Guest Blogger Kevin WK: Gamer, Nudist, and Activist

Hi, my name is Kevin, and I have Gamer A.D.D. I can't to commit to a game for more than a few hours at a time, let alone finish it, even if I enjoy the game.   It’s a problem many people face, so bad that over the years, games have been made shorter to appeal to gamers with my condition.   I don’t know how many of you are out there, but if you have Gamer A.D.D. too, I feel your pain, temporarily…

There are many games out there that cater to this disorder, some great, some not.   We are going to look at a few of both.

I love you but, I'm not in love with you.

Games like the Call of Duty series, for instance, are great A.D.D. time fillers.  The single player experience can usually last 5-7 hours, making perfect play time for people who can’t commit.

Portal 2 so far holds my heart for best game of the year.   Its story is great, simple, and short, but not “I wasted 60 bucks for this!?” short.  The single player campaign clocks in at about 6-8 hours long, with a separate multiplayer story that can last about 4 hours.   Even then, only 63% of Steam users who have Portal 2 actually finished the single player campaign.

Shadows of the Damned is a bit of a niche title but I played this game from beginning to end in one sitting, the whole 6 hours it was.  It was entertaining with enough innovation to keep me playing without getting too bored.   The storyline was hilarious as well and kept me wanting to know what would happen next.  Shadows is pretty cheap if you can find it and definitely worth your short attention span.

Along with the good, here comes some games that people with Gamer A.D.D. should avoid, not for the game being bad, but just being a game that you would never see the end of.

Let’s just get this one out of the way early. You have to dedicate a lot of time to RPGs.  A person like me will never know the endings to any of these games. Don’t get me wrong, I love these games and will continue to buy and support them, but I’ll be surprised if I could put more than 10 hours into it.   I know my limits, and there is a point in RPGs where I’ve reached my level of enjoyment.  Once that hits, it goes on my shelf or is traded in at the game store for something else, never to be played by me again.

There was a time when all I played was RPGs, now I can only watch from the sidelines as friends tell me their experiences.   Final Fantasy has always been one of my favorites, since the beginning on NES, I have a special place in my heart for them.  But once again, ill start the game, love the first few hours, then I'm done.   Final Fantasy XIII had potential to win me back, it had everything I wanted in an RPG and looked amazing.  Still, I was too far gone to enjoy it.

There is one exception to the rule, and this is out of pure love , but I have always made time for this series…

Snake, I wish I could quit you ....

MGS is a game that can take a long time to complete, not because of the gameplay; this game is full of story.  Metal Gear Solid 4 rang in around 6-8 hours of actual gameplay, but the cut scenes made it last 12 hours.  There is one scene that is 90 minutes!!!!  I did laundry while I played MGS4, I folded all through Act 4.  Despite this, I will continue to play and enjoy every Metal Gear game that comes out.

In closing, I know that I’m not alone on this issue. There are many gamers out there that buy games just to trade them in within the first week of release, not because they hated the game, just because they got their fun out of it. Whether they saw the end credits or gave up during the beginning tutorial, here’s to you, my fellow gamers!  Have fun with your games, until there’s something else that comes out next week…

------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's in the box???"

Remember all that wicked awesome PAX swag I bragged about?  Of course you do.  We are giving away a little package of goodies to a lucky reader with our first ever giveaway!  The way to win is to tell us about your best Gamer A.D.D. moment!  Comment on Kevin's Facebook link, Lindsey's Facebook link, Debbie's G+ link, replying to our twitter (@achievos) or comment right here on the blog!  What exactly will you win?  You'll just have to wait and see!