As you might imagine, sometimes spending the entire day writing, talking, reading and thinking about the game industry leaves one with little energy, at the end of the day, for actually playing games.
If you're doing a job you enjoy for a living, you'll be able to draw parallels between the skills required for games and the skills required for work -- stuff like motivation, engagement, natural curiosity, attention to detail, climbing a learning curve, and persisting when things get difficult. If you hate your job, it's probably because it doesn't require you to do any of those things. I love my work -- I sit at home in comfy clothes and talk about games all day -- so as it turns out, my "gaming skillset" can get tired.
Generally, when all things are equal, I prefer a game that asks a lot of me. I can be pretty fickle regarding the kinds of gameplay mechanics I enjoy -- some melee games feel grueling and boring, others are exciting and help unleash aggression. I haven't figured out what the difference is, and it's doubtless something utterly subtle, possibly even whimsical. When I read about "casual" games, though, I tend to grit my teeth a little. I resent the idea of a mechanical experience, a game that hinges largely on logic and reflexes and little else. At the same time, what more than that does Guitar Hero or Elite Beat Agents require? And yet I'm addicted to those.
This week, though, I find I just don't have energy even for Guitar Hero. I have a few games still hanging around that I'm right on the verge of finishing -- No More Heroes most recently, and, believe it or not, Phantom Hourglass -- and the prospect of picking them up is a little fatiguing. Guitar Hero does take some energy, of course. One finishes a GH marathon with some sore shoulders and a hand cramp, sometimes. I think with NMH and Hourglass, I'm not just into the waiting-in-between -- the sea sailing, the city cruising. Those are things I don't mind at all, things I even like, when I've got more energy.
On the other hand, something you might associate with low energy -- Endless Ocean, for example -- does not at all pique my interest. Manhole may have done the trick for me back in the day, and it's true I don't dig games that lack an exploration component. But that's never my primary motivation.
Speaking of motivation, let's talk Richard Bartle's four gamer types: Achievers, Explorers, Socializers and Killers. I'm probably a killer. I like to consume and to wreak, and to see the impact of my actions on my environment. Doesn't necessarily have to be killing per se -- my favorite thing about Katamari Damacy is when I get big enough to roll up the most aggressive dogs or the biggest people. I played the final "Make the Moon" level many, many times, just because I love to see a trench behind me where the buildings used to be, love to roll up giant sea monsters and rainbows. Which brings me to my secondary motivation: Achievement. If I can be assigned a time for that destruction-wreaking and be scored on my performance, all the more satisfying.
My favorite game series is Metal Gear Solid, because it responds to my play style, provides me opportunities to do things "perfectly" (i.e, without being spotted, or with only headshots), and gives me feedback and rankings based on my speed and other factors, some of which are subtle. I've got Portable Ops unbeaten on PSP right now, though. Because of my fatigue and distractibility, I play a little clumsily, and when I get spotted too much I become frustrated with myself.
Here, my perfectionism is my own enemy -- playing very well becomes more important than enjoying playing. And perhaps that's a personal struggle I've got to overcome (aren't we dramatic!). But for the time being, the only things I've played all week are Harvest Moon and Pokemon. I can collect, evolve and achieve in a simplistic, soothingly cute little world where I can repeat the same actions over and over.
But as regards Harvest Moon, I finally got married, have very little left to actually accomplish in the game, and I'm losing interest. The DS version of HM doesn't have nearly the level of character depth that the GBA ones do, so I can no longer continue it based on my attachment to the townsfolk as I could with Mineral Town -- my third-tier is Socializer, and I like to develop relationships with characters. My perfectionism is starting to eat me in Pokemon, too -- longtime players probably can relate to how compulsory it can get.
I actually got Harvest Moon: Boy and Girl for PSP, which is a straight port of the two PSone titles. But I really can't abide the weird diagonal 3D, and keep comparing it in my mind to my memory of the GBA remake.
So how do I recharge my batteries, guys? Should I just skip my daily gaming for a bit until I feel motivated again? Or can you recommend something low-key and interesting for a Killer-Achiever whose gun hand is tired? Also, what type do you think you are? Take the Bartle test at GuildCafe.
I've a mind to suggest my own "gamer type" categories, and will do so at some point in the future. I'm visualizing X and Y axes, guys, so look out!
PS: Oh, Snake. Can't that Naomi make a FoxDie cure?
