Does anybody else feel guilty about replaying games?

[Drathnoxis]

I've got tons and tons of games on my backlog that I've never played, but all I really feel like doing right now is replaying games that I've already played a dozen times. I got stuck into Pikmin for a while and now I feel like playing every game from Mario RPG to Super Paper Mario.

I really should play something I bought years ago and never played, though...

 

[Hawki]

Not really. I've got a kind of 'media list' that kind of prevents me from replaying games, or at least, directs me to playing new ones. If anything, I feel guilty about not replaying certain games, because there's always going to be the odd one that I insist is good/bad despite not having played it in years.

Same goes for a lot of stuff.

 

[Dreiko]

I generally don't replay games because I have a perfect memory so I literally know and see everything coming a mile ahead so there's no suspense. I also don't rewatch movies and stuff. I can barely read a manga that has been adapted in an anime (those usually go further along the plot so they're worth reading even if you saw the anime) and that's because the reading experience is much different.

But I still get what you describe because I play competitive multiplayer stuff and those have basically endless playtime so I do think about how many other games I could play in the 5000 hours I spent playing Blazblue over the last decade for example lol.

 

[BrawlMan]

No. Most games I have done to completion, and I play what I damn well please.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Not at all. If anything I like the feeling of getting my money back if and when I do replay them.

 

[Casual Shinji]

If you mean feeling guilty that I'm not giving other entertainment my attention, then no. I owe them nothing. I mean, if I bought a whole bunch of games but couldn't bring myself to actually play them I'd just feel annoyed with myself, not guilty.

 

[Ghostrick Dorklord]

Well not really? I know I have a massive backlog to tackle but its always going to be put on hold anyways.

However I've been finding it incredibly hard to find reasons to replay games. Maybe because I've played a TON of Yakuza 0 I've barely been doing the extra stuff in the "later" games and just want to try to beat the games as soon as I can before 7 comes out despite the fact I praised the amount of things you can do in the games. I know I shouldn't rush these games because they feel more like an experience but I'm kiiind of an impatient guy.

Idk I'm not a completionist like how I used to be in the past so I just play games until I feel like I finished them so I can move on to the next thing. It also kind of doesn't help that when I crave a game I've previously played its usually on an older system so I have to pull strings to get it playing. I will say though whenever I need comfort food I usually go to one of those games I really liked and replay them but that's just me.

 

[wings012]

My friend started playing Prey 2017 for the first time which spurred me to replay it so we can have conversations about it. I also pretty much forgot a lot of the finer details of Prey so well, why not. Though he's finished the game before I did and I don't feel like finishing it anymore. I did play differently this time around. Previously I mostly stuck to Human ability upgrades and pretty much only had one level in Kinetic Blast. Now I maxed out Psychoshock and Kinetic Blast which I use very liberally, and also used Mimicry for the first time ever. Yes, I finished Prey 2 years ago without ever having turned into a coffee mug. So I think I got a little something out of replaying Prey.

I'm also guilty of replaying Deux Ex, Fallout 2 and some other games a whole bunch of times. With the Master Chief Collection, I've also been revisiting all the Halo games. Though with Halo Reach, 2 and 3, I only ever played co-op with my friends on their consoles since I never owned those consoles. So doing a solo run through them is quite fresh. Often times I am tired with work and stuff, want to play something and also want the comfort of familiarity which can lead me to replay old games that I have nostalgia rose tinted goggles for.

That said I do feel like, why am I wasting time reliving old experiences when I could experience something new? I guess I feel a little guilt? But like, at the end of the day it's all rather unproductive shit we do for entertainment's sake which is the mental upkeep we need to keep on going with other less entertaining aspects of life. So it doesn't really matter how you go about doing it.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

There's a lot of stuff that brings guilt, usually the crimes and messed up twisted thoughts spiralling towards death mainly, but only feel guilt if playing videogames is part of procrastination of actual productive work. It is a rather self-indulgent hobby. Well suited to isolation and misanthropia.

 

[happyninja42]

I've got tons and tons of games on my backlog that I've never played, but all I really feel like doing right now is replaying games that I've already played a dozen times. I got stuck into Pikmin for a while and now I feel like playing every game from Mario RPG to Super Paper Mario.

I really should play something I bought years ago and never played, though...

No, just like I don't feel guilty about rewatching a film I enjoy, when there are other movies I haven't seen yet.

 

[Palindromemordnilap]

I misread the title as “Does anyone else feel guilty about roleplaying games?” and was very confused. But now I’m here might as well be on topic, so no I don’t feel bad replaying games. They exist to be played. I will add though that I don’t have too big a library of games, so I don’t have a massive backlog of unplayed ones to feel “guilty” about

 

[CriticalGaming]

Many games have new game plus modes. Does that count as replaying? Because ng+ is some of the most fun certain games have. Souls games. Diablo games. Rpgs. Its awesome.

Why feel guilty?

 

[Drathnoxis]

Many games have new game plus modes. Does that count as replaying? Because ng+ is some of the most fun certain games have. Souls games. Diablo games. Rpgs. Its awesome.

Why feel guilty?

Because I'm not making any progress on my backlog. I don't want to die with 50 unplayed games sitting on my shelf.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Maybe to an extent, when someone borrows you a game to play but you’re busy neck deep in the meantime with another one, even if they said no rush.

But for games I’ve boughten...I’ve realized that it’s counterproductive to play something that’s meant for entertainment purposes out of a sense of obligation. I’ll wait until the mood strikes, which it often does. In the meantime, I’ve also learned to curtail my gaming purchases to only stuff that is bound to be interesting based on personal tastes. Everything else must be steeply discounted to where it wouldn’t bother me if I never finish it for whatever reason.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Because I'm not making any progress on my backlog. I don't want to die with 50 unplayed games sitting on my shelf.

Just do what I do and call yourself a "collector", that way you aren't obligated to playing everything.

"Why do you have all these games? Have you played all this?"

"Naw, I'm a collector."

Problem solved.

 

[Dalisclock]

A little bit but I don't replay games very often as it is. Normally when I do they're short games I can get through fairly quickly.

I actually have a bigger problem with when a game feels like it's dragging on too long, I start getting antsy about playing a game I'm not enjoying as much but I want to complete it. Because of that I've either rushed to the end or just stopped and hope I finish it later. Some really long games have had this issue (MGSV was pretty bad about it and I was really tempted to drop it after act 1, and arguably, there's not much plot after act 1 so I wouldn't have missed much other then looking for all the war orphans, "A Quiet Exit" and the mission with the infested soldiers).

I've made some decent progress this year in going back and knocking out some of the games I left unfinished, such as The Saboteur. There's a couple others I hit a difficulty spike, stopped and never got back to it(like Salty Sanctury and Hyper Light Drifter).

 

[Kae]

I get it, I rarely ever play and now I'm bothering to re-play something I've already completed?

Seems like a terrible idea to replay something when there's so much stuff that I haven't given a chance to, but I'll admit it's much easier with longer games, that being said it's actually very uncommon for me to re-play any games.

 

[SupahEwok]

I feel guilty when I indulge in pleasures at the expense of responsibilities. But if I'm free and clear of responsibilities, I don't see why I should flagellate myself over how I indulge in pleasure.

 

[CaitSeith]

I feel guilty when I indulge in pleasures at the expense of responsibilities. But if I'm free and clear of responsibilities, I don't see why I should flagellate myself over how I indulge in pleasure.

Maybe there is a certain sense of responsibility from having spent money into something you aren't using. However, it isn't like games are perishables with expiration date or something, so that sense of "I paid money for this crap, so I have to play it!" is purely psychological...

 

[CaitSeith]

Because I'm not making any progress on my backlog. I don't want to die with 50 unplayed games sitting on my shelf.

That would make a pretty unique epitaph.

Here lies Drathnoxis and the following 50 games they didn't play: