On completionism

Nothing against completionism in gaming. I know plenty of players who love it—the thrill of finding every last item, unlocking every secret, hitting that perfect completion percentage. It’s their way of playing, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For me, though, it tends to create more frustration than fun. Especially when the game is built so that missing one specific thing means replaying an entire sequence to unlock an objective. You take a different turn, you don’t spot that collectible in time, or you simply overlook it—and suddenly you have to go all the way back and do it again. That loop doesn’t sit well with me. It kills the flow. I play to get lost in the experience, whether it’s the narrative pulling me along or the gameplay loop feeling just right. When I have to stop and think about reloading saves or consulting guides to avoid missing something important later, it stops being relaxing. It becomes another thing I have to manage carefully. And these days, with work,…