Why can’t I stop playing Destiny?
Three words: Phantasy Star Online. Destiny’s likeness to one of my favorite games of all time is uncanny in many ways and that nostalgic appeal is a huge factor as to why I can’t stop playing. But with Phantasy Star Online, I eventually stopped playing. The day that happened was the day that I reached the maximum level of 100. I very literally hit level 100, finished the mission I was doing, shut the game off, and never played a single minute afterwards. There was no point. The game, while extremely fun and enjoyable, was very repetitive in nature and I had obtained all the best weapons and items that the game had to offer. But every minute that I wasn’t yet level 100, I yearned to play it and it drew me in with that goal of finally reaching the maximum level.
Now, Destiny was released on September 9th, 2014. In the 2 months since it’s release I have racked up 120 hours of play time, or an average of 2 hours every single day since launch! That is absurd… and for some reason I can’t stop. And by “some reason” I’m referring to the exact same reason I couldn’t stop playing Phantasy Star Online. The difference here, though, is that there are many reasons why I would want to stop playing Destiny. From the repetitive nature of basically all aspects of the game, to the downright nascent storyline, there is very little substance being provided, especially when it comes to genuinely unique and original substance. Every day there are bounties and a daily mission to grind, and every week there are strikes and the raid mission to grind.
But the way that Bungie has set up the leveling system in Destiny is such that in order to reach the maximum level in the game (the only real objective left) is to equip a particular combination of 4 pieces of armor. One of which (the exotic type) may be obtained by in-game vendors, and the other 3 must be obtained as a random drop from the raid. Because of this, it is effectively randomized who is able to reach the maximum level of 30. And because of my shitty luck in this random chance, I keep playing.
Oh, and also because of this.
