5 Cowardly Reasons Why I Can't Quit Gaming

There are numerous reasons why I can’t quit gaming, and I’m sure it’s the same for you, but I can only speak for myself. Therefore, I’ve come up with a few as words of encouragement to say it’s ok, keep on gaming and don’t treat it like a dirty secret.

That other thing you’re into with the rubber chicken and marigolds? You should keep that one to yourself.

These sort of clickbait titles are commonplace in the gaming arena, and I thought “If you can’t beat them, emulate them”. Though this isn’t clickbait and a genuine attempt to write something a little bit different, and ‘quit gaming’ was my first idea (but also to pad out the features list so there’s a bit more variety).

No matter how long you’ve been playing games, you’re bound to have had someone at work turn their nose up at you for not growing up, parents or guardians who don’t understand the escapism or belonging a game can offer, or a partner who doesn’t get that this is a perfectly healthy hobby.

Unless you’re the type to cut down DJs with a katana, enjoy getting stoned with koalas or throwing your body off sheer drops outside of the lure of gaming, then you should be fine.

Me? I couldn’t give a toss what my peers think. I’ve had co-workers inform me how mind-numbing games are, that they encourage procrastination or glorify violence.

They’d better shut their mouth, or they’re getting a punch in the face! *ahem*

My dilemma reared its head a couple of times in the past when my partner thought I was spending too much money, and occasionally time, on games. As a knee jerk reaction, I’ve reluctantly sold small collections in the past to ‘grow up’. 

As I’m now somewhat grown-up and have turned my hobby into a place where I can be mildly creative and write about ‘stuff’, my lovely wife fully supports it. Now I have to persuade her about my other interests – interpretative dance! 

Untrue, but I don’t want to jeopardise my non-existent reputation with something dodgy.

Let’s begin by turning the page, and trying something different. Don’t worry: there won’t be any ads or pop-ups – just an experiment, so it doesn’t take forever to load the page for you.

First up: There’s Simply Too Much Freedom

1. There’s Simply Too Much Freedom

In the gaming world, you can more or less do what you want – as long as you don’t have the moral police like in The Witcher 3 where you can’t romance two people at once.

I’ve read a few opinions in the past that developers create games to get kids addicted. Bollocks. While the catnip that is Fortnite pushes little Jimmy to ask their parents for more V-Bucks, the majority of games aren’t made to make gamers addicted, though they do want you engaged.

Games these days have DLC, but before that was expansion packs and way before that there was nothing – just sequels. For argument’s sake, let’s go with my naive(?) view that games, while there to make money, are primarily to entertain – and boy do they do that.

As an enduring point and click fan, I’ve grown up where narrative matters. Film is another big interest of mine, but I’m never one of the characters, nor do I have a speaking part. In these epic videogame stories, I am the protagonist; experiencing these deep character arcs that focus on the human condition.

Why would I want to quit gaming?

The Last Of Us Part II hasn’t received all this acclaim because people want to bash zombies about – it’s the relationships that define us and the storytelling that accompanies it. 

Games such as Uncharted 4: A Thieves End, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild or My Name is Mayo – they all serve a place in our hearts (stop rolling your eyes) and give us the escapism we crave or deserve from the ‘real world’. In moderation, of course.

I mean, where else can you finger a jar like in My Name is Mayo?

In the early 00s, a friend of mine was getting stoked for Grand Theft Auto III a month before its release date on the PlayStation 2. We were all getting tired of him raving about the game as if it was the thing that would be better than that sliced loaf of bread in your kitchen. Then we played it.

GTA III was one of those games that drew me back into the gaming world. The freedom to do what you want, steal cars and head to the left to pull off a sweet jump rather than do the mission.

There were no timers outside the missions, and you could do whatever you wanted, to some degree. Unless you’re a sociopath, in games such as these, you could do things you wouldn’t dream of doing in real life and for once, have a non-linear experience.

And before you pull out your Top Trump card to say that GTA III wasn’t the first game to pull off these antics, I get that, but this was the start of something special – freedom from the ties of conventional gaming.

Other such greats, whether you like them or not, include games such as Minecraft, No Man’s Sky (though I haven’t played it), the Assassin’s Creed series, Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and so on.

The next page is Gotta Collect ’em All

2. Gotta Collect ’em All

Stamp collectors, shoe curators and hoarders of anything from beer coasters, sporks or retro calculators – we all have our kinks, and the gaming world is no exception.

I first got the itch for collecting games back in the days of the ZX Spectrum, and a friend and I used to collect games you could buy in the local newsagents for about £1 or so (that’s around 18,000 Gil).

There used to be a label called the Hit Squad that released classics like Afterburner, R-Type and Wizball on cassette. The only issue is £1 per month pocket money on my part didn’t get us far. My friend was the middle of three kids and didn’t get money, so I was the hub.

The Amiga 500 was next on the list, but the same thing happened and not a disposable income, practically everyone was in cahoots with X-COPY. I believe in The Last Gamer never owned an Amiga game back in the day. Turned that around, didn’t he?

PC ‘big boxes’ were the best and for a while, I had accumulated a large collection of LucasArts and Sierra games, but the natural transition at the time was to get rid of them due to space and moving on.

I hardly miss them as if they were a lost pet, but if I had the choice to have them again, I would. Even if I no longer have a 486.

Check out this insane big box collection rendered in 3D – it didn’t take me long to clock Blade Runner in there!

It’s taken me months to realise that posting about gaming news and reviews on Instagram is pointless – people want to see collections. We’re all accumulating libraries of retro games, hard-to-find titles or special editions that include the toenails of a Xenomorph.

My bookcases are looking a little cluttered these days with the boxes of SNES games, PS3 titles and practically every major console since the NES making excellent paperweights that “I’ll definitely set up and play this weekend”.

I’ve concluded that I’m going to go digital. Following lockdown, being unable to haul in PS2 games from the local CEX (a UK equivalent of GameStop), then the announcement of the upcoming PS5 Digital Edition, it’s time to try something new.

At the time of writing, I have around 350 games on the Switch, and less than 30 are physical. That’s mad that I can carry my library (on multiple microSD cards) in my mitts. It’s like the iPod all over again – how many songs?! 

Still, while I type this sprawled out on the bed with the TV on (that’s not usually how I roll – I roll like this: weeeeeee! ), I’m looking at the various titles on my shelves. 

• Jurassic Park for the SNES 
• Devil May Cry 4 on the PS3
• One of my favourite games of all time – Catherine: Full Body on the PS4 which I still haven’t opened
• Or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition on the Switch that I’ve played twice since I bought it almost six months ago.

Will I ever play these games? Probably not the way I’m going, but it’s great to be able to pull them off the shelf, look at the inlays and cover art, hyping-up another play.

I caught my daughter going through them the other day as if she was at Blockbuster )something she’s never experienced aside from Pixel Ripped 1995. She took one out at a time, looked at the front, read the back, put back and took out another one. It was all calculated and quite heartwarming to see her show an interest.

Having a physical gaming collection is something else, but reading some of the tweets on that social platform whose name I’ve forgotten, the physical/digital divide is strong. Some being a little bit more intolerant of others’ preference. Schmucks.

Next in the list: Other Players ‘Get Me’.

3. Other Players ‘Get Me’

Gaming doesn’t create the anti-social neanderthals the media would have non-gamers believe, and are the opposite.

Sure, there are keyboard warriors that like to rip apart an opinion for the anarchy of it, but with a few exceptions, most of the gamers I speak to are articulate and passionate about their hobby.

There’s a mixed bunch out there: FPS fans, RPG and JRPG, FIFA vs PES, beat ’em ups, shoot ’em ups, retro collectors, indie fans… the list goes on.

This is a bit of an objective one for me as I seldom play online, but having dived into Twitter more recently, makes me appreciate there are so many like-minded people out there that share your enthusiasm and in a healthy way.

Not all social media interactions are toxic, but so many gamers whine!

While sports fans can quote player stats, when so-and-so won the cup, or where their team colours on match day, gamers talk about headshots, who they wooed in Mass Effect or The Witcher 3 and whether you should go for a dex or strength build in Dark Souls. Maybe even focus on a magic build?

Conventions are another thing. Marvel and DC have their superhero cosplay, Star Trek has Chewbacca, but have you seen some of the God of War costumes or any of the Blizzard-themed ones such as Warcraft? Not all cosplayers are scantily clad D.Va fans.

I was going to post images, but that felt too spammy. Do your own research ^ ^

The gaming community is like being at a metal gig (the music kind), and all the camaraderie shared that I’ve often seen missing from other genres – like Kenny G concerts.

I hadn’t spoken to a good friend of mine, around the same age, and after catching up, we went back into talking about games – nothing too geeky, just recommending titles to one another which is as enjoyable as sharing music tastes.

Without a doubt, local multiplayer is one of my favourite aspects when it comes to gaming. Unfortunately, you can no longer pull the cords of the controllers to sabotage the other player, but playing with another person changes a game.

Gang Beasts, FIFA, Gran Turismo, Streets of Rage 4… the list goes on. And of course, you can’t dismiss a party game where it only functions with additional hands – Use Your Words, 1-2 Switch and Hide and Seek are a few that come to mind.

A bit weak this one, but let’s head onto The Glory on the next page.

4 The Glory

Game trophies feel like a waste of time. You play a game for the story, gameplay, experience, distraction – you name it, but it’s never about collecting awards.

As per the last entry, I don’t actively get involved in online gaming, so I’m not part of a group, don’t have a couple of buddies I hit up for a quick game on Destiny 2, Dark Souls 3 or Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands (brought those up because they were the games I played with friends online). Nor do I stream or record my gameplay (other than an experiment with the opening gameplay for games I had.

So why do I feel the need to unlock trophies? No one will see them. At the moment there are a couple of titles I’d love to get the platinum for: Final Fantasy VII Remake and UFC 3. 

While I’m just over halfway (at a guess) with FFVII, I realise that to get 100%, I need to finish the game on the hard setting, and considering the trouble I’m having now… well, let’s just say it’s elusive.

With UFC 3, I’ve slain the career mode (it’s quite easy with the right stats), but to get the trophies, you need to play online and maaaaaan, I suck. My first game took six consecutive knockouts until the other guy rage quit.

Is there any point in striving for more trophies if no one will see? I’m certainly not one to brag about it, and my family aren’t fussed – it’s just that completionist satisfaction of getting value from a title. Not necessarily your money’s worth, but investing enough time to see the rewards that you, yes you, are a pro gamer and have just unlocked a platinum for My Name is Mayo (the second reference, but it’s the easiest platinum).

I’ve been ambitious in that I’ve aimed for glory with the Assassin’s Creed games, but it just gets fiddly. As a point and click fan, with most titles the difficulty is down to the puzzles not whether you are likely to die or not, so it’s relatively simple to get your bragging rights in the form of easy trophies.

The Switch doesn’t have this fickle system, and I love it for that. However, I’m noticing a pattern that whenever a game has in-game achievements, I start wagging my tail. Who will I share them with? Nobody, but it’s another reason to push that little bit further and win some more loot.

…and perhaps the main reasoning behind why I can’t quit gaming, It Makes Me Happy, on the next page.

5. It Makes Me Happy

The bottom line of it all, I can’t quit gaming as it makes me happy, plus there are many other benefits.

Music is my biggest passion and believe it or not; I’d choose it over gaming. That said, I don’t want to write about it or try and show off my vocabulary like some of the write-ups you see on Spotify, NME or public toilets.

However, if I’m not in the right frame of mind, I can’t focus. Music only distracts me so much – I need to do something with my hands too. Steady.

When I play a game, I switch off. I can hold a conversation and play a game at the same time (there are so many people I see who can’t do that). If it’s a narrative-driven game or simply a cutscene, then yes, I will give you the death-stare, but once play commences, I’m back again.

The more games I review, the higher the probability of a bad title. I don’t see them that much, and I’d like to think I’m kind but fair in my assessments. It’s rare that I hate a game with a passion or want to rage quite it.

That said, a story I always bring up would be Ninja Gaiden Sigma during a lava scene. I’ve never been so angry at a game that I threw my controller and rage quit. After a few days, the game was finished, and I moved on, but haven’t played it to this day.

But it’s the memories too. As I see these Reunited Apart videos Josh Gad is behind; I’m reliving the lines from Back to the Future or Ghostbusters and keen to watch the films again.

That happens with games too. There are other gamers sharing images on Twitter of their recent hauls. From Spectrum games (The Hit Squad stuff – see this excellent site for gaming history) to talking about their favourite Dreamcast game – I think mine is Jet Set Radio or Shenmue – or having that debate about physical vs digital once more.

Gaming makes me happy, and I’ll continue to game until my thumbs fall off, and even then, I’ll get augmented ones like something from Deus Ex, The Red Strings Club or even ARMS.

This has got to be one of the messiest things I’ve written and taken far too long as I haven’t planned it well at all. Still, I’d like to think you’ve read a few sentences here and there, and the ones you did, you liked and perhaps share the sentiments.

For my next feature, it will be something more of a list, but for not I think I’ll stick to news and reviews before doing something like this again – unless it proves popular with people other than my mum.

Thanks for reading, and don’t quit gaming.

The last bit is a fragmented disclaimer I wrote and wasn’t sure to keep it in or not. As I’ve written it now, feel free to go to the next page. It’s a moral thing, so bring a hot drink.

Finally, the He-Man moral at the end of the story (if you’re unfamiliar with this concept, I feel for you). Gaming is a hobby, possibly lifestyle, but everything in life should be in moderation.

If gaming is taking over your life (or someone else you know), affecting your relationships and overall health, you need to reach out. This feature was never written with the intent to be preachy, but I would hate to think this was interpreted as a dismissive look at addiction – that’s not the case at all.

I don’t have the answers, but I suggest you make contact with someone. Social media isn’t as bad as people would have you believe, but there are undoubtedly reliable support groups that can help you if you have a genuine problem. Gaming can sometimes help with milder issues, however.

On a lighter note, as long as your gaming habit is in moderation and you do ‘other stuff’, don’t always be shoehorned into what someone else wants you to be. I sold my Dreamcast (the second one) and regretted it. In the years that passed, I bought two more. They didn’t break the bank, but if I kept it in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to repurchase.

I’m not even remotely a therapist, but follow me on Twitter and get in touch if you want to share your thoughts 🙂