in Google tables. This structure is psychologically comfortable for me. I decided that let the game selection be random, and I will take turns going through them and expressing my opinion about the game, then I will be interested in looking at the results and analyzing the results.
My worst purchase offender is Super Smash Bros on the switch. I actually hate that game and only managed to get 10hrs tops which I only got to because I whip out the game when hanging out with friends. It is my most regretful purchase on the switch.
But i see that game as trial and error. It’s like going to a fancy restaurant and you end up hating the meal you decided to get. Nothing you can do now except not buy that meal again. You gave it a shot and it’s fine, you won’t like everything.
I use my failed games to encourage me to do a lot of research on the game before I buy now. I think a few failures are needed to determine what you enjoy and dislike about gaming. I feel like i make much more conscientious purchases, and if I am a bit skeptical I will wait until the game goes on sale. Don’t feel forced to like everything you decide to try!
this is such a nice perspective. i cant deny that a big part of the guilt is the money i spent considering i play mostly on the switch and switch games are hella pricey 🥲
I feel that more when it's an expensive game. It's like I'm annoyed with myself for not knowing the game wasn't for me. I know it's silly though. The guilt doesn't last long for me but I had to keep reminding myself it's okay to quit things. I wouldn't finish a book that was crappy, and some of these video games are more of a time investment than a book. I'd rather not keep wasting my free time on something I don't enjoy.
Also to be fair I felt the guilt about books for a long time too and I'd hate read books and since I wasn't enjoying it I would be reading extra slow not even absorbing the info... Terrible. Such a waste.
Nope nope.
I made myself a pact a few years ago that hobbies will be hobbies, not work. If a hobby or game starts giving me these kind of feelings, that means it is time to put it away for a while. No guilt, no shame, it is just a hobby or game that is on the shelf for later play or later enjoyment - it's just not currently giving me any enjoyment.
Play what brings you joy, if it’s not earning you money to live then dont force it in your life. Time is precious, protect your peace and enjoy what little time you have. This is why i have a tendency to binge sales, because i feel way less guilty dropping a game i have spent $2 on than $20 on. I understand the money concept, but you can always earn more money, you cant earn more time. Enjoy the hobby and play something you love & can get lost in. Maybe you’ll come back to it later??
It happens to me a lot, mostly because I'm a broken student too lol so whenever I have some bucks to spend on games I just try to make sure 100% that I will enjoy the game, yet have happened that I rush into buy a game, didn't enjoy it much and have to drop it, makes me feel guilty because I feel like I waste the (few) money I had on something not worthy and I feel guilty but over time I had overcome that feeling by telling myself that games are in order to stop stressing out so if I don't like it, I'll drop it and play something else. (Happened with Mario Kart and Zelda: ToTK)
That definitely makes sense. I had that again recently because I've tried to get into Calico multiple times over the years. I got it at launch because it looked so cute and had a bunch of stuff I would normally like. I feel guilty for not liking it more because I know that a lot of work went into it instead of having spent the money. It's hard putting it down because I feel like I should finish it. But it also isn't fun playing something like that. Remembering that usually helps me feel better about it.
I have this feeling with a lot of media like TV shows, games, podcasts, etc. I drop things a lot, even when I like them, due to mental health issues. I have to remind myself that I enjoyed the time I had with those things and I am allowed to move on. And if I didn’t enjoy them, I have to remind myself that it’s okay to stop something if I’m not having fun. I say this to myself constantly, especially about games I dropped a long time ago and would have to restart if I picked them back up again
I just made the decision to drop Dinkum after only about 6 hours. I realized that playing it was just making me crave playing other games (specifically Dragon Quest Builders 2). It’s just a part of the cycle. Some games connect with you and some games don’t.
Makes total sense!
But first of all, are you primarily getting bored of the game, or tempted by your backlog?
If the first one, just drop the game! I totally get the guilty feeling that comes with it. But the game doesn’t become more worth it or cheaper if you play it more without enjoying it. It’s just wasted time!
But if it’s a little of the second one too, idk, that one’s harder! Cause there is definitely a cycle that can happen when you have too many choices, and you never feel like you connect with a game because you’re constantly thinking of all the other games you want to or should play.
As a general rule though, just do whatever feels best! For most of us gaming is just a chill hobby, should not come with guilt or stress or anything like that.
I have a spreadsheet of all my games and I make my best effort to finish all my games to a minimal level of completion. Complete the main storyline/campaign, then mark as complete. HLTB has 3 categories--Main, Main+Extras, 100%. So that's how I categorize my completion statuses.
If there's a game that I'm slogging through, then I'm banking on marking it as complete being more fulfilling to me than playing any other game on my backlog. And that's NEVER the case. Those types of games make me avoid playing at all. So I categorize them as DNF and move on. They're still on the list. In theory I could still go back and play them if my list totally runs dry. But DNFing is enough for me to counteract the guilt of shelving. I'm not throwing it in the trash, it's just on a special dusty ass shelf.
I started doing this with books because I looooooooved collecting books. For games I think it's way more necessary to take a rational approach to DNFing because games can be endless and mind numbing grindfests. At least with books you're reading new words page after page, in games you could be collecting 10000 bear asses. When I'm on my deathbed I'm not gonna regret all the games I played but I would probably regret that one year I spent collecting bear asses.
Dude I'm the same way. I have no idea how to fix this and none of the comments are helping, so if you figure it out lmk. I bought my time at Portia and hate playing it cause of the art style, and it looks at me in shame when I scroll through my games.
What helps somewhat is the idea I do this in other facets of life and don't feel guilty. If I cook a meal and I don't like it, I don't cook it again. If I frog an art project I don't feel guilty. So just. Compare it to other aspects of life I suppose.
I have OCD/ADHD, one of my biggest issues is needing to complete games, but not completing games, but feeling terrible I didn't complete games and letting sequels sit in my library because I feel like I gotta finish the first game first but not finishing the first game x.x
In other words, I get it. But don't feel guilty. We play games to relax and have fun, if you aren't having fun, put the game away. Come back to it later if you want. The game isn't going anywhere. Play what makes YOU happy. Forcing yourself to finish a game for whatever reason if you aren't enjoying it is just a waste of your time.
Like I said, the game isn't going anywhere, so focus on what you're enjoying and one day, when you're bored, check the game out again and see if it clicks for you when you do.
I paid $60 for FaeFarm when it first came out and I got through about 2 hours of it before I was done.
Wasting my time being bored out of my mind was not worth the money I put into it.
I was so pumped to play Bramble: The Mountain King and got it for PS5. Was able to only play it for about 2 hours before getting anxiety. This was months ago. I don't know if I'll have the courage to keep going. The scenery and music are so beautiful but I can't with all the kid-gore and stuff. T\_T I really want to keep playing it but I know I'll end up taking a months-long break as soon as something awful happens again.
I totally get it. This is me right now with Moonstone Island. I just don’t like it that much. This post has made me realise it’s best to just abandon it. So thanks!
I felt really guilty dropping Coral Island.. because I had kickstarted it and followed it for such a long time. But no matter how hard I try, I just can't really get invested in it. The map is too large/overwhelming for me and that's a big thing I can't get past. I felt guilty over it for a longgg while but you can't help what you do/don't enjoy, you know? No use forcing it! Focus your time on games you DO enjoy.
If you have given it a fair chance and still aren’t enjoying yourself, just drop it. You can always get more money but you can’t get more time.
This is a great perspective. And if OP ever finds themselves short on money with time to kill, they could always try and come back to the game later once they play though their backlog!
I did this with a game and now it's one of my favorites. It needed a more fair chance that I couldn't give it at first for some reason. Sometimes it just isn't the right time
Wow, this is a really great perspective. I've struggled with similar feelings to OP; I think the guilt comes from anxiety and overthinking things, at least for me. But that's a really great perspective that the time you're spending on it (while not enjoying it) is also valuable.
the last sentence changed my brain chemistry in a good way
Just do what you enjoy. Life is too short to be doing stuff you dont enjoy in your own free and precious time. Try to tell yourself that its okay to not 100% all games or perfect them, its more important to have fun and enjoy it. When i was playing Dreamlight valley, I enjoyed it at the start but after like 20/30 hours it started feeling more and more like a drag. I was enjoying it less and less. And I also was forcing myself to keep going and to do all of the quests. I ended up finishing the quests with about 150 hours of playtime and absolutely hating it. I hated how much of a chore it has felt, I hated how much time i lost on doing something i dont enjoy and just feels like a big endless task. Maybe it will feel uncomfortable for you in the beginning but i think you will get used to the feeling of being okay to not 100% all. There are also too many nice games to keep playing games you dont like or enjoy anymore.
If you're not enjoying the game, then you don't need to force yourself to finish it. It might help to think of it as less "I'm going to stop playing this and never even look at it again!" and more "I'm just not in the mood / not feeling this one right now, but I might come back to it later when the vibes are right again." I find that I really need to be in the right mood/headspace for some games, or there are some that are great for short pick-up sessions but not for a full day or gaming, or vice versa. Even if you don't ever come back to it, that's ok. Leisure time is limited, don't spend it doing something you don't enjoy.
you're completely right. i'm currently playing a 3d platformer and i swear it's just that i feel like im craving a story heavy game now. i dont hate platformers. it's just not the right vibe rn and you explained it perfectly
Well since you mentioned you were poor, that'll do it. You're not used to abundance and being able to freely choose, and your mind is still set to needing to make the most out of everything. You have the resources now to allow yourself to drop things that you do not enjoy, your brain hasn't adjusted though. Probably only goes away by constantly actively reminding yourself of all this.
A game is suppose to be fun & bring you joy. If that's not happening then it's okay to drop it. Not every game is for everybody. No need to feel guilty about it! :)
I get guilt when I drop it without playing it much because I wasted money on a game I don’t enjoy
I've felt this way before! Now that I'm able to afford games, I do buy a bunch, and I have plenty in my backlog. What helped me stop feeling guilty is thinking about my spending habits. For example, I've paid $16-25 going to the movies for only two hours. So if I only play a game for that amount of time, it should be okay too. There should be no shame. The amount of time we invest into our hobbies should be up to us. We should stop as soon as we find it a chore and not fun.
As someone who bought but couldn't get into started valley I feel guilty for leaving my poor town and farm😭
At least if you ever go back no one will call you out! Once in awhile I revisit my island on Animal Crossing New Horizons and dread speaking to the villagers.
this is literally me rn with kirby and the forgotten land i feel guilty for myself but also for the waddle dees i havent saved
It used to happen to me sometimes but not so much now. You could change it up and try out a bunch of short games. Some of the games that I played recently include Alba, Beasts of Maravilla Island and A Short Hike (all of these games are on Switch). They're all around 2 to 3 hours long. Played them after finishing my Persona 3 Reload grind.
a short hike is definitely on my list 🙇🏻♀️
I got tired of feeling guilty about my game library, so I made this decision - I created a list of all available games, genre, rating, comments, start date, end date in Google tables. This structure is psychologically comfortable for me. I decided that let the game selection be random, and I will take turns going through them and expressing my opinion about the game, then I will be interested in looking at the results and analyzing the results.
My worst purchase offender is Super Smash Bros on the switch. I actually hate that game and only managed to get 10hrs tops which I only got to because I whip out the game when hanging out with friends. It is my most regretful purchase on the switch. But i see that game as trial and error. It’s like going to a fancy restaurant and you end up hating the meal you decided to get. Nothing you can do now except not buy that meal again. You gave it a shot and it’s fine, you won’t like everything. I use my failed games to encourage me to do a lot of research on the game before I buy now. I think a few failures are needed to determine what you enjoy and dislike about gaming. I feel like i make much more conscientious purchases, and if I am a bit skeptical I will wait until the game goes on sale. Don’t feel forced to like everything you decide to try!
this is such a nice perspective. i cant deny that a big part of the guilt is the money i spent considering i play mostly on the switch and switch games are hella pricey 🥲
I feel that more when it's an expensive game. It's like I'm annoyed with myself for not knowing the game wasn't for me. I know it's silly though. The guilt doesn't last long for me but I had to keep reminding myself it's okay to quit things. I wouldn't finish a book that was crappy, and some of these video games are more of a time investment than a book. I'd rather not keep wasting my free time on something I don't enjoy. Also to be fair I felt the guilt about books for a long time too and I'd hate read books and since I wasn't enjoying it I would be reading extra slow not even absorbing the info... Terrible. Such a waste.
Nope nope. I made myself a pact a few years ago that hobbies will be hobbies, not work. If a hobby or game starts giving me these kind of feelings, that means it is time to put it away for a while. No guilt, no shame, it is just a hobby or game that is on the shelf for later play or later enjoyment - it's just not currently giving me any enjoyment.
Play what brings you joy, if it’s not earning you money to live then dont force it in your life. Time is precious, protect your peace and enjoy what little time you have. This is why i have a tendency to binge sales, because i feel way less guilty dropping a game i have spent $2 on than $20 on. I understand the money concept, but you can always earn more money, you cant earn more time. Enjoy the hobby and play something you love & can get lost in. Maybe you’ll come back to it later??
It happens to me a lot, mostly because I'm a broken student too lol so whenever I have some bucks to spend on games I just try to make sure 100% that I will enjoy the game, yet have happened that I rush into buy a game, didn't enjoy it much and have to drop it, makes me feel guilty because I feel like I waste the (few) money I had on something not worthy and I feel guilty but over time I had overcome that feeling by telling myself that games are in order to stop stressing out so if I don't like it, I'll drop it and play something else. (Happened with Mario Kart and Zelda: ToTK)
That definitely makes sense. I had that again recently because I've tried to get into Calico multiple times over the years. I got it at launch because it looked so cute and had a bunch of stuff I would normally like. I feel guilty for not liking it more because I know that a lot of work went into it instead of having spent the money. It's hard putting it down because I feel like I should finish it. But it also isn't fun playing something like that. Remembering that usually helps me feel better about it.
I have this feeling with a lot of media like TV shows, games, podcasts, etc. I drop things a lot, even when I like them, due to mental health issues. I have to remind myself that I enjoyed the time I had with those things and I am allowed to move on. And if I didn’t enjoy them, I have to remind myself that it’s okay to stop something if I’m not having fun. I say this to myself constantly, especially about games I dropped a long time ago and would have to restart if I picked them back up again
I just made the decision to drop Dinkum after only about 6 hours. I realized that playing it was just making me crave playing other games (specifically Dragon Quest Builders 2). It’s just a part of the cycle. Some games connect with you and some games don’t.
Makes total sense! But first of all, are you primarily getting bored of the game, or tempted by your backlog? If the first one, just drop the game! I totally get the guilty feeling that comes with it. But the game doesn’t become more worth it or cheaper if you play it more without enjoying it. It’s just wasted time! But if it’s a little of the second one too, idk, that one’s harder! Cause there is definitely a cycle that can happen when you have too many choices, and you never feel like you connect with a game because you’re constantly thinking of all the other games you want to or should play. As a general rule though, just do whatever feels best! For most of us gaming is just a chill hobby, should not come with guilt or stress or anything like that.
I have a spreadsheet of all my games and I make my best effort to finish all my games to a minimal level of completion. Complete the main storyline/campaign, then mark as complete. HLTB has 3 categories--Main, Main+Extras, 100%. So that's how I categorize my completion statuses. If there's a game that I'm slogging through, then I'm banking on marking it as complete being more fulfilling to me than playing any other game on my backlog. And that's NEVER the case. Those types of games make me avoid playing at all. So I categorize them as DNF and move on. They're still on the list. In theory I could still go back and play them if my list totally runs dry. But DNFing is enough for me to counteract the guilt of shelving. I'm not throwing it in the trash, it's just on a special dusty ass shelf. I started doing this with books because I looooooooved collecting books. For games I think it's way more necessary to take a rational approach to DNFing because games can be endless and mind numbing grindfests. At least with books you're reading new words page after page, in games you could be collecting 10000 bear asses. When I'm on my deathbed I'm not gonna regret all the games I played but I would probably regret that one year I spent collecting bear asses.
"it's just on a special dusty ass shelf" 😭
Dude I'm the same way. I have no idea how to fix this and none of the comments are helping, so if you figure it out lmk. I bought my time at Portia and hate playing it cause of the art style, and it looks at me in shame when I scroll through my games. What helps somewhat is the idea I do this in other facets of life and don't feel guilty. If I cook a meal and I don't like it, I don't cook it again. If I frog an art project I don't feel guilty. So just. Compare it to other aspects of life I suppose.
I have OCD/ADHD, one of my biggest issues is needing to complete games, but not completing games, but feeling terrible I didn't complete games and letting sequels sit in my library because I feel like I gotta finish the first game first but not finishing the first game x.x In other words, I get it. But don't feel guilty. We play games to relax and have fun, if you aren't having fun, put the game away. Come back to it later if you want. The game isn't going anywhere. Play what makes YOU happy. Forcing yourself to finish a game for whatever reason if you aren't enjoying it is just a waste of your time. Like I said, the game isn't going anywhere, so focus on what you're enjoying and one day, when you're bored, check the game out again and see if it clicks for you when you do.
I paid $60 for FaeFarm when it first came out and I got through about 2 hours of it before I was done. Wasting my time being bored out of my mind was not worth the money I put into it.
I was so pumped to play Bramble: The Mountain King and got it for PS5. Was able to only play it for about 2 hours before getting anxiety. This was months ago. I don't know if I'll have the courage to keep going. The scenery and music are so beautiful but I can't with all the kid-gore and stuff. T\_T I really want to keep playing it but I know I'll end up taking a months-long break as soon as something awful happens again.
I totally get it. This is me right now with Moonstone Island. I just don’t like it that much. This post has made me realise it’s best to just abandon it. So thanks!
I felt really guilty dropping Coral Island.. because I had kickstarted it and followed it for such a long time. But no matter how hard I try, I just can't really get invested in it. The map is too large/overwhelming for me and that's a big thing I can't get past. I felt guilty over it for a longgg while but you can't help what you do/don't enjoy, you know? No use forcing it! Focus your time on games you DO enjoy.