Game Inefficiency and the Don’t Care Gaming Project
Posted on August 23, 2023 by Aywren
As a follow up to my “Don’t Care” gaming mindset project, I ran across this video by Josh Strife Hayes a few days back. While the title of this video is “Why You Can’t Be Inefficient in Games Anymore,” as I watched the video, I felt it resonate with some of the struggles I’ve had with finding relaxation and fun with games lately.
The video ends with this quote:
"It's almost sad, that the fondest memories you have are the experiences that you don't want to have again. Because if you had them now, you wouldn't be able to enjoy them." - Josh Strife Hayes 2023
It got me to thinking a lot about my approach to games. I already knew that I was itemizing gaming by making checklists and setting stringent gaming goals, and that in itself was taking away from my enjoyment. Gaming checklists, while they can be useful for getting things done, are my way of making my game time efficient.
Checking off progress… because without efficient progress (as the video notes), I feel like gaming is a waste of time.
Force Gaming to Game
He also touched on the idea of people force-playing a game just to “get it out of the way” so they play the next game. I’m very, very guilty of this – especially on the Switch.
I have so many games I want to play. So many GOOD games. But I tell myself – gotta try to somewhat finish the ones I’ve started before moving on to the next one.
And yes, this is because I notice that I’m bad at starting a game, playing about 5 hours (if that) and forgetting about it. It wasn’t because I wasn’t enjoying that previous game, either. I just… get sidetracked and pulled away by something else, and by the time I remember to go back to the game, I don’t recall the last thing I was doing in it.
Therefore, I try to “force” myself to continue a game so that I’m not allowing myself to just hop games continuously (though I still do this anyhow).
It’s gotten to the point where I just don’t play the new games I have because I haven’t played the games I’ve already started. Again, this isn’t a case of the game didn’t jive with me, but I’m still forcing myself to play anyway. No, I’ve already learned if I don’t enjoy a game, I’m free to stop playing at any time.
Where do you draw the line between trying to keep yourself on track (not gaming hopping), but in a way that it doesn’t obstruct trying new games in the long run?
Playing Just to Play
Another topic he touched on in this video is playing just to play. For the fun of it. Not because you have progress to make. Not because you’re checking a box.
For fun only.
And when was the last time you’ve captured that feeling, without worrying if you were being inefficient in a game?
That’s somewhat the same vibe as my “Don’t Care” gaming project. I’m trying to shake off my self-made expectations so I can just game for the joy of gaming again.
I think there were a lot of great points in this video, which is why I wanted to highlight and post about it. Now if I can just figure out how to mesh these concepts with what I’m already doing.