# Only 10% of gamers actually finish a game



## gloweyjoey (Aug 19, 2011)

<div align='center'><img src="http://pix.gbatemp.net/252969/40.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
(Picture by <a href="http://www.aledlewis.com/" target="_blank">Aled Lewis</a>. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157625718212273/" target="_blank">Video Games Vs. Real-Life set)</a></div>
<p align=" " class="none">Just 10 percent of gamers actually finish a game, an industry veteran told CNN in a recent feature, and his colleagues and other figures back him up. "Ninety percent of players who start your game will never see the end of it unless they watch a clip on YouTube," says Keith Fuller.

Raptr, the gaming social network, vouches for that, noting that only 10 percent of those in its service who have played Red Dead Redemption have finished the last mission for one of 2010's most acclaimed games. Raptr's John Lee, with a career that included executive jobs at Capcom, THQ and Sega, recalled being told the completion figure was about 20 percent.

CNN goes further into the psychology of completion, games design and the pile of shame, noting that as gamers' average age gets older, they have less time for massive, 40-hour campaigns. And even if they don't have a wife and kids, "The amount of digital distractions now is far greater than it's ever been before," says Konami's Jeremy Airey. "People need time to check their Facebook, send a Twitter, be witty on their blog, play with their phone — oh, and that game you made. If they feel as though the end is far away, they'll simply say, 'I don't have time for that' and stop playing."</p>
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/style_images/1/folder_post_icons/icon11.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <a href="http://kotaku.com/5832450/nine-out-of-10-will-not-finish-the-game-they-are-playing" target="_blank">Source</a>


Spoiler: CNN Article



Once considered a cult pastime, video games have grown immensely in the last 30 years to become a mainstream fixture alongside movies and music.

But you wouldn't know it by how often players finish their games.

In fact, the attrition (or bounce rate) of video games is pretty pathetic. "What I've been told as a blanket expectation is that 90% of players who start your game will never see the end of it unless they watch a clip on YouTube," says Keith Fuller, a longtime production contractor for Activision.

That's a lot of unfinished games.

And it doesn't get much better when isolated to just avid gamers.

"Just 10 years ago, I recall some standard that only 20% of gamers ever finish a game," says John Lee, VP of marketing at Raptr and former executive at Capcom, THQ and Sega.

And it's not just dull games that go unfinished. Critically acclaimed ones do, too. Take last year's "Red Dead Redemption." You might think Rockstar's gritty Western would be played more than others, given the praise it enjoyed, but you'd be wrong.

Only 10% of avid gamers completed the final mission, according to Raptr, which tracks more than 23 million gaming sessions.

Let that sink in for a minute: Of every 10 people who started playing the consensus "Game of the Year," only one of them finished it.

How is that? Shouldn't such a high-rated game keep people engaged? Or have player attention spans reached a breaking point?

Who's to blame: The developer or the player? Or maybe it's our culture?

The correct answer is, in fact, all of the above.

The aging gamer

At the beginning of the 21st century, the average gamer was pushing 30 -- mid-to-late 20s, to be exact. They weren't playing as often as they did in their adolescence, but in between entry-level jobs, earnest slacking and higher education, there was still ample time to game.

Fast forward to today, and the average gamer is 37, according to the Entertainment Software Association. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 41 -- nearing Just for Men-type levels. They're raising kids. In the middle of a career. Worried about retirement.

Not only that, but time is precious for gamers of all ages.

"People have short attention spans and limited time now," says Jeremy Airey, head of U.S. production at Konami.

"The amount of digital distractions now is far greater than it's ever been before," he says. "People need time to check their Facebook, send a Twitter (tweet), be witty on their blog, play with their phone -- oh, and that game you made. If they feel as though the end is far away, they'll simply say, 'I don't have time for that' and stop playing."

In other words, the longer the game, the higher probability a player will abandon it. "Red Dead Redemption" takes upward of 30 hours to complete, according to howlongtobeat.com, and few players are willing to commit that much time.

A glut of games

Not only that, but the accelerating rate at which new games are released cannibalizes existing games and further distracts the already inundated player.

"In the last two decades the growth of video games has produced a huge influx of games," Fuller says. "There are more players today, but there are also more games per player. Since you can't spend as much time on each game, you're less likely to finish the one in front of you."

Not only did gamers have more time in the eight- and 16-bit days, but they had fewer games to complete.

Of course, engagement levels vary by genre and difficulty. "As expected, 'Red Dead Redemption' is the lowest completed high-profile game because it's so big," Lee says.

The gaming platform has an impact on completion rates as well. Low-caloric and hyper-short web games are finished 85% of the time, according to Backloggery.com, a website that helps players finish the games they already own before buying new ones. Conversely, meatier games on PS3 are finished less often, according to Backloggery.

Either way, this shifting demand is more than enough to sway developers in a different direction. For starters, they are creating less epic games, at least in terms of duration.

"Long gone are the days of starting a game on a high-level concept," says Konami's Airey. The reason: "It's costly," he says.

Fuller says the devil is in the details.

"I worked on a project that took 50 people and 18 months to produce 20 minutes of game play," he says. "With the expectations so high for visual and audio fidelity, lifelike animations, enemy behavior and movie-quality cinemas, it can take two years for a team of 100 people to create six hours of playable story. At an average burn rate of $10,000 per man month, that's $24 million just in developer cost. You're not likely to find a publisher that will foot the bill for extending that campaign to 20 hours."

Of course, why make a 20-plus hour game when most players aren't completing them, as is the case with "Red Dead Redemption"? The answer is, most publishers don't.

Growth of online multiplayer

Which brings us to perhaps the biggest contributing factor in the decrease of lengthy campaign modes. It is this: Gamers may say they like playing epic single-player games. But when push comes to shove, what they really want is online multiplayer.

"The trend of low completion rates is equally driven by the growing importance of multiplayer," says Scott Steinberg, head of video game consulting firm TechSavvy. "Companies are more aware than ever of where and how games are being consumed, and what features players look for. As a result, they're de-emphasizing single-player, which seem to demand lower levels of player time, energy and investment."

Case in point: "Call of Duty: Black Ops." At an average of 67 hours played, it's the most-played recent game by far, according to Raptr, followed by "Halo: Reach" at 43 hours, and "Bad Company 2" at 18. (Perhaps today's gamer would finish a lot more games if he weren't so busy with multiplayer.)

But that's not entirely true. What's really happened is that with their change in lifestyle, gamer tastes have evolved. Instead of "Zelda"-like games that take longer to start and resume, they're more inclined to play stop-and-go titles in bite-size games.

Need more convincing? "These days, I know many people who buy the latest single-player/multiplayer shooter (game) and never even bother to load the single-player," Fuller says.

The future? Shorter games

So it's come to this: People have less time to play games than they did before. They have more options than ever. And they're more inclined to play quick-hit multiplayer modes, even at the expense of 100-hour epics.

Is that a problem?

Not at all, Fuller says. "They're lucky to find the time to beat a 10-hour game once or twice a month," he says of the average-age gamer. "They don't feel cheated about shorter games and will just play a longer game for as many hours as their schedule allows before moving on to another title.

Steinberg agrees: "Just because you don't slay the final boss or rescue the princess doesn't mean you can't see most of, if not all, of what a game has to offer in the hours leading up to it."

Not only that, but gamers are already warming to the idea of shorter games.

"Completion rates are actually on the rise," Lee says. "Many games now have a 40% to 50% completion rate, thanks to 10-hour campaigns instead of the 20-30 hour ones of yesteryear. Of course, that's good or bad depending on how you look at it. It's better than before. But it still means that more than half of all game content never gets appreciated."

To counter that, Airey says extended play content will increasingly come from expansion packs, a sort of best-of-both-worlds approach.

"We're at a stage now that we're trying to find ways to keep mind share (consumer awareness about a product)," he says. "When the consumer is not playing our game, their friends aren't either. So games will trend toward being shorter and then support the need for 'more' via downloadable content."

No matter, says Casey Willis, an avid gamer from Atlanta. "Make a game worth my time and money, and I'll be happy. After all, 10 hours of awesome is better than 20 hours of boring."


<img src="http://gbatemp.net/style_images/1/folder_post_icons/icon11.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/17/finishing.videogames.snow/" target="_blank">Source</a>

Can probably add in "pirates syndrome" as well.


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## Bladexdsl (Aug 19, 2011)

i'll finish if a game if it's interesting enough most games these days (shooters) aren't


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## Nathan Drake (Aug 19, 2011)

I have pirates syndrome bad. I can't seem to complete most games I start in on anymore, though I did fully complete the last two console games I picked up this summer.


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## ChaosBoi (Aug 19, 2011)

I've finished about 90% of every game I've bought and "obtained". The other 10% I never finished are games that I haven't played in a long time and didn't want to start all over (So that I can remember what was going on) because of all the little things I didn't want to go through, or games that can't be beaten because they don't have an end.


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## emigre (Aug 19, 2011)

I generally finish games I play. Piracy syndrome has no effect on me.


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## Deleted member 473940 (Aug 19, 2011)

Sounds about right 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I belong to the other 90% lol


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## Chhotu uttam (Aug 19, 2011)

Generally I've seen people/gamers think that finishing the campaign/story mode means the game is completed.


But I guess I also belong to those 90% gamers


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## FireGrey (Aug 19, 2011)

Most of the 90% would either be spoiled children who get games thrown at them all the time or piraters.


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## Fudge (Aug 19, 2011)

I pirate and I only seem to finish games I really like, that or it takes me awhile to finish.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 19, 2011)

i always finish a game, some times I'll take a break if i get frustrated and play some other game for a bit, but i ALWAYS finish a game.
only one case i can think of i didn't when my Final Fantasy III ds cart got stolen, then after i found out what flash carts where i finished even that.
now that's not to say i don't have a lot of games i need to start on as i do, because who has time to finish or start all 30+ games on a flash cart?
i'll get them all eventually though!


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## ZAFDeltaForce (Aug 19, 2011)

I make it a point to finish a game I start. It's not about time, it's about commitment.

That or I don't waste my time blogging or tweeting. Maybe both.


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## Satangel (Aug 19, 2011)

Most games I play can't be beaten. CoD MW2 online has 10th Prestige levels and even if you get there, you can just keep on playing.
FIFA 11 cannot be completed, you can just keep on playing for ever.

I'd say the percentage is quite true for me though.


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## Bladexdsl (Aug 19, 2011)

if it's zelda, mario or metroid i will finish it usually shooters i dont bother their too boring and rpg depends if their interesting enough.


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## The Real Jdbye (Aug 19, 2011)

Nathan Drake said:
			
		

> I have pirates syndrome bad. I can't seem to complete most games I start in on anymore, though I did fully complete the last two console games I picked up this summer.


Same. Though I'm not as interested in games anymore either, I don't play them often, but even when I did I only ever completed games in franchises I love, like Ace Attorney (didn't beat Apollo Justice yet), Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, and not much else actually. I still play those franchises when new games come out, but it takes me longer to beat them because I might suddenly lose interest for a month then pick it back up


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## Hobosam (Aug 19, 2011)

I usually try to finish the game. I mostly play RPGs so they take some time but it's almost always worth it.


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## shakirmoledina (Aug 19, 2011)

i do remember a very similar statement by another person and with the same percentage

i have around 500 ds games with me but have hardly finished 50. Infact my fav series, ff or even zelda... i havent finished ff12 nor have i finished ANY zelda (the latter bcz i lost my save with format)

this is the reason why ppl like iphone games as there isnt an end and it doesnt matter if there actually is one


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## prowler (Aug 19, 2011)

Depends on the game.

If I get bored half way through, backlog'd.
If it's fun throughout, I'll complete it and probably complete it again.


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## _Chaz_ (Aug 19, 2011)

I'm guilty of this... on most occasions.


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## Guild McCommunist (Aug 19, 2011)

I think it would be more accurate to say "Only 10% of pirates actually finish a game".

Seriously, as an avid pirate, I find myself losing interest in games a lot easier. I've even bought some games that I used to pirate and enjoyed them a lot more.


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## machomuu (Aug 19, 2011)

If it's good and interesting, I'll try.  If I don't for whatever reason, I'll put it on hold from days to years before I beat it.  Generally if I pirate a game (now) it will only be for trial unless I owned it before or it's exclusive to non-stateside areas, so it doesn't put a damper on my motivation.


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## Bladexdsl (Aug 19, 2011)

if i dont finish a game i dont really care i always know there will be other games...other challenges!


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## Depravo (Aug 19, 2011)

Pirate syndrome gets me bad on the DS. This is one of the reasons I chose not to modify my PS3.

Games completed
*NDS* - 26/1000+ downloaded ROMs    *>0.26%*
*PS3* - 9/28   *32.14%*


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## DragorianSword (Aug 19, 2011)

I always finish my games, even the ones I pirate.
Probably because I always want to know the rest of the story of the game.
If the games are to hard I just use some cheat to continue the story, but that doesn't happen very often.
I don't really spent my time getting all the collectibles though. Like the feathers in AC2 and stuff, but I do finish all the races, contracts, etc.



			
				Satangel said:
			
		

> Most games I play can't be beaten. CoD MW2 online has 10th Prestige levels and even if you get there, you can just keep on playing.
> FIFA 11 cannot be completed, you can just keep on playing for ever.
> 
> I'd say the percentage is quite true for me though.



They mean that only 10% of the gamers finishes the CAMPAIGN. You can't 'complete' CoDMW2 online because it never ends.
Sure you can complete all the Prestige levels, achievements,... but it keeps on going.


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## Gahars (Aug 19, 2011)

Well, how do you define "finish"? Is it just beating the story mode once, or is it getting 100% completion, getting a gold medal in every single challenge, etc.

If its one of the latter options, that might be the cause of only 10% "finishing" the game statistic.

I'm not entirely sure that I by this; I and most of my friends tend to beat most of the games we start. I guess I was wrong to assume that was typical.


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## machomuu (Aug 19, 2011)

Gahars said:
			
		

> Well, how do you define "finish"? Is it just beating the story mode once, or is it getting 100% completion, getting a gold medal in every single challenge, etc.
> 
> If its one of the latter options, that might be the cause of only 10% "finishing" the game statistic.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure that I by this; I and most of my friends tend to beat most of the games we start. I guess I was wrong to assume that was typical.


I'm pretty sure they mean the former.


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## Gahars (Aug 19, 2011)

I would assume so, too, but the fact that it is only 10% seems pretty low. I'm still not sure that I buy that's just from finishing the story mode.

Plus, how do you account for games like Animal Crossing or Mario Kart/Party in a study like this where there is nothing to "finish"?


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## koimayeul (Aug 19, 2011)

hum it depends on people temper and amount of free time.. for me i like to finish what i start, whatever it is (game, movie, food, relationship..) to the bitter end  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




not that is is always possible.. like games becoming boring in the middle or too heavily time consuming.. but that is a game design issue

10% seem to be a pretty low stat though *_*


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## MadClaw (Aug 19, 2011)

Wait games other than Zelda and Mario have endings?

Oh I see, I just lost interest in other games, maybe developers should step it up.


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## machomuu (Aug 19, 2011)

Gahars said:
			
		

> I would assume so, too, but the fact that it is only 10% seems pretty low. I'm still not sure that I buy that's just from finishing the story mode.
> 
> Plus, how do you account for games like Animal Crossing or Mario Kart/Party in a study like this where there is nothing to "finish"?


For Animal Crossing I guess it's once you pay off your house.  For Mario Kart/Party I don't really know.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Aug 19, 2011)

Bladexdsl said:
			
		

> i'll finish if a game if it's interesting enough most games these days (shooters) aren't



Haha this! Like I've completed Red Dead Redemption, am working on completing Fallout 3 and Battlefield Bad Company 2, Will be working on completing Fable 2 and Borderlands as soon as they get here, and I've completed quite a bit of other games as well. But I know I haven't completed more games than those that I have. Huh.


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## Depravo (Aug 19, 2011)

machomuu said:
			
		

> For Animal Crossing I guess it's once you pay off your house.  For *Mario Kart*/Party I don't really know.


Surely it's when you win the last cup?

I imagine 'finishing' in this article means getting to the point where the game shows you the credits although many games these days has the option to view the credits from the menu. This is probably because only 10% of gamers 'finish' games.


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## machomuu (Aug 19, 2011)

Depravo said:
			
		

> machomuu said:
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That makes sense.  And Mario Party...When you beat all the maps?


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## prowler (Aug 19, 2011)

Depravo said:
			
		

> machomuu said:
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You've still got the time trials to do though.

Edit: I think we all agree Nintendo needs to get some sort of achievement system going.


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## machomuu (Aug 19, 2011)

prowler_ said:
			
		

> Depravo said:
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But I *hate* time trials


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## AlanJohn (Aug 19, 2011)

This is kinda true...
I never finished Crysis or Crysis 2...


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## TwoBladedKnight (Aug 19, 2011)

I try and complete all my games, but some times I lose interest part way through. I can honestly say I've beaten atleast 90% of the games I own though.


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## Izzy011 (Aug 19, 2011)

Nathan Drake said:
			
		

> I have pirates syndrome bad. I can't seem to complete most games I start in on anymore, though I did fully complete the last two console games I picked up this summer.


This. haha

I'm only motivated to finish a game that has a good story ala Ghost Trick


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## The Catboy (Aug 19, 2011)

I finish most of my games unless they end up like Kirby's Epic Yarn, where it was so easy I actually got bored of winning.


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## Qtis (Aug 19, 2011)

Not surprising, but considering some games are just a big letdown compared to the previous games of a certain franchise *Cough* Might and Magic IX *cough* that playing them is quite a pain. Still actually finished that game, but didn't manage to finish all the quests.. 


-Qtis


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## cotyboy (Aug 19, 2011)

I used to finish role playing games till the very end sometimes even completing every rare items,quests,optional bosses etc. but now Im just contented with just finishing the story, sometimes I just read the whole plot from the net or watch videos of the endings.


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## Slyakin (Aug 19, 2011)

If it's a game that can be completed, and I like it, I'm 90% likely to beat it. Otherwise, I just leave it to sit forever.

I also have a lot of "unbeatable games", like AC and Mario Kart.


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## Kiaku (Aug 19, 2011)

When I play my games, I finish one level, and then I go "Sigh...I need to start on my [Insert school work and applications here]".
I'm just so annoyed at how I have to stop playing my video games periodically. This is the reason why I never get to finish my game or even have any commitment to.

Edit: Kind of off-topic, but maybe this is why there are so many "mobile" gamers. Many of these mobile games are just mini-games.


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## 1234turtles (Aug 19, 2011)

I'll finish a game if it can keep my intrest to the very end.


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## pistone (Aug 19, 2011)

well ill used to like that ,never finish a game ......but things has changed .i try to finish every game i dow/buy from now one 
i made the turning back when i played a nes game,then i remembered that i used to finish every game i bought ........every single one .........even those who i pressed the reset button .......twice (like ninja gaiden always on the final boss ....just dont ask why >.> )
mostly coz the games where a few and mostly coz..........well no money 
but i have to admit back then i was a gamer ........thats why im going back to my roots 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





p.s also i wonder ..........if those 10% are the same that post the ending of a game on youtube


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## nando (Aug 19, 2011)

that sounds right, only ten percent of me ever finishes a game.


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## 4-leaf-clover (Aug 19, 2011)

i actually completed every game that i have well except for some ps1, gba games and games that you really cant beat (mario kart/ party)
i have lots of friends who have a lot of games but didnt finish them cuz they go straight to multiplayer or just lose interest or just suck at them -_-
or they gonna be like can you help me Flora ^~^? (with help they mean finish the game -_-)


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## doyama (Aug 19, 2011)

Some steam stats seem to somewhat bear out that data but not nearly as low as 10% in most cases

Torchlight 15.9% completion (Defeat Alric) http://steamcommunity.com/stats/Torchlight/achievements/
Mafia2  58.6% completion (Finish Him) http://steamcommunity.com/stats/MafiaII/achievements/
Portal 2 is 63.3% compeltion (Lunacy) http://steamcommunity.com/stats/Portal2/achievements
Dawn of War Retribution 51.2% (Maledictus) http://steamcommunity.com/stats/DOW:R/achievements
Witcher2 27.9% (To be continued) http://steamcommunity.com/stats/TheWitcher2/achievements
Homefront 49% (Golden gate) http://steamcommunity.com/stats/Homefront/achievements
Modern warfare 2 59.8% (For the Record) http://steamcommunity.com/stats/ModernWarfare2/achievements

It's pretty obvious that high profile games have a high completion rate around 50%. If people want 'statistics' then these are just as well to base it upon than any other ones. It doesn't seem like the x360 or ps3 have a similar tracking system built in. 

So we can say on the PC side that game completion of major titles is in the 50-60% range. On the console there is insufficient data to support any conclusion.


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## ShadowFyre (Aug 19, 2011)

Hmmm...I generally finish a game if finishing it will help in the multiplayer. IK, I suck.


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## Hydreigon (Aug 19, 2011)

I never finish that many games, since I only finish games that I'm interested in...
I leave it to my brother/sister to finish the ones I don't complete.


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## Zetta_x (Aug 19, 2011)

There is no such thing as pirate syndrome.

If you accumulated a trillion dollars, you are a gamer, and go buy out all the wii games. You would have bought all the games (which makes you not a pirate) and chances are you won't play most of them completely. It has nothing to do whether or not you bought the game, it is the availability of games that is important. Sure if you pirate, games are easily available which is why we consider it pirate syndrome.

But I have pirated some games (wah wah go cry if you see this as bad) and I finish all the games pretty much completely (most of the times platinum for PS3). I have a HDD full of games (some bought some not) that I haven't played before yet I still finish games completely. Pirating has nothing to do with it (which is why it's misleading), it's more of self discipline when you have a large selection of games available to stop you from game hoping.


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## SinHarvest24 (Aug 19, 2011)

This is about right. I hardly ever finish my games unless the story REALLY captures me. Otherwise i mostly play games for the gameplay and well when i unlocked everything gameplay-wise and there isn't anything else to look forward to, i sometimes just get bored and look for another game.


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## Yoshimashin (Aug 19, 2011)

I've played maybe 10% of the games I own... hahaha.

I will finish a game if it is good. I don't just stop playing good games...


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## GameWinner (Aug 19, 2011)

For me it's right, recently I brought 3D Dot Heroes, inFamous 2, Red Dead Redemption, and the Sly Collection. And I still have yet to actually beat them (Already done with inFamous though)


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## chyyran (Aug 19, 2011)

Fits me perfectly, I rarely 100% complete a game, and I suffer badly from Pirate's Syndrome 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## Snailface (Aug 19, 2011)

"Only 10% of gamers actually finish a game"

When the average gamer (even non-scene gamer) owns dozens if not hundreds of games, this is not surprising.

Games that are long or have high replayability will garner better reviews (and user buzz) and thus will have a better chance of selling well.

RDR, DQ9, Fallout, COD-- they instantly come to mind.

Woe betide any developer who looks at the "let's make a short, cheap game" trend and thinks they'll get ahead. The hardcore's money will go to the games that are epic and satisfying. Quality is king and they're forgetting that.


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## injected11 (Aug 19, 2011)

This thread has inspired me to go finish more of my games. I stopped completing most of em when I got heavily into TF2 and Terraria, which don't have ends.


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## Guild McCommunist (Aug 19, 2011)

Zetta_x said:
			
		

> There is no such thing as pirate syndrome.
> 
> If you accumulated a trillion dollars, you are a gamer, and go buy out all the wii games. You would have bought all the games (which makes you not a pirate) and chances are you won't play most of them completely. It has nothing to do whether or not you bought the game, it is the availability of games that is important. Sure if you pirate, games are easily available which is why we consider it pirate syndrome.
> 
> But I have pirated some games (wah wah go cry if you see this as bad) and I finish all the games pretty much completely (most of the times platinum for PS3). I have a HDD full of games (some bought some not) that I haven't played before yet I still finish games completely. Pirating has nothing to do with it (which is why it's misleading), it's more of self discipline when you have a large selection of games available to stop you from game hoping.



The reason why pirate's syndrome happens is because of there's always something else to play and that's why you lose interest. When you have scarce physical ownership of games, you tend to appreciate them more. You basically said "pirate's syndrome doesn't exist, it's just all the symptoms of pirate's syndrome that exist."


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## Oveneise (Aug 19, 2011)

WOW. That's really depressing, and just pathetic. Once I start a game, I can't stop playing until I complete it. Even more true with RPG's for me. So I'm also part of the other 90%.


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## machomuu (Aug 19, 2011)

Snailface said:
			
		

> "Only 10% of gamers actually finish a game"
> 
> When the average gamer (even non-scene gamer) owns dozens if not hundreds of games, this is not surprising.
> 
> ...


CoD doesn't have high replayability, it's lasting appeal that it has, same with RDR.  I don't see how DQ9 has either of those, though.


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## Fear Zoa (Aug 19, 2011)

Maybe a better way to look at it would be only 10% of developers actually make games worth beating....it goes both ways  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




When devs take their time and make a good high quality game thats actually fun, it shows and more gamers are inclined to beat it to completion


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## Themanhunt (Aug 19, 2011)

Yeah the only games I've ever completed fully were ones that were actually worth it, and to be frank hardly any games are worth it nowadays.

The only games I feel a need to complete are the majority of the Zelda series, none of this COD, Halo business..


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## Nathan Drake (Aug 19, 2011)

Guild McCommunist said:
			
		

> Zetta_x said:
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> 
> ...



Guild got it. My problem is pretty much exactly as was pointed out. I have scarce physical ownership of games. I think the last time I could genuinely afford to buy a game just for myself was around five years ago. Because of that, I pirate to get my fill in the lengthy time frame. The problem this has created though, is that I have too many choices, and ultimately, I lose interest in one thing to go play another. Eventually, I just have a bunch of quarter to half finished games because now I want something new, as I'm used to all the new games I may want to play being at my fingertips. Oddly enough though, when I play physical media, I generally beat the game I'm playing.

It is definitely easier to appreciate a game to completion when you buy it. Other people don't have this issue, and maybe they're good at resisting the fact that an entire system library is at their fingertips when they hack a console for piracy. I certainly am not. I haven't even completed a PSP or DS game in months now. I figure this is mainly a problem with me because I had barely any new games for a long time, but then I got too much of a good thing when I started pirating.


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## TheLostSabre (Aug 19, 2011)

Finish most game I own. The others I don't finish is a borefest and belongs the the dustbox.


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## Dingoo-fan 32 (Aug 19, 2011)

This because the game begin to get boring after some time...


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## Fishaman P (Aug 19, 2011)

Totally the opposite for me.

It's not that a new game release will stop me from playing an older game.
*Older games stop me from getting new game releases.*


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## Maz7006 (Aug 19, 2011)

i guess its a age thing.

I dnt remember not completing a single game ever since i was young and had my Ps1/Ps2 combo.

These days i have stacks of xbox games, and half-completed PS3 games on my conscious .. just sitting there; whenever im free id rather play some generic FPS game online or some 2D fighting game offline-locally. Too bad.

Though i got a Wii recently and ive been enjoying that, hope it will last (guess till i finish all the mario games i suppose)


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## Rydian (Aug 19, 2011)

ChaosBoi said:
			
		

> I've finished about 90% of every game I've bought and "obtained". The other 10% I never finished are games that I haven't played in a long time and didn't want to start all over (So that I can remember what was going on) because of all the little things I didn't want to go through, or games that can't be beaten because they don't have an end.


If I go back to a game and don't remember crap, I usually will myself to start over, so I can enjoy the initial exploration again (sort of).

But yeah this figure sounds about right _nowadays_.


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## Zetta_x (Aug 20, 2011)

Guild McCommunist said:
			
		

> Zetta_x said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Meaning it's the fact that you have lots of games and how easy they are to obtain is what makes you lose interest. Someone who has tons of money or who has accumulated a number of games (bought or for free) would exhibit what you call pirate syndrome.

There are people who use my university library to download their stuff (150mb/s win) even if they are not students. On the same logic, you are saying everyone who uses the library are students. 

Yes pirates can accumulate a large number of games, but the symptoms jumping from game to game is not because you pirated them.

---

Like I said, and I don't need to be a smart ass to quote it this time, if you have had a large amount of wealth and had bought 70 wii games. Would you play through them all or skip through them like what you call pirate syndrome?


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## ojsinnerz. (Aug 20, 2011)

I never finished any game. I always switched between 10 games or even more, and maybe finish 1 or 2 after a couple of months. But that changed, thanks to Catherine.

Now I'm focusing on one game at a time, trying to get it over with.


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## Forstride (Aug 20, 2011)

Out of every game I've played, I've probably only finished 15% of them.  I usually have more than one relatively new game to play whenever I get games (Birthday, Christmas, whenever I get money from stuff, etc.), but even then, it seems that one game can't hold my attention long enough to finish.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Aug 20, 2011)

Zetta_x said:
			
		

> Or I said
> 
> What I said earlier @ In my post above it is the availability of games that is important
> 
> ...



Your example makes no sense. Pirating is available to everybody, while being rich isn't necessarily a common thing. It's called pirate syndrome because it's the more common example. 

Just because it's called "pirate syndrome" doesn't mean it's *only* true for pirates. Like you said, pirate syndrome is about the availability of the games and yes some rich people fall into this category, but again it's more common for pirates to feel this way. Why call it "Rich people syndrome" if there are more pirates in the world?


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## ferofax (Aug 22, 2011)

this sounds scary. video games company might choose to make legendary shovelware instead of quality epics, seeing as how they're basing decisions on statistics or some ruddy whatnot.

anyways, people really can't expect high finish rates for epics. it takes considerable amount of time, patience, and mindless grinding to finish epic titles, to see it properly through the end, however many endings they may or may not have.


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## drkshinigami (Aug 22, 2011)

For me I just don't have the determination to finish a game anymore then I did when I first started playing video games. The more I look at it most games are basically alike and that's what keeps me from finishing most games nowadays. If you played one game you've played the rest. It's just the story that's changing. Most platformers are basically the same jump and collect type gameplay. Most fps on the market are just shoot to kill and usually take place in war time. Most mmorpgs are repetitive and include the similar quests of collect this and give them back to the npc or kill this many monsters and go back to the npc and the classic grinding. It doesn't mean that if the mechanics in a game are similar to others that I won't play it. It also depends on the story. I believe plot can make a difference between me finishing a game and not finishing it. One example would probably be the Zelda series. Same mechanics, but different and involving story.

I think that there should be more creative games that should be released in the market. An example is the game Braid where they put a spin on the classic platformer. It was familiar yet different. TF2 and Portal both placed a spin on the classic fps. I guess what I want in a game is something unique and that stands out from the others in its class.


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## pristinemog (Aug 22, 2011)

Pirating for 11 years, I ALWAYS finish what I start unless it's just a bad game in general. It helps to limit myself to only 2 major games at a time (by that, I mean games with stories to follow).


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## godreborn (Aug 22, 2011)

as a pirate myself, I rarely complete games.  if I didn't buy it, I don't feel the obligation to finish it.  I might beat two, perhaps three, games a year.


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## jalaneme (Aug 22, 2011)

the reason why a lot of people don't complete all the games they buy is because game developers don't give gamers a chance to enjoy their game because they always release their games in the same month as other games, most of the time when you go to your local game shop to buy the latest game you are buying 2 -3 games at once, if game developers want us to enjoy our games this kind of thing needs to stop.


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## Haloman800 (Aug 22, 2011)

The only time I ever read/watch a walkthrough is if I have absolutely no idea where to go next, like in LoZ PH I got stuck in a dungeon and had no idea where to go next.


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## KingVamp (Aug 22, 2011)

jalaneme said:
			
		

> the reason why a lot of people don't complete all the games they buy is because game developers don't give gamers a chance to enjoy their game because they always release their games in the same month as other games, most of the time when you go to your local game shop to buy the latest game you are buying 2 -3 games at once, if game developers want us to enjoy our games this kind of thing needs to stop.


So some people can (Excuse this,it stuck in my head.)"BAWWWWW" about not having enough games even when 20 or so out and somehow they dislike or miss some
of them. Some branding the device with no games? 

People are acting like this now, I can only imagine how idk 1 to 2 a month for a device life time would be. :/


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## Zetta_x (Aug 22, 2011)

suprgamr232 said:
			
		

> Your example makes no sense. Pirating is available to everybody, while being rich isn't necessarily a common thing. It's called pirate syndrome because it's the more common example.
> 
> Just because it's called "pirate syndrome" doesn't mean it's *only* true for pirates. Like you said, pirate syndrome is about the availability of the games and yes some rich people fall into this category, but again it's more common for pirates to feel this way. Why call it "Rich people syndrome" if there are more pirates in the world?



So if a rich family *bought* 70 wii games and the spoiled child jumped from one game to another would you say he has pirate syndrome?

I'm saying it annoys me when people call it's pirate syndrome because while pirating games does make games super easily available, pirating games is not the cause of jumping from one game to another. I'd rather call people impulsive.


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## gumgod (Aug 22, 2011)

Most games aren't worth the time required to complete them.  This is a failure on the part of the gaming industry.  If a game is immersive and interesting I will persist and complete it if I have the ability to do so. If a game is repetitive and boring I will not. I cannot give an accurate percentage of games started vs games finished however.

edit: in my opinion this should read as only 10% of games produced are worth completing.


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 22, 2011)

i'm kind of curious where exactly the figures came from.  while i don't doubt the numbers, I can say that i've rented quite a few games just to check them out.  if I like it, i buy it.  if not, it'll remain as 1% complete or whatever on my achievements/trophies...

so i can say that i've finished probably less than 10% of the games that i've started but nearly all of the games i own.


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## nano351 (Aug 23, 2011)

They left out the part that 90% of games are complete garbage and don't justify the hours and hours of torture to play through their horrid storyline.


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