Ever had those games where you’re about to go somewhere or do something, and all you say is “one more level, one more go, etc.” and that time never comes? Usually these games come very close to the definition of grinding, yet one thing sets it just a hair above it, the game is just too much fun! Yes, we’ve all had our experiences with these nightmares. Most likely goes under the premise of “easy to play, hard to master.” These games are not only hard to master in the field of the concept, but hard to master in terms of putting the addictive title down.
In theory, these games are harmless, allowing the player to enjoy the game for however long at their own leisure. Although in reality, these games do absolutely nothing: you do not progress further into the story, or any worthwhile unlockables. The game keeps progressing in an endless loop until the player is tired out.
Yeah it's a metaphor. Kind of.
One such example is Lumines Puzzle Fusion. At its core, the title is a simple match-four game which in itself is very addictive. But the title goes further by actively rewarding the player’s progression through the use of skins, by seamlessly transitioning through the visual and audio aesthetics. But Lumines is not the only perpetrator of this type of game, arcade game such as Tetris, and this even extends its way into simulation games such as Animal Crossing, hopelessly stringing the player on indefinitely.
What can we do about this? You know that self-control and self-discipline fly straight out of the window when the game is launched, but there are a couple things you can do beforehand to end your game, or even stop yourself from playing these devilish sirens.
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*puts controller down*
Yeah, I have another tip for you. UNINSTALL Lumines from your PS3’s hard disk!!! At least I need to do that. On the plus side I actually got bored when I was close to completing the first round of skins, maybe this heralds the end of the mad kingdom of the falling blocks?
I hope so.