411 hours.
That’s how much time I’ve spent playing Destiny since February of this year.
That’s more time than I spent on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which took up 230 hours (mostly in 2013). That’s very likely more time than I’ve spent on all of the Super Smash Bros. games since 1999.
Until Destiny, this title was easily my most played, with 230 hours, most of which were played in 2013.
And yet I know that compared to many Destiny players, it isn’t that much.
Furthermore, I could probably put in another 411 hours (or more) without much trouble.
So why is this a problem? If you’ve read my glowing review, you know that I love Destiny now more than I ever have. It’s still an incredibly well-designed shooter with the best gunplay I’ve ever experienced, a vastly improved story with more interesting characters, and among other facets, a TON to do.
But for me, Destiny has gotten its hooks in me so much so that I’ve managed to leave other consoles and handhelds in the dust. Instead of playing through and finishing a bunch of new games, I’ve been playing more Destiny than anything else. My free time at home not spent with my wife (and now newborn son) was mostly spent playing Destiny. And I’ve missed my Wii U, 3DS, Vita, PS3, PC, and even other games on PS4 because of how much I’ve been on Destiny.
So I decided to finally take a break.
The Power of Addictive Games
I remember how in my first semester of college, my roommate played World of Warcraft constantly. He spent easily 10-12 hours every day just in that world, and his grades suffered. I knew that I had to avoid that myself purely for the reason of avoiding that same addiction. For similar reasons, I’ve avoided games like DOTA 2, League of Legends, and Marvel Heroes. Even though such games are not all the same, they all have that same endless gameplay that is fun and addictive.
Of course it’s totally possible to play any of the above games (and Destiny) without it causing problems in school, jobs, marriage, and so on, but there’s still a cost inherent in that it pulls you away from something else. I’ve just gotten to the point where I don’t want to be pulled away from my other games anymore. I want to enjoy more of what is out there.
That’s why I feel it’s time for me to really expand my play circle and return to all of the other games I love. It’s time to dive back into Splatoon, which has hardly been touched in the past few months. It’s time to give my Wii U some love and finish games like Bayonetta 2. It’s time to take those JRPGs like Persona 3 FES and Shin Megami Tensei IV off of the shelf and become immersed again in worlds that give me freedom to play at my own pace and be able to pause as needed. It’s time to knock out some of that backlog and get myself ready for Xenoblade Chronicles X.
Now that it’s been a few months since I finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, I’m ready for this!
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye (Which is Why I’m Not)
None of this is me saying I’m done with Destiny altogether. I will undoubtedly play a bunch more, especially when I get the itch to shoot stuff and when new expansions come out. If Destiny still exists in 6 years or so, I hope to play with my son.
But I want to take a real break from the game at least until next year.
There are so many games I’ve either bought and want to finish or bought and want to play. There are so many great-looking games coming in the next six months to a year. I just want to be ready for them and not have Destiny keep me away.
Guardian out.
