Dealing with a Perfectionist Play-Style

[Frag Mortuus]

I too, have this problem. I can't tell you the last time I beat a game because I get mad and stop playing. It sucks that I can't enjoy a game without forcing myself to play perfectly.

[Wispmage]

Well, I'm glad to know I'm not alone. It really can be tough to overcome sometimes, and the frustration for me stems not so much from the fact that I'm making mistakes, but more from the fact that I won't let myself make them / deal with the repercussions.

[graffix_13]

I enjoy Trophy Hunting, so /shrug.

You're not alone though, trust me. You just have to find something that is 'fun' for you and don't lose sight of it.

Like some others suggested, try playing the game less than 100% (whatever you define that as) and see if you enjoy it more. You'll never know you'll like it if you never try it!

[BogusMeatFactory]

I used to be a victim of the perfectionist play-style, but I have learned a few things here and there to help me overcome that and just go with the flow.

1. It is all about the experience. Keep that as the focus. Pay attention more to gameplay mechanics, storyline (where applicable) and the overall presentation of a game. When you start to focus on the little things like achievements or collectibles, things start to fall apart and you lose sight of some of the fun of a game.

2. Do your research. If you feel the tug of wanting to collect them all, go on-line, get it spoiled for you. Does collecting all these items really affect the outcome of the game in the end? Or is it just a stupid selling point to elongate game time? If you see that it may be worth it, than go for it. If not, than forget it. Just try not to spoil the really important things like plot and such.

3. Game with other people. This can be applied in a lot of different ways. Having someone in the room watching you that you can talk to, playing co-op or talking with someone via skype can really change the dynamic of how you play a game. My friends and I used to play the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games (the original included, not just the Bethesda stuff) and would go through the game individually, sharing stories on what we experienced.

Now I stream a lot of the games I play and like I said, it changes the dynamic. Now you start to focus on sharing what you are experiencing with an audience, you aren't caught up in collecting and grinding. Instead you want to showcase what makes a game great and also get some good talks and discussion with people who are interested in both the game and interacting with you.



These are just a few things I do, but I hope that helps. Just know you can always go back after completing the game and collect all you like. If the game was so good that you still have the urge to do so, than that says a lot about a great game.

[MrNash]

Sometimes I'm like this but it really depends on the game I'm playing. It's super satisfying to nail a course in a racing game, so I do go for that now and then. Ditto for shoot 'em ups. Getting through them on one life without getting hit is great.

Other games I'm just happy to get through them in one piece, especially exceptionally difficult ones.

[Exhuminator]

I'm just happy to get through them in one piece, especially exceptionally difficult ones.

That's me. My goal is always to simply beat the game on normal difficulty without using cheats, guides, or a walkthrough. That much alone is accomplishment enough for me, given my lack of free time for this hobby.

[Hazerd]

I always enjoy getting a trophy in a game, but have never "platinumed" a game and probably never will, although i hear that the easiest platinum on a PS3 game is for Megamind Ultimate Showdown.

As for wanting to "complete" games, my backlog has gotten to the point for me, where i just want to beat the game in the shortest time while still enjoying myself.

I cant imagine what it's like for people who have thousands of backlogged games.

But i do hate missing vital items in RPG's, or items that make your character/npc more powerful.

[Retrogamer0001]

When a game starts to feel like work, it's time to step away for a while. If you legitimately enjoying playing this way, then great, but from the sounds of your post that isn't the case. I honestly can't imagine reloading a save simply because you took a sliver of damage, and in all likelihood, that sliver of damage won't affect the outcome of the game at all, so you're really just torturing yourself. Stop torturing yourself!

[Gamerforlife]

So I did a quick search, and didn't see any similar threads to what I've been pondering lately. I find that with a lot of games, particularly highly immersive single-player stealth games (i.e. Bioshock, Deus Ex, Assassin's Creed, Thief, Dishonored, etc) I struggle with being able to just play casually, and accept whatever mistakes I make.

There's definitely part of me that wants to just shrug off my blunders and deal with the consequences, but more often than not, I find myself imposing strict limitations on my play and letting the perfectionist in me dictate what is and isn't 'acceptable' gameplay. I end up continuously quick-saving/reloading in order to achieve what I find to be the most optimal play-through. And I think the best way to define this sort of thing is how my friend once put it: it's trying to achieve a combination of the most skillful execution with the most thematic experience.

For example, I'll lose a sliver of health and reload my last save because I don't want to have taken any damage. I'll circle back in a level to try and find collectibles or consumables that I missed, even if I don't really need them. Or with Stealth games, I'll instantly reload or restart when I get detected by an enemy because I really want to completely ghost levels. While sometimes I enjoy the results of this kind of play style, a lot of the time I get frustrated at the mistakes I make, and even more so, my inability to accept them and just deal with the consequences.

I would like to find a balance between being a perfectionist and just going with the flow, but I can't seem to quite get there. And obviously it isn't as simple for me as just flipping a switch in my head and saying 'from here on out, whatever happens, happens'. That said, does anyone else deal with this? Any do any of you have any advice for how I can find some middle ground? Any input would be much appreciated.

That's how I play everything. My goal is to play a game the way it is meant to be played. Simply getting through levels and beating a game doesn't mean anything to me anymore given the countless games I've beaten over the years. Now my goal is mastery of everything I play...or at least that's what I strive for.

Also, playing with such rules and limitations in play often reveals the hidden depth of a game's design...or complete lack there of. Either way it's a learning experience. My favorite games are actually the ones that accomodate perfectionist play styles, because those are the game's that clearly had the most amount of thought and time put into their design. If it's literally impossible to play through a level of a game without taking a hit...it's not a well designed game. It's the difference between "good enough" design (90% of games on the market) and CRAFTMENSHIP (10% of games on the market). The best games allow for finesse

I also try to play a game the way a movie or tv show would play out, so I'm not content to sloppily, clumsily play through a game. A ninja from a stealth game would never get spotted in an actual movie, so I won't let him get spotted in my video game(if he is I reload and try again until I can play through the stage the right way). An action hero would not get stabbed and shot multiple times and keep on fighting like nothing's wrong with him because real people don't have health bars and neither do movie characters. So I'm going to keep reloading my last check point in an action game until my action hero can make it through the battle in a manner befitting a real movie action hero, and if that's not possible then the game goes on the shelf and I go looking for something else to play that has better design. So in a sense, I guess I turn every game into a role playing experience and I'm not content to play through a game in a manner not fitting the character that I'm playing as.

I also try to get all collectibles, get all trophies/achievements, etc. in any game that I enjoy playing. It's not enough for me to beat a game. I've already beaten countless games in my life time so there's no longer any satisfaction in that for me, now it's all about mastery., It's funny, I was playing South Park Stick of Truth yesterday and the game even pointed out my obsessive compulsive, perfectionist play style when Cartman said, "New kid has checked out every single thing in my backyard, hardcore gamer right there."

[Valkyrie-Favor]

If you want to really enjoy your perfectionist tendencies, try playing for high scores in arcade games. That kind of games requires some degree of mastery before you see the end, and setting a record in a hard game is way better than not getting hit in an easy one.