Binge Player Syndrome and How It’s Hard to Go Back (Or Stop)

Perspective

Abstract: I suffer from the self-coined “Binge Player Syndrome” (BPS). I feel the urge to ‘complete’ new games, learn their language, and do so as swiftly as possible. BPS affords some benefits, like the uncanny ability to see games to their end point and the psychological reassurance of getting tasks accomplished. The downside, however, is that BPS makes it exceedingly hard to return to games left unfinished while simultaneously making it difficult to stop playing until I’ve attained ‘mastery.’ What kind of gamer are you?

Hello everyone. I have a confession to make. I suffer from “Binge Player Syndrome” (BPS). I’m not quite sure how long I’ve been affected by BPS, but it’s certainly taken a stronger hold of me since entering graduate school. But what is BPS? Am I sure I didn’t just invent the term? (I totally did.) How does it affect me on a day-to-day basis and as a gamer? Fear not, you won’t be in the dark much longer. Let me explain.

I’ve been affected by BPS for as long as I can remember playing games, but it’s certainly intensified over the past six years or so. Let me describe a few of the symptoms. It starts with an initial hesitation to begin playing a new game. This stems from a fear, or maybe not fear exactly, but a dread for what looms in my immediate future. I know that once I start a game, I’ve invested a part of myself into it. I am there to fully consume the game. I have made a commitment. The commitment can be a bit fluid, but what it ultimately comes down to is this: I will not stop playing the game until I feel like I have ‘completed’ it. Completion can mean different things for different games, but when I dedifferentiate the specifics into a general list, I get these:

·       Finish the single player mode, if the game has one.

·       Gain a near mastery* of the gameplay systems

·       Understand what the game does well and where it fails

·       At minimum, spend adequate** time in all features / modes offered

·       [For recent games] Complete an acceptable*** level of in-game achievements (trophies, Steam achievements, etc)

·       Above all, play enough to form an educated opinion

*Able to perform all tasks asked of me by the game with decent-to-excellent execution

**This can range dramatically, usually dependent on how essential I feel the mode is to the game’s sum experience.

***This point is moot for games without in-game achievements, like those on Nintendo platforms or mobile. I’ll generally look at a list, see which seem fun and/or easy to accomplish, and plan to get those ones done.

The other critical element of my BPS is, as you might have guessed, achieving this ‘completion’ in as fast a time as possible. The ‘why’ to my rapid timetable is multifaceted. Without going into too much detail, it exists as a combination of my desire to have the time to experience as many interesting games as possible, to stay on top of the constant deluge of new releases, and to not remain stagnant in how I spend my limited free time. When I start up a new game I go all in and all at once. I tend to binge a new game start to finish, uninterrupted by other games if at all possible (though I have been known to juggle as many as three titles at the same time). It’s like a good burger or plate of sushi. As much as I may try to draw out my excellent experience as long as possible, it’s usually a quite short affair. I consume. Fast.

One month into 2016 and I already have a meaty list of played games.

Further, by looking so far into the future of my time with new games, often before I even truly start, I can get caught up in the work I have ahead of me. I’ll therefore approach it like all other work I do: by buckling down and doing research. First and foremost, I need to learn the language of the game. I need to understand what the game is trying to communicate to me and the way in which it is doing so. The process is often fast as I try to approach the problem from multiple angles: experimenting with the game’s systems, scouring the in-game resources, and seeking online write-ups or guides to serve as a foundation for my endeavors. I’m gathering evidence, making observations, and (as I play) synthesizing them to not only gain mastery but also form various theses on my experience. For every new game I attempt to transform myself into the player the game wants me to be. In my experience, this gives the game its best chance to show off its strengths. By the end of my time with a game, I want to be able to speak its language.

I just started PAD. There's so much language to learn.

So what does BPS do for me? What is it good for? Above all, it makes me pretty adept at finishing games. One of the most shocking gaming statistics I’ve come across in the past few years is how few people finish the games they start. It is remarkable and, if I’m being honest, a bit sad. Prior to this last generation of consoles, it was hard to quantitate completion percentages. You could survey people, but those can easily be impacted by confounders (who wants to admit they haven’t beaten The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for example). Here is where the power of trophies / achievements come in. Most games grant an achievement for completing the single player content. For PlayStation at least, you can then look at the total percent of players that have earned the trophy for completion (measured out of the total number of individuals who have booted up the game). They are all so low. Here are just a few examples from PlayStation trophies. Only 17% of people have beaten Titan Souls. Only 22% of people have beaten Ni No Kuni. Only 10% of people have beaten Transistor. Even an easy, linear, 6.5 hour game like The Order: 1886 has only 43% of players reach the end. And the list goes on. By finishing a game, I place myself in a minority of individuals who have actually seen the experience to its conclusion.  

Transistor is amazing people! I know more
than 10% of you can beat it.

BPS is also quite good at making me feel accomplished (as superficial as it might be). I set out in the beginning of my time with a new game with a huge to-do list filled with unchecked boxes. Playing the game lets me check box after box. The credit roll lets me know that I’ve done something, that I’ve put in the work to see the game all the way through. There’s something psychologically reassuring about checking things off a list, about making gradual linear progress towards a fixed endpoint. This feeling isn’t why I play games, but it certainly enhances my time with them.

There isn’t all upside to my syndrome, of course. With good comes bad. And the worst is how BPS affects my ability to go back to old titles. Once a game has slipped out of the bubble of fervor, it is usually lost forever. Life can intervene, a new title I’ve eagerly awaited can be released before I finish, I can get bored, etc. There’s no end to the factors that can take me out of the experience. As I keep moving forward, distance rapidly grows between myself and the game I’ve been meaning to complete. And coming back is rough. It’s like being dropped in a foreign country, unclear of where to go, how to go, and how to communicate with the locals. I suspect this is a feeling shared by anyone trying to get back into a game they’ve put down for a while, but my exasperation feels so much more intense because I’m keenly aware of what I lost. I used to know the language. I used to know my way around. Further, my BPS mandates a certain level of mastery for my enjoyment. It feels awful hopping back into a game, deep into it’s content, totally unaware of what to do. So much so I’d rather just leave it be. It’s hard to go back.

Though I have left many games unfinished, a few stick out in my mind as particularly painful. One that still haunts me is Baten Kaitos on Gamecube. I loved that game. The immersive world, the card-based battle system, the cast of characters, the stunning visuals. I couldn’t tear myself away from the game. Until, for some reason , I just stopped playing. At the final dungeon. Yep. By the time my guilt for leaving Baten Kaitos incomplete finally reached its boiling point, I had totally forgotten what I was doing and how to play, stranded in story’s toughest area. I attempted on a several occasions to pick it back up to finish, but I never got my foothold. Baten Kaitos remains unfinished.

One day I'll finish you Baten Kaitos. Probably. Maybe. The chances are slim.

A more recent pair of examples are From Software’s Dark Souls II and Bloodborne. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve finished both games. I’ve also completed all in-game trophies, earning myself the platinum. What I refer to here is their respective DLCs. As much as I love both games, I consumed them like I consume all games: all at once and as completely as possible. I specced my ideal characters, beat all bosses optional or not, maxed out my upgrades, etc. But for both games, I was done within three weeks. Thus, when the DLC for each of the two games was released upwards of 6+ months later, I had lost my mastery of the Souls language. The DLC’s barrier to entry was extraordinarily high, because it meant relearning what I had binged so long ago. Again, while I’m sure I would pick it back up again, the feeling of having to do so is unpleasant (for me). Once I’ve crossed a game off my list, it generally stays crossed. Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters DLC was a huge inspiration for this piece. I own it and I’m so excited to play, but my BPS is putting up a huge wall blocking my re-entry.

Even though I am incredibly excited to play The Older Hunters DLC,
I haven't been able to get past my mental barrier to re-entry.

A final game I had originally slated to write about here was Ni No Kuni. I recently said on TIF podcast that Ni No Kuni is easily the best classic JRPG from the PS3/Xbox360 console generation. It’s a game I bought at launch in February 2013, and played for 54 hours in 2.5 weeks. It’s also a game that, until earlier this month, I had not beaten. For one reason or another, I stopped playing just before the final dungeon. Despite how much I loved the game, and desperately wanted to finish it, I couldn’t get back into it. I expected to write in this article how shameful I feel that it still sits incomplete in my gargantuan backlog. But no. Three years later I’ve beaten it. And it’s all thanks to my fiancée. Justine began playing the game in the New Year and in the process of doing so retaught me the language of the game. She helped reteach me the ins-and-outs of Familiar training and battles. She refamiliarized me with character motivations and the world’s story. Justine got me to the place where I felt comfortable jumping back in, which allowed me to get past the limitations of BPS and finally see the credits roll.

Stuck in Ding Dong Dell no longer! It felt sublime to finish Ni No Kuni.

Hand-in-hand with difficulty going back to an old game, it’s also incredibly hard to stop playing the titles I’m currently working on. I played Bloodborne non-stop for nearly three weeks. From early morning to the late hours of the night, I didn’t feel satisfied until I had ‘completed’ the game. In Bloodborne’s case, that meant beating the story, all dungeons, all bosses, and obtaining the platinum trophy. The list of things I wanted to accomplish in-game was stress inducing at times, and a clear unwanted symptom of BPS. Fallout 4 is another title I binged until I had finished. I played Fallout 4 and only Fallout 4 until I had done all named side quests and seen the game’s ending from all factions’ perspective. And I did just that. The downside, however, is now that I’ve officially ‘completed’ the game I feel no urge to go back. Fallout 4 is huge and diverse and interesting, with plenty more for me still to do, but because I’ve ‘completed’ it I imagine I will not be going back any time soon. BPS can also affect games without clear-cut endpoints, too. Take Spelunky and Nuclear Throne for example. It was hard for me to stop playing these games, even after 100+ and 60+ hours respectively. While the main reason was that I was still enjoying these titles, it also lingered in the back of my mind that I hadn’t mastered them yet. A small part of the reason I kept playing was because I wanted to gain a more nuanced understanding of their language; I wanted to be an expert. It is also the reason I figure I’ll never stop playing Spelunky or Nuclear Throne. There’s always more vocabulary to learn.

So what am I left with? I own up to having Binge Player Syndrome, for starters. It’s important for me to admit, and important for my audience to know. It colors the way I play, think, and speak about games. It comes with strengths and it comes with limitations. But hey, it’s me. What kind of player are you?

TIF Plays: A Gaming Medley
Gameplay

Hey blog! It's been a while since I posted my gameplay here. I've accumulated a nice couple of videos, so instead of posting them all separately I decided to combine them into one mini-mega-post. More Nuclear Throne goodness, and two videos from a special Friday night stream I did this past week. Check out an archive of my stream linked below, and be sure to catch me when I go live by following me on Twitter (@alexsamocha) and Twitch (MegalodonPhD) Enjoy!

The Impact Factor’s 2015 Game of the Year Awards!

Article, Part 2 of 2

Here's part two of The Impact Factor's game of the year discussion! If you missed it, you can find part one HERE. Onto more great games!

Honorable Mention: Shovel Knight, Heroes of the Storm, Rocket League, Cibele

These games were all great, but just missed the cut. These four stood out as ones that, at one point or another, were well within my top 10 games of 2015 before being shuffled out for the others I’ve listed here. Congrats to these games on a job well done!

6. Fallout 4

What can I say about Fallout 4 that hasn’t been said a million times in a million different places before? Let’s check some of the boxes off: Fallout 4 is amazing. Fallout 4 builds upon and refines the gameplay foundation laid out by Fallout 3. Fallout 4 has an immersive open world so filled with great details, side-quests and environmental storytelling you won’t ever want to leave. Fallout 4 is peerless in the type of game it tries to be. Fallout 4 gives the player agency in nearly every element of the game, creating one of the best truly role-playing games released this year. Fallout 4 finally made it fun to shoot things without the use of V.A.T.S. Phew, that’s a lot of boxes. All of that aside, Fallout 4 meant a lot to me personally. I had been craving a content dense open world for months leading up it its release. I was lukewarm on Fallout 3 but wanted to be part of the Fallout fervor. I wanted to play a game where reality would fade away, where I would be a survivor in post-nuclear war America. Fallout 4 met and exceeded all of my expectations. I essentially played the game without interruption until I had not only beaten the main story, but also accomplished nearly every in-game achievement (trophy). I loved exploring, finding the hidden richness of every nook and cranny. Voice acting added a new level of gravity to the game’s world, and for the first time I cared about the goings on of other survivors. The harshest critique I’ll levy here is that Fallout 4 is just Fallout 3, but better. Is that really so bad? I respect Fallout 4 as a game on so many different levels, not the least of which was (hopefully) setting a new precedent in which you don’t need a multi-year marketing and preview cycle to make a game a success. I can’t wait to jump back in once DLC is released.

5. Nuclear Throne

The team that made Ridiculous Fishing and Luftrausers is making a 2D twin-stick bullet hell roguelike? You had my attention, Nuclear Throne. Little did I know that attention would turn to adoration and my dabbling would turn into full on obsession. Nuclear Throne is fantastic. It’s my new Spelunky. Ponder for a second what I mean when I write that. Spelunky is in my top five favorite games of all time. Nuclear Throne is giving me the same kind of feeling that I had while I was learning Spelunky, during which every day was an adventure as I set new goals for myself. Nuclear Throne has me fully in its clutches. The team at Vlambeer know how to make a game with sublimely satisfying gameplay and a loop that hooks you, and Nuclear Throne is no different. Where it is different, though, is just how deep and nuanced a game Nuclear Throne can be. Each character you play as completely changes the way you approach the levels. The game is filled with secrets, some clear some obscure. Some that require an unfathomable level of skill. Nuclear Throne is a perfect roguelike. You never feel like stopping a run prematurely because you either took too much damage early or found bad weapons. At the end of each run, good or bad, I found myself thinking, “just one more run.” I played Nuclear Throne for over 35 hours after only two weeks of owning the game. Considering each run is usually between 5-15 minutes, that’s a whole lot of runs (& deaths). And still, I feel like I have such a long way to go because the skill ceiling is so high. I keep on coming back for more because it’s a perfect test of what I’ve learned. It’s fun, frantic, punishing, and addicting. Nuclear Throne sounds good, looks good, and is expertly designed. Of all the games on this list, Nuclear Throne is the one I’ll still be playing in 2016. And I can’t wait.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

If you were to go around the internet and see what game won the most ‘Game of the Year’ awards, it would be The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. By a landslide. For a lot of good reasons too. The Witcher 3 is one of the best open-world western RPGs ever made. The team at CD Projekt Red poured their heart and soul into the game, and it can be seen in every element of The Witcher 3. The world is expansive and brimming with things to see, people to meet, and quests to complete. The story, while simple, is easy to follow and unencumbered by usual RPG tedium. Combat is simple too, but its speed and fluidity give the player a great feeling of power. Most strikingly, every single thing in The Witcher 3 feels hand crafted. No location or path or monster is just there to fill space. Side quests are meaningful, more so than any other RPG I’ve ever played. They feel just as fleshed out as the main story quests, always having something to say or giving the player something new to do. Geralt, Yennifer, Tris and the rest of the cast are instantly familiar with distinct and charming personalities. The Witcher 3 is steeped in Slavic lore, making the monsters you fight all the more interesting (i.e. not always your standard western fantasy fare). Heck, The Witcher 3 even has a fully fleshed out card-based mini game that could have easily been a standalone release. It’s baffling to think how much work into creating The Witcher 3. But the payoff is worth it. The Witcher 3 has made me into both a Witcher and CD Projekt Red fan for life, even if I didn't like item degradation in the game. I’m so excited for what comes next.

3. SOMA

I’ll let a bit of my SOMA review serve as a quick intro, “SOMA sets a new high watermark for narrative in games. Frictional’s newest explorer slash survival horror title is a thought provoking, immersive masterpiece. Smart level and monster design keep the player actively engaged with the heady experience and maintain a great sense of momentum throughout. SOMA is deeply unnerving, content to keep you up at night rather than jump out of a dark corner to scare you.” SOMA is a game that asks the player questions about what it means to be human and what it means to die. Frictional Games matured in their storytelling, world building and gameplay in a way I never expected following Amnesia: The Dark Descent. You can tell each and every part of your trying experience in SOMA is handcrafted to immerse you in the world and the questions it asks. Long after I finished playing SOMA I wrestled with the ideas put forth by the game. How do I define my own humanity, for instance. But SOMA isn’t just some philosophy textbook. It’s a meticulously well thought out interactive experience. SOMA is a game that uses the tangibility and immersion to reinforce a narrative that could only be found in games. Frictional’s horror pedigree strengthens the game’s more terrifying moments, but also acknowledges that the scariest thing is your imagination. SOMA is easily one of the best horror games I’ve played in years and makes me so excited for the future of narrative in gaming.

2. Undertale

I was a bit late to the Undertale party, but man oh man I’m so happy I played it. This charming, old school-inspired RPG from toby fox met, exceeded, and subverted my expectations. Narrative, gameplay, fourth wall or otherwise. Undertale is a game that both stands alone as an exceptional experience as well as offers a commentary on games as a whole. The central message behind Undertale is one of non-violence or, at the very least, understanding the ramifications for your violent actions in video games. Undertale is supremely clever in doing so, with an innovative battle system and remembering your actions across play throughs or saves. The world Undertale establishes is so fully realized it comes as no surprise when you start discovering all the game’s hidden complexity. Undertale is also genuinely funny, filled with hilarious dialogue and some of the best gaming characters of 2015 (Sans and Papyrus are so great). And the music! Undertale has the best soundtrack of the year, too. I’ve seen Undertale described as a JRPG in which tedium and monotony is stripped away and replaced by humor. I can’t say I disagree (though I often like JRPG tedium). Undertale is a concise 5-8 hour experience that knows what it is and what its not. In these couple of hours Undertale establishes its own rules, tweaks them, breaks them, and keeps you on the edge of your seat as it constantly keeps the gameplay and story fresh. Undertale is probably one of the most replayable RPGs ever made, as each time you play you gain a new or fuller appreciation for the world. From my Undertale review, “Undertale is a peerless experience and serves as a perfect example of the power of auteurship in games. It’s one you shouldn’t miss.” I couldn’t agree more, me.

1. Bloodborne

“Bloodborne is a true evolution of the Souls series, taking an enormous leap forward in much the same way Dark Souls did for Demon’s Souls before it. Miyazaki and team distilled the truest essence of what makes a Souls game work and builds upon that foundation in a thoroughly unique and profoundly interesting way. The brutal and often unforgiving nature of Bloodborne works in perfect synergy with its lightning fast, hyper-aggressive precision combat. A dark and grotesque world serves as the perfect foundation of this blood-filled dark odyssey into madness and nightmares. Bloodborne has a nearly unparalleled sense of cohesion, and exudes complete confidence in every single design decision. I cannot recommend Bloodborne highly enough.” (You can read my full Bloodborne review for more)

Bloodborne is a masterpiece. Bloodborne has fought off a deluge of exceptional games over the course of 2015, staying at the top of my tentative game of the year list ever since it was release. The game is just…perfect. Combat is at a series best. The world is dark and fascinating. The gameplay loop is better than ever. The feeling of satisfaction you get when taking down one of the game’s many challenges is unrivaled in gaming. Perhaps the highest praise I can give Bloodborne is that it is just so damn confident in its design. Nothing has been compromised. Bloodborne is unashamed by its ambition, unfettered by the demands of modern gaming. It gives you a fun you can only ever find while playing Bloodborne. I’m confident Bloodborne will be looked back on as one of the best games this console generation. Bloodborne is not only my favorite game of the year, but it’s objectively 2015’s best too. So congratulations Bloodborne, you are The Impact Factor’s Game of the Year!

And of course you can hear my thoughts on the top five I listed here in The Impact Factor's game of the year podcast! You can find it below.

TIF Plays: Nuclear Throne! [5 & 6]
Gameplay

There's nothing quite like an awesome free game: like Nuclear Throne! This twin stick Roguelike shooter from Vlambeer is pretty darn great. Watch from the beginning as I learn the game's system, try to discover its secrets, and make my way towards the nuclear throne! Check out an archive of my stream linked below, and be sure to catch me when I go live by following me on Twitter (@alexsamocha) and Twitch (MegalodonPhD) Enjoy!

These two are pretty special. Not only is it my first time with a PS4 camera, but I also loop the game. TWICE.

The Impact Factor Ep. 35: Gaming Resolutions for 2016!
Podcast

Welcome to the 35th episode of The Impact Factor! The Impact Factor is what happens when two scientists, and two best friends, get together to talk about video games. Hosts Alex Samocha [biomedical scientist] and Charles Fliss [social scientist] sit down every week to discuss the week in gaming! Listen in for the news, views, and games that made the biggest impact!

Please send your suggestions and feedback to: impactfactorpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode Alex and Fliss talk about Valve, Steam, Holiday Sales, AGDQ, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, fashion, New Years resolutions, Nuclear Throne, Sportsfriends, Jackbox, Star Wars & more!

AGDQ Schedule

Subscribe to us on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-impact-factor/id993404882?mt=2

 
For articles and reviews from Alex, check out: www.theimpactfactor.blogspot.com
For a blog about Japan, pop culture & more from Fliss, check out:

www.flissofthenorthstar.blogspot.com

YouTube page: www.youtube.com/channel/UC_zpRq6h1O7d2MlMYWhNNjw 

Follow Alex @alexsamocha on Twitter. twitch.tv/megalodonphd
Follow Fliss @thecfliss on Twitter. twitch.tv/flissofthenorthstar

Intro song:

You Kill My Brother by Go! Go! Go! Micro Invasion, East Jakarta Chiptunes Compilations. Freemusic Archive. (Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike License)
freemusicarchive.org/music/Indonesi…s_Compilation/
Transitions:
News & Views and Perspectives transitions from victorcenusa, Freesound.org (Creative Commons 0 License)
freesound.org/people/victorcenusa/sounds/148785/
freesound.org/people/victorcenusa/sounds/148784/
Experimental Methods transition from Sentuniman, Freesound.org (Attribution Noncommercial License)
freesound.org/people/Setuniman/sounds/143994/

TIF Plays: Nuclear Throne! [4]
Gameplay

There's nothing quite like an awesome free game: like Nuclear Throne! This twin stick Roguelike shooter from Vlambeer is pretty darn great. Watch from the beginning as I learn the game's system, try to discover its secrets, and make my way towards the nuclear throne! Check out an archive of my stream linked below, and be sure to catch me when I go live by following me on Twitter (@alexsamocha) and Twitch (MegalodonPhD) Enjoy!

TIF Plays: Nuclear Throne! [2 & 3]
Gameplay

There's nothing quite like an awesome free game: like Nuclear Throne! This twin stick Roguelike shooter from Vlambeer is pretty darn great. Watch from the beginning as I learn the game's system, try to discover its secrets, and make my way towards the nuclear throne! Check out an archive of my stream linked below, and be sure to catch me when I go live by following me on Twitter (@alexsamocha) and Twitch (MegalodonPhD) Enjoy!

TIF Plays: Nuclear Throne! [1]
Gameplay

There's nothing quite like an awesome free game: like Nuclear Throne! This twin stick Roguelike shooter from Vlambeer is pretty darn great. Watch from the beginning as I learn the game's system, try to discover its secrets, and make my way towards the nuclear throne! Check out an archive of my stream linked below, and be sure to catch me when I go live by following me on Twitter (@alexsamocha) and Twitch (MegalodonPhD) Enjoy!