• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.

Discussion How often do you finish video games?

How often do you finish video games?

  • Always

    Votes: 5 5.0%

  • Almost always

    Votes: 52 52.0%

  • Often

    Votes: 25 25.0%

  • Sometimes

    Votes: 13 13.0%

  • Rarely

    Votes: 5 5.0%

  • Almost Never

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Never

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    100
big lantern ghost

big lantern ghost

toxic positivity
Moderator
Pronouns
he/him
Hey hi hello. How often do you finish video games? Growing up I felt like I got a sense of closure — dare I say catharsis — from finishing a game. The older I get, the less I find this to be true for myself. If I get too lost or too stuck or something new and interesting comes out before I reach the end of what I’m playing, I don’t have much of a problem with leaving it unfinished and moving on.

I think a couple of years ago I would have voted “rarely,” but my finishing rate has picked up a bit recently, so I’m going to go with “sometimes”!

What say you, Family Boards?
 
Finish?

shaq-laughing-pointing-finger-ns2fqqh0dyjpd6m4.gif
 
I’d say there’s a tipping point for me. If I’ve enjoyed a game long enough to really get my head around its core mechanics, it’s most likely I’ll stick it out to the end.

Not only that, but I’m more likely to experiment with a game I’m less sure about the less it costs. So I’ll pick up a £5 indie game in a genre I don’t usually enjoy if friends recommend it, but I won’t pick up a £60 game unless I’m very sure I’ll enjoy it. I know my tastes by now.

So I’d say I probably abandon maybe 20% of the games I start, but almost all of those are games I’m taking a relatively cheap gamble on, and almost all of those are abandoned in the first couple of hours.
 
uncommon

I pick away at things over time unless I'm deeply enthralled
 
I’m used to finishing games because as a kid I didn’t get a massive amount of games and had to finish what I had. As I get older and have less time I do find myself dropping games but not super often. I usually only do it if I’m not really enjoying what I’m playing or if a game has an overwhelming amount of content (looking at you, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate).

Retro games though? I rarely finish those. I play most NSO games for like an hour max before dropping them. I find it really hard to get into most of them, even the ones hailed as masterpieces. Like I think the only game on the SNES app I’ve finished is Super Metroid, which I’ve beaten twice.
 
0
Almost always, which sucks when the game is overlong. I just feel like I owe it to the devs to see it out to the end to see if there's anything special left to see, and I want to have an opinion on the game that's fully formed and not based on half the experience.

In some games that causes me to play way, way past where I'm having fun. Great example is Persona 5. It had a fun and interesting first 10 hours that I loved. By 40 hours I was very bored and frustrated, but that initial time investment kept me hopeful it would all hang together. I still played for the next 40-50 hours just in case it got better. It didn't, and I felt like a fool. I don't have that kind of free time to just burn on experiences I don't love any more. I could have played 5 wonderful 10 hour games in that time.

Wasted time is the primary reason I've given up on JRPGs for good. I know I won't be able to quit one if I don't like it.
 
0
almost always. if I like a game and I like most games then I will finish it which is usually the story mode or campaign. 100% completion if I reeeally like it and time permits.

if I hate a game I sometimes hatefinish it if the game is short just to get it over with. other times I'll drop it which is the more normal reaction lol
 
I finish most games I play and have played enough genres to usually know what I don't like. I try to focus on one game at a time and it usually works out well.
 
Lately? Not much at all.
I think the last game I completed was in February. Nier automata.
I was playing Sea of Stars alongside it but dropped it because I got entralled in Nier.
Got almost done with SMRPG but combat was mostly one dimensional and I stopped playing for a day and that snowballed.
Been off and on disco Elysium for awhile but I'll probably finish it at some point.

Other than that I've only been playing Rogue lites. Or replaying them. Hades, Dead Cells. Which there really isn't "beating" them unless you count the credits the ending


Edit: and I'm stuck on ANIMAL WELL but I'll definitely finish this one as I'm about 70%(?) Done
 
Recently, I'd say almost always. Generally a game needs to be doing something pretty obnoxious to push me away and get me to definitively put it down

Also a factor, these days I try to only have like 2 or 3 games going at a time, max. So keeping to a kind of "1 in, 1 out" system helps me to stay focused and see things through to the end because I have to consciously decide "I am going to stop playing this game". It also has the side effect though that I'll sometimes get real hesitant about starting something that's gonna take me a long time
 
Not often anymore. I buy a lot of games since I’m no longer as constricted by affordability with a combination of a higher paying job and increased patience to wait for sales.

I only finish the games that really hold my attention, and when I finish those games, I typically go for 100%. It’s far more likely for me to play a game for as long as I have fun with it then move on. The main issue is that sometimes I simply don’t get to certain games I bought on sale.
 
I am almost pathologically incapable of finishing things, so it's impressive that I finish as many games as I do now that I think about it. These days if I actually commit to a game I usually finish it, but I have no problem at all consciously dropping something if I don't enjoy the fundamentals after a bit. I can play a few levels of a platformer and have a pretty good idea if there's any merit to it its controls and level design.
 
Suswave said:
uncommon

I pick away at things over time unless I'm deeply enthralled
Click to expand...
Yeah this is it for me. It's pretty typical for me to play a game over months or even years. I probably finish around 5-7 new games a year on average.
 
Almost always. Money isn't something I can spend frivolously so if I spend any recreational funds on a game i'm going to finish it unless I hate it.
 
0
I don't finish games as much as I'd like but I still finish games often. I do have a bad habit of getting tunnel vision and trying to finish a game even when I need a break from it, which can make me like a game less.
 
Ironically, as I age... I actually finish more games. I used to drop or suspend game runs easily when I'm younger. But now... perhaps it's the 'Completed games thread' motivation or just willing-myself-to-kinda-see-the-bright-side. OR it might be that the quality of games have improved comparatively to my lower standards. I generally enjoy the games I play. Even the ones that have a lot of flaws.

Unless it is one of those forever games or it is just REALLY bad, I generally finish whatever game I start. That said, the moment credits roll and I know there's not much important beats beyond that... I move on almost immediately.
 
My biggest weakness is buying games and not finishing them or moving on before finishing. But, I’ve also realized that if I never go back to a game, I probably got what I wanted from it and that’s OK too.
 
Pretty often. Anything that I really enjoy gets finished - probably not 100%, but main story finished.

The exception is usually those kind of cheaper indie or eShop games that I roll the dice on. If I'm not enjoying something after an hour or two and I only put $10 into it, I'll probably drop it and move on.

I can't remember the last $60 game that I didn't finish, though.
 
0
For years I used to work in a movie/games rental shop so I had pretty much every ps3/ps4 game available any time for free. During that period I played hundreds of games, but I must only finished less than 10% of them. Turns out if I have so many options available it's easy for me to drop a game at the very first instance of boredom or annoyance.
It became so bad that there was a period that I thought I was done with gaming. The game that rejuvenated my interest was Far Cry 3 due to the tropical setting that I love in games.
It's one of the reasons I would never get gamepass. Cause I know that I would simply drop games left and right.

Today I have to buy the games I play so I "force" myself to finish them. Once in a while I will drop a game, but it's like 5% of the games I play.
 
99% of the time, I'd say.

For example, I have about 120 Switch games and there's only 1 I haven't finished: Baba Is You, because I'm dumb. Looking back on the Wii U and Wii generations, I finished all games I own for those systems.

I guess I'm in the minority in the sense that I usually play only one game, beat it, and move on to the next. Most people I know play many games simultaneously and don't finish them.
 
Still feel pressure to finish them, because I paid money and I want to see the whole artistic picture of the devs.

But with age I get better and better at dropping games that are just not fun for me.
Also I am much more selectively now in which games I buy, that's why I still finish a lot.
 
0
As I've gotten older and more focused, as well as better at most genres, I tend to finish most of the games I play now, even going back and beating ones I never finished when I was younger.

There's a few exceptions, stuff like Octopath Traveler where I hit a wall and end up dropping or stuff like Daemon X Machina where I got bored of it before I finished it. Endless Ocean: Luminous I might end up dropping before I finish the story because the amount of fish you need to scan to unlock a chapter is a bit too much for me and I'd rather play something else

But yeah, most games now I'll at least get to credits and there's quite a few where I'll do close to 100% as well if I'm feeling it
 
Sometimes - I've been better as I've gotten older at finishing games I start. I used to just happen to not complete games - get stuck or bored and stop playing without thinking about it. Now I think a little more and can decide if a game is worth finishing or not. Most of my Switch games have been beaten or I have decided that it isn't worth my time to complete them.

I'm not opposed to finishing games I have let sit for years, either. Earlier this year I happened to beat Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on a save file I started in 2017 and stopped playing in 2019 only ~10 hours away from the end.
 
We'd have to play games to be able to finish them, and there's nobody on this wholesome, Christian site that would do anything so vile!
 
I don't really have an exact number or anything but even if i'm enjoying a game i'm probably more likely to not finish it than finish it, i'll do things like stop playing it for a few days for no particular reason which gradually turns into never going back to it

more concerning is that on top of not finishing most games I start I also never even start most games I buy
 
I'm a bit OCD so I finish virtually every game I start unless i absolutely despise it. I beat every game I played last year and every game I played this year.... except one: Silent Hill: The Short Message. Just absolutely atrocious.
 
I finish most games I start. Usual exception is when I get out of it for one reason or another (IRL stuff) and I just can't get back into the groove of it.

To view the content, you need to Sign In or Register.
 
Almost always these days. It helps that I'm better at knowing my own tastes than I used to be, and I don't feel any pressure to try The Next Big Thing the way I probably used to, so it's rare I play something that's not going to click.

Now I'm working on avoiding buying games I won't get around to playing in the near future. I've largely succeeded, but last year's combo of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters and the Baten Kaitos remasters continues to haunt me slightly. And my pre-2023 Pile of Shame is more or less the same size.
 
komicer said:
perhaps it's the 'Completed games thread' motivation
Click to expand...
Why thank you for the endorsement

freedomseekr said:
Usual exception is when I get out of it for one reason or another (IRL stuff) and I just can't get back into the groove of it.

* Hidden text: cannot be quoted. *
Click to expand...
You get a sympathy Yeah from me. Hope things pick up.

More on topic... surprisingly I finish almost everything I buy. It just takes longer to finish games I'm not that enthused about. Could even take years.
 
0
I try to finish any game that I purchase at least. Even if a game is bad, I think there's merit to seeing it through. I've played plenty of bad games that I found something enjoyable about in the latter half, even if its just a cool character design or something else to that effect.
 
These days, rarely, often times I end up spending so much time in a single game, that I'll sometimes leave them without finishing their main story/component. If it's a linear game, I'll typically finish it, though.
 
99% of the time yes, and there are a few exceptions if I stop a game. Now it's WHEN I get to them is the question...
 
I'd say roughly 80% of the time. The other 20% is usually games I start, play for a very short amount of time and refund because it didn't click. If I put a good chunk of time in a game I will finish it 99% of the time.
 
0
Unless the game is bad or I really don't enjoy them, I finish it at least once. I did drop games on replays more occasionally, though. Just as an example of games I drop during the first playthrough, I drop Baten Kaitos Origins since I absolutely despised the combat system (largest downgrade from original to second game I have ever seen. The first one had an amazing combat) and I also drop back on the 3DS Mario&Luigi Dream Team Bros due to the forced mandatory combat gimmick. These are two of the most highest profile games.
 
Not a lot. I find most games, even ones I enjoy, max out around 40 hours for me. Recently I've stopped playing FFVII Rebirth at 50 hours and Persona 3 Reload at 40 hours because I just already feel like I've seen everything they have to offer, at least from a mechanical perspective, you know? Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was the same thing, like am I really donna drag ass through another 30-40 hours of these games doing the same things over and over and fighting all the battles the same way I'm already bored of just to see more cheesy anime story that doesn't even really make sense? Probably not.

Rarely a game will hold my interest beyond that point though and those end up being my 'all timers'. Zelda BOTW / TOTK, Stardew Valley, etc.
 
If I start a game I finish it. Some of my playtimes takes multiple months but they always end one way or another. Nowadays we don't get many meaty games anyway, I don't have a lot of playthroughs that exceed one week. Those who do are mainly from Atlus lol
 
0
More than I used to, I'm easily distracted but have tried with some success to focus more on games I'm enjoying. And if I'm starting to fill like I've had my fill, I can just rush to the end if that's an option.

I try to give games I'm not enjoying a chance, some take time to click, but sometimes my patience runs out or the game doesn't get better (or it gets worse) and I'll drop them.
 
Unless I hate it or some horrific personal thing happens that kills my want to play it I'm usually good at finishing games I start.

What I'm bad at is finishing them at a good pace. I like playing slow and usually rotate between a couple of games at a time, so playthroughs typically take a while (especially long stuff like RPGs.)
 
0
I have a lot of unfinished games, but I often intend to come back. I don't have a problem jumping back into a game after months or even years, I don't restart them. I usually give games multiple chances even if I don't fully vibe with them, Xenoblade 2 for example I gave about 4 "last chances" before finally concluding that I hate the characters and writing so much that it's a waste of time for me to keep playing.

It's actually extremely uncommon that I finish a game within weeks of starting it, I almost always jump around or get busy. Not a big problem for me, but I wanted to try to dive deep into one game at a time this year... which failed because I got very busy lol Still right outside Kalm on Rebirth as frequent readers will know! Even many favourites of mine are games that I had large gaps in playing.

All that to say I finish around 5-10 games a year, with many of them being finishing up the last couple of hours of games I've started years ago. At least that's how it's been for a while now.
 
I finish almost every game I decide to play eventually. If I’m not vibing with a game I tend to just throw it back into the backlog and will return when I’m in the mood for it which could be months, years, or even a decade or two later. There’s very few I hard drop or entirely nope out of and I don’t mind playing a “bad” game once in a while. I usually beat about 50 games a year. Currently at 20 this year since there are so many extra huge games this year lol.
 
0
about 90% of the games i've played i don't reach the end, and honestly i think that's actually great.

video games aren't really like movies and shows a lot of the time. once you've experienced the opening hours, you'll generally have a strong concept of how the rest of the game plays out, and it's extremely rare for inherently new big mechanics for pop up very late in the game so it's a pretty similar experience throughout.

like ive never finished Bayonetta, and i actually love that game. i only stopped around the last couple of chapters for no special reason, and that's all good. my experience with the game is great and i can talk about it with anyone just as validly as anything else.

there's certain games with exceptional stories where you're definitely missing out big time, but if a game has me hooked narratively im not dipping out halfway regardless. that's just the nature of a great story at work.

people consistently see it as bad and a 'failure' to leave games unfinished, but in reality you're just using that time for newer fresher experiences most of the time in place of a game you already have a very strong gist of. there's nothing actually wrong with that, it's just prioritizing your own enjoyment.
 
Last edited:
About 95%.

I even platinumed stuff like Days Gone. But that was mostly because I thought there were redeeming features.

It did not
 
I went for almost always. I don't have any problems with dropping a game if I'm not feeling it, or saying to myself "you know this has been a great 30 hours but I've had my fill" if it's something I've enjoyed the gameplay loop on but not to do 60 hours or whatever, but I think I generally do a good job of picking out stuff I think I'm going to really like anyway, so most games I see to completion.

Really though, folks should not feel bad about playing as little or as much of a game as they like, I know some folks who feel like that not completing a game is a bad conclusion but if you got your money's worth or enjoyment, it's fine. Life is too short.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom