One of the tips to beat games is to stop being on social media sites to see what new games are coming or rumored to be coming so much. People are always wanting new news on what's coming next and once those games come out they want to know what's next. Just play the games that are out now.
This is great insight. Definitely easier said than done. I’ll be the first to say I’m consistently checking what’s new but like Femtrooper said, I stick to my backlog and game planning (Metaphor ReFantazio skips to first in line of my backlog and that’s ok 😅)
Yeah, and it's also much cheaper. Hype can be hard to ignore and it's tempting to want to jump in when a game is very big, but unless it's multiplayer, the number of other people playing at the same time as you is not really going to affect your experience with it. A truly great game will still be a great game 3 years from now. Aside from some very special must-have-at-launch games, I love being a few years behind and getting things on sale.
What really helped me is keeping a yearly spreadsheet of all the games I beat throughout the year. It feels really good to look at my accomplishments year after year.
For me, it’s about only playing 1-3 (1 or 2 better) games at a time, and soaking them in. Smelling the flowers. Enjoying the game without another one breathing down my neck. Roll credits, move on to the next. Not every game fits this mold, but it’s helped me finish more games than ever this past year.
Easy mode AND I'm prepared to put cheats in via Cheat Engine or with console cheats if they exist within the game. On offline games. Two of my favourite games ever are Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. Because those games have 'beginner' difficulty settings that make you pretty much invincible.
@@frankbrodie5168 yes!! I used to use game genie...game shark...codebreaker...all back in the day. I'm interested to know how the silent Hill 2 remake will handle said difficulty.
What worked for me was to stop giving time to games that just aren't clicking. Stop playing the game and come back later, if it clicks, then keep going, but if it still doesn't just move on from it. It sucks to spend money on a game and not finish it, but sometimes letting that bog you down can actually make it harder to finish your other games
@TigerGreene I'm a millennial, but I do this occasionally due to having a chaotic work schedule that allows for very little free time some days and if something comes up then I may have to watch in half hour chunks til it's done. Streaming movies also makes this much easier than watching from a disc
Agreed! I generally look for something very different from the game I just finished. I think it also helps with getting the hang of new games, because if I go from The Witcher 3 to Zelda, the familiarity/similarity of certain gameplay elements will likely have me instinctively trying to play the new game like the last game. That's not really a problem if I go from Spyro to Deathloop.
Totally agree on all your points~ - Scheduling - Being committed - Taking things one step at a time - Enjoy the process All these tips will work for anything in life! Totally agree with having fun with an easier difficulty, there is no correct way to play a game. As long as you enjoy the journey, And yes side quests or being a completionist isn't a must, but to each their own. As long as the person doing so doesn't complain about it as it was their choice to go down that path.
I audibly gasped when you said you skip side quests. LOL. I could never. But seriously, I feel so called out… I’m that person casually playing 8 games at once. Lately, I’ve been trying to stick to one jrpg, one visual novel, and one little indie at a time (with varying amounts of success). I want to try your suggestion of making a plan for the year. You’re not kidding about the FOMO, though.
Making a plan is pretty easy. So for example, Astro Bot came out so I beat it… still working on 100%. Playing Returnal as well, but that was unplanned. What I have planned: the next weeks and months… Zelda: Echoes, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and finally Indiana Jones to cap the year. Those 4 are my next 4 games.
When i play a game with side quest, I'll typlically just do the ones that sound interesting or have good rewards. It always feels like there's too much bloat when it comes to side quest. Trying to 100% games sounds exhaisting.
So tips of beating backlogs/going through libraries: - Commit to one game at a time, this makes it easy to not take a break for another game and then forget what's going on in the first game you started. - Make a list of what you're most interested in playing for most of the year, new releases or otherwise. One thing that helps me when going through console libraries is that I put my entire list into a random name generator and then let it pick for me. Another thing that I do sometimes is make a small list (3 to 10 games) and cross games off of it as I finish them so I can feel the progress. - Schedule out time to play/play while listening to podcasts/videos if the game allows for it. The second part is specific to me cause it helps me relax into a game and spend time on it. - Document/List the games you finish by date for the current year. This isn't necessary but it makes it kinda fun to look back on what you've finished and can help remind yourself if you wanna play any sequels/prequels of a game you finished already. - Have no shame in save scumming, save states, howlongtobeat, longplays, rewind, or walkthroughs. It's best if you don't have to use any of these but to me if you're struggling and just wanna finish the game then go right ahead. - Don't feel like you have to finish everything the moment you start a save file. If a game isn't fun or interesting after 30 minutes to 3 hours, drop it for sometime or delete it. It's not the right time or just not meant for you.
I commit to genres. Because one day i may have time for gaming, but i'm not in the mood for certain types of games. Usually i have one or two "podcast games"-one that doesnt have a story i need to pay attention to, that likely requires mindless grinding. A "laid back story game"- usually walking sims, visual novels, cinematic platformers and the like. One action game, and one rpg, since i can compartmentalize their systems in my brain and not get their mechanics mixed up. If for some reason i'm not feeling any of my main selection, i play a platformer or a 2-d jump and shoot game, since those mechanics are seared into my love for gaming since i was raised in the 90's.
I was writing up a list while listening, only to hear you mention ALL of the points I made. But one thing I'll also mention is: When you game, focus solely on the game. Don't check your phone/computer/tablet during slower or less interactive parts of the game.
A lot of times I'll have my phone on in the background with a youtube video for background noise. But only with games that have minimal to no story. If I'm playing a game that has a good story i don't have my phone going.
I feel like the language “easy/normal/hard” makes it more likely that people will have that stigma. I hope more games continue to adopt more neutral/descriptive language (“story mode”, “classic mode” etc) to encourage people to choose a setting that they’ll enjoy, instead of a setting that doesn’t hurt their self-image…
My solution is just to accept my backlog and learn to love it for what it is. I’m all about acceptance and moving on in my life now. Is the backlog ever going away? Nope! And I’ve accepted that.
Yeah you've pretty much hit the nail on the head here I use a lot of these methods especially for RPG games which can take up to 40 hours to beat it's a huge time sink.
Thanks Paige! Some great tips here! I don't finish most of the games I start on my first attempt; if it doesn't grab my attention it'll probably get shelved after a couple sessions. As someone who loves exploring and theory-crafting, I find How Long to Beat a mixed bag. I'm currently playing Elden Ring, with over 100 hours spent. I'm only about 2/3 of the way through my first playthrough, but I'm pretty sure HLTB would say I should have 100% completion by now. I don't want to compare my experience with people who only care about "finishing" the game - the point is to have the experience, not see the ending.
@@femtrooper It does have a single player campaign and also a DLC single player campaign that I haven't tried but, the real fun for me is with the online multiplayer. You don't even have to be that good as long as you can survive enough to ink up the map a lot. Only downside is that they've stopped doing regular update spatfests but, it's still a lot of fun.
Howlongtobeat is my absolute SAVIOR when it comes to planning out my streams and stuff like that. Great video btw. Your videos have essentially allowed me to give myself permission to DROP a game I’m deep into but not exactly enjoying all that much. So thank you for that as well haha😅
For the last 2 years I have beat 40+ games a year.But, I will say most of those are shorter than 10 hours of gameplay or even 20 hours. It really helps if as a gamer you aren’t playing those games you’d lose out on if your not playing them now.
I finish around 80 main campaigns a year. I did 76 in 2021, 82 in 2022, 86 in 2023 and so far I’m on 66. I play 3-4 hours on weekdays and around 5-6 hours on weekends. I play all possible RPGs that exist so I commit to side quests only for JRPGs or western RPGs. For the most part I do not play online, fighting, sports or shooters. I find your video very interesting. Thanks for sharing. It’s true that gamers need to plan out their schedule. I for one look at video games as books, stories that I want to experience once and then move on. I don’t stick around on games for short-term or repetitive satisfaction:
Cutting out social media would add so much time to your life to play games or anything else you want to do. It's a net negative to your life and you'll be happier. Humans weren't meant to live the way we do now
100% agree on the schedule/planning tips. During the height of the pandemic I started making a monthly calendar of sorts where each month was its own theme (including games, movies, books, etc). Its original purpose was to keep me sane during the lockdowns as a way of marking the passage of time and to give me something to look forward to each month, but by the end I realized it had helped me take a huge bite out of my backlog. I think I beat something like 30 games in 2020 alone (though admittedly a lot of those were small/shorter games, but still WAY more than I probably would've if I had just been idly passing the time without specific monthly goals in mind). Another big one for me has been the "Don't try to 100% a game on the first playthrough". Sometimes trying to do all the side content just ends up slowing you down. And if you end up really liking the game, then having stuff left unfinished is a good reason to come back to replay the game later.
I used to be in a constant rush to finish games a few months back so that I could play more, so much so that I would switch around 4 games to play. But I'm now a bit burnt out so I'm only playing 1 game at a time now and I'm not rushing my games at all. I find this kind of process for me to be more enjoyable since I get to appreciate them more.
Playing one game at a time has been my modus operandi for decades. Mt friends would ask me hpw I get through so many games, and I'd tell them "One at a time." Also, waiting on buying games often made them cheaper by the time I got around to them. Exceptions being games I was worried about disappearing (more of an issue pre-digital market place). New RPG with limited print runs got bought right away.
Easy Mode to beat more games FTMFW! I'm 40, I've got kids, I try to play way too much. If it's something that I think difficulty will make the experience better? Sure, bring it on. For every angry kid on Twitter saying "real gamurz play die mode", I was beating Contra and Ninja Gaiden before they were born, I've got nothing to prove anymore lol.
Excellent tips! I want to add that these are also fantastic general life skills for better mental health in life. Most of these tips apply to having a more fulfilled life (being less perfectionist, giving yourself grace, committing, time management, not being to hard on yourself etc)!
These tips are so relatable! Even though I let general life commitments get in the way of precious game time, I've definitely followed some of these tips in the past, especially with playing games that actually have endings, instead of grinding infinite hours in simulators and online shooters for example. Amazing video Paige, this has become one of my personal favourites!
i love these tips! committing to 1-2 games at a time is the most effective for me. when i start a few different games i know none of them will get finished. p.s. we start movies and leave them halfway all the time in my house. i hate it, but i blame adhd.
This video is the push I needed. I started too many games, and it’s impossible to beat them all, so I’m going to do what I should’ve done. I need to drop/put on hold those games I’m just not playing, and focus on the games that I am playing to narrow down my backlog.
I often play games on easy and love that you mentioned this, there needs to be less shade on people who play games like that, there's no wrong way to play the game, it's supposed to be fun and if the option is there, the game was designed to be played that way. My anxiety is just too high these days to struggle, it's stressful and that isn't fun, I just want to go on a fun journey!
Some fantastic tips here for sure. Portable gaming definitely makes it more accessible to game everywhere. Especially if you don't always have the luxury of being able to spend the hours you wish you had to game. Another great video 👌
Presch about playing one game at a time!! Playing that way has been so much more enjoyable and fulfilling and eases my stress with chipping away at my backlog. And handheld gaming definitely helps haha. Great video 😎👍🏽
I've been following your channel for about a year now and I've followed these tips religiously lol. I've also learned to forgive myself if I stray from my list that I made, because at the end of the day I should be playing what I enjoy and what grabs me. Not something that I've boxed myself into playing even though I'm not in the mood. It's hard to commit to much though with a toddler, and when my wife wants me to wait on her to play certain games with her (when she's not really a big gamer herself). I also almost exclusively play long JRPGs so I've had to temper my expectations a bit lol
Great video. Fantastic Tips for everyone who struggels beating games. I started making a list to prioritize all the upcoming games that I'm interested in. It also helps to plan playing a game around all the other things happening in life, like meeting friends, appointments etc.
- Do not play any mmorpg's itl put all your games on a 5/10year backlog. - Only allow yourself to buy a new game after you have beat a game. - Have a long story based game on your playlist while having a shorter or platform game as your second playlist, switch between them acording to your mood, sometimes you only have 30minutes to an hour, you can acomplish quite a bit in a platformer, not so much in a jrpg.
At the start of this year I made a promise to myself to keep a list with all of the games I have beaten and once I start a game I finish it. This way I have beaten a lot of games on my backlog.
Really like the schedule tip. I’ve got minimal time for myself due to working full time and having a toddler so I need to get better at scheduling specific times for gaming!
It helped me a lot to have a one week rule - I play only one game for a week and try to beat it. If a game takes me longer to beat, than I just start a shorter game on the side and change it up between my two games. Usually I just ignore new releases and wait for a sale - my backlog-mountain is already high enough :)
I sunk so many hours into xenoblade chronicles because of side quests…. There are so many! Good tips!! Thanks I’ll apply those! Keep up the great videos!
Great tips Fem! I started jotting down my games every time I beat one and doing my own mini review and it feels so satisfying to see and look back on what I beat. I also use a random generator and throw in a couple games I want to play and whatever it picks, I have to play. Also disconnecting from your phone is huge, I was spending way too much time looking at social media when I could've been gaming!
I beat an anomalously high number of games, so a lot of how I beat games won't be relevant - it comes down to having a relatively high amount of free time combined with tending to play 10-15 hour games most of the time. One tip I would offer, though, is to quit games you're not enjoying. That might sound counterintuitive beating games by quitting them, but if you think about it, the less time you spend stubbornly sticking with a game that you're not really feeling, the more time you have available to play (and beat) something that you'll enjoy enough to actually beat. I know you mentioned this at the end of the video but this would actually be my main tip. XD
I think Pam from Cannot be tamed had a criteria for picking up new game: does this game respects my time - can you 'save' anytime, is it grind heavy, etc. You don't want to lose time because the game is made super hard to beat just for the sake of being hard to beat. So, I agree with easy difficulty, or some cheats, or some improvement patches and mod that make your life easier. Cheers :)
My tip is to know when and when not to use a guide. If you’re stuck and it’s going to add hours to your playtime, by all means use a guide BUT so many guides are built around 100%ing a game so unless you want to inflate your playtime to the point you’re sick of the game, don’t follow a guide religiously. (I struggle with this one as I too easily fall into the completionism trap)
I do go by some of those tips. Commitment during certain parts of the year can be hard (real job and soccer referee can leave me with less time), and I could probably do a better mix of shorter and longer games. Not completing every side quest can help. One obstacle I have is I need mental activities to shut down about 2.5 hrs before going to bed, and games are on that list.
For the life/farm sims, I think what works best for me is to set goals going into them and then go back to them occasionally between the more story heavy games, but I’m not exactly great at sticking to that😅
The backlog is something I've excised from my life, nowadays I just play what games when I want to, if I start something and I'm not really feeling it? Oh well, it'll still be there for me to try again later. I play 2 games at a time, swapping back and forth between them and playing them as I feel I want to, and when new games come along, I make space in my allocations if I wanna jump right in, or I'll juggle three at a time, it's a bit tougher, but no less fulfilling.
Counterpoint; Why do you HAVE to beat a lot of games? Games are meant to be fun, not a job to house labors. I watched your video and it was super bizzre to see it. I've tried to force myself to beat one game, AC Origins. You know what happened when I beat it? I hated the game, that's what happened. I enjoy gaming when I don't force myself to beat them. That's how I can enjoy games such as Nioh which all I did was getting my ass kicked and barely progressed in 10 hours of playtime. And I'm not saying I don't beat games, because I do. This year I've beat 17, and not even one of them was "a mission". It is true that some of them were "let's take it out of the backlog", not even one game was "I'll beat because I HAVE TO".
I get an immense feeling of satisfaction from completing games and checking things off lists. That is the joy for me. I love to also see a story to the end. I want to know what happens in that JRPG or that adventure game. I love the characters so much I want to know what happens!
Yes, it's a very productive approach for those who feel like they don't have time to play through all the games they wanna play. It's not about maximizing enjoyment, which overall sounds like a bit of a paradox.
The one game at a time theory works well. I handle over 10 projects up to 20 in my daily life. You have to limit the work so that way you can actually finish what you start. Same concept applies here. Kanban is the methodology behind it. It works in work, hobbies, home projects, overall life.
I'm a PC and Switch player. I'll usually have one PC game and one Switch game going at once, and they aren't the same lengths. I still get that sense of acomplishment if I'm able to finish a shorter game but still have the longer one going. I do tend to stick to one game at a time per system, but if I don't, one game is significantly shorter than the other.
I've been playing one game at a time and it's worked wonders for me, I hate having to relearn a game after not playing it for a certain period of time so juggling multiple games would also drive me mad. I also limit myself to buying 2 new games at a time to help save money in the long-run. Steep sales are the exception for this rule.
I usualy don't care how many games I beat in a year, I just pick whatever games I'm interested and play. My favorite genre is RPG, and my one rule is: I gotta get at least 100 hours in this game. For the past year, I've been playing Dragon Quest XI and some other RPG's, like Eiyuden Chronicle and Octopath Traveler 2. My schedule is to play as long as can on weekends, alternating between games. Sometimes I may play a more casual game at night, during the week, but that's it. And I've managed to beat a few games this year. My backlog is basicaly a few games that I bought and played for a while, but didn't fall in love with it, or didn't like it (although, I still want to give some of those games a second chance).
Ive alwasys valued your sensible and good advice. One game at a time is the best rule. Doesnt mean I wont buy physical games day one sometimes but I try to keep to a specific list
something I realize lately that's an obstacle for backlog is when I get the itch to replay older games, then I get back into the groove of that familiar game and start choosing to play that over the game I was initially playing w/ my free time not much I can do there b/c I really enjoy going back to old favorites, though more than anything, slowing down on new game purchases and being really picky on what I do want to own helps to stunt the backlog growth
Great tips! I usually play one console, one portable game at a time, and I'm trying to be better at dropping games that are too boring or that I'm not really enjoying, we only have so much time to waste in our lives, waste it wisely lol
Finding what I love works. Lies of P was the most recent game I absolutely fell in love with. I began playing it because my game pass subscription was going to expire so I picked this game to play as a last game, but it’s become one of my top 5 of all time. I guess I lucked out
Love these tips. I definitely try to make a list and find myself deviating but have been tracking what I finish for a few years. Thank you for the great content. Just curious do you play Xbox? I have been buying every Xbox but then don’t end up really using it.
Haha…kinda!!! I feel like my backlog would grow if I got one but it is tempting! I’m sure down the road I may end up getting it - I think I just need to see exactly what games I would play on it and if it’s truly justified.
Very useful tips, I found that I do a lot of these already except I really need to play one game at a time. I do buy all the games I am interested in and then so many of them get shelved.
Backlogs are kind of a psychological trap. We've bought dozens/hundreds of games bc of fomo, hype cycles and flash sales. Until we reckon with our consumer mentalities backlogs will never end.
I find myself playing on easy more than I ever had these days. I still enjoy my challenging games, but I'm going to play a soulslike for that. JRPGs and such I'm more into to story so I usually am playing on easy. Who cares if every random battle is life or death. Also with 200 games on the backlog and counting down I am trying to beat 2 games I already own before I buy a new game. At this rate 300 games later and I'll be caught up and ready for a shopping spree!
i play games on normal difficulty but i dont grind my levels so encounters such as boss battles remains challenging. Less grind, challenging difficulty, time saved.
Great thoughts! I personally think that people who play more than one game at a time should be forced to pay extra taxes or have their children taken away or something, but that's probably just me. Easy mode is great, and if you really love the game - replay it on hard or ultra-hard. You can always play something again differently if you want to experience it again later. Scheduling is like real life budgeting: both actually make you more free than you think they will.
I'm usually pretty good at playing just one game at a time, MAYBE 2 if they are very different gameplay styles. But for me it gets significantly harder if it's a week or so before the release date of game that I'm SUPER HYPED for. Since I know I can't commit to starting something big, I end up jumping around a lot more than normal. E.g. right now because of Echoes of Wisdom, I've been jumping between FFII, Bloodstained, Smash, Persona 5, Peglin, Picross S9.... It's kind of a mess lol.
I agree on not playing two games at one, especially games that are in the same genre. I find that especially for action RPGs I ruin my muscle memory from switch back and forth all the time and it decreases the satisfaction of playing both games. On the other side, playing a Pokemon game and God of War at the same time really don't matter as much. However, I think most of these tips are for gaming productively (for adults mostly), and not to maximize enjoyment. There are a few exceptions like using Easy mode that works for both, but scheduling gaming discounts the fact that we all have moods and there are better times to play games than others. That way, sure you finish games faster, but you might not appreciate it as much as if you organically played the game whenever you were in the right mood for it. I could write a whole lot of this, but to me this makes gaming more of a project than a hobby.
I play games depending on my mood. So I keep jumping between 4 to 5 games. I also have to switch genres from time to time. With this I can enjoy games without putting preasure on myself. In this style I usually finish +-40 games. Of course my backlog is growing faster than I'm finishing them 😂.
Since starting my new job I haven't had much time to play games as im exhausted after work but seeing how Bloomtown released today on the switch, its an indie jpg mix between persona and stranger things and star dew valley, im gonna play that tonight. Gonna try and dedicate 2 hours to gaming from today
So many great tips here! I’ve been finding it really helpful to play what I’m really in the mood for and I’ve finished more games this year than I have since I was a teenager 😅 Also think putting a game down when you just decide you’re not feeling it should be normalised 🤷♂️
Fem I gotta hand it to you, this video really helped me oui. My strategy before was just dont buy new games, however when you do that and are playing 4 games at the same time you tend to come back to one and go "how did I get here?" and have to restart.
So true! You can beat all your games - it may take awhile but I promise if you just play one or two at once you’ll slowly start to see more games beat!
This might be the sign I need to start checking out easy modes 🤔 I gave up on hard modes and above years ago but with a 2 month old girl now some normal modes have tested my patience and time management lol
@@femtrooper you get it! Do you experience any lingering sense of unfulfillment when beating a game on easy? I fear altering the game to a state easier than the developers intended difficulty could make me feel guilty I didn’t challenge myself a bit more
I considered Animal Crossing NH complete after two years and getting and crafting all the recipes. I did have like 800 hours in it by the end. But I had a great time.
endings are so bittersweet. i have to force myself to finish the 3rd act then go back and play it again. it's a weird cycle. i almost prefer not finishing game because it feels like the last act is always the least thought out. c
Haha, I’m not I swear! I started doing all of this stuff after becoming a mom and it has helped me big time! :) But hey, if any of these tips help you, go for it!
On my side: 1. I agree that having a schedule is useful but there are times where it goes out the door 2. My problem is I lose interest in games if I play for longer than 20hrs without playing something else; so only playing 1 game at a time would cause me to quit them more often. 3. ... pretty obvious.... 4. Those websites are horribly inaccurate especially given my playing style 5. playing on normal until you fail 3 times or more then lower the difficulty 6. My only unbeatable game is on my phone that I play when I am in the train 7. My newest game is 3 yrs old... 8. I agree; but that also adds more games to beat if you have several portable consoles 9. that defeats the purpose of most games.... the side quests are most of the game in most games (but I do agree to stop if it seems too boring.)
I allllwwaayysss choose easy mode. Having a job and beating games can be tough. I find choosing easy mode makes it less stressful and enjoyable, thats for me, not for everyone. Everything is opinion based and i absolutley agree with that one myself :)
Agree on all! (except from, like you say, when you actually enjoy doing stuff, eg - sometimes I love doing side quests - will vary wildly from game to game.) Don't buy a game unless you plan on playing it immediately or close to immediately! If you do it occasionally that's fine but lots of people get the FOMO and excitement of a new release, get it and never play and their backlog gets huge or play years down the line when they could've got it cheaper anyway. Changing genre every game is super useful too I agree. And one game at a time is the way! 2 games max, I'm currently playing Ace Attorney investigations on the switch and Epic Mickey Rebrushed on the PS5.
One of the tips to beat games is to stop being on social media sites to see what new games are coming or rumored to be coming so much. People are always wanting new news on what's coming next and once those games come out they want to know what's next. Just play the games that are out now.
Yes, that definitely does make it harder!
Easily said than done 🙂
@@karlosthehawk3730 Agreed but the more time wasting on what's coming is less time to play games.
This is great insight. Definitely easier said than done. I’ll be the first to say I’m consistently checking what’s new but like Femtrooper said, I stick to my backlog and game planning
(Metaphor ReFantazio skips to first in line of my backlog and that’s ok 😅)
Yeah, and it's also much cheaper. Hype can be hard to ignore and it's tempting to want to jump in when a game is very big, but unless it's multiplayer, the number of other people playing at the same time as you is not really going to affect your experience with it. A truly great game will still be a great game 3 years from now. Aside from some very special must-have-at-launch games, I love being a few years behind and getting things on sale.
What really helped me is keeping a yearly spreadsheet of all the games I beat throughout the year. It feels really good to look at my accomplishments year after year.
Me too! I love looking back and seeing all the games I beat!
Wow I’m gonna start doing this. Thanks!
For me, it’s about only playing 1-3 (1 or 2 better) games at a time, and soaking them in. Smelling the flowers. Enjoying the game without another one breathing down my neck. Roll credits, move on to the next.
Not every game fits this mold, but it’s helped me finish more games than ever this past year.
That’s awesome!!! I agree it’s nice to just enjoy that one game for what it is without thinking about something else.
Easy mode for the win baby!! I always play on easy in games if I can.
HECK YEAH!!!
Easy mode AND I'm prepared to put cheats in via Cheat Engine or with console cheats if they exist within the game. On offline games.
Two of my favourite games ever are Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. Because those games have 'beginner' difficulty settings that make you pretty much invincible.
@@frankbrodie5168 yes!! I used to use game genie...game shark...codebreaker...all back in the day. I'm interested to know how the silent Hill 2 remake will handle said difficulty.
Same here easy mode is the way to go 😊
What worked for me was to stop giving time to games that just aren't clicking. Stop playing the game and come back later, if it clicks, then keep going, but if it still doesn't just move on from it. It sucks to spend money on a game and not finish it, but sometimes letting that bog you down can actually make it harder to finish your other games
Totally! If it’s not fun, drop it!
This is something I wish I could do. It's much easier to do this with a 20 hour hack and slash then it is when you're 50 hours into an 80 hour JRPG.
The thought of someone starting and getting 20 minutes into a movie and then stopping it and starting another one made me laugh so hard.
It hurts my soul lol
I think there's a lot of people who actually do this haha. I think most of them are Gen Z. They've grown up on 15 second tiktok clips.
@TigerGreene I'm a millennial, but I do this occasionally due to having a chaotic work schedule that allows for very little free time some days and if something comes up then I may have to watch in half hour chunks til it's done. Streaming movies also makes this much easier than watching from a disc
Switching up genres helps keep things fresh, which may help you work through your backlog. You won't get burned out on a specific gameplay style.
Totally! I love to do that!
Agreed! I generally look for something very different from the game I just finished. I think it also helps with getting the hang of new games, because if I go from The Witcher 3 to Zelda, the familiarity/similarity of certain gameplay elements will likely have me instinctively trying to play the new game like the last game. That's not really a problem if I go from Spyro to Deathloop.
You're like the gamer mom or aunt everyone wants.
Awwwww thank you!!!
@@femtrooper that thing about one game at a time really hit me.
Totally agree on all your points~
- Scheduling
- Being committed
- Taking things one step at a time
- Enjoy the process
All these tips will work for anything in life!
Totally agree with having fun with an easier difficulty, there is no correct way to play a game.
As long as you enjoy the journey,
And yes side quests or being a completionist isn't a must, but to each their own. As long as the person doing so doesn't complain about it as it was their choice to go down that path.
Yay! And yes, they definitely apply to anything! It helps me!
I audibly gasped when you said you skip side quests. LOL. I could never. But seriously, I feel so called out… I’m that person casually playing 8 games at once. Lately, I’ve been trying to stick to one jrpg, one visual novel, and one little indie at a time (with varying amounts of success). I want to try your suggestion of making a plan for the year. You’re not kidding about the FOMO, though.
Haha, yeah, never been interested in side quests. Just not my thing! I’m a main story person!
Making a plan is pretty easy. So for example, Astro Bot came out so I beat it… still working on 100%. Playing Returnal as well, but that was unplanned.
What I have planned: the next weeks and months… Zelda: Echoes, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and finally Indiana Jones to cap the year. Those 4 are my next 4 games.
@@RealJeffTidwell That’s excellent! It’s how you do it!
When i play a game with side quest, I'll typlically just do the ones that sound interesting or have good rewards. It always feels like there's too much bloat when it comes to side quest. Trying to 100% games sounds exhaisting.
@@MrSupersonic2012 No kidding!
choosing games that actually end was really good advice, i feel like i have missed a lot of great games by spending my time on endless games
It helps for sure!!! :)
So tips of beating backlogs/going through libraries:
- Commit to one game at a time, this makes it easy to not take a break for another game and then forget what's going on in the first game you started.
- Make a list of what you're most interested in playing for most of the year, new releases or otherwise. One thing that helps me when going through console libraries is that I put my entire list into a random name generator and then let it pick for me. Another thing that I do sometimes is make a small list (3 to 10 games) and cross games off of it as I finish them so I can feel the progress.
- Schedule out time to play/play while listening to podcasts/videos if the game allows for it. The second part is specific to me cause it helps me relax into a game and spend time on it.
- Document/List the games you finish by date for the current year. This isn't necessary but it makes it kinda fun to look back on what you've finished and can help remind yourself if you wanna play any sequels/prequels of a game you finished already.
- Have no shame in save scumming, save states, howlongtobeat, longplays, rewind, or walkthroughs. It's best if you don't have to use any of these but to me if you're struggling and just wanna finish the game then go right ahead.
- Don't feel like you have to finish everything the moment you start a save file. If a game isn't fun or interesting after 30 minutes to 3 hours, drop it for sometime or delete it. It's not the right time or just not meant for you.
Yesssss to save states!!!
portable gaming, the ultimate tip. it's allowed me to finish tons of games recently myself. thank goodness for the PS Portal! great tips!
YESSSS! I mean, how could I NOT mention it… 🤪
I commit to genres. Because one day i may have time for gaming, but i'm not in the mood for certain types of games. Usually i have one or two "podcast games"-one that doesnt have a story i need to pay attention to, that likely requires mindless grinding. A "laid back story game"- usually walking sims, visual novels, cinematic platformers and the like. One action game, and one rpg, since i can compartmentalize their systems in my brain and not get their mechanics mixed up. If for some reason i'm not feeling any of my main selection, i play a platformer or a 2-d jump and shoot game, since those mechanics are seared into my love for gaming since i was raised in the 90's.
Love this!
I was writing up a list while listening, only to hear you mention ALL of the points I made. But one thing I'll also mention is:
When you game, focus solely on the game. Don't check your phone/computer/tablet during slower or less interactive parts of the game.
Very good point! I admit I’m bad for that!!!
A lot of times I'll have my phone on in the background with a youtube video for background noise. But only with games that have minimal to no story. If I'm playing a game that has a good story i don't have my phone going.
I enjoy spending hundreds of hours in a single game if possible - story is everything to me - but I need to beat more games too 😊❤
That’s fun if a game can do that! Most of my games I play don’t tend to be that long but sometimes!
Once I got into my 30s and my backlog kept growing I stopped feeling any shame for playing on easy mode!
Totally!!! There’s just no time and video games should be fun!
I feel like the language “easy/normal/hard” makes it more likely that people will have that stigma. I hope more games continue to adopt more neutral/descriptive language (“story mode”, “classic mode” etc) to encourage people to choose a setting that they’ll enjoy, instead of a setting that doesn’t hurt their self-image…
My solution is just to accept my backlog and learn to love it for what it is. I’m all about acceptance and moving on in my life now. Is the backlog ever going away? Nope! And I’ve accepted that.
In terms of my backlog, yes, I have started to accept it BUT I still like to challenge myself and see how many games I can get through in a year!
Yeah you've pretty much hit the nail on the head here I use a lot of these methods especially for RPG games which can take up to 40 hours to beat it's a huge time sink.
Totally!!! It’s hard to balance it all out but I try and find a few short ones here and there!
Thanks Paige! Some great tips here!
I don't finish most of the games I start on my first attempt; if it doesn't grab my attention it'll probably get shelved after a couple sessions.
As someone who loves exploring and theory-crafting, I find How Long to Beat a mixed bag. I'm currently playing Elden Ring, with over 100 hours spent. I'm only about 2/3 of the way through my first playthrough, but I'm pretty sure HLTB would say I should have 100% completion by now. I don't want to compare my experience with people who only care about "finishing" the game - the point is to have the experience, not see the ending.
Yes, I’ll drop games too if I don’t vibe with it!
Great tips! Splatoon 3 definitely slows me down from beating more games but, it's so much fun!
I’ve always wanted to get into that series but heard it was only multiplayer??? Is that true?
@@femtrooper It does have a single player campaign and also a DLC single player campaign that I haven't tried but, the real fun for me is with the online multiplayer. You don't even have to be that good as long as you can survive enough to ink up the map a lot. Only downside is that they've stopped doing regular update spatfests but, it's still a lot of fun.
Same for me lol. Not a bad game to play in between others - especially when you’ve got a squad to play with! 😎
Tetris does the same for me. I try to split half/half 😅
Howlongtobeat is my absolute SAVIOR when it comes to planning out my streams and stuff like that. Great video btw. Your videos have essentially allowed me to give myself permission to DROP a game I’m deep into but not exactly enjoying all that much. So thank you for that as well haha😅
So happy to hear this!!!
For the last 2 years I have beat 40+ games a year.But, I will say most of those are shorter than 10 hours of gameplay or even 20 hours. It really helps if as a gamer you aren’t playing those games you’d lose out on if your not playing them now.
Very true! Congrats! That’s amazing!
I finish around 80 main campaigns a year. I did 76 in 2021, 82 in 2022, 86 in 2023 and so far I’m on 66. I play 3-4 hours on weekdays and around 5-6 hours on weekends. I play all possible RPGs that exist so I commit to side quests only for JRPGs or western RPGs. For the most part I do not play online, fighting, sports or shooters.
I find your video very interesting. Thanks for sharing. It’s true that gamers need to plan out their schedule. I for one look at video games as books, stories that I want to experience once and then move on. I don’t stick around on games for short-term or repetitive satisfaction:
This is awesome to hear!!! :) Thank you!
Cutting out social media would add so much time to your life to play games or anything else you want to do. It's a net negative to your life and you'll be happier. Humans weren't meant to live the way we do now
Very true!
Awesome tips for beating games. Ever since I started making content my games beaten number has gone up. 🎉 just took down Tails of Iron!
That’s amazing! Being a gaming TH-camr definitely helps!
100% agree on the schedule/planning tips. During the height of the pandemic I started making a monthly calendar of sorts where each month was its own theme (including games, movies, books, etc). Its original purpose was to keep me sane during the lockdowns as a way of marking the passage of time and to give me something to look forward to each month, but by the end I realized it had helped me take a huge bite out of my backlog. I think I beat something like 30 games in 2020 alone (though admittedly a lot of those were small/shorter games, but still WAY more than I probably would've if I had just been idly passing the time without specific monthly goals in mind).
Another big one for me has been the "Don't try to 100% a game on the first playthrough". Sometimes trying to do all the side content just ends up slowing you down. And if you end up really liking the game, then having stuff left unfinished is a good reason to come back to replay the game later.
This is awesome!
I used to be in a constant rush to finish games a few months back so that I could play more, so much so that I would switch around 4 games to play. But I'm now a bit burnt out so I'm only playing 1 game at a time now and I'm not rushing my games at all. I find this kind of process for me to be more enjoyable since I get to appreciate them more.
Amazing!!!
Agreed! My one anti completionist practice is turning the trophy notifications off. I don't need that cursed hit of dopamine.
Fair!!!
Playing one game at a time has been my modus operandi for decades. Mt friends would ask me hpw I get through so many games, and I'd tell them "One at a time." Also, waiting on buying games often made them cheaper by the time I got around to them. Exceptions being games I was worried about disappearing (more of an issue pre-digital market place). New RPG with limited print runs got bought right away.
This is all great advice!
Easy Mode to beat more games FTMFW!
I'm 40, I've got kids, I try to play way too much. If it's something that I think difficulty will make the experience better? Sure, bring it on. For every angry kid on Twitter saying "real gamurz play die mode", I was beating Contra and Ninja Gaiden before they were born, I've got nothing to prove anymore lol.
Same! I don’t care!
Excellent tips! I want to add that these are also fantastic general life skills for better mental health in life. Most of these tips apply to having a more fulfilled life (being less perfectionist, giving yourself grace, committing, time management, not being to hard on yourself etc)!
Thank you!!!
These tips are so relatable! Even though I let general life commitments get in the way of precious game time, I've definitely followed some of these tips in the past, especially with playing games that actually have endings, instead of grinding infinite hours in simulators and online shooters for example. Amazing video Paige, this has become one of my personal favourites!
Omg thank you sooooooo much!!!
i love these tips! committing to 1-2 games at a time is the most effective for me. when i start a few different games i know none of them will get finished.
p.s. we start movies and leave them halfway all the time in my house. i hate it, but i blame adhd.
Haha, had no idea that was really a thing!
This video is the push I needed. I started too many games, and it’s impossible to beat them all, so I’m going to do what I should’ve done. I need to drop/put on hold those games I’m just not playing, and focus on the games that I am playing to narrow down my backlog.
Yay! Happy to help!
Good tips. I actually use two of them. One play them on easy. And two only play one at a time. I think those are the most importantly.
Yay!!!
I often play games on easy and love that you mentioned this, there needs to be less shade on people who play games like that, there's no wrong way to play the game, it's supposed to be fun and if the option is there, the game was designed to be played that way. My anxiety is just too high these days to struggle, it's stressful and that isn't fun, I just want to go on a fun journey!
Loooove this!
Some fantastic tips here for sure. Portable gaming definitely makes it more accessible to game everywhere. Especially if you don't always have the luxury of being able to spend the hours you wish you had to game.
Another great video 👌
Thank you!!! :)
I play about 3 games at a time, but I'm one of those lunatics that bangs out 30-50 games a year 😂
A plan is just a list of things that will go wrong 😂
Hahahaha, that’s amazing! I hope I can increase my count to maybe 30 games a year someday!
@femtrooper when your little one is a teenager, like mine, you'll have so much more time to game 😉
Presch about playing one game at a time!! Playing that way has been so much more enjoyable and fulfilling and eases my stress with chipping away at my backlog. And handheld gaming definitely helps haha. Great video 😎👍🏽
Thank you!!!
I've been following your channel for about a year now and I've followed these tips religiously lol. I've also learned to forgive myself if I stray from my list that I made, because at the end of the day I should be playing what I enjoy and what grabs me. Not something that I've boxed myself into playing even though I'm not in the mood.
It's hard to commit to much though with a toddler, and when my wife wants me to wait on her to play certain games with her (when she's not really a big gamer herself). I also almost exclusively play long JRPGs so I've had to temper my expectations a bit lol
Thank you!!! 🙏
Don’t try to finish bad games, that’s the number 1 thing that slows me down.
Totally! Drop those immediately if they suck!
Great video. Fantastic Tips for everyone who struggels beating games.
I started making a list to prioritize all the upcoming games that I'm interested in. It also helps to plan playing a game around all the other things happening in life, like meeting friends, appointments etc.
Totally! And thank you!
- Do not play any mmorpg's itl put all your games on a 5/10year backlog.
- Only allow yourself to buy a new game after you have beat a game.
- Have a long story based game on your playlist while having a shorter or platform game as your second playlist, switch between them acording to your mood, sometimes you only have 30minutes to an hour, you can acomplish quite a bit in a platformer, not so much in a jrpg.
Great tips!
At the start of this year I made a promise to myself to keep a list with all of the games I have beaten and once I start a game I finish it.
This way I have beaten a lot of games on my backlog.
Amazing! That’s great to hear!
Totally agree about the EASY mode. I've been doing it for years. My job is hard enough at times. I like to unwind and have fun.
YESSS!!!
Really like the schedule tip. I’ve got minimal time for myself due to working full time and having a toddler so I need to get better at scheduling specific times for gaming!
I really started to implement the schedule once I became a parent! It helps big time!
Playing games on easy is the hottest tip. I started doing that recently
Yeeeesssss!!!
It helped me a lot to have a one week rule - I play only one game for a week and try to beat it.
If a game takes me longer to beat, than I just start a shorter game on the side and change it up between my two games. Usually I just ignore new releases and wait for a sale - my backlog-mountain is already high enough :)
That’s kinda neat! If it works for you, that’s cool!
Playing one game at a time is the best advice.
Thank you!!!
Really solid summary! Advice that has helped me the past few years
Oh great! Thank you!
I sunk so many hours into xenoblade chronicles because of side quests…. There are so many! Good tips!! Thanks I’ll apply those! Keep up the great videos!
Awesome! And thank you!
Great tips Fem! I started jotting down my games every time I beat one and doing my own mini review and it feels so satisfying to see and look back on what I beat. I also use a random generator and throw in a couple games I want to play and whatever it picks, I have to play. Also disconnecting from your phone is huge, I was spending way too much time looking at social media when I could've been gaming!
Yes, I’m guilty of constantly checking twitter when I’m playing games lol
I beat an anomalously high number of games, so a lot of how I beat games won't be relevant - it comes down to having a relatively high amount of free time combined with tending to play 10-15 hour games most of the time.
One tip I would offer, though, is to quit games you're not enjoying. That might sound counterintuitive beating games by quitting them, but if you think about it, the less time you spend stubbornly sticking with a game that you're not really feeling, the more time you have available to play (and beat) something that you'll enjoy enough to actually beat. I know you mentioned this at the end of the video but this would actually be my main tip. XD
It’s a great tip! Such a waste if you aren’t having fun!
I think Pam from Cannot be tamed had a criteria for picking up new game: does this game respects my time - can you 'save' anytime, is it grind heavy, etc. You don't want to lose time because the game is made super hard to beat just for the sake of being hard to beat.
So, I agree with easy difficulty, or some cheats, or some improvement patches and mod that make your life easier.
Cheers :)
All good points!!!
My tip is to know when and when not to use a guide. If you’re stuck and it’s going to add hours to your playtime, by all means use a guide BUT so many guides are built around 100%ing a game so unless you want to inflate your playtime to the point you’re sick of the game, don’t follow a guide religiously. (I struggle with this one as I too easily fall into the completionism trap)
So true with the guides! They have you doing EVERYTHING!!!
I find the best way to rip through games at a quick rate is concentrate on one beat it and move onto the next. Multiple games can throw you off
Exactly! It’s how I do it!
I do go by some of those tips. Commitment during certain parts of the year can be hard (real job and soccer referee can leave me with less time), and I could probably do a better mix of shorter and longer games. Not completing every side quest can help. One obstacle I have is I need mental activities to shut down about 2.5 hrs before going to bed, and games are on that list.
Awesome!!!
For the life/farm sims, I think what works best for me is to set goals going into them and then go back to them occasionally between the more story heavy games, but I’m not exactly great at sticking to that😅
Goals are good! Whatever works!
The backlog is something I've excised from my life, nowadays I just play what games when I want to, if I start something and I'm not really feeling it? Oh well, it'll still be there for me to try again later. I play 2 games at a time, swapping back and forth between them and playing them as I feel I want to, and when new games come along, I make space in my allocations if I wanna jump right in, or I'll juggle three at a time, it's a bit tougher, but no less fulfilling.
That’s awesome. Play how you want to!
Counterpoint; Why do you HAVE to beat a lot of games? Games are meant to be fun, not a job to house labors. I watched your video and it was super bizzre to see it. I've tried to force myself to beat one game, AC Origins. You know what happened when I beat it? I hated the game, that's what happened. I enjoy gaming when I don't force myself to beat them. That's how I can enjoy games such as Nioh which all I did was getting my ass kicked and barely progressed in 10 hours of playtime. And I'm not saying I don't beat games, because I do. This year I've beat 17, and not even one of them was "a mission". It is true that some of them were "let's take it out of the backlog", not even one game was "I'll beat because I HAVE TO".
I get an immense feeling of satisfaction from completing games and checking things off lists. That is the joy for me. I love to also see a story to the end. I want to know what happens in that JRPG or that adventure game. I love the characters so much I want to know what happens!
She was giving tips for ppl to use that needed them she wasn't telling YOU to do anything.
Yes, it's a very productive approach for those who feel like they don't have time to play through all the games they wanna play. It's not about maximizing enjoyment, which overall sounds like a bit of a paradox.
The one game at a time theory works well. I handle over 10 projects up to 20 in my daily life. You have to limit the work so that way you can actually finish what you start. Same concept applies here. Kanban is the methodology behind it. It works in work, hobbies, home projects, overall life.
That’s awesome! I didn’t know about that so I’m going to have to read up on it!
I'm a PC and Switch player. I'll usually have one PC game and one Switch game going at once, and they aren't the same lengths. I still get that sense of acomplishment if I'm able to finish a shorter game but still have the longer one going. I do tend to stick to one game at a time per system, but if I don't, one game is significantly shorter than the other.
That’s great!
I've been playing one game at a time and it's worked wonders for me, I hate having to relearn a game after not playing it for a certain period of time so juggling multiple games would also drive me mad. I also limit myself to buying 2 new games at a time to help save money in the long-run. Steep sales are the exception for this rule.
Yay!!!
I usualy don't care how many games I beat in a year, I just pick whatever games I'm interested and play.
My favorite genre is RPG, and my one rule is: I gotta get at least 100 hours in this game.
For the past year, I've been playing Dragon Quest XI and some other RPG's, like Eiyuden Chronicle and Octopath Traveler 2.
My schedule is to play as long as can on weekends, alternating between games.
Sometimes I may play a more casual game at night, during the week, but that's it. And I've managed to beat a few games this year.
My backlog is basicaly a few games that I bought and played for a while, but didn't fall in love with it, or didn't like it (although, I still want to give some of those games a second chance).
This is awesome! Also, yay to DQXI!
Ive alwasys valued your sensible and good advice. One game at a time is the best rule. Doesnt mean I wont buy physical games day one sometimes but I try to keep to a specific list
I agree. One at a time was the turning point for me to get through my backlog.
Love to hear it!!! :)
This is awesome!!!
something I realize lately that's an obstacle for backlog is when I get the itch to replay older games, then I get back into the groove of that familiar game and start choosing to play that over the game I was initially playing w/ my free time
not much I can do there b/c I really enjoy going back to old favorites, though more than anything, slowing down on new game purchases and being really picky on what I do want to own helps to stunt the backlog growth
All good tips!
Great tips! I usually play one console, one portable game at a time, and I'm trying to be better at dropping games that are too boring or that I'm not really enjoying, we only have so much time to waste in our lives, waste it wisely lol
Haha I love this!
Finding what I love works. Lies of P was the most recent game I absolutely fell in love with. I began playing it because my game pass subscription was going to expire so I picked this game to play as a last game, but it’s become one of my top 5 of all time. I guess I lucked out
That’s great!
Truckin’, gamin’, schooling’, I’m lucky to finish ten a year.
Wow, sounds like your schedule is busy so that’s incredible!
Love these tips. I definitely try to make a list and find myself deviating but have been tracking what I finish for a few years. Thank you for the great content. Just curious do you play Xbox? I have been buying every Xbox but then don’t end up really using it.
Thank you! I have a Xbox One but barely use it. Only for a few games.
Did someone say Steamdeck? Hmmm, sounds like you've convinced yourself to get one! ;)
Haha…kinda!!! I feel like my backlog would grow if I got one but it is tempting! I’m sure down the road I may end up getting it - I think I just need to see exactly what games I would play on it and if it’s truly justified.
Very useful tips, I found that I do a lot of these already except I really need to play one game at a time. I do buy all the games I am interested in and then so many of them get shelved.
Yes, I drop games from time to time but I try and get rid of them if I don’t like them. That way they aren’t part of my backlog anymore!
Backlogs are kind of a psychological trap. We've bought dozens/hundreds of games bc of fomo, hype cycles and flash sales. Until we reckon with our consumer mentalities backlogs will never end.
Hehe I love to buy games tho! 😝
Ha, love the Xenoblade footage for talking about side quests. It has over 440 of them!
Hehe
Great video. I am guilty of juggling too many games at once, but great idea for a video!
Thanks!!! :)
I find myself playing on easy more than I ever had these days. I still enjoy my challenging games, but I'm going to play a soulslike for that. JRPGs and such I'm more into to story so I usually am playing on easy. Who cares if every random battle is life or death. Also with 200 games on the backlog and counting down I am trying to beat 2 games I already own before I buy a new game. At this rate 300 games later and I'll be caught up and ready for a shopping spree!
Yay! Love to hear it!
i play games on normal difficulty but i dont grind my levels so encounters such as boss battles remains challenging. Less grind, challenging difficulty, time saved.
Excellent!!!
Great thoughts! I personally think that people who play more than one game at a time should be forced to pay extra taxes or have their children taken away or something, but that's probably just me. Easy mode is great, and if you really love the game - replay it on hard or ultra-hard. You can always play something again differently if you want to experience it again later. Scheduling is like real life budgeting: both actually make you more free than you think they will.
Hahaha love this
I'm usually pretty good at playing just one game at a time, MAYBE 2 if they are very different gameplay styles.
But for me it gets significantly harder if it's a week or so before the release date of game that I'm SUPER HYPED for. Since I know I can't commit to starting something big, I end up jumping around a lot more than normal.
E.g. right now because of Echoes of Wisdom, I've been jumping between FFII, Bloodstained, Smash, Persona 5, Peglin, Picross S9.... It's kind of a mess lol.
I know what you mean. It sucks when a big game comes out and you’re only half done the game you’re playing. Just focus on it though and you’ll do it!
Yeah, we play games very, very differently. I love cozy games, which is the “endless” games. And I am a total completionist.
And that’s okay! It just comes down to what you like and what’s most fun for you! :)
@@femtrooper Very true. Love your content, girlie. ❤️
I agree on not playing two games at one, especially games that are in the same genre. I find that especially for action RPGs I ruin my muscle memory from switch back and forth all the time and it decreases the satisfaction of playing both games. On the other side, playing a Pokemon game and God of War at the same time really don't matter as much.
However, I think most of these tips are for gaming productively (for adults mostly), and not to maximize enjoyment. There are a few exceptions like using Easy mode that works for both, but scheduling gaming discounts the fact that we all have moods and there are better times to play games than others. That way, sure you finish games faster, but you might not appreciate it as much as if you organically played the game whenever you were in the right mood for it. I could write a whole lot of this, but to me this makes gaming more of a project than a hobby.
All good! Also, haha, I’m currently playing God of War right now and craving a Pokémon game so that’s hilarious!
I play games depending on my mood. So I keep jumping between 4 to 5 games. I also have to switch genres from time to time.
With this I can enjoy games without putting preasure on myself. In this style I usually finish +-40 games.
Of course my backlog is growing faster than I'm finishing them 😂.
It happens! I definitely understand! I have so many unopened games and games I just need to check out!
She plays them on easy when possible I think that helps her out a lot.
I think it helps her too.
Since starting my new job I haven't had much time to play games as im exhausted after work but seeing how Bloomtown released today on the switch, its an indie jpg mix between persona and stranger things and star dew valley, im gonna play that tonight. Gonna try and dedicate 2 hours to gaming from today
It really does look cool - it’s one I’m keeping my eye on!
I know a guy whose house burned down after it was struck by lightning, and now his backlog is gone!
Omg lol
So many great tips here! I’ve been finding it really helpful to play what I’m really in the mood for and I’ve finished more games this year than I have since I was a teenager 😅
Also think putting a game down when you just decide you’re not feeling it should be normalised 🤷♂️
Yay! I definitely beat wayyyy more games now than when I was a teenager!
Fem I gotta hand it to you, this video really helped me oui. My strategy before was just dont buy new games, however when you do that and are playing 4 games at the same time you tend to come back to one and go "how did I get here?" and have to restart.
So true! You can beat all your games - it may take awhile but I promise if you just play one or two at once you’ll slowly start to see more games beat!
This might be the sign I need to start checking out easy modes 🤔
I gave up on hard modes and above years ago but with a 2 month old girl now some normal modes have tested my patience and time management lol
100% - as a parent I hear you!
@@femtrooper you get it! Do you experience any lingering sense of unfulfillment when beating a game on easy?
I fear altering the game to a state easier than the developers intended difficulty could make me feel guilty I didn’t challenge myself a bit more
My M.O. is everything you said not to do, but I'm not one to worry about beating down a backlog. I'll play on hard and accept a game defeating me.
That’s awesome! Play games how YOU want to!
I'm pretty much always playing 3 games at once. Home game. Out in the world game. Toilet game. I do the same thing with books. It works for me. ;)
I like this strategy!
Now if only I could stop myself from watching youtube or reading twitter/reddit and actually spend more time cutting through my game backlog :D
OMG THIS!
I considered Animal Crossing NH complete after two years and getting and crafting all the recipes. I did have like 800 hours in it by the end. But I had a great time.
That’s awesome!!! Definitely a genre a lot of people love it just hasn’t been for me.
Good video - I needed to be reminded to take it one game at a time 😆booting up Black Myth Wokong
Awesome!!!
endings are so bittersweet. i have to force myself to finish the 3rd act then go back and play it again. it's a weird cycle. i almost prefer not finishing game because it feels like the last act is always the least thought out. c
Sometimes I don’t want to finish a game because it’s like I always know it’s there for me haha
@@femtrooper exactly. great video. wish you all the best.
“But complete none”…. You’re taking about me, aren’t you? Lmao. Awesome vid as always!
Haha, I’m not I swear! I started doing all of this stuff after becoming a mom and it has helped me big time! :)
But hey, if any of these tips help you, go for it!
On my side:
1. I agree that having a schedule is useful but there are times where it goes out the door
2. My problem is I lose interest in games if I play for longer than 20hrs without playing something else; so only playing 1 game at a time would cause me to quit them more often.
3. ... pretty obvious....
4. Those websites are horribly inaccurate especially given my playing style
5. playing on normal until you fail 3 times or more then lower the difficulty
6. My only unbeatable game is on my phone that I play when I am in the train
7. My newest game is 3 yrs old...
8. I agree; but that also adds more games to beat if you have several portable consoles
9. that defeats the purpose of most games.... the side quests are most of the game in most games (but I do agree to stop if it seems too boring.)
Yeah, it really depends on your play style!
I allllwwaayysss choose easy mode. Having a job and beating games can be tough. I find choosing easy mode makes it less stressful and enjoyable, thats for me, not for everyone. Everything is opinion based and i absolutley agree with that one myself :)
Yayyyyyy!!!
Agree on all! (except from, like you say, when you actually enjoy doing stuff, eg - sometimes I love doing side quests - will vary wildly from game to game.) Don't buy a game unless you plan on playing it immediately or close to immediately! If you do it occasionally that's fine but lots of people get the FOMO and excitement of a new release, get it and never play and their backlog gets huge or play years down the line when they could've got it cheaper anyway. Changing genre every game is super useful too I agree. And one game at a time is the way! 2 games max, I'm currently playing Ace Attorney investigations on the switch and Epic Mickey Rebrushed on the PS5.
You beat tons so I feel like you have a good system! :)
thats what happened to me with FFX, didnt realize i had to grind, got to the final boss and just could not beat it, watched the end on youtube 😂
Yep, I didn’t finish it either - really got tough so one day I want to give it another shot.
@@femtrooper yea i feel the same way but others in the backlog im working on!