Fixation on Progression

[HTBandicoot]

Anyone else easily fixate on a game and then quickly flip from playing to enjoy it to playing in order to make progress? The first couple sessions were longer and the days closer together. Then the following days, even if I had short spans of time, I felt like I should be filling it with me playing the game. It also is because I have a little more time these days.

I want to play games involving progression, but I easily end up in this mindset. I thought about shifting more to arcade-style where nothing follows me afterwards in my mind. However, I just got copies of Pokemon Blue and Silver, so it is back to trying progression games again haha.

I don't know the solution, maybe playing these types of games once a week or rotating games with ones without saves.

Any thoughts? I don't know if there is something specific in my brain that causes this or if many have this issue.

 

[Elwiwi]

I think its pretty normal

 

[Adrastia]

I get fixated on doing every part of a quest RIGHT NAO! Or have to collect x amount of the thing for reasons. And before I know it I have a counter at 99:99 and haven't even made it halfway through. My first Final Fantasy 7 playthrough consisted of mostly playing around with materia and the Gold Saucer.

 

[Kovlak]

Don't fixate. It ruins the moment.

People easily fall into a goal-oriented behavior inside an hobby, to orient themselves and to feel validated in their pursuit and with their purchases.

Just remember that unless you're being paid to game, it's just for your enjoyment. Put off that guilt.

 

[Zerohour2k12]

I get that too, when gameplay loop gets too repetitive to the point that I just wanna get to the next story section.

 

[Blocky_Cube]

For me this especially happens with gacha games, and I have to remind myself that its a game and not a 9-5, FOMO be damned.

 

[dkpopman]

What drives me depends on the game I'm playing. In general, I'm usually driven by progress, but somehow that bothers me little. It feels natural, and is fluid.

 

[bjork]

Any thoughts? I don't know if there is something specific in my brain that causes this or if many have this issue.

Saying this not as a dig but an observation: you have a relationship with games that places an undue level of stress onto yourself. I remember other threads you've made with a similar topic, it almost seems like you're treating a game like some assignment you're going to be graded on and it needs to be done and completed or... I don't know what? It doesn't have to be that way.
If any sort of entertainment is feeling more like a job than having a good time, it's okay to put it down for awhile. Maybe you come back to it, maybe you don't. But you free yourself to seek out other things and maybe those other things scratch the itch you're having at that time.

 

[dkpopman]

If any sort of entertainment is feeling more like a job than having a good time, it's okay to put it down for awhile.

I would personally have never beaten any fromsoft souls game if I hadn't put on my work hat and punched my card.

Sometimes work can be enjoyable, even if it's not fun.

 

[bjork]

ok