Somewhere along the way, playing games stopped feeling enjoyable.
I didn’t notice it immediately. It happened quietly checking guides before trying things myself, worrying about missing trophies, restarting saves for “perfect” runs. This came along with growing older, having less time and having too many games that I wanted to play all at once!
My favourite type of games are RPGs and JRPGs. These games are immersive and are meant to be explored at your own pace. I realised I was playing with a checklist instead of curiosity. Finishing a game didn’t feel satisfying it felt like relief. In some instances I wasn’t even completing games. It was getting to a point where I did not have enough time, things felt overwhelming and I did not want to return to the game.
So, the questions were, what was missing? why am I not enjoying these games as much anymore? How do I change this?
I started letting myself miss things. Not checking guides. Not looking for “the best start” videos.
Letting choices stand even if they weren’t optimal. I started to feel okay with just playing the game through in my way. It didn’t matter if I missed trophies. Who was I showing this to anyway? This made the game more of a task rather than playing just for enjoyment.
What Mana Mode Is About
This led me to creating this blog. Mana Mode exists as a quiet corner of the internet for people who love RPGs but don’t want them to feel like work. Mana Mode welcomes all, but is mainly for casual gamers, beginners and “burn out completionists”. Along side this I share my interest and love for RPG and JRPG games.
If you’ve ever felt the same quiet pressure, you’re not alone.
This space is about slowing down, playing thoughtfully, and remembering why we loved games in the first place.
Play Gently.