there are certain game genres that I’m pretty sure I will never understand the appeal of:

• strategy games
• management games
• most RPGs - especially JRPGs
• fighting games

and as someone with a special interest in video games it feels kinda bad to simply not understand these games. but oh well - everything can’t appeal to me lol, and I think there are certain emotional wants/needs that are served by video games that I just don’t have and can’t relate to

this especially sucks when those I’m close to like a game that I don’t. like as far as I’m concerned FFXIV is a game where you press 1 2 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 at enemies but some of my partners really really like it and I wish I could enjoy it enough to play with them - especially after seeing how much joy they get out of playing it

they should have a checkbox when you make a FFXIV character that says “I don’t actually like this game I just want to spend time with my friends” and if you check that it lets you auto sync your progress to your friends’ progress so you can join them in their adventures without having to grind solo for 300 years first

@kasdeya im curious, what are your thoughts on farming sims?

@hearts I think I get the appeal! I’ve only tried Stardew Valley, which I have very mixed feelings on, but the farming parts were kinda nice tbh - and I especially liked clearing away the weeds and rocks from my farm

but I think the farming part makes sense too: it’s kind of an incremental game where you farm X crops and sell them so you can buy X*2 seeds and sell X*2 crops and repeat. it’s probably pretty satisfying to watch your farm grow like that

@kasdeya interesting. i was mainly curious because they seem kinda like a middle ground between some of the categories you haven't had the best time with

@hearts oh - interesting! how so? I guess I could see how it’s similar to a strategy game, since you’re choosing a long-term goal (harvesting a certain crop) and then working towards it every day

@kasdeya also management games?

@kasdeya I don't understand the appeal of rogue-likes or souls-likes.

@hearts oh really? that’s interesting. I’m not sure if I see the connection - I guess you’re kind of managing your crops in a way

I think the problems that I have with strategy games and management games are mostly that I don’t get clear immediate feedback from the game on whether I’m doing well or not, so I tend to stew in anxiety and self-doubt lol

but with farming games it’s much easier to know if I’m doing well because I know that my crops will always sell for more than I bought the seeds for, and I don’t have any living expenses or other things to pay for in the meantime that might cause a game over. so it’s basically impossible to make a decision so wrong that you lose the game

@ninafelwitch omg really? I could try to explain them if you’re interested! but it’s okay if not

@kasdeya I know what the appeal is, I just don't understand it. These games just aren't for me.