I almost always end up taking a break from gaming after I finish a game. It's not because I want to really, though frequently the ends of games irritate me with their higher difficulty curves, but because I find it hard to decide what to play next. I have a large backlog of games, and I like to mix things up, following a shooter with a racing title, and a newer title with something old. I also feel compelled to play all games in a series if possible before trying the new one, so I always have a few "chore" games sitting around waiting to be played (Many of these end up being a ton of fun. I loved Just Cause 1 more than is reasonable given the PS2 era open world JANK)

The real chore, however, is picking which one. Do I want to dive into something big and complex with lots of systems to learn? Something quick dumb and easy? One of the titles I've been saving for a special occasion? (Oh L.A. Noire. I am going to swim in the magnificence of your bounty at some point between exams and January.)

This is, of course, kind of a silly problem, but it is a problem nonetheless. Especially because picking the wrong game to match my mood means I won't play nearly as much as I normally will, since I don't want to quit a game but I don't want to play something I'm not really enjoying so I end up watching Hulu or Netflix or whatever.

Add in the fact that my least favorite part of a game tends to be the first couple hours where your character is weak and you're learning the systems and dealing with what are often less cool starting areas (Though with some games it goes the other way. Yes Brutal Legend. YOU ARE BEING LOOKED AT!) and its no wonder I tend to take unanticipated breaks between titles.