OCD vs. Video Games

[J T]

I've noticed that I can get a little obsessive-compulsive about certain aspects of gaming and I think sometimes it runs counter to having fun with games. I know I'm not the only one either. Here's a few examples of the kinds things I'm talking about:

*Collecting every item
*Shooting every enemy
*Doing every side quest
*Talking to every non-playable character (NPC)
*Picking every dialogue option
*Buying every sequel in a series, even though there are some you don't want to play
*Spending hours organizing games trying to get the perfect classification system
*Starting over if taking even a single hit of damage

I have done pretty much every one of these things at one point or another, and I have a general tendency to try to do most of them. I think these things sometimes make games less fun though. If a game has too many items to collect, I find myself getting annoyed with it, even though I could just choose to not collect everything. If I get crazy about side-quests, I don't enjoy the main storyline as much. I try not to miss anything that an NPC says, but this just gets me bored and I end up not finishing the game. I had Jak II and Jak III, which was really all the Jak I needed, but I felt compelled to buy the first one anyway, just to have the full trilogy; then Jak: The Lost Frontier came out and I bought that too, though I may never get around to it.

I don't know why I do these things, especially when I can see that they often run counter to my enjoyment of the game. But I think these are pretty common too. Perhaps game designers would be smart to have fewer side quests and collectables; knowing that their audience will fee like they have to do everything? Maybe I should just notice when I'm doing this and force myself to stop. Some games are designed so that you actually can't kill every bad guy because you don't have enough time or ammo, and I often like these games, even though I initially feel weird running past an enemy without laying him flat. I think other game designers take advantage of the fact that gamers will work for hours to complete everything there is to complete in the game.

What sort of obsessive compulsive things do you do when gaming. Do they add or detract from you enjoyment? Should game designers take advantage of these common compulsions to keep us addicted, should they force us to break out of them, or should they take it easy on us and make it more realistically possible to complete all tasks?




footnote: I feel like I should mention that this is really more OCPD than OCD, but people always say OCD even though it's not the disorder they are talking about.

[Dylan]

Eh, I used to do all that, but I've slowed down over the years. Any time that I do it is usually a game that I feel it adds to, like collecting all of the stars in Mario games because it lets me play through all of the levels. I'll also do this if it unlocks something.

Now RPGs are a different story. In every single one I play, by the time I reach the last boss I've done everything in the game. Best equipment? Found. Extra Characters? Recruited. Secret bosses? Killed. Random collectibles? Collected. For some reason I have to do this in RPGs, I'm really not sure why.

[Anayo]

Picking up rupees in Zelda even when my wallet's already full.

[Josh]

I mostly am the same way. I'm not completely OCD in that I soft reset Pokemon games nearly 3000+ times to get shinies of every Pokemon. (and I do know people that do this, which takes the fun out of it completely) However in most Mario games I tend to save often and do many No-Death runs because of it. A lot of the time in RPG games I tend to grind, and usually in many games I aim for either 100% completion or some really unneeded task. And even worse, in games like Fallout 3, I think I've started around 10 different datas among many memory cards and hard drives, just to see every dialogue option. Does it effect gameplay? In many cases, not really, even though it's not really rewarding in the achievements, it still feels good to do something, and do it right and completely.

When it comes to the games in general, I tend to, late at night when bored and not tired, go through my collection and organize them in some way, shape, or form. Whether it's true OCD or not remains to be seen. I guess it depends on who you talk to.

[KillemallCFH]

I used to be like that until I realized I was leaving so many games unfinished simply because I was bored with how long they were taking. Now I just try to beat 'em and move on, and its generally much more enjoyable. Especially in RPGs, not taking so many hours to needlessly do sidequests, find items, etc. makes you much more emotionally vested in the story (assuming the game you're playing has a captivating storyline) and is in general a much more satisfying experience.

[izdead]

Picking up rupees in Zelda even when my wallet's already full.

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[JordanPlayer]

I put something like 80-100 hours into Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion when it came out and I had a great time getting everything then. However, when I played Fallout 3 I started out in the same fashion but got in a rut with side quests and all that jazz. I started forgetting what was actually happening in the main story line. I pushed to finish just through the main missions but I eventually stopped and moved on to a new game. Need to go back and finish the fight on this one; however I will say that playing through the main missions instead of getting bogged down in all the side quests and collecting was actually a lot more enjoyable for me. I used to be really set on 100% completing the games and doing everything but now I make decisions game-by-game because I would rather spend that time doing meaningless questing or collecting playing a new game I want to beat.

[elvis]

I'm a serial completist, and my wife can't stand watching me play any sort of "collect-em-up".

I just finished Okami on Wii for the first time after 51 hours of play time, and was utterly annoyed that I missed two items. My wife stopped watching me play that after the second session.

[nickfil]

I used to be like that until I realized I was leaving so many games unfinished simply because I was bored with how long they were taking. Now I just try to beat 'em and move on, and its generally much more enjoyable. Especially in RPGs, not taking so many hours to needlessly do sidequests, find items, etc. makes you much more emotionally vested in the story (assuming the game you're playing has a captivating storyline) and is in general a much more satisfying experience.

I'm in the same boat. It is actually much less stressful when playing an RPG and not worring about having the best gear or finishing every side quest. You just play. I also think that this is a product of getting older as a gamer. Collecting virtual stuff in games was cool when you were a kid. Thrilling and new. But now... I've done it so much that i know i can do it if i want to. I just don't want to anymore.

I *used* to be obsessive about collecting games. If i had 2 of 3 i'd track down the last one even with no intention of playing it. Like you said with jak- sometimes you just need a couple. However lately I've been able to let a lot side. No metal gear 3. No sly cooper 3. Missing a ratchet and clank game. A bunch more. I think it is because i have SO many unplayed games coupled with a smaller apartment and limited space that I've really slowed down my collecting.



Looking forward to buying a house eventually and lining up a wall of bookshelves to fill.

[Weekend_Warrior]

I am certainly obsessive-compulsive when it comes to buying video games.

New video game systems - Before I buy, the system box must be perfect. It should still have the seal sticker intact and there must be no visible dings or wrinkling seen in the cardboard. All the ends must look sharp and pointed and not be crushed-in as a result of people frequently picking up the box and dropping it back down in a careless manner.

Used games - The game disc, manual, and paper cover art should all look new or very close to it. If the game is rare or hard to find and the price is right, then I may be able to bend a little bit. But not too often. It's either flawless or I'll pass. With that being said, I sometimes am a little hesitant to walk into some Gamestop's because the employee's will recognize me and know that I'm gonna pull that crap on 'em when I find something.

Xbox 360 game cases - I always replace these ugly green cases with proper black DVD cases. Not just because it compliments the artwork better and looks more professional. But it just drives me crazy to see these all lined up on my shelf. YUCK!

PS1 and PS2 Greatest Hits titles - If I can help it, I really try to avoid buying these. Again, sometimes the price will be right and the disc and manual are flawless so I'll buy it. But then I usually still seek out the original "black label" versions because they look better on the shelf. Those green tabs on the PS1, and red tabs on the PS2 games, just stick out like a sore thumb. I look at my collection and it just eats at me. It's like.. "Why? Why did I have to get stuck with the stupid Greatest Hits version? WHY!!??"

PS1 Long Box and Large Jewel Cases Titles - How am I supposed to lay out all my PS1 games alphabetically when I have only a handful of these big daddies!? Sure, they're great to collect for nostalgic purposes. But other than that, it's just a pain in the rear to deal with when cataloging.