What is Shameless Gaming? Well, I’m glad you asked! Shameless Gaming is Kotaku’s version of Dry July, a month where we ignore new releases and play through our video gaming pile of shame together. We take all those unfinished, ignored games, the ones we cast aside, and we give them the attention they deserve! Join in!
As you may have noticed, last week was a pretty intense one for me. Trying to survive on one-two hours of sleep a night wasn’t fun, but it did give me a lot of free time. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much of that time I spent trying to stay awake, and how little I spent actually gaming.
One of the minor reasons why I did polyphasic sleep was to allow more time for gaming during Shameless Gaming month. The plan was to knock off a whole number of games while everyone slept. No ‘let me watch The Block‘ distractions. No need to do household chores, no need to talk to people.
Bliss.
But it didn’t really work out like that.
Don’t get me wrong, I spent a lot of time playing video games. But I didn’t enjoy it, which usually resulted in me turning the game off and walking in bizarre circles in an attempt to not fall unconscious. Part of the reason was the game I was playing: Max Payne 3. It’s a game I enjoyed in short bursts but found desperately repetitive for longer periods of play.
Particularly towards the end of Max Payne 3, the game becomes a real grind, shooting down wave after wave of faceless goons. You’re practically forced to substitute Max Payne’s spectacular slow-mo antics with the same dull fire-from-cover techniques you’ve used in every other Rockstar game ever made. I just got so frustrated. This combined with sleep deprivation did not make for a fun gaming experience.
It felt like a terrible grind. Sometimes I would have to stand up to play in case I fell asleep.
It’s a shame, because I enjoyed the first two-thirds of Max Payne 3, and I understand that the sleep deprivation played a huge part in my frustrations. I’m so close to being finished with the game, so I’ll probably wrap this up now that I’m fully rested and move onto either Fez or Mass Effect 3.
How are you guys going so far?
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