Digestible Gaming

Recently, I've had a change in lifestyle that means I have more time for gaming . Yet somehow, I'm not necessarily running down the backlog I have, so I have to wonder why. In this entry I want to unpack my own gaming habits and potentially some you might have. 

Understanding Digestible

The title of this entry is 'digestible gaming' because I think it's related to the tastes and circumstances of the player. I can attest that my game choice is circumstantial, yours might be as well; The first things that come to mind when picking what to play for me are: 

• Time - How much time to I have to play and how much time does the game need to be satisfying?
• Platform - What would I have or want to play games on and how well can I actually play the game? 
• Location - Where will I be playing? Will I have internet connection? Do I have limited space, battery, etc. 
• Who? - This is rare, but on the off chance I am around people in a physical or digital capacity, would they or I want to play with them?

I'm going to apply this in the context of a relatively airfare journey. One would normally have is at least 3 hours at either the airport or on board. This means there's a limit to the platforms available given airport security. Unless you're travelling with someone, you won't necessarily be playing with anyone unless you're a social butterfly with a Switch/2. How I would choose my games focuses on time and platform. I once had no games and mashed sudoku for a good bit, that was actually quite enjoyable all things considered, but that's a game for the phone or tablet, something you'd commonly have on board. Recently, I got Slay the Spire on my iPad and learned the game on flight. The tl;dr for it is a rogue-lite deck builder and I found this to be digestible because of the rogue aspects and planning involved in gameplay. Time and platform are key to making it digestible because runs can range between 30-60 minutes depending on my performance, which correlates to my engagement and means there is a satisfying result to each run. Even if I'm losing, it's conclusive. The game being on mobile and console like a Steam Deck or Switch also means it's accessible on board. 

Admittedly, I tried playing Final Fantasy VII on my iPad last year. A long RPG like that is likely not the easiest thing to sit down and play for straight hours on a flight. My retention was falling off a cliff from fatigue and the general pacing tricks used in RPGs as a genre. 

You may be thinking, 'But not everyone games while travelling'. That's why I also had this thought when thinking about PvP games. Especially when I was younger, these factors chose what I would play outside of classes. At that time, I had friends who were more than willing to play games for hours. Other motivators were monetary as most PvP games were free to play, and so I ended up being entrenched in many toxic cesspits. Leading to souring from the games but not stopping, playing it just to pass the time. This is partly why I quit, these games are enjoyable to a degree but ultimately designed to keep many players playing by any means for statistics. And peddling cosmetics but this isn't the entry for that. I want to slip a quick inclusion to Gacha games and tight rope they balance. It's similar to PvP games where they attempt to maintain daily players to keep them interested in the new shiny product in their 'free' game. I've quit a few gacha games simply because daily content is just not satisfying enough despite how little time it takes and the longer content added to the game like story isn't compelling enough, with that sentiment carrying to the shiny new products. 

Yet, there isn't anything inherently wrong with gaming to pass time. There is something wrong when it actively makes you miserable and like a rat getting shocked by the cheese button. Returning to Slay the Spire, I find myself still playing it because of how digestible it is. I can play it on the couch or before bed (this isn't the best idea). Worse over, I can play it while I have Youtube on the mini player or with music. All because of how easily enjoyed and accessible the game is. 

Casual Gaming and Digestibility 

I can take this a step further and get into why what some would argue is 'casual' or really 'lesser' gaming exists to some people. Roblox and Friend slop are the primary targets of this sentiment because they are digestible, maybe too digestible. The former especially since you can get through ten games in minutes on your mobile device on the go and with a whole lot of people. You go through that many games because they bore you or the actual fun of the game is limited and therefore you move on with no real consequence to quitting games. The latter is focused naturally about who you are playing with but is time sensitive, although locked to mostly PC. Most friend slop hinges on chaos in game and with who you play with and as people taper off with things to do or interest wanes, you stop playing. They're fairly simple that even the most casual of players can have fun. This can be taken further to scribbl.io, Gartic Phone, Town of Salem, etc. Based on this, it's clear that being digestible is rather successful, likely because it appeals to so many people and quickly. I might go so far in saying this trait makes some games feel like fast food and the others as more of restaurant or fine dining. 

Closing Thoughts

Where does this leave my backlog? Well, I do love my RPGs and have yet to get into VNs properly, despite being a Fate fan. Just to pick these genres apparent, RPGs are often not on portable consoles and even then, playing 20-30 minutes of one is hardly satisfying to most people. That's probably a couple bits of dialogue, exploring and a couple encounters. Hardly the sprawling, narrative driven experience promised. Games like Final Fantasy 7 need the time to shine when played. Visual Novels especially so given you just read and occasionally have a prompt and so these are also best enjoyed in longer, fewer sessions. 

Personally, I find this useful food for thought about game choice. It would be worth while having a think about why you're playing the game you are in that moment or about why you're gravitating towards a game. Whether it's new, something you've had but never tried or something you've completed to death.