Does this kind of game exist?

As you read my post, I suggest you do so while listening to this.

I have come to the harsh decision of withdrawing completely from video games for an indefinite period of time, due to months of stress caused by me acting in an extremely pressuring manner with myself, continuously demanding achievements and comparing myself to others (usually the best of their kind in a certain game). I am, however, quite regretful of my decision, because video games were a lifelong hobby of mine, and I still love them, but the stress they provided were drowning out most of the enjoyment I could have from them, so I decided to stop playing them for as long as it takes for me to cool my head and assimilate more "correct" views of skills and achievements within them.

I will take a final chance with them, however, before I truly carry on with the withdrawal. The question I have for you is: Is there a game, any game, where comparing your skill at it with others simply cannot happen? Do note that games with a high degree of freedom don't atumatically qualify. Such is the case of Minecraft - I risk developing a serious feeling of inadequacy if I see some of the stuff they've made in it (especially built in Creative mode) and I (pretty much for sure) am unable to come anywhere near replicating them.

edited 5th Dec '12 1:54:42 AM by AngelG55th

You could try some flash based art games. Those tend to be A) non stressful and B) non competitive.

They are also sometimes hard to define as games, though, so, um, yes. ):

If the answer to my question was positive, then why the frowny face? Additinally, do you have any examples of such art games?

You could try But That Was [yesterday] or The Company Of Myself, both of which I think are on Kongregate.

I would think that just about anything ever can have someone be more or less skillful than you.

edited 4th Dec '12 11:26:40 AM by burnpsy

Oh God, the plots of the games, how sad they are...totally not what I'm currently in need of... Yup, this is why I withdrew from video games. I picked up the terrible habit of judging myself based on others all the time, with those others usually being not your average player, but players of the highest level. I wasn't doing things my own way, at my own pace. I was always focused on achieving something another person was able to accomplish, regardless of whether I had the persistence, the skill or just the curage to even attempt that.

Scribblenauts

You, a sandbox world with objectives (that you can ignore) and lots and lots and lots of words.

Journey

More of an artistic experience than a video game, still mind blowing.

edited 4th Dec '12 11:33:43 AM by Thorn14

These sounded like some pretty interesting ideas Thorn.

A good idea overall, but there are a couple of things that get in the way.

1. I don't own a DS, 3DS or Wii U, but this is made irrelevant by the fact that Unlimited is available for PC via Steam.
2. There still is one way I could pressure myself while playing this game - how many puzzles have you completed and whether you've finished the game or not.

That's an even better idea, actually. I myself even considered picking it up (I own a PS 3), as this game truly has no real way for me to pressure myself in any way.

Well, I dont know how easily you are pressured. If you're afraid of ANY challenge in ANY sense, then gaming may not be fore you.

Journey is a pretty damn easy game, but it still has some light platforming.

Let me try to explain this. I pressure myself very much because I see the accomplishments of others, instantly feel inferior (depending on what they did) and then proceed to force myself to do something comparable to what I just saw. I wasn't like this for most of my gaming experience, I only started to go this (wrong) way this year.

As I've said before, I don't do things my own way, I base my goals and accomplishments entirely on what others have done.

Well, the co-op element in Journey adds to the value of the game big time, but I'm afraid that'll cause problems for you.

He only feels pressure when he can compare himself to the best players who also play the game.

He's probably fine with challenging games.

Then my 2 suggestions stick (Scribblenauts has no leaderboard or anything) and Journey is 100% co op.

I was actually going to suggest Journey myself.

How about, and this isn't sarcasm or an insult, you just stop comparing yourself to others? I have no clue how good anyone else is at dead space, because I have never looked. Do you have an impulse to look at others accomplishments?

Stop caring and embrace nullness.

An idea: most single-player RPGs, especially turn-based ones.

For those, achieving what other players have done in the game, modding or hacking aside, could likely be achieved by just about anyone by following a walkthrough and/or grinding enough, meaning that you have the same ability as everyone else to do everything.

edited 4th Dec '12 12:13:33 PM by burnpsy

You nailed it. The problem with this is that I've allowed such comparing to run completely out of control, to the point that it was difficult for me to enjoy a bout of an arcade game (something that has always fascinated me) with a friend (if you're curious, it's Antimatter625) because I kept being bothered by how he has never played that game (the one game where this happened was Shock Troopers) yet was managing to use fewer credits than I.

For this reason I've made the decision of withdrawing from video games, but I still feel much regret over that decision because they were a lifelong hobby of mine and because deep inside I truly love video games.

I think it's not so much of an impulse as is just me giving far too much weight to the accomplishments of others while ignoring what I did myself. Using burnpsy's mention of single-player RP Gs as an example, I would be left feeling inferior just by knowing that people completed game X using Y restrictions or in Z hours while I may not even have finished the game.

edited 4th Dec '12 12:20:21 PM by AngelG55th

Another idea, then: Roguelikes.

Since all of the dungeons are randomly-generated, no two player experiences are the same, so the achievements of any given person holds no weight whatsoever on what you've achieved in the random dungeons the game has dealt you.

Dwarf Fortress if you're feeling masochistic.

Roguelikes are frequently Nintendo Hard. I have never gone far in any of the ones I've played to date (except for one that had selectable difficulties and a bug that doubled as a cheat - namely, Castle Of The Winds, literally one of three RP Gs I've ever seen the end of) and in my current state I'm going to feel kinda demoralized when I remember while failing at them that (at least for Net Hack) its players are crazy enough to come up with challenges on top of the game's own difficulty. Some of them integrated into the game, even. (using Net Hack as an example again, its conducts)

As you can see, if it's possible for me to see what other have accomplished, I will, no matter the game. And I will always compare myself to ohters in an unfavorable way. This is my issue.

/strains to resist making a Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei image macro for this

Why not try harvest moon? There's plenty of them to try and it's a pretty damn chill game.

Are you having the same problem with real life tasks as well? If so you may want to seek help. If this is a gaming-only issue, however, a complete internet and online blackout - at least with regards to gaming related materials and game communities including this forum - would work wonders.

edited 4th Dec '12 6:11:55 PM by Recon5

Suggestion 1: Begin thinking of this as a problem with negative aspects of your personality. Gaming is just the way which the problem manifests, deal with the problem not the medium.

Suggestion 2: Take a hobby where competition is good. In classical guitar, attempting to be as good as the greats is something that inspires you forward, even if you never acheive it. This would probably be the case with video games as well, if there weren't a lingering stigma.

Suggestion 3: Play Dwarf Fortress with the intention of building a unique fort. You'll be comparing yourself to others but you won't be "losing".

Play Two-Player Pong by yourself, perhaps?

Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.