I’m finally playing through Assassins Creed 2 at the moment, just 2 months after release. The thing is: I’m not enjoying it as much as I know I should be simply because everyone else has already been through it already. It’s not the game that’s the problem, but my mindset.

That’s the thing about being heavily into gaming. There’s a constant quest between gamers to be the first to do things. First to play; first to finish; first to prestige. Being the one to do these things is a badge of honor worn proudly by those able to do so. Just look at all the posts from people getting the latest big release early on any of the major gaming websites.

There are several problems with this eagerness to be the number one. Once someone else has reached the milestone, the feeling of accomplishment for doing so will be diminished for those coming next. The longer this goes on the worse things become as more and more people have beaten you to it. Hence there’s a tendency amongst gamers to rush things and to spoil the experience for others in order to prove their own worth.

So, what has all this got to do with Assassins Creed 2 I hear you ask? Well, the point is that although I can recognise that the game is indeed much better than the first and well worthy of my time, I am somewhat rushing through it. I’m constantly thinking my time would be better spent on the latest big releases so that I can avoid any spoiling of their experiences.

All of this means that the further past the release of a game I go without playing it the less and less likely I am to go back to it. I’m sure this has lead to my missing some tremendous experiences, but I cannot see a way to change my outlook. I would rather not go to the party at all than turn up late.