I've never been very good at video games, but there are a lot of video games that appealed to people like me. Many games are basically roller coasters that show you a good time without demanding too much of you.
More recently I've been trying to force myself into games that demand that you "git gud" (namely, Megaman X) and while it's defi…
I've never been very good at video games, but there are a lot of video games that appealed to people like me. Many games are basically roller coasters that show you a good time without demanding too much of you.
More recently I've been trying to force myself into games that demand that you "git gud" (namely, Megaman X) and while it's definitely frustrating to die over and over, I quickly realized that "shooting all the guys" isn't the game. The game is learning the tricky patterns the developers laid out for you, and being able to perform them reliably. Every game over that sends you back to the start of the level is an opportunity to practice again. Every time I play it a little bit better. I try a jump differently because the other jump wasn't working, I try to make a shot that seems like an opportunity if I'm fast. I can see it paying off and it's cool. Beating the last boss is satisfying not just because he was hard, but because I remember the previous five times I tried and saw that I was getting closer every time.
I’m shit at video games and have only ever managed to make it a small way into Bloodborne, but I keep inching along because, yeah, the learning curve is so goddamn satisfying. I’d never experienced anything like it before - figuring out how to get past the first horde of guys took me probably 50 tries, but the feeling of breaking past the last zombie asshole into the piece of terrain beyond felt like I’d *accomplished* something. …And then when I immediately died at the hands of the first new zombie asshole waiting for me, I wasn’t disappointed but excited to blow through the first 50 again and get beyond 51. It’s great game design - it plants these little discoveries at just the right intervals to push you on to the next thing.
I've never been very good at video games, but there are a lot of video games that appealed to people like me. Many games are basically roller coasters that show you a good time without demanding too much of you.
More recently I've been trying to force myself into games that demand that you "git gud" (namely, Megaman X) and while it's definitely frustrating to die over and over, I quickly realized that "shooting all the guys" isn't the game. The game is learning the tricky patterns the developers laid out for you, and being able to perform them reliably. Every game over that sends you back to the start of the level is an opportunity to practice again. Every time I play it a little bit better. I try a jump differently because the other jump wasn't working, I try to make a shot that seems like an opportunity if I'm fast. I can see it paying off and it's cool. Beating the last boss is satisfying not just because he was hard, but because I remember the previous five times I tried and saw that I was getting closer every time.
I’m shit at video games and have only ever managed to make it a small way into Bloodborne, but I keep inching along because, yeah, the learning curve is so goddamn satisfying. I’d never experienced anything like it before - figuring out how to get past the first horde of guys took me probably 50 tries, but the feeling of breaking past the last zombie asshole into the piece of terrain beyond felt like I’d *accomplished* something. …And then when I immediately died at the hands of the first new zombie asshole waiting for me, I wasn’t disappointed but excited to blow through the first 50 again and get beyond 51. It’s great game design - it plants these little discoveries at just the right intervals to push you on to the next thing.