Opinion
I’m a consumer, not a game designer – why do I need to make so many decisions?
by Philipp Rüegg
Second screens are ruining gaming
25/1/2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Whenever a loading screen or cutscene flashes up, I’m glued to my second screen. But all it does is ruin the experience and make me a worse gamer.
My monkey brain is impatient. If there’s even a slight waiting time while I game, I immediately need stimulation. As a result, I don’t read game tips on loading screens, don’t follow dialogue in cutscenes and don’t strategise in multiplayer lobbies.
This distraction breaks my concentration, which I feel most clearly in multiplayer games. If my second monitor is on, I clearly play worse and make more mistakes. The second screen doesn’t even have to be playing a video, clickbait thumbnails alone attract my attention – and my team suffers as a result.
This often births a vicious circle, for example in the MOBA Smite. If my character dies, I have to wait up to a minute to respawn, depending on the game phase. I could use this time to buy items, analyse the play styles of my teammates and enemies and get an overview of the map. But what do I do instead?
After the respawn timer ends, I run haphazardly across the map, throw myself into a hopeless fight and wonder why I died again after such a short time. Ah well, back to my funny little films. They don’t care how badly I play and how much my team (rightly) insults me in the chat. And so I tumble down the spiral step by step.
A straitjacket of sorts
The worst thing about it: I know I’m ruining the game for myself as well as for my team with my behaviour. And yet, I can’t stop constantly glancing over at the other screen.
It’s why I’m increasingly resorting to radical measures, forcing myself to concentrate. It’s simple, admittedly: I just switch off the second screen. After all, the only thing more boring than a loading screen is a completely black screen. In the best-case scenario, my cell phone is also out of reach and I’m forced to devote my attention to the action during downtime.
This compulsion keeps me in the game. Both with my eyes and mentally. Instead of thinking about recent voting results, I learn about the political background of the Warhammer universe. I prefer devoting my attention entirely to one medium instead of splitting it between several and not really enjoying any of them. After all, my monkey brain is definitely too stupid for multitasking.
Header image: Valentin Oberholzer
Valentin Oberholzer
Freelance Editor
v4lentin.oberholzer@gmail.comMy retreats have names like Middle Earth, Skyrim and Azeroth. If I have to part from them due to IRL commitments, their epic soundtracks accompany me through everyday life, to a LAN party or to my D&D session.
Opinion
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
Show all
