If I have the console or the PC with the recommended requirements, I will play pretty much any game you toss my way.

It goes without saying then, that I am starting or stopping games all of the time simply because there are so many to wade through. I am often faced with situations where I find myself unable to progress in any of the games I’ve started up. It’s a bump in the road that many have experienced. No matter what you do, or how often you try, you just can’t quite get past a certain spot in what you’re playing.

The first few footholds were easy to navigate to, but you have found yourself at a point that you just can’t quite get out of. Welcome to the gamer’s plateau.

As of right now, I’m playing a real cluster of games. Yeah, yeah, I know. I try to do too much instead of focusing on one. I would be doing just fine, were I not stuck in all but two of those. I can’t kill the final boss of FFIII (spoiler-free for your pleasure!). It’s pathetic. I lose my way in Paradise Plaza of Dead Rising before I can get to the scoop point. For the life of me, I cannot win the races that Brucie rides with me on. I just can’t. I’m horrible at driving in GTAIV, so I’m sitting at about 15% completion.

What’s my solution? I’ve put them all aside for now. I’m focusing on other games and other areas of my day. All the while I’m planning on how I will make my triumphant return, because as we all know, if you leave something problematic to fester for a few days or weeks, your return is almost always successful. It’s a phenomena that I don’t quite understand, but it is certainly real. However, real as it is, it’s not always practical. Who wants to take a vacation from a game they bought last week? If I was horrible at something two weeks before, why should I pass the trial with flying colors now?

I can only surmise that a little time heals everything–from relationships to game overs. I don’t always have time to wait though, in the case of electronic entertainment. I want to make progress now, not later. So what can I do? Lucky for me, there are a few different ways to make it over this bump in the road. They may not always work, but they will at least ease the frustration a bit. With that said, I’ve compiled a list of things to try when you feel like you just can’t go any further. No, suicide is not one of them.

Visit the almighty GameFAQs.
Contrary to popular belief, using a guide or a walkthrough will not make you less of a gamer. I know, I know. It may come as a shock. This may well be the most obvious bullet on my list, but it really is the best thing to help. It does have its drawbacks. It can’t play the game for you, so it’s up to you to actually put their instructions to good use. I can promise you that you’re not going to be shunned by your friends. Why do they have to know anyway? Honestly, who finds every single Dalmatian in Kingdom Hearts just by exploring? I haven’t the patience. Also, just between you and me? Some in-game puzzles are just ridiculous. It’s okay–you’re not the only person who didn’t make the connection. I’m just not as creative as these game developers. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take a quick peek at a guide than waste four hours trying to get past a puzzle that makes me feel like a blithering idiot anyway.

Socialize.
Sometimes, nothing works wonders for a roadblock in your game than a phone call. Somehow not paying attention can be the best solution. Call up a friend and complain about your dilemma. If you’re lucky, they’ll have a really great experience to share with you while you divide your attention between them and the boss you’ve failed to defeat 399459345 times (coughcoughNinjaGaidencough). After concentrating for so long on the perfect button combination or strategy to overcome whatever you’re facing, sometimes a little absentmindedness will pay off. It might just be a fluke, but sometimes you’re just willing to either accept any kind of victory or throw in the towel. So go ahead, call your grandmother and fill her in on what’s been going on in your life. Great way to connect and get past whatever you can’t conquer, am I right?

Enlist some help.
I am horrible at sports games. Anytime I have to play anything with a section even remotely resembling sports, after a few attempts (if it isn’t horrendously boring) I will march into the living room and thrust my controller into my father’s hands. I hate sports. He, on the other hand, enjoys wallowing in the wide world of athletics, especially television game coverage and sports of the virtual variety. It’s perfectly fine to hand over the controller to a brother, a sister, a friend, or a family member. You’re in a safe place here. We’re not going to tell, I promise. Would you rather stay in your slump or actually see the ending of whatever you’re playing? Yeah. I thought so.

If applicable, practice.
Okay, so maybe you really suck at Geometry Wars. The only way you’re going to get better is through playing it over and over until you can figure out how to stay alive until after 100,000 because those little teal diamonds always get me you. To put it simply, if you can do it over and over, then do it. At the very least you’re going to be super well-versed in this area of the game. So when anyone asks you about such-and-such area, you can puff out your chest. You know, you can be all SUPER SRS GAMER. Right? That’s what we all want, secretly.

After trying all aforementioned methods and you still find that there is no real possible way that you are going to vanquish this insurmountable task, then you can always give up. Give up and never see what happens after Aerith dies. That’s fine. Yeah, let Niko rot in Liberty City. All sarcasm aside, we here at Girls Don’t Game believe in you. You’ll get there. Promise.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 10:45 am and is filed under Video Games, Editorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.