Poll: Why the Why Should I?

[StriderShinryu]

Something I've noticed lately, and don't necessarily understand, is people asking why they should play something or why they should keep playing it. I figured it may be worth discussing so that I, at the least, can perhaps be enlightened.

The only real reason that I can think of personally is that the person may have already spent a large amount of money on the game and for some reason can't get any of that money back via sale, trade or other means. Beyond that reason, I just don't understand why someone would be essentially looking for other people to give them reasons to force themselves to enjoy a game they don't like playing.

Is peer pressure over playing certain games really that big of a deal that you just don't feel complete if you haven't played through all of (or even tried), say, Dark Souls?

Do you feel that you have to play Game X just because a lot of other people have said it's good but you don't find previews/screens/videos/etc. of it interesting at all?

What drives someone to ask those "Why should I play Game X?" or "Why should I keep playing Game X?"

Capcha: time will tell
Yes, Capcha, it hopefully will.

 

[Sixcess]

If a game is widely praised and/or extremely popular it's not unusual to get that "am I missing something?" feeling if you're playing it and not enjoying it much. I think I did a similar thread on Oblivion some time last year. Maybe Fallout 3 as well. Hmm, I'm seeing a pattern there.

Unless you are missing something then the answer is usually either a) it gets better later, or b) different people like different things and it's just not for you, but it might spark some interesting discusion.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I've tried many games that people have suggested to me, but I haven't forced myself to play through any of them I didn't like.

[sub]That's just silly.[/sub]

 

[Iwata]

Not really. I have asked if I should play a game or not, but not if I should keep playing a game I'm already playing. My experience with the game thus far should be answer enough for that.

 

[Rawne1980]

No...

Because common sense tells me if i'm not enjoying something then I should stop doing it.

 

[Clinky]

I've never forced myself to enjoy a game. I've played a game on recommendation and good words about it. But I really call myself the final word on what I find to be good or not. Which is pretty much how it should be.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

I get this with every Bethesda game I foolishly purchase.

All of my friends: "This game is amazing, you have to buy it dude."
Me: "Uhh... this is boring. Am I missing something?"
Them: "Just keep playing, it gets better!"
Me: "..."

 

[Scow2]

It's basically asking "Does it get better later, or is there context/a mechanic I'm missing out on?"

Sometimes, you need another opinion to recalibrate your expectations on a game, or advice on a way to improve the experience (Such as a not-obvious use of a particular mechanic)

Baldur's Gate and Fallout are examples of games I needed to "Try a second time" to see what was good about them.

It's not unreasonable to re-calibrate expectations on a game and try again with a better understanding of it.

 

[Elgnirp100]

Call Of Duty

My brother keeps insisting I play the multiplayer with him, telling me "you'll enjoy it once you unlock more stuff!"

I unlocked more stuff.

And more stuff.

And more.

Eventually I unlocked enough stuff and the game became more fair, both of us getting about equal kills.

But I was still finding it boring. My brother insisted "you'll get into it", but I didn't, and eventually I just gave up.

I don't really like what I define as "mindless shoot-everything games" anyway.

 

[King of Asgaard]

Ah, you saw the latest Dark Souls thread, didn't you?
OT: No, not really. I'm usually quite tolerant of annoyances, so I can tough out tedious sections. It takes a special kind of game to make me want to stop playing (FF XIII).

 

[malestrithe]

No.

If you hate the thing, you should stop doing it.

 

[distortedreality]

Wasing the where of the why?

 

[Guffe]

Same as most other comments.
If you don't like it don't play it, as simple as that. If you play it because you've put too much ooney in it and enjoyed it back then? Well times change, if you stop enjoying it stop playing it, same goes for group preassure, your friends like it? You still don't need to play it.

 

[Zhukov]

What they're actually saying is, "I dislike this game to the point that I can't think of a good reason to continue playing it."

 

[loc978]

Fuuuuuck no, I quit playing Halo and CoD4 really quickly, despite mouse control.

I jest. I beat both despite my lack of enjoyment stemming from insufficient controls and simplistic level design... Thankfully, they were short. But I sure as hell didn't like either much, and they let me know what I was going to avoid in the future.

 

[Zio_IV]

No. Why would I play a game that I don't enjoy? I could be playing other games instead.