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I'm a loyal guy. I'm faithful to my girlfriend, friends…and video games.
As odd as it sounds, I treat my passion for a video game like I treat a relationship with a significant other: I commit to one title at a time and invest myself completely in that entanglement.
I dislike playing more than one at a time, especially if it's a story-heavy game. I want a title to envelope me in its world. If I'm playing more than one, then I'm dividing my attention between two separate experiences. And that means that I'm not invested in either.
Sure, I still have a wandering eye. If I see a tempting new game on store shelves, I'll give it a glance. But I usually walk away and say, "Not right now — I'm seeing someone else."
I just don't click with some games, though, so I have to dump them. Final Fantasy 13 found that out after we spent a meager 12 hours together. "I'm sorry," I said. "But if I'm going to make a commitment, I need more excitement."
It's easy to cheat on a game when it doesn't have a deep plot, such as sports titles because they're kind of shallow — they're fun to be around, but they aren't intellectually stimulating. I don't feel guilty about having another on the side when I'm playing Madden 11. After all, Madden (the game — not the guy) and I are just a fling.
Of course, committing to one title isn't completely like committing to a girlfriend or boyfriend. Every relationship I have with a game comes to an end at some point. Seriously, if I went through girlfriends as fast as I went through games, I would have about 1,500 women pissed at me. (And I realize that a romance with a person is a bit more serious than bonding with a video game — I'm no Tucker Max-esque womanizer.)
But Christmas is coming, and I haphazardly asked for story-driven games Fallout: New Vegas and Red Dead Redemption. I'm hoping they don't mind a polygamist relationship; I don't think I have enough willpower to commit to only one.
Does anyone else try to play only one game at a time, or am I a weirdo? Do you feel like you're "cheating" if you start playing another while trying to finish that first one? Let me know. And if you think I'm just a weirdo…well, let me know!