Let's consider the hurdles involved in completing a game, from the moment you become interested in it until you finish it.

I often play free games.
I do play console games, but free games are definitely easier to play casually.

However, I haven't completed all of the free games I've downloaded.
There are some games I play for a little while and then stop, and there are others I complete all the way to the end.
This time,What hurdles are there from the moment you become interested in a game until you reach the ending?I'd like to take a moment to reflect on things in a lighthearted way.

Reasons for downloading

To play a game, you first need to know that the work exists.
When I'm actively searching for games, I visit sites like "Freem" and "Vector" to look for interesting games, sorting them by newest releases or checking out popular games.
I also sometimes visit review sites such as "Mogura Games" and "Free Software Super Spicy Game Reviews."
When you find a game using these methods, you're taking an active approach to searching for it, so the probability of actually downloading and playing it is high.

Passive patterns include cases where someone happens to see something on Twitter or elsewhere and finds it interesting, or where a friend recommends it.
Even if the initial trigger was accidental, the act of taking action to investigate it already represents a shift to a proactive stance, so perhaps there is no need to distinguish between active and passive.

At this pre-play stage, the only thing that matters is, "Does it look interesting?"
Since we can't know yet whether it's actually interesting or not, what's important is whether it looks interesting or not.
Things that can help you guess whether something is interesting or not include, for example, whether it's in a genre you like, whether it has a good reputation, or whether the visuals are good.
This applies to the work itself as well, but surprisingly,Whether you yourself feel like "I want to play a new game"I believe that the player's real-world circumstances are also an important factor.

There have been many times when I've played a game that didn't seem interesting at first and ended up finding it incredibly fun.
However, time is limited, so it's impossible to play and check every game every time.
All I can do is judge and verify whether something "looks interesting" according to my own standards.
(I write this blog hoping it will be helpful to readers when they are making such judgments.)

For that reason, I think the game descriptions on posting sites and the like are quite important.
Even if a game has interesting content, if the description or other elements don't grab people's attention, it's unlikely to lead to actual downloads or players starting to play.
Personally, when I see a catchy screenshot, I get curious and wonder, "What kind of scene is this?"

Motivation during gameplay

Even if you download a game and start playing it, there's always the possibility that you might stop playing it midway through.
The diagram below is just an example I created as a test, but I'd like you to take a quick look at it first.

"Energy to continue playing" also means that if you have less energy, it's easier to continue playing, and if you have more energy, it's easier to stop.

Since I'm playing a game I've never played before, I feel like I need the most energy at the start of the game.
Once you start playing, you'll get engrossed in the game's progression in the early stages, and you'll have no resistance to continuing to play.
After that, it drags a bit in the middle, but then it gets interesting again towards the end.
As you approach the final boss, the story's conclusion becomes clearer, the narrative's driving force weakens, and you start to lose the motivation to continue playing.
This is a time when motivation can drop for various reasons, such as the dread of the difficult final battle, the weariness of the game coming to an end, and the practical problem of having to set aside a block of playtime from the final boss fight to the ending.

This diagram doesn't apply to all games, but I think it's possible to represent any game in a similar way.
I think that if new elements are introduced when the story might start to drag, or if the ending remains a mystery near the final boss, it increases the desire to continue playing.

summary

When it comes to deciding whether to play a game, I think the most important factor is whether the game looks interesting or not.
In addition to factors inherent in the work itself, I believe it's also influenced by the player's environment.

Even if I start a game, I often end up quitting it halfway through.
At the beginning of the game, during the mid-game slump, just before the final boss, etc.I think that incorporating interesting events at points where players are likely to drop out would be a good way to keep them playing.
I've written at length about this, but what I've realized is that, in my case, these are the kinds of emotional processes I experience.