How do you know when a game has hooked you?

[Setsuna]

So I've been feeling something I've kinda been calling a drought lately, where I'm not entirely sure what I want to play or spend my time on recently. For every game that I pick up and fall in love with, there's gonna be another where I'll play it for a while and say "Yeah, this is good", but ultimately lose interest in. Maybe I'll enjoy it but it just won't capture my interest that much, or maybe it's just a bad game that I don't enjoy in the first place. Is this a feeling other people get, and if so, how do you end up finding those games that you're really gonna get into?

On the same topic, what's something a game has done that's made you realize "this is the one"? Whether it's the moment you realized a game has become your new favourite, or one you wanna keep playing, or just something you'll be thinking about for a while? Usually music can do a great job of that for me, I'll hear a couple songs that I really love and I'll want to continue playing to listen to more, or they'll introduce a really cool character that I like or with a really interesting story I want to learn about.

 

[Delta Crowned Sword]

Don't consider it as an offense, but what I am able to deduce from your experience is that you were bored with redundancy or similar.....

Most of the games are like that, and therefore they are all bound to become bore.

Even Pokémon games are like that, and because of what you explained, people do those unnecessary things like challenge run, nuzlocke, 100%, monotype, etc. So that they could play the game again, despite the fact that the fun which we get for first time while playing them is eliminated on another run, whichever the game is.

It is true, at least for me.....







This is one of the prominent reason why I don't like playing games. They will eventually become boring after some time, and hence the entertainment becomes more like a task to finish, than to enjoy and relax.




With that said, my preference for games which makes me interested in them are :

1. No storyline.
2. No emphasis on Character development.
3. Calm and soothing music.(not compulsory)
4. Skill based.
5. Endless.


Very few games offer these experience to me, and the only game so far which comes to my mind is Pokémon Go. That game offers all of those things, and it requires skill/effort to proceed through the XPs.

Another game is Hill Climb Racing 🏁, which is purely skill based where we need to analyse the terrain and capabilities of particular vehicles.




As I had stated many times before that I don't play games extensively, hence all of these opinions are based on my personal choice.

 

[𒈟Lavemu𒐫]

See, it's kinda hard for me too explain. first of all, I don't mind how the gameplay is in a game even if it's bad. The core things I look for in a game is characters with personality, and a good story, it's also probably why I could never get into games like minecraft, as there's no story. and as I said before, no matter how good or not good the gameplay is, It won't effect my decision to play the game or not. as for when I find a game I like, it's when I see I really cool part of the story or a character I think is amazing, then I get this strong feeling that's like going from not interested, to instantly in love with the game. It's a feeling I cherish when it happens, which is why I wanna try out some more games to see if there's any out there that makes me feel as in love as some of the games i've played.

Everybody gangsta till I decide to write an entire paragraph

 

[Setsuna]

Don't consider it as an offense, but what I am able to deduce from your experience is that you were bored with redundancy or similar.....

Most of the games are like that, and therefore they are all bound to become bore.

Even Pokémon games are like that, and because of what you explained, people do those unnecessary things like challenge run, nuzlocke, 100%, monotype, etc. So that they could play the game again, despite the fact that the fun which we get for first time while playing them is eliminated on another run, whichever the game is.

It is true, at least for me.....

I think this is something I mostly agree with, I just don't think it's accurate to how I'm feeling right now. If I play a lot of games in the same genre or series for a while, it can be easy to get burnt out by just playing something similar over and over. I don't think you're wrong, just that you're thinking something different than I am.

See, it's kinda hard for me too explain. first of all, I don't mind how the gameplay is in a game even if it's bad. The core things I look for in a game is characters with personality, and a good story, it's also probably why I could never get into games like minecraft, as there's no story. and as I said before, no matter how good or not good the gameplay is, It won't effect my decision to play the game or not. as for when I find a game I like, it's when I see I really cool part of the story or a character I think is amazing, then I get this strong feeling that's like going from not interested, to instantly in love with the game. It's a feeling I cherish when it happens, which is why I wanna try out some more games to see if there's any out there that makes me feel as in love as some of the games i've played.

This is an interesting outlook. So it's more like you have a specific thing you're looking for and then enjoy when a game can give you that feeling?

Everybody gangsta till I decide to write an entire paragraph

The more words, the bigger the discussion. Go nuts.~

 

[Zeostar]

If I think about a game when I'm not playing and I'm excited to go back and play later. It means I'm greatly enjoying the experience.

For feeling burnt, it helps to pick up a second hobby. It doesn't matter what it is and it doesn't even have to be something you stick with forever. And it doesn't mean you have to quit gaming completely. But splitting focus onto something else you enjoy can be a good idea for mental refreshment. If you end up enjoying another hobby, you'll naturally feel like doing that instead sometimes and it doesn't become any sort of mental effort. And you'll honestly feel better when you do end up playing games again. It doesn't even have to be a full fledged hobby either. You could find a TV series that sounds interesting and work through it. You would be surprised at the things we sometimes find engaging that don't seem it at first glance.

I know this became less about the initial question and more about the context of the first post. But if you do one thing for too long and focus too much into it, it leads to feeling crashed. I had that happen to me last year. I'm feeling better mentally now. I've returned to playing, but I currently have other things I look forward to as well. And I can't describe just how greatly beneficial that feels.