Why Some Cannot Finish Video Games

I’ve seen a rash number of “Why can’t I finish video games” or “Why don’t I have the motivation to finish video games” on Reddit, Twitter, personal blogs, etc. over the last couple of years. I myself have a considerable backlog of games, and I typically have one excuse or another why I haven’t finished them. I’m too busy. I don’t have time. So many games are coming out at once. We slap so many excuses as to why a game hasn’t been finished. It’s easy to explain when you don’t like a game, but what about those games you do like but have never finished? That’s where the crazy excuses come running out.

I’ve said quite a few times that the reason why I don’t get far into The Witcher 3 is because I get too distracted picking weeds. That is true; I really did spend over an hour and a half picking weeds and doing side quests before I reached the first town. At that point, I was distracted by something else, either a new game or a review assignment and I never got back to that epic tale. However, I know there’s really another reason why I haven’t finished it, that true underlying reason that explains most of why we don’t finish what we start.

While we may have a million reasons why we haven’t finished a game or why we suddenly don’t have the motivation to finish a game, many of the reasons can be bundled into five categories. As you would expect from the headline of this opinion piece, I’ve listed them out very nicely for you.

There’s also the joy of finishing a game too quickly and being left alone in your grave disappointment. Oh The Order: 1886, I’m looking at you.

Shortpacked! finishing video games — Courtesy of Shortpacked! by David Willis

Have any experiences in avoiding finishing a game or finishing a game too quickly? Share them below!

Essential Reading:

Why Games Aren't Finished

Why Games Aren't Finished #1
Real Life Invades

Darn real life with your things to do, places to go, and people to see. Darn you for making me need a paycheck so my needy family can eat. Doesn't real life understand how much all this job thing and family thing and keeping friends thing takes away from gaming time? Of course it doesn't. Real life is selfish. Real life never understands my basic gaming needs. Real life is responsible for my ginormous stack of shame. Not me. Nope. It's all real life's fault.
No Sir, I Don't Like It

It sucks when it happens, but sometimes that game you paid your hard-earned money for just sucks monkey balls. It doesn't matter if it was a critical and consumer flop or you're the only one in the world who hates it. Playing for another second is just sheer torture. It's time to call it quits and trade in the title to your retailer of choice for credit toward that other game that surely won't suck as much. Usually there's a step in here to go to your favorite social media outlet and yell at the world that this game sucks and everyone else is dumb for liking it, but you're not that guy, right? Exactly.
Oooooh, New Shiny!

You're playing Game X that you've been waiting for all year. You love it. It's everything you wanted and/or expected. Then Game Y drops. You want that too. You're about halfway done with Game X, and there's too much left of it to push through to get to Game Y in a timely fashion. Game Y is here. You can't resist it. You start playing Game Y, promising that Game X will be finished next. Then Game Z releases, rinse and repeat. Most gamers who need to play every new shiny game suffer this syndrome every Fall. Game reviewers are especially prone, because just as they begin Game X, Game T that they really don't care about came in and must be reviewed in three days. Once Game T is complete, oh look, Game Y released, ja?
That Good Ol' Quit o' Rage

This is enough said, right? We've all come to that point where we've yelled, "Screw this game!" or something far more colorful. The last time I really remember rage quitting was with Darksiders, not long after you obtain the stop/slow time ability. Just thinking about it gets me irked all over again.
Don't Want It to End

I have Dragon Age Inquisition on my PS4 unfinished. I probably have just a few more story missions to go before completing it, but I haven't. I always say I don't have time. I'm too busy with the kids' stuff. I have too many reviews right now. We were too busy this weekend. Too much work tonight. Always. Something. And yet, somehow I find the time to play LEGO games to the point of Platinuming them. Truth of the matter is, I haven't made that time to finish it because I don't want it to end. Sure, I could just play it again, but there's something special about that first time you put such an epic tale to a close. Playing the game again won't produce the same feelings. So I procrastinate on purpose. I'm fairly certain that's why I haven't gotten very far in The Witcher 3 either. If I wasn't reviewing Mass Effect 3 at the time, I'm sure I wouldn't have finished that game very quickly either.