I'm at such a cross-roads with Destiny. I'm incredibly time-poor when it comes to un-distracted 2 hour blocks of time, so I have to be deliberate about how I spend my time.
Destiny is a huge time investment, and rewards going all in, something I've always been able to to do in the past. I've always been a Destiny die-hard, but can I become a casual, which is what my time budget dictates right now. Destiny has always sat comfortably alongside all of the other things I want to do in my life, but caring for a helpless person is a lot of effort, such that putting Destiny on the side burner so I can do other things might be a good idea, but I'm still trying to make a decision:
Reasons to take a break
- Destiny has a very high time committment even for casual play and the time commitment is highest at the start of new content.
- I've already accomplished everything I've wanted for this year (Hard Raid, Challenge Modes, all ghosts, all achievements, went flawless weeks in a row, even got a Scarab.)
- I can play other games, and less Destiny is the only way to do that. (Witcher 3 is only 50% done, The Witness, Dragon Age & a bunch of new stuff coming out.)
- I can work on other hobbies.
- I need to do at least some grinding to be maximally effective again in Trials, which isn't inticing.
- Light system upgrades are finally friendly enough I can afford to take a break and it not leave me incredibly far behind.
- My super-restrictive schedule has made it impossible to raid for the past month and has made Trials very hit or miss. To the point I feel bad about making others adapt to my schedule just to make something happen.
Reasons to not take a break
- Times playing with DGAF are the most fun I've had in any video game, and I don't want to give that up.
- I have great groups of DGAFers for Raids & Trials, and taking a break from Destiny really feels more like taking a break from friends, which sucks. (This is probably the biggest negative)
- Not playing, but spending time on the boards is a great way to get salty af.
- I've finally gotten some skill in Crucible, and I've seen how much just a few weeks off can erode that.
- The general rewards are great now, so I can play and get good stuff. There's great incentive to finish the campaign on my alts.
- There are still some things to chase like my last 2 missing exotics (Zen Meteor & Tarantella) and that sweet, sweet Sublime Titan armor.
- While progression is faster, most of the people are here now and finding raid groups will be harder later. Trials will be less forgiving later.
There's the notion that the first 3 months of a baby's life are really the 4th trimester, and they're still developing to what would be a normal birth for any other animal; they're just doing it outside the womb. Now you can understand why these are by far the most challenging times & why they're the most tiring. I'm one month in. So this is only a temporary situation. But where will DGAF be in 2 more months?
Absolutes are easy. I could quit Destiny like so many have, like my friends have. Moderation is difficult. I'm not talking about rage quitting. I'm not talking about quitting at all, but rather becoming more casual. Moving Destiny from my main game to my side game. But that's such a seachange from the last 1.5 years. I have 700 hours of giving into every psychological hook in Destiny, of playing with friends and DGAF. Is it possible to switch gears? And what would "casual" Destiny even be like?
I've taken breaks from Destiny before, but they've always been when I'm sick of the game or annoyed with it. Those breaks are negative. I'm trying to figure out how to take a break when the game is good, when the community is great. It was easy enough to dial it way down when I had more free time, but it's a tougher proposition when you have a newborn and so little time. For comparison, noomi just had a baby and is just straight up taking a break from The Division & Destiny.
tl;dr: I want to play as much Destiny as I want, and I want to get a full nights sleep and play other games and spend time with my family. I just want it all, DGAF. (Not expecting anyone else to make a decision or respond. Just something that I've been trying to figure out and writing helps me think.)
Back to your regularly scheduled LFG & LL discussions. Thank you for your patience.
