There are a lot of people who care more about having played a game than actually playing the game. Their gamer self-image comes from beating all the things. Being a game master.

And I understand that. I used to be like that. But it's a dumb way to go through life.

Taking the time to understand what a game is doing - successfully or not - is part of the joy of playing. I mean, sure, sometimes, it's just the shooty bang feels realllllllll good, but even so, pausing to think about why it feels good has value.

When an artist does their job really well, they sort of vanish from the art. You just get the painting, the article, the game, and the impact the artist intended. Take a moment to see the brush strokes, the word choices, the level design. You'll end up enjoying it more.

There's a lot of great stuff out there, and it's natural to want to experience as much of it as possible. To be gluttons for the things we enjoy. And I'm not saying you have to become a picky gourmand, to extend the metaphor, just pause between bites.