Stop me if this sounds familiar.

You’re listening to friends who play a game that you all enjoy, let’s say Pokémon Sword. They’re talking about how they min-maxed their Pokémon to get their team the best possible stats. They turn to you, super pumped, and ask how you picked out your pocket monsters. You shrug, laugh, and say, “I just thought they were neat little guys.”

I think it’s always interesting when different levels of hobbyists interact. Let’s be real here, video games are a hobby. No matter the genre of game, there are those who desire to optimize the play experience and those who are just there for some neat visuals. There’s no value judgment or moral value to playing one way or another, except when others make you feel that is the case. 

You might play Hades, and pick Aphrodite and Dionysus as the gods who grant you boons because you think their art is hot, and someone scoffs at you because “don’t you know that Aphrodite has the lowest tier boons?” Or maybe you always bring the same party in Fire Emblem games based on how much you like the visual novel and dating aspects of the game, rather than anything to do with their growth stats. You’re not playing the game “right” and you need to “git gud.” That’s rarely a good feeling.

I think because games often measure a certain level of skill and understanding of the rule set, there’s often an expectation among more serious hobbyists that everyone should play in the “right” way or the most efficient manner. This is a silly idea if we compare it to other hobbies. Would you tell a group of friends playing footy at the park that they need to be playing and treat soccer with the same intensity as the players on France’s national team? Yet we ask the same of folks who pick up a controller or mouse to while away an hour or two. 

It is not required to “git gud” to have a great time. At their core, video games are supposed to be games, and ultimately, games should be fun. They’re a series of agreed upon rules with an arbitrary goal for the sale of having a grand old time. What do you guys think? What are some games that you aren’t good at, but you love anyway? Do you think you need to be good at a game to actually have fun? 

Featured Image: Super Giant Games

The Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast About Video Games

The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, Stephanie Klimov, LeRon Dawkins, and Pat Klein come together with their friends, colleagues, and fellow creators to talk about their week in video games, discuss industry topics, conduct interviews, answer listener questions, and more. New episodes every Monday. Get each episode one week early and more perks over on the Boss Rush Network Patreon page.

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