This temporary logo takeover heralds the arrival of God of War on PC this week
PC Gamer is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
By published
I’m too much of a nice bloke to bid farewell to these time sinks.
I need to quit at least one live service game. In fact, I probably need to quit at least three. I seem to roll through life just picking up these massive time sinks, and I never seem to be able to shake them free. The comforting familiarity, the FOMO, the time I’ve already invested in them—I’ve got plenty of excuses lined up. Cutting even one of them out of my life is like trying to dump a friend.
Many live service games have fallen by the wayside before, but usually because they’re replaced by something newer and better; but lately I’ve just been piling them on and forgetting to shed the dead weight. And now they all suffer because of my divided attention. How can I get all of Bungie’s 30th Anniversary seals in Destiny 2 when I’m trying to enjoy Warframe’s New War or catch up to my crew in Guild Wars 2? Why do I need to sleep?
Guild Wars 2 is an old friend I’ve recently reconnected with, and now I can’t figure out why we parted ways in the first place. They’re chill but adventurous, my other mates love them, and it feels like there’s no end to the fun activities they keep recommending. I’d missed out, but it’s been a blast getting to know them again, and seeing how they’ve changed since we last hung out. This one’s definitely a keeper. 
The comforting familiarity, the FOMO, the time I’ve already invested in them—I’ve got plenty of excuses lined up.
My love for classic sci-fi cannot be contained by one game, however, which is why I recently got back in touch with my old pal Star Trek Online. With new and returning Star Trek shows on the horizon, I was eager to reconnect, and now we’re flitting all over the galaxy in our flashy ship, deftly handling diplomatic crises as effortlessly as any space battle. Like anyone who has to try and parse the different timelines, dimensions and constantly evolving lore of Trek, my buddy STO can sometimes be a bit of a mess, but their passion for Star Trek and love of blowing up gorgeous spaceships makes them a friend I want to keep around.
Warframe’s also an old friend I’ve recently reconnected with. I never know what’s going on in its life, and our conversations usually end with me being baffled, but it’s impossible to spend time with them and not feel energised. They’re perpetually in motion, always hurtling to the next adventure or reinventing themselves, bringing me out of my shell by suggesting something new every time we hang out. Most of my other mates find them too high-maintenance, but that’s their loss. 
How can I get all of Bungie’s 30th Anniversary seals in Destiny 2 when I’m trying to enjoy Warframe’s New War or catch up to my crew in Guild Wars 2? Why do I need to sleep?
Speaking of tearing through Mexico, I’ve got a whole crew of outdoorsy pals now. Valheim, Grounded, and new additions to the group like Icarus and Project Zomboid. Not all survival games are live service deals, but they’re certainly adjacent. They’re a demanding bunch, too, always putting me to work and promising me the rewards will be worth it (usually a lie). It’s kinda like when I was wee and my dad said it would be worth climbing up Table Mountain; we got to the top, the sun was starting to go down, and we immediately went back down again. How do I keep being tricked like this? But sometimes it is worth it, and then I forget all about the many betrayals. They’re not all equal in my friend rankings, of course, and some will inevitably drift away, replaced by new outdoorsy buds, but I’ll always have the crew.
Destiny 2 really emphasises the extent of my inability to cut these games out of my life. I don’t really like Destiny 2. It’s a muddled, confusing mess that’s atrocious at preparing new or lapsed players, and everything that’s even slightly cool is bogged down in an infinite grind. It’s the friend I’m only really mates with because of my other friends, and because sometimes they’re really good at finding cool bars and restaurants, so everyone puts up with their long, meandering stories and their attempts to make themselves seem more mysterious and aloof than they really are.
Whenever I consider breaking up with any of them, I can’t stop thinking about the good times, the silly anecdotes, the drunken evenings full of ribaldry, and what a shame it would be if that came to an end. And I look at my calendar, and the fun activities we’ve been planning—how can I let them down?
I’m trapped, probably because I’m too nice of a guy. Yes, that’s it, I’m too wonderful to stop playing these games. It’s not a character flaw; it’s a positive, completely healthy trait. So if you want to find me, I’ll probably be hanging out with one of this lot. I’m too old to change my ways anyway.
Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he’s been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He’s also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he’s not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long. He thinks labradoodles are the best dogs but doesn’t get to write about them much.
Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.
Thank you for signing up to PC Gamer. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
