It has become a chore to play through an entire video game. There are stacks of video games sitting in my basement apartment, and only a hand full of those have been given the privilege of displaying their ending credits on my TV screen.

There are many reasons so many of my game boxes have become my dust holders. Not that dust needs to be held. It has no longing for compassion. But these unmoved disc holders seem content with their latest but unnecessary purpose.

We’ll start with the joy factor. There are video games that are really fantastic and fun! They are the best thing ever when you first get them. You stay up late at night getting through the next level. But eventually the time comes when you’ve gotten your fun from the game. You haven’t completed the game, but it has given you a good ride and it’s time to find a new love.

My personal example of this is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The game is so open ended that it would be a shame to play straight through the missions. You would miss out on making two men kiss in the middle of a gun fight. You’d miss out on making a 30 car pile up and then sending the cars into a domino effect of explosions. You’d miss out on getting your jet shot down over “Vegas” while your partner stands perilously on the jet wing.

I opened up the second major city in San Andreas and that was enough for me. The game had served it’s purpose, and it would still be there if I wanted to go on a rampage after being stuck in traffic all day. I had finished enough of it. There is no need to force myself to go on.

Let’s continue on. There are some games where I just stop caring. Zelda and Metroid games, I’m looking in your direction. If I wanted to waste hours looking for extra missile packs that I will not find, I could do that at home. I could also drive back and forth from work a couple times. Backtracking is lots of fun!

The stories in these games are great. But I can’t force myself to go over the same space of ocean or same underground gave for the hundredth time. This is a game. For fun.

On a separate note, I can play Animal Crossing for hours on end. Go figure.

Then there are the games that are just too hard. This ties in to caring as well. If I cared to learn all the super secret moves in Ninja Gaiden, I’m sure the game would get easier. But I don’t care to learn the moves. And thus, I fail.

Same goes for the last boss. I never bothered to finish the original Jedi Knight because that last boss battle was a pain. I had made it through the whole game and gave up at the final boss. You want the final battle to be something epic and memorable but not frustrating.

To put all these sour notes behind us, I’ll give you a list of some of the games I have finished. Just so you know I’m not lazy. Please note, I am lazy. This is kind of like a magic trick. I’m trying to get you to think I’m not lazy. Observe!

Beyond Good and Evil, Katamari Damacy, TimeSplitters 2, Tony Hawk 2 and 3, Halo 1 and 2, God of War, Prince of Persia, Half-Life 1 and 2, Grand Theft Auto III, WarioWare.

There are more. But to add to my laziness fault, I also have a terrible memory. Which also hurts me when I try to come back to a game I have taken a break from. Those games usually end up on the unfinishable list.

However, I did pick up Paper Mario again after many months. Pray for me, as I attempt to finish another game!