Destiny 2 Isn't A Videogame, It's An Addiction (Real Life Review)

I thought it would be fun to hop back into Destiny 2 after having not really played it very much over the past 4 years apart from checking out the expansions like Lightfall, witch queen, and beyond light.
I gave it a proper chance, and as a result I found myself immediately addicted to the game. I was curious as to why it had hooked me so easily, and after some reflecting and research, I was able to see just how Destiny managed to keep me coming back for more, despite not having very much fun with the game.

Sources:

[BubblenutMcMuffin]

I cannot express how much this hit home. It always felt like a chore, I didn't play other things that I wanted to, and I had those withdrawals too. I don't think I would've ever quit if I didn't move right when witch queen came out and had no access to my PC for a month. Oddly enough I felt a huge burden lifted and I've never gone back since. It sounds stupid, but it really is an addiction.

[Windwalker]

Hearing IHateEverything talk about this game was listening to someone talk about his/her abusive partner

[PAXperMortem]

I am so glad I stopped paying attention to multi-player games back when rampant microtransactions, 'seasons' and battle passes became a thing!

[keepitclean]

The worst thing about Destiny is that it gave every game company on earth the blueprints to create their own virtual casino disguised as a fun video game.

[TuxHood]

Lightfall cured my addiction of Destiny. I can't express how grateful I am to Lightfall's devs. They made me a better person and I can finally play video games healthier than before. 💌

[Chcken]

This video is spot on with everything. I haven't played Destiny for 3 or 4 years now, but I was so addicted for years before that. I had so much fomo even when I was still playing the game. I felt like I had to play everyday for hours just to keep up with my friends, because if you fall behind, nobody wants to go back and do old content with you. And like Renn said, if you stop playing for a while, you're pretty much done. There is so much to catch up on that it just feels incredibly overwhelming. Even when you do play, it always feels like you're behind as well. The rest of my life absolute took a back seat when I was still playing Destiny because the gameplay just feels so good. It's been 3 or 4 years and I still think about Destiny pretty often. I still have fomo when a new expansion drops. Bungie really has mastered the art of getting people addicted to their game.

[soaringspoon]

Apex snagged me for a year and after dropping 200$ realized how bad it was for me. Haven’t bothered looking at these multiplayer games since and much happier for it. Bless the depth and variety of the indie scene.

[nickdanger]

Is it just me, or does it seem highly unethical for Bungie to intentionally make digital fentanyl?

[PeterPlayerOne]

It's interesting how deep some communities are without the rest of the world being aware of them. Like if we weren't told that WoW is addictive and that people spend their entire lives playing it I wouldn't have even known it was any different than any other RPG at the time. I instead spent most of my time playing games like Battlefield. Around the time of BF1 and BFV I learned that EA was also employing addiction science to their games, I remember it being a topic with Battlefront 2, but I felt it in the Battlefield games at the time. The algorithm would place you on a team more likely to win or lose based on your habits to stay in the game longer. I was aware of this even at the time but I genuinely enjoyed playing the games, however I could consciously pull myself off by asking why I was playing - was it because I was enjoying it or because I wanted something from it? Great video, Renn.

[Vaguer_Weevil]

For me it wasn't an addiction, but an infliction. I could feel my soul crumpling up into nothing when my friends made me play it.

[hipnuts]

Stopped playing 3 months ago. My life is measurably improved

[REsoleSurvivor]

An absolutely fantastic video that basically sums up how I feel about D2's cycle of madness. You got my sub!

[Speeff]

I'm a very active Destiny player (I have around 2500 hours in the game right now) and this video is a very interesting watch. I don't really relate to the addiction aspect, which probably sounds like something an addict would say. I play the game because I enjoy the content. I have all the "god-roll" weapons from the raids that I want, but I still enjoy raiding with friends and doing other things. I like running Grandmaster Nightfalls because they're some of the most challenging content in the game (aside from low-man raids and solo dungeons etc). Good rewards are obviously a great incentive for me, and I definitely have done activities JUST because the potential reward is good. But I won't go out of my way to play content that I dislike just for the rewards.
But there are tons of people that I see in-game or in twitter who just seem miserable and I can tell are addicted to the game. The ones who complain all the time about Destiny (which a lot of complaints are valid. The game obviously has tons of issues) but still play it all the time. I constantly remind people "it's okay to take a break. Only play video game if you enjoy video game" I've definitely taken breaks here and there. If a season doesn't really interest me, I play something else for a few months. But I think that's where the addiction comes in. I'm not saying I'm better than anybody because I'm not addicted and they are...it's just interesting and very noticeable how the addictiveness affects different people in different ways.

I hope this makes sense, these are things I've been thinking about for awhile and this video's comment section seemed like a good place to get it all out. Plus, I had a lot of coffee this morning lul

[x-arya-x]

"i feel the urge like i'm getting left behind" I've been with this franchise for literally almost half my life (I was 8 when destiny 1 released) and grew up with it. A gianormous problem that followed me for way too long than should be acceptable was exactly this, that feeling, that fomo. The ridiculousness of it all was that i was too bad to actually keep up, i eventually just gave up trying to keep up and went at my own pace. The game was much more fun since i was actually playing for myself now, ever since then destiny has become a nice comfort game for me wich i can return to and leave whenever i want. It's like minecraft where you have these phases that go on for a few weeks or maybe even a month and then you stop for a very long time until you return again, that could be after a week, a month, maybe even a year. But suffice it to say i don't see destiny as an addiction. I actually thought it to be impossible for destiny to have THAT kind of influence like described in the video. I always treated it as a joke but seeing that people actually suffered because of this game was a shock. I'm definetly more serious with that topic now.

[JohnSavant]

At the very beginning, Destiny 2 had about 20 hours of extremely engaging single player content, then bam ... nothing else but a fairly difficult raid which requires a clan/guild spastics on voice chat and tight schedule (already played WoW raids back then). That was my abysmal first impression and I haven't replayed the game ever since. No idea how a game can muster such an addictive fanbase after starting with barely 20 hours of content (nevermind pvp).

[Panhammer]

yo that's me at 0:15 Thank you so much for putting my name on there! Friends have been sending this to me a ton, great video!

[toopristineproduction]

Renn I love that you kept doing the Weapon Puns, just wanted to let you know your destiny series is a masterpiece

[felwinter]

Here from Aztecross’ channel, really great review and seeing it explained in such a way really opens up my mind. I should probably start considering leaving D2 completely, I’ve already distanced myself somewhat, but I still sometimes find myself with that need to play.

[Glenningway]

FFXI might have been my big addiction, though having a hard life with very little options makes it very easy to fall into escapism which gaming does provide in spades.

[DCGMatthew]

I literally started playing Destiny 2 again for the first time in nearly 4 years a few days ago. Was pretty fun, other than the multiple times I got disconnected right at the end of a mission... I was about to look for Destiny 2 videos as well.