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Nature Will Castigate Those Who Don't Masticate
Around the end of the 19th century a certain diet was in vogue among the movers and shakers of America’s upper crust. This diet was called the mastication method.
The fad started with Horace Fletcher – aka the Great Masticator – who argued that food should be chewed up to 100 times before it was swallowed. Fletchorizing, as it was also known, was promoted as a diet that would make people stronger while requiring them to consume smaller quantities of food. The movement’s followers even believed that liquids had to be chewed in order to properly mix with saliva.
What the hell does this have to do with video games?
Fletchorizing robs a meal of nearly all its flavor long before you’ve mashed through your 100th bite (I’ve tried it. It’s disgusting). I think you can “overchew” your games. If you consider your entertainment intake as a form of consumption (which I believe is reasonable) then it is possible to grind on a game long past the point of enjoyment.
Do you play terrible games just for achievements? Do you feel an obligation to play games on their hardest settings even when they’re kicking your ass? Do you feel any kind of pressure to collect every stupid coin or bolt or magic bean a developer has sprinkled across its levels? Maybe you’re ruining your own game experience.
Don’t get me wrong, if you feel a greater sense of reward by completing 100% a game, there is nothing wrong with that. But recognize when doing so is actually worth the investment. Video games are supposed to be fun.
Don’t overchew them.
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