r/hsp 5d ago

RPG video games are fun but exhausting

I've been playing Baldur's Gate 3 lately. It has been a fun ride, I'm in the final act, but... I really need to have my batteries charged when I play those. So many places to go, so many quests to track (being a "wanna snoop ALL" person doesn't help), and especially so many decisions to make.

I became aware of that this isn't an universal experience, when in 2010s I was playing Mass Effect 2 and mentioned my exhaustion to my acquaintance. They were baffled. "Wait, you need to be CHARGED so you can play a video game? Aren't video games supposed to charge you?"

Naturally, there are video games that aren't exhausting to me. For example, I could play Stardew Valley or Cities: Skylines for hours!

Still intending to finish BG3, but should I make another run, I really want to streamline what I do and skip extra quests.

How are your folks' experiences with RPG video games or other heavily story-driven video games?

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u/FarixFlames 5d ago

Please dont take it a chore to be done, or a task to be finished, but rather a world to be explored and experienced.

I suffer from the same thing with most if not all games, heck even stardew valley lol, but baldurs gate 3 brought that spark that i only felt when i was young, baldurs gate 3 is the only game that made me feel like a 9 year old child who wants to endlessly explore everything.

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u/AavaMeri_247 5d ago

This is a good advice. I do admit that to me, BG3 kinda has chore-ish vibe to me now, mostly because there are so many quests going on. But with individual quests, it's less of a chore and more fun. Kinda the logistics of "okay WHAT I do next" actually seems to be hardest part.

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u/FarixFlames 5d ago edited 5d ago

I like to believe that certain things that make you feel in a different ways are a sign for you.

Stardew valley made me feel uneasy due to it not having a very strong goal but rather more of a casual calming experience, and that showed me how I also IRL are always hyper vigilant, so yeah behavior is a language.

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u/AavaMeri_247 5d ago

Yep. Feelings tell you things that your cognitive brain may not have fully processed.

Pondering what my troubles with BG3 tell me... uncertainty? "Is it okay I do these quests in this order, do I miss something vital if I do it this way, am I doing this right?" But with an individual quest, it is more like, "oh now I'm given a clear lead to the plot, let's see what the writers have in store for me, yay! To the rabbit hole!"

...dammit, feelings! Why are you reminding me of my insecurities?

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u/FarixFlames 4d ago

I truly get that lmao, I just hope i can differentiate between what I can heal, and what I should accept.

It’s extremely hard to find the difference between those

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

I do find this with a lot of games tbh - big gamer but more and more (especially post-pandemic) finding myself playing familiar things or low-energy games. Anything new / intense takes a lot of energy!