This is a weird thought but I’m just curious if anyone else feels this way. I’m 39 and grew up playing games all the way back to the original Atari and I just feel weird about the term “beat” when it comes to finishing games. I don’t know why, but I just feel like it’s weird to say nowadays. I’m talking specifically about story based games, not puzzlers and such. It’s more like playing interactive movies nowadays and saying you beat it feels just …off to me. A game podcast I listen to, they tend to say they “rolled credits” on the game or finished it. I just feel like a lot of games nowadays it’s not about “beating” so much as finishing an experience. I dunno, maybe I’m just weird, but I am curious if it’s just me.
No I like the term beat, not because it’s accurate, but because it’s like a tradition, it’s part of the culture of the medium. Beating a game is a triumph, something to celebrate and be proud of, not just checking off a to-do list.
Yeah I get that. I feel like it’s only tradition though because we’ve been using that term since the days where gaming was really about beating it. When I finished The Last of Us, I didn’t feel like I “beat” it. I felt like I completed the story.