The Challenge of a Video Game

Is there anything more frustrating as trying to beat a simple game 100%?  Many of the least challenging video games I’ve played in my life have some specific ‘extra’ stuff you can do to get something ‘extra.’  And frankly I enjoy a challenge, but sometimes...wow those things are hard.

I know they had them way before this, but the Xbox started a Gamer Score way back when.  It was the first time we, as gamers, could point at something and say, “Yeah, I beat that.”  It turned those little challenges into something truly fun to try to accomplish.


My best example is the Lego games.  Seriously, go play them, they are easy, quirky, and quite fun.  But once you beat them, you have loads of other characters to chose from, all with different abilities, and that’s when the REAL game starts.  In every level there are all sorts of things you miss, things that give you tons of powerups.  Those things add several hours of game play to the already long games.

Then there are other games, like Angry Birds, or Cut the Rope, or even stuff that my wife loves playing, like A Kingdom for My Princess, that you have to get a certain rank on each mission.  Pizza Chef, which we both loved, has a deal that you can do better on the missions and then do better overall.

But what happens when that stuff is too hard to get?  I mean, you have to really work for some of those achievements.  The Lego games always has this one block, in one level that is insanely hard to get.

In the end, I think THAT’s why I love the idea of achievements and a gamer score.  Because I can point at that and say, “Yeah, I did that.”   Sure, it’s a simple little accomplishment, but in the end, its still an accomplishment.

I like having a leisure time that is working towards a fun goal.  Maybe I’m just crazy.  Sure, sometimes I want to veg out and watch a movie, or lay in the hammock and devour a book.  But sometimes its nice to get my mind off of every day problems and work towards something.  It makes me completely forget about strife, pain, and everything else.

And the best part is, it’s a fun goal, its fun to do, no matter how frustrating the mission.  So what do you think?  Is playing a video game entertainment on par with reading a book or watching a movie?  Is it better or worse?  To me, it depends on the mood, but I definitely say that its on par.  Those are 3 different types of entertainment, and for each one, I have to be in a certain mood.  Anyways, tell me what you think!  The comment section is ready for you!