Does anyone else sometimes feel overwhelmed by (big) games?

I've recently found that big (mostly open world) games tend to overwhelm or even intimidate me. I'm a big fan of the Rockstar games and absolutely adored Breath of the Wild, but my playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom has been a bit rocky from the get-go.

As soon as the game let me explore all of its content and released me from the tutorial island, I was able to roam the lands of Hyrule freely as I once did in Breath of the Wild, but I've come to a sort of paralysis. I feel like there's such an enormous amount of content to see that I'm constantly anxious to unintentionally skip content or to not make the most of my experience. I did not feel like this back in Breath of the Wild, and I'm not really sure why. I did, however, have this same sense of FOMO when I first played Skyrim. That game also made me feel like I was constantly missing stuff which left me kind of unsatisfied.

This is not a big problem and all of the games I listed are great games. I'm posting this because I unconciously took a two week break from ToTK in order to alleviate that feeling but when I came back to the game today and still felt the same, I thought of posting here and maybe hearing your opinions on this thing.

Have you ever felt the same in big open world games? Do you feel like this in more linear games with multiple endings? (I do) Do you think I'm an overthinker and should just rock on? Looking forward to your comments!

idealium,

Yeah, I've felt this at times, but games are meant to be fun and low stakes. If certain games make you feel this way I think it's worth reflecting on what about the game triggers this response. Perhaps there's a way to avoid that thing or reframe your thinking around it. Otherwise, there's no shame in not playing a game that makes you feel bad!

CoderKat,
@CoderKat@kbin.social avatar

A little, but I kinda love it. It's a feeling of so many options and I find it kinda exciting.

wet_lettuce,

I think I'd feel less overwhelmed if these games had hand-holding features. I recall Fable and Fable2 having some features that basically highlighted the route for you or hinted at which way you should go.

I get that open world is supposed to let you explore freely but if you are doing a specific task..help me get there!

I've started and stopped Witcher 3 3x. I just couldn't get into it. I realized I kept getting stuck and not able to figure out where I was supposed to go. I got frustrated and gave up.

EssentialCoffee,

Why not just google a game guide?

I always look at a walkthrough if I’m stuck.

bandario,
@bandario@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Seems like you found the correct Lemmy instance.

dawnerd,
@dawnerd@lemm.ee avatar

My problem is I don’t have time and recently faves have tried to get harder and harder or copy the dark souls pattern too much or try to be a rogue like. This has forced me to mainly stick to slower paced simulation games. Even strategy games take too much work to learn their systems and once you stop playing mid game forget about remembering how to play.

kyoji,
@kyoji@beehaw.org avatar

Absolutely, it feels like so many big budget games made recently command 50+ hours of your time, or have really complicated mechanics that require note taking and maths to really enjoy. Those things are great, but man, just the thought of starting a behemoth like Tears of the Kingdom makes me anxious.

0xpr03,

some blame that on the idea of "1€/1$ per play hour" - and when these games come with a price of 60€+ (modern AAA is 80€), they'll get content shoved inside..

I think it's just bad game design that became the norm. I'm pretty sure you can make a game that's received as worthy its price, without overwhelming players like me with the sheer amount of content.

stergro,

As a casual gamer who only plays once or twice a month I completely agree. I want small and relaxing games that do not need hours of training until you can even start to have fun. Or small and extremely hard games. I really enjoyed "Getting over it with Bennett Foddy" for example.

pain_is_life_is_pain,

Absolutely! I bought Red Dead Redemption 2 on sale, played for a couple of hours and then I just stopped. Was so many things to do and I couldn't decide on what to do first.. 🙄

lolreconlol,

I loved the first one.. but RDR2.. eh. Too much time spent on horseback riding back and forth..

liminis,

I loved RDR2, mostly for the storytelling, but I also found the mix of serene rides through nature a much needed contrast to the massive firefights.

yesdogishere,

ya im not a fan of games with too much open world. reading a novel is far more educational than playing an mmo, so i would only focus on playing an mmo when it improves my mind (basically only through RvR open pvp). you have to choose between being a producer or consumer of products. the more you just consumer things, the more you become a blasted shit-for-brains useless fool (most fps players and top tier mmo players are such fools).

LostCause, (edited )

For me since I quit smoking weed something in my mindset changed and it just seems like too much effort overall to play most games, especially bad with open world with hundreds of quests. The quest log tends to remind me of my ticket backlog at work.

I mainly play some small and quick to pick up and put down games with tight gameplay loops atm.

JRaccoon,
@JRaccoon@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

The quest log tends to remind me of my ticket backlog at work.

Yes, absolutely this. New quests/tickets just keep coming faster than you can complete them…

liminis,

That's funny, I find ticking off objectives a helpful source of dopamine when feeling down, whereas I'd despise that in the context of work.

pushka,
@pushka@beehaw.org avatar

Personally I love breath of the wild and adore tears of the kingdom more

There's so much to do and explore and I want the game to keep going forever

sharksrtrans,

Absolutely.

I'm playing Street Fighter Five until I started Diablo 4. Now Final Fantasy 16 is out. Uffda.

IndeterminateName,

Yes, I never finished BOTW because of the size, same for Skyrim and although I'm excited for Cities: Skylines 2 I'm also a bit intimidated by the scale of it and learning all the new tools again!

kilgore,

I feel the same way about big games, and just yesterday I was feeling the same anxiety after the tutorial island in TOTK. I usually feel I need to find every secret and every korok sees etc. But this time I'm trying a new strategy - letting the game lead me. Some NPC says "go do this now", OK I do that and try not to get side tracked. Supposed to visit a certain town next? Then I go there! The game (so far) does seem linear or at least it offers that option*, so when I'm overwhelmed, I follow that line.

djidane535,
@djidane535@kbin.social avatar

Here is my secret: I don’t care if I miss something. It’s not a problem if you miss a side quest or intentionally skip something (especially if you don’t enjoy it, it’s an annoying side quest). Completing a game can be quite enjoyable, but as soon as it becomes a chore or you see it as a todo list, that’s where I personally back off.

For example in TOTK, I really enjoy my time just exploring here and here. I didn’t like the abyss at first so I played 30h+ hours before starting exploring it, and now that I feel more confident, I am passing most of my time there (that’s why I have played 70h+ hours with only one dungeon completed 😅). I knew about a 4th power, but I didn’t find it until very recently. I was enjoying my time with what I got, extrapolating about what it could be, but it was not a problem not to have it.

GlowingLantern,
@GlowingLantern@feddit.de avatar

Honesty, it's just a matter of framing. Don't think about the things you're missing, think about the things you could do. See the enormous amount of content as potential adventures you can choose to have, instead of chores you have to complete. If you miss things, that's okay. I love games where I discover new things years later. It makes them feel much larger than they actually are.

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