How you play games, is how you do everything

I am a stealthy player. I avoid confrontation. But when I am confident, or bored, I do not mind going all guns blazing. I suffer from mild social anxiety. If I have a choice, I would choose to avoid most social events, but it does not mean that I do not enjoy or thrive when I do participate in them.

If I see an NPC, I help them. I do not like killing good people (or civilians) unnecessarily. I believe most people playing games follow this. I do not think that humans inherently want to harm other humans (or living creatures), even if it is a game. Unless of course, it is essential for their survival.

I like games where we work as a team. I enjoy games like EAFC24 (formerly known as FIFA), Ghost Recon or Brothers in Arms that put you in a squad, where you have to work together as a team to achieve victory. When I see NPCs fight the bad guys, I do not feel alone in my quest. If anything, I always take to time to help them with their struggle. I also yearn for the ability to control my own aqua and assign them tasks. I enjoy being the captain or group leader. I enjoy responsibility when I know it is rewarding. It is not to say that I do not enjoy games like Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding or Red Dead Redemption, but the feeling of battling the evils together, does not make the battle lonely.

I do not like overstimulating , fast paced games like Fortnite or Call of Duty, but I do enjoy Battlefield when I crave it. It has a slightly more drawn out play style that suits me. In fact, when I do play Battlefield, I play as a sniper/scout, sitting and killing from afar while planting traps around objectives. This is a weird one, because sometimes I enjoy overstimulation but if it crosses a limit, I end up crawling into a shell and retreating for the rest of the night. I haven’t quite figured out that part of me yet.

I like games with a limit on exploration, as I can get bored if it is too exploration heavy. It is a genre of video games I wish I had the patience to enjoy. I liked No Man’s Sky, I like Death Stranding and Fallout 76, but the idea of exploring large regions, reading detailed notes for the plot and collected resources for building, does not suit me. I do know that I will enjoy these games, if I work on my patience and calm.

My approach to game completion is somewhat unusual. When I notice that I am close to completing the game, when it is the last mission, I stop. I abandon it. It could be because I refuse to move on. It could be because I am afraid of getting too close to the end. I still remember when I finished The Last of Us on the PS3, I was heartbroken, empty, wondering what do I do now, now that it is over? I do not know if I ever completed any other game since. I left Days Gone on its last mission. I left Red Dead Redemption 2 as I was close to the end. I even left Cyberpunk 2077 before I could begin the last mission. So while I strive to complete a game, I also avoid completing it.

This train of thought was inspired by the YouTuber doozy speaks, with his video titled - How you play games, is how you do everything. After listening to his introspective video essay on his play style, I decided to roughly jot down my own play style. Patterns of behaviour, whether in small or large consequential circumstances, define the principles that govern your life. Who would have thunk?

I forgot to mention, I often pick up games again after dropping them initially, much like this thought. I can easily get distracted by a new game, a new book, a new hobby, a new experience or a new thought, only for me to go back to the comfort or feeling I had previously, and thus, the cycle repeats.