From Super Mario to Fortnite: 'Games aren't the problem, it's that today's games have no end'

Modern video games, unlike their predecessors, often lack a definitive end, contributing to a problematic cycle of continuous engagement, according to psychotherapist Dr. Marko Jovašević.

Dr. Jovašević explained that older games such as "Super Mario," "Prince of Persia," and "Contra" served as more than just entertainment; they were "small training for life." These games required players to manage limited lives, learn from failures, and persevere through frustration without the aid of autosaves or constant rewards. Crucially, these games had a clear conclusion, allowing players to finish a level, turn off the console, and engage with the outside world.

In contrast, games like "Roblox" and "Fortnite" are designed to retain players indefinitely. Dr. Jovašević noted the absence of a final princess to rescue or a last level to conquer. Instead, players are drawn in by the promise of "just one more match, one more skin, one more reward, one more battle pass, one more event, one more season, one more notification." The system is engineered not for completion, but for perpetual retention.

This design, Dr. Jovašević argues, trains children and adults alike to constantly seek stimulation and avoid silence, emptiness, or boredom. The lack of a true end in these digital worlds diminishes the ability to cope with real life when immediate rewards are absent. He concludes that individuals who experience a world without end struggle to tolerate life's inevitable challenges when they are not constantly stimulated.

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Mi smo kroz igrice, hteo to neko da prizna ili ne, trenirali odlaganje zadovoljstva, toleranciju na poraz, strpljenje, fokus i onu važnu stvar da ne može sve odmah.