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Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,921
Clash Royale for me as well. Just recently broke free from it's grip. The game does a masterful job of making you log into it.
The problem with Clash Royale is that at its core, its a tremendous game with a completely new and novel approach to a genre the first time you play it. It's super addictive early on not for anything nefarious but because it's so much fun to simply play it, and get new cards, and advance through the early arenas.

But once you get through that initial newlywed phase, the monetization in that game, is truly a kick in the nads. You quickly realize that it's not just about getting new cards. You then have to power up those cards, so you have to get lucky many many times to do that or open your wallet and start spending money. So the joy of getting a legendary lasts no time because you need to now power up that legendary many times for it to be on par against the people you play against. That concept along with the community that likes to spam emotes, and behave in a toxic manner during games, eventually drove me away from the game although I'll fully admit I was quite addicted to that game for a long time. So many mobile games use that exact same formula of needing to power up things you win. It's a really nasty version of fomo.

I eventually switched over to Minion Masters. That game has the same frustration when it comes to the meta issues and random nature of cards but at least when you get a good card, you have that good card. You don't have to then power it up many many times through lucky drops to get it on par.

But the only real way to break an addiction to a game is to simply play it a lot less (or not at all). Eventually the addictive compulsion to play it constantly will wane.
 
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Solidsnakejej

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,776
Fort Lauderdale
To add the the Overwatch, It has very high high and very low lows. When you get those games where everyone is playing well and communicating it is still one of the best MP experiences around but boy are those games infrequent. but you occasionally get that hit and it keeps you chasing for the next one.

Destiny 2 was like that for a while for me only ever enjoyed the Whisper mission but it wasn't really addiction, I had a group that only plays Destiny that formed meeting each other in playing Destiny. My frustration with the game and the game not playing as well as the original eventually pushed me away, haven't really played since 2019.
 

Stencil

Member
Oct 30, 2017
10,381
USA
As it's been shown, yes of course its possible to dislike a game and be addicted to it. Hell, I dislike Picross because I'm addicted to it.
 

LakeEarth

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,178
Ontario
I hate how easily I get hooked on Idle phone games. They're so pointless but I never stop playing them regularly until I get a moment of clarity and delete the damn thing. Then I immediately don't miss the game anymore. Addiction broken (until I inevitably install a different idle game a few months down the line).
 

ConfusedOwl

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,125
Canada
Two Worlds 1 on the Xbox 360 was kind of this for me. I played it for 40 hours despite it being a complete mess because I enjoyed the gameplay loop anyway. Every once in a while I get the urge to turn it on but there is a lot more games out that satisfy that itch nowadays.
 

OCD Guy

Member
Nov 2, 2017
985
If you're addicted to playing a game I don't think you genuinely dislike it. When I play a game and hate it, it gets deleted.

I normally give a game a few hours before I dismiss it completely as I've had some games where I had an immediate dislike, and all those feelings of regret kicked in but later it suddenly clicks.

I don't think someone having a lot of hours in a game means they like it. Some people give games more of a chance than others, could be to see if it clicks, or could be a financial thing. If someone spends a lot of money they want to try and get their money's worth.

Life's too short for me, I play games to have fun, if I'm not having fun I don't bother.
 
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Chixdiggit

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
1,447
The problem with Clash Royale is that at its core, its a tremendous game with a completely new and novel approach to a genre the first time you play it. It's super addictive early on not for anything nefarious but because it's so much fun to simply play it, and get new cards, and advance through the early arenas.

But once you get through that initial newlywed phase, the monetization in that game, is truly a kick in the nads. You quickly realize that it's not just about getting new cards. You then have to power up those cards, so you have to get lucky many many times to do that or open your wallet and start spending money. So the joy of getting a legendary lasts no time because you need to now power up that legendary many times for it to be on par against the people you play against. That concept along with the community that likes to spam emotes, and behave in a toxic manner during games, eventually drove me away from the game although I'll fully admit I was quite addicted to that game for a long time. So many mobile games use that exact same formula of needing to power up things you win. It's a really nasty version of fomo.

I eventually switched over to Minion Masters. That game has the same frustration when it comes to the meta issues and random nature of cards but at least when you get a good card, you have that good card. You don't have to then power it up many many times through lucky drops to get it on par.

But the only real way to break an addiction to a game is to simply play it a lot less (or not at all). Eventually the addictive compulsion to play it constantly will wane.
I agree with everything you said.
Also once you powerup that legendary a new update hits nerfing that very same card. This forces you to have a wide variety of stacked cards to be competitive.
 
OP
OP
RowdyReverb

RowdyReverb

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,934
Austin, TX
Yeah, no. You probably don't really dislike the game but still acknowledge how shit the game is.
I think a lot of people are equating frustration with dislike. You can certainly be frustrated by a game that you like, or angry with developer choices/changes to a game you like, but that doesn't mean you don't enjoy the game.
It gets a bit philosophical when you try and define what it means to "like" a game though
 

Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,921
I think a lot of people are equating frustration with dislike. You can certainly be frustrated by a game that you like, or angry with developer choices/changes to a game you like, but that doesn't mean you don't enjoy the game.
It gets a bit philosophical when you try and define what it means to "like" a game though
The thing is at a certain point, the frustrations at a game can become enough to make you dislike a game and stop playing it. So frustrations can lead to dislikes.

But I also think individual videogames were never meant to be played at a ferocious pace forever. It's a pretty modern concept that you are supposed to grind games at the pace people currently grind games where its almost like a second job. I personally think you are supposed to burn out on individual games and move on to new things eventually.
 

Stuggernaut

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,904
Seattle, WA, USA
Pretty much most mobile games.

I used to play a bunch (Clash was a big one!) but the push to log in daily was annoying. I did it anyway for a long long time. Then one day I said "fuck this" and I deleted every mobile game I have. Never again.

If I want mobile I will play Switch games, or Stadia games.

Screw the rest!
 

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,635
I put like 200 hours into that Star Wars "Galaxy of Heroes" game despite it being very clear I was just addicted to watching numbers go up and that grinding levels/paying for boosts mattered far more than teams or strategy.

Admittedly then I played the "Disney Heroes" version for awhile instead but team composition and strategy were way more powerful there.
 

Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,921
Pretty much most mobile games.

I used to play a bunch (Clash was a big one!) but the push to log in daily was annoying. I did it anyway for a long long time. Then one day I said "fuck this" and I deleted every mobile game I have. Never again.

If I want mobile I will play Switch games, or Stadia games.

Screw the rest!
While I agree the majority of the market is pay to win, there are a good minority of mobile games that don't slot into that. (Apple Arcade included). I find plenty of enjoyment on mobile within the less obnoxious free to play titles and the traditional games on that platform personally although I understand everybody is different on that front.
 
Mar 19, 2020
1,731
I play Overwatch because it's fun. I hate Overwatch because within 2 matches of playing it again after years I get some of the most toxic bullshit spouted at me by people who take games way too seriously. Its one of the worst communities I've had the displeasure of coming across.
 

Druffmaul

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account.
Banned
Oct 24, 2018
2,228
I don't think 100 hours is anywhere near qualifying as "addicted." I put about that much time into FFXI when it came out, because that was how long it took me to confirm that it really wasn't my cup of tea. I felt like I barely saw the tip of the iceberg, but it was clear that whatever else was left was going to be more of the same.
 

Kneefoil

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,453
A lot of gambling addicts don't like playing, they like the dopamine that hits when they win.

Video games are different from gambling games but not that different.
 

Euler007

Member
Jan 10, 2018
5,045
Reminds me of nightmare launch FFXI sessions, when it took an hour to get a group together, an hour to get to the farming spot and then you realize that the group sucks. Oh, and you lost the XP you had gained the previous night. And every Gatcha game, like many mentioned.
 

Deleted member 29464

Account closed at user request
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,121
In this age of gaas/gacha shit in games I think so.

I've quit a lot of games when I realised the daily activities/events/grind to be efficient weren't actually fun and was turning into a chore for some sort of a reward, a reward which I felt was never worth its time investment.

I absolutely can not stand games with dailies these days. When it becomes a matter of efficiency to play a game every day rather than just letting you enjoy the content up front or build to it in your own time, which should still be fun anyway but often isn't.

I often quit games when I realise I feel this compulsion or addiction like feeling to chase rewards each day but am no longer actually enjoying them.
 

Wetalo

Member
Feb 9, 2018
724
Two Worlds 1 on the Xbox 360 was kind of this for me. I played it for 40 hours despite it being a complete mess because I enjoyed the gameplay loop anyway. Every once in a while I get the urge to turn it on but there is a lot more games out that satisfy that itch nowadays.
Sounds like you liked it, buddy.

I loved Lair on PS3 even though it had horrible reviews and the public perception was that it's trash.

I played through it, with the motion controls, in four days.
 

Stuggernaut

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,904
Seattle, WA, USA
While I agree the majority of the market is pay to win, there are a good minority of mobile games that don't slot into that. (Apple Arcade included). I find plenty of enjoyment on mobile within the less obnoxious free to play titles and the traditional games on that platform personally although I understand everybody is different on that front.
Agreed!

It just happens that a lot of the games I liked were the other type lol.
 

Bathory

Member
Dec 8, 2020
783
I hate modern PES and Fifa, but I play because I love football (soccer is a offense for me) and these two games are the only options I have, also, is fun to play with friends.
 

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
11,385
I feel like most of the hardcore Path of Exile fanbase love the game in theory but hate the game in practice.
 

Croc Man

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,546
I played Hearthstone for the occasional high of a good arena run full of tight matches decided on unusual cards and rng hail Mary's. Unfortunately that was a small percentage of the time I spent with it, much of the time in was soul crushing ladder grinding.

I replaced it with literal gambling, online poker provides much the same feeling but with tiny profits.
 

MRYEAH

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,089
The hall across the room
The two that come to mind our Madden no one in the community lines playing it when I talk to people about why they play it it's always there is no other NFL option for so called simulation football outside WWE2k no series is more broken every year
The division I never hear anyone say it's fun outside of playing with friends it's the same loop over and over with very little reward
 

J_ToSaveTheDay

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
18,844
USA
Animal Crossing mobile and Fire Emblem mobile were both this way for me. To be fair, I did have very positive initial impressions with both, but once the loop kicked into their daily repetition, I almost immediately hated both.

I kept playing both for a while after reaching the point where I thought "this is bad."
 

UltimateHigh

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,500
I played a lot of halo reach and halo 4...

I dislike both multiplayers but it was halo... *shrugs*.

dunno why I keep playing warzone either.
 

Patsy

Member
Jun 7, 2019
1,280
Germany
I overall played around 200 hours of AC Odyssey incl. all the DLC & I'd call it mediocre at best. Very much a game that didn't blow me away, but had an addicting enough gameplay loop that I wanted to see all it had to show.
 

FooF

One Winged Slayer
Member
Mar 24, 2020
686
gatcha games for most I guess, It feels good when you eventually just stop playing them and you aren't just a slave to the daily logins. For me personally it'd be overwatch i stopped playing when brigg was added but I still go back for events and I do my competitive matches ever season. No idea why since the game is toxic as hell and I don't even join voice chat anymore.
 

heathen earth

Member
Mar 21, 2020
2,007
Ask literally every single person that posts on the World of Warcraft forums. I don't know why Blizzard doesn't just nuke that site already. Complete shitshow.

Edit: I spend my working life counseling people who are addicted to heroin and shit like that, so I never really gave much thought to the concept of video game addiction. After reading this thread though, a lot of you are posting textbook addict speak.
 
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Xun

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,320
London
I'm not surprised to see FIFA mentioned.

A work colleague of mine absolutely hates how broken the games are but he's absolutely addicted to them.
 

slothrop

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Aug 28, 2019
3,878
USA
It really is. Some games can, as we all know, really exploit the reward incentives of our brains and some folks can fall into addiction. If anything, if a person is self-aware enough about that situation, that addictiveness is itself a valid reason to hate a game.