I was reading naia-the-gamer's post about not finishing the games we start and it got me thinking about how my own gaming habits have changed over the years. I began to think about how I used to sit for hours and play until I could finish a game and check it off my "need to complete" list. Then I realized that I actually never did that.

When I was younger I did finish more games than I do now, but it still was never a large number. Usually only one or two a year, if that. As I write this blog I'm thinking back and questioning why this is. I love video games so I should explore and enjoy games in their entirety right? Why is it that while other people have fond memories of completing numerous classic titles and current releases, I could take three minutes and write up a list of every game I've ever completed.

Perhaps it started back when I was a kid. The only time I got new games was on Christmas and my birthday (which was two days ago btw, send presents). The only access I had to games outside of my very limited collection was through rental stores, the kind where you'd go into a gas station and rent stuff. I'd go pick out a game and then have a day or two to play it. With such a limited time to play the games I suppose I got used to never finishing them. I'd just play and enjoy the parts that caught my attention over and over again because I knew that by the next time I was allowed to rent a game I'd have forgotten what to do or my save file would have been deleted by someone else.

So that explains where my inability to finish a game started, but what about now? Well I have my own money now so I can buy pretty much any game I feel like, and while I do have enough free time despite taking care of my son, I still don't finish games. Upon trying to remember the last game I completed the last title I remember is Halo 2 on Xbox... when it was released.

It suddenly dawned on me that the reason I don't complete games now as an adult is because I don't play them. Well I play them, but not the single player modes. My entire gaming experience is mostly made up of playing against other people online. Even if a game has a great single player option I don't use it. It could be that the gaming habits which were forced upon me as a child have now left me with the idea that I shouldn't waste my time with the single player mode when I can instantly start playing against other people.

I think I'm missing out on some good stuff. Maybe I'll actually check out the campaign mode on CoD4 today... then again I'll probably just go frag noobs.