I wonder why most people quit a game?

Is it lack of interest in the subject,
too hard, frustrating, or something else?

(Just curious, as I'm now moving to the next level of Baggs)

SAM

I've only quit one game because it was making me extremely nervous!

Usually it's due to lack of time.
If it's too long between playing times, I forget too much and have to start over for things to make sense. And if I've gotten a new game in the meantime I often start that one instead of going back to restart the old one. There's this thing about playing the new game that everyone else seems to be playing... you feel kind of left out unless you're playing too.

Started Belief and Betrayal...played about 10min and have put in the ... "when out of other games'' pile. Just could not seem to get into the game... Also the same with Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis...also problems running it too-it will go in pile with Belief and Betrayal !

Same for me as Jenny100 .Some games need your full atention and if you have to keep getting up and down I lose trak so I wait till I can grab the time and do the game in peace .Some games I have found depressing so I will stop for a while .I am playing Rhiannon at the momment and I realy need to concentrate so I don t get the chance to play it as often as I would like

Honestly, when I quit a game it's usually because of lack of interest, or perhaps the next big thing comes out. I hate to say it but at times I do find myself buying a new game and dropping one that I was working on even though I was really enjoying it, then eventually I will go back to it and maybe finish it, or restart it depending on how much I remember or where the character or story line was going. There have only been a few games that have seriously caught my attention so that I could not put it down even for the next big thing. 3 of them being the half life 2 series (some of the best pc games every made in my opinion, I still find the level of interaction and AI outstanding) also in the adventure genre, one was the lost crown, despite that I wasn't entirly happy with the ending it was a great game to play through for me. The first KOTOR fell into that catagory as well, I couldn't stop playing it, but the second one just didn't/doesn't have the same appeal. Hopefully I will be able to complete more games before going onto the next thing in the future.

When it isn't fun anymore - which generally happens when I don't like the characters or the story line. I used to force myself to complete games, but now I just think time is too precious and go on to the next game.

I could think of a few reasons.

1. It could also be an obstacle in the game that is unusually, subjectively aggravating. For example, some gamers have problems with the "avoiding the troll" segment in Dreamfall. They get disoriented in the maze and they felt uncomfortable about the fear of being discovered by the big troll. It could be a slider puzzle or a maze. There was a notorious slider in "Secrets of Atlantis"(?) that resets itself if you are not careful.Also, which space sim gamer could forget the mission against the cloaked missile in Wing Commander 3? Losing this mission means u get sidetracked into a branch of the storyline which could lead to losing the war against the Kilrathi. Some games have elements that surprise the player by being not to the taste of the player. This could be an encounter in the story that is more horrifying or gross to the gamer, and the gamer could not continue playing, being overly grossed out. Blackstone Chronicles had some moments which really put me off, namely the subplot about an unfortunate boy.

2. It could be one of the missions (in an action, RPG or RTS game) that is unusually difficult due to improper balance on the part of the designers. For example, gamers have complained of an impossible "flak mission" in Dark Star One.

3. It could also be laziness. I have played Silent Hill 4 up to the point where I have to escort a weak female character through a level and I just could not go through with it - because of the amount of "work" that level demands. Some games felt more like "work" than "play". For example, there is a certain bridge/pillar puzzle in Schizm that required some geometrical calculation to get through. Understanding the clues was a chore to me by itelf.

4. Getting a brand new, more exciting game than the one I am playing, something all BAAGers could relate to. Suddenly you wonder, why am I going through with this nasty segment? I have a more interesting experience if I play the new game.

5. Difficulty beyond ability. The "work" factor becomes greater when games have certain elements that are not in my srengths. I have tried to play the command and conquer series for years but due to inability to manager resources efficiently I have either not done very well in missions, given up or was beaten by the missions. Then again, my lack of progress could also be due to reason 1,2,3, 4 or a combination of all 5 reasons.

I think I like Nickie's answer the best. I quit when it isn't fun anymore. For me this usually means that I have gotten so frustrated with a puzzle that I sneak a look at a walkthrough, complete the puzzle, and still can't understand how I should have known the answer. I am an avid follower of all things MYST, which means I enjoy convoluted puzzles. However I do believe that the game should at least hint as to a given answer.

The only other situation that causes me to quit a game is really poor (This usually means "Retro") graphics. I like big, beautiful scenery and structures. As an example, I enjoyed Paradise, which bothered a lot of folks, simply because it was big and beautiful.

I am about to quit Lost Crown because I'm fairly sure I have all elements of a puzzle right but the timer keeps beating me. The graphics in the game are gorgeous; however, the main character is not interesting enough to keep me plugging away at a puzzle whose only genuine challenge seems to be quick action with a mouse. I'm going to check for any triggers I missed, and I've asked on the hints forum. I may have figured out the puzzle's solution before poor dim Nigel. If that's not the case, I'm uninstalling. The game.

8Dog,

Please check Hints as to your question. If that is what I think - the clues are all there and all that is needed is for you to place the solution on the puzzle.

I mostly hate third person games , but I keep buying them anyways, cause you never know when one might be a Dead Reefs or a Lost Crown! ! If they don't grab me right away, I don't keep playing them for long, and they get traded away. Lots of conversations usually get me to quit pretty quick as well.

The main reason I quit is that I just get plain bored with them. Too much going from location to location and back again, ad infinitum, to do a simple puzzle, too much conversation and not enough puzzles, bad plots so that the next move is not only not obvious but completely hidden which entails more travelling from location to location. Well, you get my meaning.
Also I agree with The Haze about not liking bad graphics. I recently went through a complicated install to get Gabriel Knight Sins of the Fathers working as I had such fond memories of it. Ten minutes in, I gave up and deleted. Those 1995 graphics were so bad, most of the time I could hardly see what was in the picture! When we didn't have any better we thought these were really good, but modern games have spoiled it for me. Also tried The Dig with much the same results.

Two main reasons - boredom and frustration.
I quit playing Voyage due to boredom. I just didn't care anymore about wheter he gets off the moon or not. Most of thetime it's because the story just doesn't grab me, or the gameplay is too undirected, so I have no sense of a clear goal. I also hate the try every inventory item on every thing and exhaust every string of dialogue type puzzles.
Frustration happens usually because of action, timed bits or puzzles that have no logic. Also, movement issues or glitches fit in here.

I agree with Nicki too about it not being fun anymore. I quit ND White Wolf because I can cook food and clean up anytime at home, not fun in real life. And then to investigate I have to go outside and worry about freezing to death or having enough heat packs and/or have snowball fights.

I have put aside Rhem 2 because I was totally lost in what I was doing or why and it was so much underground, kinda like I just need to get out of here. Just not as much fun as Rhem 1.

I quit Conspiracies, but plan to go back and do it again, cause I got stuck on a wall and couldn't move back and my save was a long, long time ago. That was my fault, should have saved more often.

So if I am totally frustrated and don't get this game, or died or got stuck and a save is a ways back and don't want to do it again (frustration) or I am trying to get away from chores and all I have to do is more chores (frustration), I usually quit and pick up another game from the Stack to Play or go find another game with recommendations from here. There are times though I have went back and tried again if I want a challenge. But there are times that I have just sold the game cause I don't think that it is worth the frustration.

In a nutshell, if I am playing to relax/escape, frustration is not what I want.

Koalanut

Colpet, I agree! You put up your post while I was typing.

I'm in nickie's Gang .... "When it isn't fun anymore" !!

The only game I have quit and really it is still installed is Broken Sword 3.

I just got tired of all the stealth-ing around.

I hope to finish it someday

**edit: Oops, this isn't true! I quit Nancy Drew White Wolf because I felt like an unpaid maid. If I wanted to clean house it would be mine and I would get off this computer

I quit or get bored if there is too many puzzles..

Too many puzzles takes the adventure out of the game I think..

Well, I don't "quit" , I merely "put aside until a later time".
If in the process I forget about the game, well, then it was really a boring game. If it's an interesting game and I get really stuck, I would rather use a walktrough than completely abandon the game.

If it's an otherwise nice game with really difficult controls (like Grim Fandango) I'll still try to struggle through or get a patch or I would "put it aside until later".

I still have N.D. White Wolf but haven't played it in a while. I agree with Koalanut about that one. I pulled Myst IV off because I hadn't played it in a while and because of the way the saves are, I couldn't remember what I had done. Will go back to it one of these days. Most games I usually try to get through even if it means a WT.

Bets

Call me stubborn but I just won't quit unless the game absolutely isn't working on my XP. I am working on that problem and got and ancient laptop with WIN95 and have played some of the older games sucessfully this way. Have a secondary pc with XP and thinking of putting WIN98 on that one. Lucky my hubby has his own laptop, lol. Just LOVE the games.

I'll rarely quit a game outright because it's too hard. I may put it aside a few days, weeks, months or years, but I keep my savegames and notes handy. Usually the one reason I'll quit a game never to return is because of poor interface or mechanics or insurmountable design flaw or bugs. Like, for example, Fahrenheit (interface) or Keepsake (design flaws).

Otherwise my tolerance is pretty high for annoying things in games.

I have yet to quit a game-- just can't seem to do it-- same with a book- I will finish it- I have come close though

Oh, Welcome, JKing! I see this is your very first post!
Anyway, I agree with you about Fahrenheit if you meant mashing those flashing buttons, but what were the "design flaws" in Keepsake that made you unable to finish it? I couldn't put it down right to the end, and liked the game very much (except for the merchant's voice)

when I bought ... the Alice -In-Wonderland Game, New to adventureing...so I thought, it was a point and click well no way then I was always killed by something or someone and not only that it was cartoon
oh my goodness ... how I hated that threesome...
"No" point and Click
"No" really people
and
"No" killing Please those are a big No No for me ... so I quit

I also cant play St. Delawre ((I think Thats the name of the game)) well anyway it scared the baa-gee-bees out of me...
No scarry stuff Please

I love Nancy Drew though I can tolorate lil scare but not rip-a-part-scare .... and well I guess thats when I quit otherwise I love gaming!