Do you binge play video games or take your time?

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Nyx-Fontana
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Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Nyx-Fontana »

I watched this video on youtube that i found to be interesting titled 'Are you a binger or a drifter ~ Psych of Play' that discussed two of the ways many people consume games.

I myself have tended to be a binger in the past with my objective being to get through a game quickly so that i could experience the next one i had or aimed to get. It got to the point where my enjoyability of the game would be affected and id often leave the game feeling slightly soured. It's strange as id often get anxiety when starting the next game too and procrastinate starting it as well, in hindsight i reckon its because my gaming behavior wasnt working for me.

Im now trying to let myself relax and spread out my gaming sessions over multiple days, weeks or months even if the game itself is short just so i can get in the habit of easing off the throttle a bit, what the video describes as being a 'Drifter'.

What about you guys? When you are playing games do you tend to binge for a block of time or slowly pick at it as your mood fancies?

Also the video i mentioned is at this link here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIDc_g7hydY
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chase210
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by chase210 »

I hate binging games, new games specially. When I’ve spent up to £70 on a new video game, it feels very odd to plough through it in a weekend. I just pick away at stuff gradually.
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Alex79
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Alex79 »

It really depends on the game and my circumstances at the time. During periods where I've been off work on leave or whatever, or times where work has meant I don't need to get up early, I could happily play the right game for 6+ hours a day. That's how I played most of Red Dead Redemption 2. But most times nowadays games take me much longer simply due to not having the time. The Switch has altered this slightly I suppose. During the first lockdown I put about 60 hours in to Animal Crossing in a month or so, and again with Monster Hunter recently. I do find if I binge a game like that though, I have a tenancy (thought not always) to drop off it suddenly for a long while before going back to it. I was absolutely loving MH: Rise, but haven't touched it since I stopped playing a few weeks ago. Keep meaning to go back to it though.
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markfm007
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by markfm007 »

Interesting video. I came to similar conclusions myself, if I binge something I tend to get a little exhausted and enjoy it less. I don't like to drift too much though, so I tend to play one game at a time, or two if one of them is a longer game. Too much drifting and I'll have the opposite problem where I'll forget stuff I did previously and won't feel fully engaged with the mechanics, the story etc.

I will sometimes binge though, such as the goal gradient mentioned in the video where once the end is in sight, I'll push through to get there. I tend to just go with my gut, as I've had some really enjoyable experiences binging games as well as times where I wish I hadn't.
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Truk_Kurt
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Truk_Kurt »

I wouldn't say I binge through games but I only have two max on the go at any one time and it is normally one with a narrative that requires full attention and one which can be played quite casually whilst doing something else like watching TV, normally this is on a handheld and something like a platformer or puzzle game where the narrative isn't important.
However, I don't like the idea of my gaming time being consumed by just one game for months and is what puts me off games like Witcher 3 despite hearing how good it is. The longest I would want to put into a game is 30 hours max as by that point I'm wanting to move onto something else.
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stvnorman
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by stvnorman »

Same here. I’ll normally have maximum two big games on the go at any time, which I wouldn’t say I binge, but will use most of whatever gaming time I gave to get through them before starting anything else.
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Seph
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Seph »

Depends on the game really. Mostly I'll run through quickly for story reasons. I'm currently playing through Resident Evil Village and it's breezing through it, mostly because I want to know what happens next. Also open world exploring games like Just Cause, because I feel like I just lose so much time just seeing what is out there in these worlds.

I find I'm slower with text-heavy visual novel games. Sure, there's a story I want to follow, but they're usually so dense I find I can't do them for more than a couple of hours at a time. I mainly take my time with JRPGs. Persona 5 took months for me. I feel like that's a genre where I want to see everything and do the side quests. Horror games are another slow one, mostly due to the stress of them. While I'm running through the more action-based RE Village, the previous game was way more intense and I could barely do an hour in each sitting.

My rule is usually to only have one game on the go at all times, unless it's a casual game you can dip in and out of. I'm the same with books, TV shows or anything like that. My memory is terrible, so I like to focus on one thing at a time if I can so I can keep track of it.
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Simonsloth
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Simonsloth »

What a great thread and extremely thought provoking.

I would say traditionally I would be a binger which for some games is helpful but for others definitely sours the experience.

I suppose it also depends what happens in the binge session. If the 4-5 hour stint involves messing around the side quests and soaking up the atmosphere and taking my time then there’s not really an issue. However sometimes I’m guilty of rushing through whilst I’m playing something which sours the experience. It took me almost 100 hours of persona 5 to start enjoying it again as I slowed down in my efforts to reach the end. I think if I’d played it that way the whole time I would have liked it but instead I sort of resent my time playing it.

For shorter experiences or those with repetitive gameplay like Battlefield 1 which I recently finished I set myself short term goals for each session e.g complete 2 levels then switch to a different game for that session. This definitely enhanced my enjoyment definitely.

Unfortunately in life I am a completionist so I have to see a credit roll before moving on so this isn’t compatible with taking my time so binge-rushing through a game is commonplace. I have a incredibly stressful job with very little downtime so rushing is inevitable and also my biggest barrier to enjoyment.
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KissMammal
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by KissMammal »

My traditional way to play games is to not play any games for weeks or months at a time, then obsessively play one until it is 95% finished, then suddenly lose interest and drop it. I have done this with so many RPGs where I'll play them voraciously, then give up before reaching the ending - I think I always tend to find the journey more fun that the destination.
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raisinbman
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by raisinbman »

This is an interesting question for me, because I play so many games that can't be 'binged' in terms of finishing them(mobile crapola/fighting games). I do tend to fall in love with games on first play, and end up obsessing over them.

That being said, most recently I did mainline Guilty Gear Strive for a good 3 weeks taking every waking moment to play, and when I couldn't play, watch streams of.

It's a bit different than when I was a kid because even though I'm still as enthusiatic, I can mete it out if necessary with work, exercise, and other elements in the mix.

I think it helps me not to binge when games have clear delineation in terms of chapters or save points, but even then, I stepped back into Persona 5 the other day and had to remember what I was even doing!

I guess overall, I'll have a 'main game' and tend to occasionally pop to others nowadays.
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Kasuga-san
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Kasuga-san »

Occasionally I'll binge a game if I want to get a game done before a major release, but mostly I only like to have one narrative game going while having one or two games that I play with friends online. Trying to go for two narrative games at once is pretty much a guarantee that the least engaging game wins out: most recently Horizon Zero Dawn eclipsed Trails of Cold Steel 4.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Jobobonobo »

If I had a particularly busy work day I tend to drift, if I have lots of free time I binge. I also will do different things in a game depending on these modes. In my limited free time during the week I might do one or two sidequests/leveling up/complete one or two short levels, etc. Then when I binge I focus on getting through the story. If I am really enjoying a game I don't mind faffing about and will even do so deliberately to just spend longer in a particular game world. Also it can be really satisfying going through hours of story on a rainy Sunday and really feel like you are making progress. S o yeah I'm a bit of both: Drifter when busy, binger when relaxed.
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Feirsteax
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Re: Do you binge play video games or take your time?

Post by Feirsteax »

I must echo what some have said here and say that my playstyle somewhat hovers between the two, and it usually depends on what mood I'm in.
End of 2020, start of 2021: Binged all the Halo games, full focus mode, start to finish, got all the campaigns done.
Then for a while there, I was very much drifting between Dark Souls II, Lost Odyssey, Yakuza, Immortals: Phoenix Rising, Hitman 3, and a whole bunch of smaller arcade games. I still haven't finished any of them, but I fully intend to drift back to them at some point soon.
But in the past few months, I began to binge again on one or two titles. Doom 64 has been my latest, but before that it was GTA V, and some time in between it was Metroid: Samus Returns
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