Why Can’t I Quit Destiny?
I think most everyone can agree that Destiny is a deeply flawed game. The storyline is fractured and incomplete, it has some hilariously laughable acting moments (seriously, Peter Dinklage, I adore you, but did you call this stuff in from your trailer in Belfast on a lunch break?), and the loot system is frustratingly random and capricious.
And yet. Here I am. Some 200+ hours of game time in. 3 characters in. Endless weapons and armor. A pile of other games to play. A house to take care of, movies to watch and critique, and Denver Comic Con to prep for.
And. I. Can’t. Stop. Playing. Destiny.
Every Tuesday, there I am, running Nightfall with my husband. Every weekend, Vault of Glass and Crota with our friends. Mocking the dialogue, hoping for good loot drops, rolling our eyes when someone gets the same pointless, but pretty, Sparrow for the 19th time. Obsessively hunting down shards, glimmer, and parts to make our weapons and armor better. Grinding our way to level 30, then 31, and now, 32.
I don’t understand the grip this game has on me. Sure, it’s unbelievably beautiful to look at, the engine is phenomenal, and the weapons are super fun, but that’s true of a lot of games. And yes, the cast is filled with people I would happily watch do a staged reading of the Yellow Pages. (You would watch Nathan Fillion, Lance Reddick and Gina Torres do that too, I know you would!) And of course I’m enjoying the growing list of geeky shout outs. I mean, come on, how are these cloaks NOT a Game of Thrones reference?
But that’s not really enough to keep playing, week in and week out.
So, I’ve been thinking a lot about it.
Is it Destiny’s top notch execution of game theory to engineer the loot drops to keep pulling you back in? Maybe. Just when you’re ready to rage quit, Destiny gives you a wonderful treat like the Ice Breaker, a sniper rifle that does over 300 damage and causes your enemies to combust, all the from safety and comfort of Destiny’s clever hiding spots. Then you have to play with your shiny new toy, and level it up, and before you know it, another 6 hours of gameplay have gone by.
Is it my completionist nature? I mean, I am the girl who can’t walk past a single cave in Skyrim, who has to open every chest, explore every town, and kill every enemy. I think I did, quite literally, every single side mission in Borderlands. On each character. I want my trophy page to say 100%. And I still don’t have my Gjallarhorn. (Doesn’t everyone need an exotic rocket launcher?)
Is it the awesome community of players I’ve met? The almost total lack of online douchecanoery? (Yes, I make up my own words, deal with it.) Destiny is an MMO that rewards teamwork, not just individual accomplishment. If you put together the right team, you can breeze through raids in no time at all, just owning your enemies and collecting your shiny prizes. It doesn’t even matter if someone is new. There is always the more experienced players, calling out tactics, when to run, when to hide, when to shoot. I love running the 6 person raids every week, the trash talking, the teamwork, the stupid animated dancing after a hard won victory. Destiny is the first gaming community in a long, long time where not only have I felt welcome, but also sought after, whether for a raid or just to chat while we mindlessly blow crap up.
So, while I think, in the end, it is all of these things, it’s the teamwork. In spite of its many flaws, Destiny is, above all, collaborative in a way that even other multiplayer games aren’t. Combined with beautiful graphics, and a great engine, it is an epic combination that keeps me coming back day after day, despite the ridiculous cut scenes. I guess that one day, I’ll be done with it, ready to move on to something new. Probably right in time for the new DLC. And I’ll get sucked right back in.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments, or better yet, JOIN US. I’ll be back soon to read all about it, but, right now, my fireteam needs me. We’re running Crota again, and we need a Sunsinger. And I need these boots.
