Why do I like games I do not finish

Hey there. I really like video games, and on average I play a little under a hundred games a year. The number has slowed down a tad bit after my daughter was born, but things have been picking back up - I’m starting to have some time here and there.

But here’s the thing: out of the many games I’ve played, I only finished a handful.

Nier Automata: one of many games I liked, but didn’t finish.

For a while, a completionist in me was quite upset. In fact, looking through over 500 games I have in my PC library, I’ve beaten 91 (yes, I’ve manually tagged my games as “Beaten”). And that’s not including my recent escapades into the PC Game Pass, which placed another few hundred titles at my fingertips. Yet, I deeply enjoy gaming as a medium, and have much appreciation for games I haven’t finished.

1. Not all games have an end

Let’s start with a simple reason. Some games are just, kind of, endless. I have hundreds of hours put into Total War: Warhammer games, and those aren’t really ever done. Technically, I can probably play through every legendary lord campaign, but with over a hundred legendary lords in the game - that’s just a recipe for hating the game I like.

Games like Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress, or Stellaris don’t have an end. Multiplayer experiences like World of Warcraft, Eve Online, or Elite Dangerous aren’t ever over.

But ultimately, these aren’t the type of games I wanted to talk about.

2. Some games are too long

I’m looking at you, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. In a rare for me turn of events, I picked up the eleventh (yup) installment in the Assassin’s Creed series, and I’ve had a great time with it. For the first 100 hours. And it seemed like there were another 100 hours to go. Goodbye, Kassandra, it was nice knowing you.

I wrapped up some loose ends, cleaned up my inventory (it’s a little pre-quitting ritual I do), parked the protagonist at a beautiful location, and turned off the game forever.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey was an amazing experience… For the first 100 hours.

I’ve enjoyed the game, but the experience, despite being engaging, felt so long that I wanted to spend my gaming time elsewhere. The idea of spending another 100 hours going through the same gameplay loop just threw me off.

Younger me calculated value per dollar (I think I still have those spreadsheets somewhere) - how much did a gaming hour cost me. And that’s a terrible measure of a good time, young me was dumb. Staring at the wall is free, why don’t you do that instead? I think good games leave an impression - be it through a great story, unique mechanics, a creative vision - good games have a spark within.

Controversially, I felt similarly about Red Dead Redemption II and Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain. I really enjoyed my time with the game, but it felt too long, and at some point I just stopped playing.

3. I’ve played enough

Sometimes I just played enough. I enjoyed Shadows of Doubt, but I never reached the final goal. I quit after the high of solving a string of difficult murders. I saw everything there is to see, engaging with all the game’s mechanics.

Shadows of Doubt has some really cool ideas but can get repetitive and begins to feel shallow after a bit.

I liked Hardspace Shipbreaker, and I played through a good portion of the game, but I felt like I’ve explored all the gameplay systems there are to explore. And maybe that right here touches on the core of why I personally don’t finish the majority of the games I play.

And that’s because…

4. I’m mostly interested in game’s systems

I enjoy video games as a medium. I’m curious to see what’s out there, I’m curious to see what choices game designers make, and I love playing around with different mechanics.

I’d love to see what a game like Oxygen Not Included has in store, even though I know I don’t much care for the presentation (which has style, it’s just not my style). I’m curious what mechanics Offworld Trading Company has in place, even though I don’t care for the theme of commerce for the sake of commerce. I couldn’t avoid dipping my toes into the insanity that is the Cruelty Squad, knowing full well it’s too deranged even for me.

And I enjoyed my time with every one of those titles, but I also know these not to be the games for me: I won’t incur significant playtime, and I’m not planning to see the end credits. And that’s fine.

5. I got frustrated

And sometimes I just get frustrated, even if I deeply enjoy the game.

Without spoiling much, Tunic, a game I deeply enjoy, allowed me to fight somewhat of an end boss relatively early on. I took my time with the game, prepared, and decided to challenge the opponent. Maybe this was easy for some, but to me, it took a few hours of failed attempt, and I really felt like I overcome a huge challenge. However, after I finally succeeded, the game effectively told me “oh, you shouldn’t fight this boss yet, go do other things”. I took that as an insult, turned off the game, and didn’t come back to it.

A shameful display: yours truly haven’t finished Tunic.

Do I have a short gaming fuse? Maybe. Actually, definitely.

Getting near the end of Nier Automata, which I, again, enjoyed, I died after playing through an hour and a half section, without any autosaves. This came from a game that autosaved generously, and I just couldn’t bring myself to play through the same ninety-minute segment again. According to some, I missed one of the greater endings in gaming history. To me, I was too annoyed to continue.

Finally, in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, far in the later part of the game, after much progression, a major reveal, and in the middle of an important narrative ark, Henry’s told to go off and collect however many pounds of meat and a few crates of alcohol. Game, you absolutely had me hooked, and the pace was broken so abruptly and thoroughly that I lost all interest in playing the game.

Maybe that’s because I have too much respect for my own time these days. Between family, work, other hobbies, and (some) social life - I just don’t have patience for certain things.

6. There are too many games out there

And then there’s the fact that there are just so many wonderful games out there, and it’s difficult to keep attention on a single game when so many new games get released (or I discover exciting older titles I didn’t know about).

The best solution to this is to avoid gaming news and learning about new releases while playing the game I want to be immersed in, but as someone enjoys following the industry - that’s not exactly an easy balance to follow. I like gaming news. For me, the joy of discovery itself is part of the gaming hobby.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will have to wait. Probably by the campfire with a guitar and a bottle of vodka.

More than once I got excited by a new title before finishing a title, no matter how much I enjoy it. Look, my long awaited S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 playthrough is paused while I’m checking out Alters - a game I know is not for me, but a game I’m oh so curious about (see #4).

7. Life gets in the way

And finally, life can get in the way. It’s hard to pick up a game after a break. Things could get hectic, and I could go weeks without picking up a controller (metaphorically - I prefer to play on PC).

Games usually require a degree of investment. I’m yet to finish Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, despite making it to the fourth act. An addition to my family arrived mid-playthrough, and I haven’t stepped foot within Koronus Expanse since. I’d like to finish it, but picking this game back up all these months later is a major investment.

And that’s as good of a list of reasons as any. While the completionist in me might still grumble occasionally at the sight of my ever-growing “unbeaten” list, I’ve come to terms with it. My gaming journey isn’t about ticking off every single credit sequence. It’s about the exploration and the sheer joy of experiencing the incredible creativity the medium offers.