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Why Your Game Needs a “Previously On…” Moment
The science behind helping players jump back into your game after a long break
I stared at Skyrim’s loading screen, watching those weird useless in-game tips as my fingers hovered uncertainly over the controller. After a three-month break, I couldn’t remember if Lydia was still carrying my burdens, which shout would summon a storm versus send bandits flying, or why I had 47 wheels of cheese in my inventory (can you ever have enough cheese?). My last save point showed me somewhere in the Throat of the World, but my brain felt more like the Throat of Complete Confusion.
We’ve all been there. That moment when you return to a game after weeks or months away, feeling like a stranger in a once-familiar world. Your muscle memory has ghosted you harder than a Draugr disappearing into dungeon mist. It’s like trying to jump back into Game of Thrones after a mid-season break without a “Previously on…” segment — suddenly you’re watching dragons torch a city and wondering if you missed something important. (It wasn’t your fault Khaleesi, the show runners messed it all up.) Disorienting, right?
The $70 Problem No One Talks About
Here’s a shocking truth: Most players who take a break longer than a month never return to finish their…
