Home Gaming Not finishing a game is not a sin

Not finishing a game is not a sin

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why

I don’t always finish a game, but when I do, it’s not Dark Souls. AMIRITE!? Jason VandenBerghe, Ubisoft creative director explains why it’s not a bad thing that gamers don’t always finish games and that games don’t really need endings. And if you think about it, he is right.

VandenBerghe starts off saying that as a game designer you have more freedom when creating the end of your game than any other part of the game.

“First of all, having an ending at all is your choice. Don’t want one? All good! Games are loops, and if you want to leave yours closed, you will be in good company. No one has ever “finished” poker, or football.” He writes.

“But for games that do have an ending, only a small portion of your players will ever see it. We are, as an industry and as a culture, still confused about this. We are dismayed at the low finish rates of our games, and a player who puts down the controller before reaching the end is left with a vague sense of having dissed the game team.
Yet, the ability for players to stop playing whenever they feel like it is inherent in the form! This is not a bad thing; this is a good thing.”

I’m sure taken out of context and at first glance many gamers would cry out “blasphemy!”. How can any one say that a game not being finished is a good thing?

The truth is that many gamers don’t finish the games they play, many of them like to pretend that they do, because you aren’t a real gamer of you don’t, right?

So we keep it to ourselves when we don’t finish the game every one else lied about finishing in the first place. But as VandenBerghe says later in his article, you don’t have to finish a game to have enjoyed it and appreciated it.

am I the only one

I my opinion the majority of gamers who finish games are story lovers, like myself. The only games I really finish are the ones I review and the games that have stories that I really can’t get enough of. Games like BioShock Infinite and as I’ve mentioned before, Dear Esther. A game so profound to me that I finished it twice. Not because of the gameplay, because honestly it wasn’t anything to write home about and not because of the graphics which was not at all like AAA games of today (Although, the game is astoundingly beautiful).

But because of what the story meant to me, because of how it made me feel and how it gripped my mind. How many gamers finished The Walking Dead (Telltale’s game) because you get to shoot zombies? I mean you can do that for as long as you like in Call of Duty. And then there are games that are finished purely because they are so absolutely fun to play, for example Far Cry 3 and even some RTS campaigns.

VandenBerghe mentions the article published by Blake Snow that only 20 – 30 percent of gamers actually finish the game they start. He continues to say that his beef is with the unspoken assumption in the article:

“”Let [this] sink in for a minute: Of every 10 people who started playing the consensus ‘Game of the Year,’ [Red Dead Revolver] only one of them finished it. How is that? Shouldn’t such a high-rated game keep people engaged? Or have player attention spans reached a breaking point? …Who’s to blame: The developer or the player? Or maybe it’s our culture?”
My beef is with the idea that failing to finish a game is a bad thing.
Putting down the controller somewhere before the final climactic scene in a video game is not a sin. It is an intrinsic part of our art form.”

I sat watching my significant other finish Assassin’s Creed I, I was so immersed in the story, I couldn’t stop watching, but when the time came for me to play the game, I didn’t finish it. Everything else in the game, including the combat, just wasn’t enough to get me there. I don’t for a second feel guilty that I didn’t finish it. I also didn’t finish Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a game I adored. I came pretty close to it, but never went back to finish it. I don’t know why, but I know that it doesn’t feel like I failed as a gamer. Not finishing a game is not a failure, which I believe is a point VandenBerghe is also trying to make. It’s also not a reflection of how good the game is, rather a reflection of my needs as a gamer.

This is why what VandenBerghe says makes so much sense.

“I believe that the idea has its roots in our beliefs about other media. There is an implicit rejection that is present when someone walks out of a movie, turns off a show on TV, or sets down a book unfinished. For those mediums, the message of this action is clear: “I’m not enjoying this story enough to continue.”, he wrote.

“When someone stops playing a game, however, the possibilities are far, far more varied.

These are not necessarily sins of the designer. Gaming is as much a lifestyle as it is entertainment, and if a game doesn’t fit into an individual’s life, they are going to put it down. That’s not a tragedy. That’s a feature of our design landscape.”

It’s high time [some] gamers started taking responsibility for not finishing games. It’s not always the developers’ fault; it’s not always that the game wasn’t good enough. How many games do you finish after starting them? What are the reasons that you don’t finish games?

Last Updated: July 2, 2013

97 Comments

  1. Tarisma

    July 2, 2013 at 14:40

    I care rocks for finishing games if I’m not having fun or am finding a game boring why should I waste my time. There are plenty other games I can play.

    Reply

    • Scruff304

      July 2, 2013 at 15:06

      I finished DayZ last night… True story…

      Reply

      • TiMsTeR1033

        July 2, 2013 at 15:18

        thats nice

        Reply

      • Kromas

        July 2, 2013 at 15:29

        Me too. I killed 500 zeds and the server crashed. Must be the credits screen.

        Reply

        • Scruff304

          July 2, 2013 at 15:32

          xD

          Reply

      • Tarisma

        July 2, 2013 at 15:58

        Killing bambies is not finishing. I didn’t finish my stock recon that is a true story

        Reply

        • Scruff304

          July 2, 2013 at 16:06

          I wasn’t killing bambiies… They just ran into my bullets!
          Have fun playing with your stock…

          Reply

  2. Trevor Davies

    July 2, 2013 at 14:41

    I try to finish all my games, if I don’t it’s because I got distracted by something I want to play more that’s just been released (Borderlands 2 vs Dark Souls) or because I got bored (LA Noire & Kingdom of Amalur). But I usually go back to them later to finish them up – leaving a game unfinished bugs me more than not having touched something on my to-do list.

    Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      July 2, 2013 at 14:52

      I feel the same way man, I buy games and often play other new games if I didnt get that into the previous game, or end up playing the game online alot. I mean still havent finished max payne 3 or the darkness 2 but I go back and play em when I am bored. Games like Farcry 3 on the other hand I played every day and loved every second of it and when I was done I was sad there wasnt more! Games should be like Farcry 3 give you fun things to do so much to the point you feel sad for not being able to play more.

      Reply

  3. ElimiNathan

    July 2, 2013 at 14:42

    Thats why I love the concept of games like Planetside – Infinite Play, no ending

    Reply

  4. DieJason

    July 2, 2013 at 14:46

    I am actually on a mission this year to clear my backlog, making some great progress. I really do WANT to finish my games, I just don’t have the time for all of them.

    Reply

  5. Argentil

    July 2, 2013 at 14:47

    Oh Jesus. Ok, I don’t feel guilty about it reaally. Brutal Legend, for example was ruined by Jack Black, so I got rid of it ASAP. It’s not really the fault of the gamer if the game is not to their tastes. I feel bad for not finishing food similarly, but I won’t lose sleep over it.

    Reply

    • Gideon Venter

      July 2, 2013 at 15:14

      Glorified by Jack Black, is what you mean, surely? He was astounding. The game was astounding. It was Metal in game form… Truly Epic m/,

      Reply

      • Argentil

        July 2, 2013 at 15:16

        I loved the music, and I love Tim Schafer. I was really disappointed at how much of Jack Black’s humour made it into the game though. I despise him. That was the only reason I had to give it up. He was insufferable. I did give it a good try though.

        Reply

    • Wyzak

      July 2, 2013 at 16:26

      Please don’t blaspheme.

      Reply

  6. Melasco

    July 2, 2013 at 14:48

    I regrettably finished Dragon Age 2….. Was still waiting for the actual game to start when the credits rolled…. Can you blame me? These are the guys responsible for Mass Effect, “if I just keep going a little longer it will be epic… right?”…. sigh

    Reply

    • Trevor Davies

      July 2, 2013 at 14:58

      Hello. My name is Trevor, and I enjoyed Dragon Age 2. I think I need to find a support group for people who say that. heh.

      Reply

      • RinceWind

        July 2, 2013 at 15:03

        Hahahahha! Corner… Now I KNOW that you know what to do!

        Reply

        • Trevor Davies

          July 2, 2013 at 15:11

          Mastur… erm.. no I don’t know what you mean :/

          Reply

          • RinceWind

            July 2, 2013 at 15:12

            Well let’s hope the next DA rocks. Loved the first.

      • Kromas

        July 2, 2013 at 15:03

        I liked it as well. The level design was worse than a Malema speech but the story in itself was decent.

        Reply

        • Melasco

          July 2, 2013 at 15:07

          Yeah, story was not too bad at all, but man, the world was boring as shit… I’ve played worse games, it was not horrible, it was just VERY underwhelming… I was expecting a GOTY quality title…

          Not getting my hopes up for DA3… yet..

          Reply

          • Trevor Davies

            July 2, 2013 at 15:15

            I know what you mean about the world, if you played the 1st act, which was fun, you’d essentially played every act beyond that because they followed the exact same path. Game design was not it’s strong point.

        • Trevor Davies

          July 2, 2013 at 15:12

          Yes, the story is what kept me going.

          Reply

  7. RinceWind

    July 2, 2013 at 14:51

    Another great article Yolanda! I can honestly say that I try and finish every game. Only a few I have suffered so badly (FF13, you know who you are!) that I had to throw my controller out the window. To me its like starting a book, and not finishing it. You cannot put the story into context if there is not beginning and no ending, but then I need to ‘get’ the game, and to me this is the only way.

    Reply

  8. Trevor Davies

    July 2, 2013 at 14:52

    I’m guessing the guys @ Bioware were hoping less people finished Mass Effect 3 then 😀

    Reply

    • RinceWind

      July 2, 2013 at 14:53

      BURN!

      Reply

    • Kromas

      July 2, 2013 at 15:04

      Have an upvote for that 😛

      Reply

  9. Fiona

    July 2, 2013 at 14:56

    I finish all of the games I play, books I read and movies I watch – even the bad ones (I’ve only ever given up on one book).
    I also get really annoyed when other people dont do the same – though I dont know why I care so much. I guess I dont like unfinished business 😉

    Reply

    • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

      July 2, 2013 at 15:04

      Meh, it’s hard to justify finishing a bad game or book . There’s just not enough time in the day

      Reply

      • RinceWind

        July 2, 2013 at 15:06

        Here I agree. This is why I use sites like LG to save my breething hours on games that matter!

        Reply

        • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

          July 2, 2013 at 15:08

          Indeed, honestly, I wouldn’t wast a minute on A:CM

          Reply

      • Argentil

        July 2, 2013 at 15:06

        Even as a non-parent, I feel the same way. I wish I had time to spare to read a book I’m not particularly interested in, or a game I’m sorta just playing because I have it. It’s worsened by the fact that we have such large libraries now, that there’s always something more fun to play, and so finishing something is more difficult.

        Reply

        • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

          July 2, 2013 at 15:08

          Do you ever start a game, but while you playing, the new, more shiny game is just staring you in the face. you feel compelled to finish the current game, so you end up rushing to get done so you can try the new game … and continue the cycle

          Reply

          • Argentil

            July 2, 2013 at 15:12

            Pretty much. I try and revisit games and plat them every now and then if I enjoyed them a lot. ICO and SotC are in my Platalogue.

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:18

            Can’t go back to SotC…too many feels but ….*GASP* …. I have yet to finish ICO :O I came close though

          • Argentil

            July 2, 2013 at 15:21

            I know, I need a winding down period before I can get back to it. It really captured the adventurous/explorative side of me though. I’m not usually the kind of gamer who just roams around on horseback, looking for bits of lore or items of interest (unless they’re trophy-related, or give you bonuses of a kind).

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:24

            Very atmospheric though. that is game to experience. have you tried the HD vers yet?

          • Argentil

            July 2, 2013 at 15:28

            Yup, hence the Platalogue reference. Gotta plat all the good ones.

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:30

            Ahh, sorry missed that, there ain’t no trophies on the ps2 version. You sound just like a friend of mine, compulsive achievement hunter, but for the games He really likes. He got married and now he settles for bronze. even iron 😛 do it though, for all of us

          • Argentil

            July 2, 2013 at 15:33

            My platalogue is woefully long. I like doing it though, for the games I really appreciate. Some games like Killzone 2 and Wipeout are taking the piss though. I will never plat those two.

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:34

            Lol, some require too much man….I mean trying to plat FF 13 is horrible…hold every single item your inventory … Ain’t nobody got time fo dat!

          • Argentil

            July 2, 2013 at 15:36

            Agh that one was easy(ish)! I had a lot of time back then, and it helped that you could continue playing the game after the story ended.

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:44

            Lol no man, had no time for that man! …. jeez. take my hat off to you

          • TiMsTeR1033

            July 2, 2013 at 15:17

            Done that a few times, felt bad for rushing the game later but felt good coz it was over, and could play the new game

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:18

            lol yup, that’s how it goes when you have a huge backlog

          • TiMsTeR1033

            July 2, 2013 at 15:29

            Made a new rule thou been doing it for past 3 months, been finishing old games before buying a new game lol

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:32

            I take my hat off to you, I try doing that but I fail horribly. I’m at the point where ai know buying a new game is useless as I have a huge backlog but I still find the need to buy the game , I think I’m just satisfying my need for buying games

          • TiMsTeR1033

            July 2, 2013 at 15:34

            I try to explain to my wife, its like this overwhelming need! and then when i bought the game I feel happy but sad because I have yet again got a new game but have yet to finish like 6 games at home lol. So far so good. Had to admit I rushed through the end of hitman, game got annoying to be honest, but i finished it! and traded it in lol

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 2, 2013 at 15:56

            Lol wife will never understand, so now I have to buy her something of equal value lol But I know what you mean … the happiness is fleeting lol

          • Kromas

            July 2, 2013 at 15:34

            You sir are most likely a steam summer sale victim. We should start a support group.

  10. Umar Kiiroi Senk?

    July 2, 2013 at 14:57

    I prefer to finish the game I start. Not just for the story but for the game as well. We all know that (well in most cases) the end game has all the punch and all the build up comes to a climax. Honestly it’s not a sin, I don’t finish a lot of games, I just don’t have the time, I don’t have time for bad games, I promised myself I would finish RE 6 , but I got to the end of Chris’ chapter and couldn’t anymore, but for all the other games, I play till the end and then will start a new game once ended..you don’t have to feel bad about it, but you are depriving yourself of a lot of the best content the game has to offer

    Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      July 2, 2013 at 14:59

      Some games never have even good content lol I thought RE 6 was gonna be good! guess not

      Reply

      • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

        July 2, 2013 at 15:02

        I tried hard to like that game, really I did…but it’s just so bad … I don’t feel bad for not completing it

        Reply

  11. Kromas

    July 2, 2013 at 14:59

    I finish every game I start with the exception of games that bug out/screw over my saves. I am looking at you Skyrim. One day ill go back and finish it but now I have a major backlog of games ive bought and not even started playing yet.And to make it worse my Mighty quest for epic loot beta key arrived and I just can’t stop playing KSP.

    Reply

  12. John Ambitious

    July 2, 2013 at 15:07

    I am yet to meet someone who finished Skyrim. And I don’t mean just following the main quest…I mean doing all the side ones too.

    Reply

    • Trevor Davies

      July 2, 2013 at 15:17

      I finished the main & all the guilds. Does that count? After that I stopped playing & haven’t even bothered with the DLCs.

      Reply

      • John Ambitious

        July 2, 2013 at 16:15

        That’s the best I’ve heard so far actually. Well-freaking-done sir. There are some pretty great DLC’s. Either way, it remains a great game.

        Reply

    • Kromas

      July 2, 2013 at 15:36

      I had a friend get the my little pony dragon mod for the game just so he could finish it.

      Reply

    • Skyblue

      July 2, 2013 at 17:28

      260hrs in and I lost my savegame… no bullshit

      Reply

      • John Ambitious

        July 3, 2013 at 07:32

        Ouch.

        Reply

  13. Ultimo_Cleric N7

    July 2, 2013 at 15:21

    I still havent finished Farcry 3……

    Reply

    • Argentil

      July 2, 2013 at 15:22

      This is turning into a confession thread. Sheesh 😛

      Reply

    • Scruff304

      July 2, 2013 at 15:26

      I still haven’t finished it yet either. Some annoying little shit totally ruined it for me. Was jamming the multiplayer with mates, and some 12 year old tool pops onto the out team speak channel (No idea how got password) and gives away the ending of the game for no reason at all… Haven’t played it since.

      Reply

      • TiMsTeR1033

        July 2, 2013 at 15:31

        there are 2 endings man, Multiplayer on farcry 3 sucked balls in my opinion thou. You should finish the game!

        Reply

      • Ultimo_Cleric N7

        July 2, 2013 at 16:46

        He must burn….

        Reply

  14. Scruff304

    July 2, 2013 at 15:23

    I won’t lie, I have a terrible habit of not finishing off games I start. More often then not I get bout 75% of they way through a game, and then something else catches my eye… And after it is game over. I find it so tough to get back into a game once I’ve put it down for awhile…

    Reply

  15. OminousRain

    July 2, 2013 at 15:35

    Play allot of games. Only finished a few. Even the games I think are amazing, I don’t finish. Its weird. I do not know why…

    Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      July 2, 2013 at 15:37

      you have a problem Jion the club!

      Reply

  16. OVG

    July 2, 2013 at 15:46

    I found that the games with full off-line 1000AP got the most attention, OCD. I maxed Batman AA, COD 4 and a couple of others before they started fucking it all up with multiplayer shit.

    That Gears of War AP where you had to kill a million grubs was just lame Cliffy.

    Bring back REWARDS for fucks sake. If I know I can unlock shit then It will give me more incentive. So stop fucking buying SKINS, CHAPTERS AND ENDING DLC BITCHES.

    ALSO why can we not delete shit off of our profiles and why does the DLC AP get added to the score when one has not bought the shit?

    Reply

  17. Admiral Chief Groot Wors

    July 2, 2013 at 15:48

    Its your duty as a gamer to finish games!

    Unless they are utter crap, here is looking at your Red Faction 2!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  18. Lardus

    July 2, 2013 at 16:05

    Darnit, I wanted to cry “blasphemy”! So many games I never finished and I don’t care. But Mass Effect…3 full playthroughs on each of the 3 games! Epic!

    Reply

  19. Jonah Cash

    July 2, 2013 at 16:06

    Uhmmmmm I finished all but two games in my time!! Ninety Nine Nights, couldn’t beat the end boss….. The other games name I can’t even remember, that is how crap it was!!
    But how do you guys sleep at night without the end of the story??? I would have a heart attack, I can’t wait to get to the end to get the full story!! I am starting to see why most games have lame endings, cause it appears no one gets there but me!!!!! DAMMIT START FINISHING YOUR GAMES SO THAT I CAN HAVE MY FILL!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  20. Thats_how_I_Troll

    July 2, 2013 at 16:15

    Now to go and finish Larry Leisure Suite,…. I finish all games I ever play, about 70% of the time…

    Reply

  21. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    July 2, 2013 at 16:28

    I finish story based games like Bioshock Infinite and I finish most 1st person shooters. RPGs I play until I have had my fill regardless of how far I got or how many playthroughs.

    Reply

  22. Tbone187

    July 2, 2013 at 16:42

    I still have to finish Hitman Absolution…I really like the story and the game as a whole. I think I just keep putting it off so I know I have something to fall back on should I be superbored…not sure really…. Great article though yolanda…

    Reply

    • Theo Steenekamp

      July 4, 2013 at 13:00

      Its like 4 hours in total to complete it. Good story even if its so short.

      Reply

      • Tbone187

        July 5, 2013 at 08:49

        Yeah, but that’s like blasting your way through the game…A more stealthy approach using the custom kills available would surely see that time increase…

        Reply

  23. Sageville

    July 3, 2013 at 09:48

    Assasins Creed II – 97% to platinum and lost the save game.

    Assasins Creed III – 10%, started to feel the same as every other AC.

    Mass Effect 3, about 70% complete, then heard about ending drama.

    SC2 HotS – 80% complete, too much meh to care

    GoW Ascension – 60% complete, realized I already knew the real ending as I had finished GoW 3.

    Batman AA – 50% then other cool game got released and attention shifted.

    Reply

  24. Lupus

    July 3, 2013 at 15:39

    I sold quite a few games I hadn’t finished, why because if it took me that long to finish them, I was obviously bored with them :-).

    Reply

  25. sam

    January 30, 2014 at 08:34

    I have that problem 🙁 every time I dont finish a game I feel like I have failed. I will go trough a game even if it’s bad, like green lantern. If I dont finish a game I feel like I have to come back to it sometimes. I was at the final boss of final fantasy crysis core then I lost my save. Now I feel like I cant say I have done that game.

    Reply

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