• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Does anyone else have "pressing buttons just right" OCD?

RoadHazard

Gold Member
So I have this OCD where if I don't press a button "just right", meaning I press it in the middle and get a satisfying "click" etc, I'll feel like something is wrong and I have to redo it. It can be for example when pressing the PS button to start my PS4/PS5 or when pressing X to start a game (especially when starting it for the first time). I've deleted SO many save files to get a "fresh start" where I'll hopefully get the full sequence of button presses just right, to the point where sometimes I've given up on even playing the game that day.

I know this is 100% irrational and the game doesn't care if I hit a button a bit "off", and I'm getting better at ignoring these thoughts, but it still happens from time to time.

Anyone else absolutely mad like me?

Edit: For those only reading this post before replying, what I'm describing above is how it was a few years ago. It's much less severe today, thankfully!
 
Last edited:

Kuranghi

Member
Jack Nicholson Reaction GIF
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Not when playing, but I've experienced it when using the OS.

Yeah, I don't really have it once I'm in the game and playing either. Like, I don't have to press the jump button perfectly every time, lol. It's mainly just those "confirm" presses when starting a new game.
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
My sympathies OP. That sounds horrible.

My biggest issue is having to explore the whole map/area before proceeding. It's very immersion breaking in segments where you have to run or quickly follow a NPC; "22:22, run! They are on our heels and coming to kill us!!!" Me: looks around, haven't triggered the chase set piece yet; "Hmm, let's not and slowly check out what's behind these bushes..."

Also when you're getting chased or something straight after the cutscene ends I cannot enjoy the segment because I'm constantly aware of not being able to check out the area. Very annoying lol

It totally destroys the developers intention but I can't help it
 
Last edited:

RoadHazard

Gold Member
My sympathies OP. That sounds horrible.

My biggest issue is having to explore the whole map/area before proceeding. It's very immersion breaking in segments where you have to run or quickly follow a NPC; "22:22, run! They are on our heels and coming to kill us!!!" Me: looks around, haven't triggered the chase set piece yet; "Hmm, let's not and slowly check out what's behind these bushes..."

Also when you're getting chased or something straight after the cutscene ends I cannot enjoy the segment because I'm constantly aware of not being able to check out the area. Very annoying lol

It totally destroys the developers intention but I can't help it

Yeah, I also comb every area for everything in most games. That's not really something I feel I NEED to do in the same way, but I just don't want to miss anything ever.
 
Last edited:

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Yeah, I also comb every area for everything in most games. That's not really something I feel I NEED to do in the same way, but I just don't want to miss anything ever.

Yeah it's a common *issue*.. and one with fair reasoning behind it. It's not something I also need to do 10 out of 10 times but that's inherently linked to how much I enjoy that particular game. In slightly mediocre ones I can be more flexible...

Part of this *problem* though, stems from the game design itself I feel. So you make a game with collectibles/whatever that give you stat boosts etc ie somewhat a fundamental part of player progression and then you throw me in a spot where it's intention is to follow the *narrative* and forces me to ignore that aspect in favor of immersion...

Yeah... Sure game.. Let's do that
 
Last edited:

Bartski

Gold Member
My sympathies OP. That sounds horrible.

My biggest issue is having to explore the whole map/area before proceeding. It's very immersion breaking in segments where you have to run or quickly follow a NPC; "22:22, run! They are on our heels and coming to kill us!!!" Me: looks around, haven't triggered the chase set piece yet; "Hmm, let's not and slowly check out what's behind these bushes..."

Also when you're getting chased or something straight after the cutscene ends I cannot enjoy the segment because I'm constantly aware of not being able to check out the area. Very annoying lol

It totally destroys the developers intention but I can't help it
lmao, same here :messenger_tears_of_joy:

imagine going in the direction the game clearly wants you to go instead of checking out every other possible direction first. Literally impossible.
 
Last edited:

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
lmao, same here :messenger_tears_of_joy:

imagine going in the direction the game clearly wants you to go instead of checking out every other possible direction first. Literally impossible.

🤣

After ×Hours of playing you find yourself narrowly escaping a whole army while carrying the mcguffin and only moments away from saving the world... But hey, maybe that ally to left has some treasure, let's take a look! =P
 
Last edited:

Kuranghi

Member
In fairness I DO understand what you mean, I do this sometimes out of habit when I press a face button badly but I wouldn't go back and do a section again because of it. You big maddo :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

Kuranghi

Member
My sympathies OP. That sounds horrible.

My biggest issue is having to explore the whole map/area before proceeding. It's very immersion breaking in segments where you have to run or quickly follow a NPC; "22:22, run! They are on our heels and coming to kill us!!!" Me: looks around, haven't triggered the chase set piece yet; "Hmm, let's not and slowly check out what's behind these bushes..."

Also when you're getting chased or something straight after the cutscene ends I cannot enjoy the segment because I'm constantly aware of not being able to check out the area. Very annoying lol

It totally destroys the developers intention but I can't help it

Me too, but I just learned to live with it, I have no issues pretending Batman raced directly to the building to rescue X even thought I spent literally 10 hours pissing about solving puzzles lol.

One that irked me recently was in DQXI, you are running from a big beast at one point, Crash Bandicoot style towards the camera, and there are pots along the route but you CANNOT stop for even one second to interact with them, drove me nuts haha.
 
Wow, psychologist here (although I don’t really work much with OCD), this is fascinating- I’ve never come across this before. Can you identify how long you’ve had this issue? Did it start at a certain age or with a certain controller?
 

Iamborghini

Member
My sympathies OP. That sounds horrible.

My biggest issue is having to explore the whole map/area before proceeding. It's very immersion breaking in segments where you have to run or quickly follow a NPC; "22:22, run! They are on our heels and coming to kill us!!!" Me: looks around, haven't triggered the chase set piece yet; "Hmm, let's not and slowly check out what's behind these bushes..."

Also when you're getting chased or something straight after the cutscene ends I cannot enjoy the segment because I'm constantly aware of not being able to check out the area. Very annoying lol

It totally destroys the developers intention but I can't help it
Same. If the game is 8 hours long, I will finish it in 30 hours…
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Wow, psychologist here (although I don’t really work much with OCD), this is fascinating- I’ve never come across this before. Can you identify how long you’ve had this issue? Did it start at a certain age or with a certain controller?

It's ritual behavior that when acted upon gives a false sense of control besides acting as a coping mechanism during moments of stress. It's origins mostly stem from inner unrest that in itself comes from deeper psychological issues. But you probably already knew this =P I more or less always had OCD that manifested in various ways through out my life.
 
Last edited:

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Me too, but I just learned to live with it, I have no issues pretending Batman raced directly to the building to rescue X even thought I spent literally 10 hours pissing about solving puzzles lol.

One that irked me recently was in DQXI, you are running from a big beast at one point, Crash Bandicoot style towards the camera, and there are pots along the route but you CANNOT stop for even one second to interact with them, drove me nuts haha.

Well sure, we can set aside the illogical nature of it and enjoy ourselves nonetheless. It happens naturally to *us* because we're used to it... But if we stop and really think about how disruptive it is in regards to immersion we realise how weird it really is. I feel that most experienced *gamers* don't notice it at all and subconsciously ignore it to enable a smoother perceiving of the game's flow and therefore their overall enjoyment. But I'm willing to bet that most new players (sub)consciously choose to favor the immersion route because that feels more natural to them. Ie: "Fuck that treasure chest! I have to save that NPC, it's in danger!"
Same. If the game is 8 hours long, I will finish it in 30 hours…

Indeed. Also, it causes me to get sick/tired/bored halfway through because I'm spending more time than I *should* in each given area. But again, depends on the game. It is a reoccurring theme in my case though I have to admit
 
Last edited:

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
I had that for years with mouse... it had this top button to change dpi and additional functions. Below and above scrool wheel.
I constantly clicked them with OCD manner.

I've bught a mouse that dont have those buttons (razer viper) and I am free
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
It's ritual behavior that when acted upon gives a false sense of control besides acting as a coping mechanism during moments of stress. It's origins mostly stem from inner unrest that in itself comes from deeper psychological issues. But you probably already knew this =P I more or less always had OCD that manifested in various ways through out my life.

Also, giving in and thus acting upon ones desired nervous tick (whatever it may be) gives a sense of relieve. But, like with alchohol and other drugs you build up habituation so you need, for example, more and more button presses to get that same relief.. It's quite fucked up... Lol
 
Last edited:

RoadHazard

Gold Member
In fairness I DO understand what you mean, I do this sometimes out of habit when I press a face button badly but I wouldn't go back and do a section again because of it. You big maddo :messenger_tears_of_joy:

I don't do that, it's only when first starting a game, for whatever reason, lol. Once I'm in there and have made a little progress it's not a thing anymore, then I'll just keep playing.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Wow, psychologist here (although I don’t really work much with OCD), this is fascinating- I’ve never come across this before. Can you identify how long you’ve had this issue? Did it start at a certain age or with a certain controller?

I believe I can pinpoint the game that started it yes. It was The Witcher 3, right when it had been released. Around 30h in something happened that broke some stuff, and since I was loving the game and didn't want a broken state I decided to kill my save and start over. I think that's when I got these strange thoughts (or rather feelings, as I of course knew that rationally it didn't matter) that if I didn't do things JUST RIGHT stuff would break again. I never managed to get started on the game again back then, and instead moved on to other games. It did spread to other games as well (more so with games I was really excited to play), although not as bad.

I did finally start playing TW3 again last year (5 years later), and did beat it this time. After that I haven't had these issues nearly as bad with any other game. So yeah, that game really did a number on me, lol.

That's probably not the full explanation though, or the root cause, but probably rather a manifestation of:

It's ritual behavior that when acted upon gives a false sense of control besides acting as a coping mechanism during moments of stress. It's origins mostly stem from inner unrest that in itself comes from deeper psychological issues. But you probably already knew this =P I more or less always had OCD that manifested in various ways through out my life.

Yeah, I have also had stress and anxiety issues over the last few years, which only started clearing up last year or so, and now that's almost completely gone. The OCD thing started before the anxiety did, but the anxiety was itself caused by stress I was under for a few years before that, and now both of these issues have more or less gone away simultaneously (well, they're not completely gone, but far less severe than they once were). So it's probably safe to say they are related.

I also have minor OCDs like flipping light switches on and off and stuff like that, but it's not too bad.

I had that for years with mouse... it had this top button to change dpi and additional functions. Below and above scrool wheel.
I constantly clicked them with OCD manner.

I've bught a mouse that dont have those buttons (razer viper) and I am free

Ah, so I just need a controller without buttons!
 
I believe I can pinpoint the game that started it yes. It was The Witcher 3, right when it had been released. Around 30h in something happened that broke some stuff, and since I was loving the game and didn't want a broken state I decided to kill my save and start over. I think that's when I got these strange thoughts (or rather feelings, as I of course knew that rationally it didn't matter) that if I didn't do things JUST RIGHT stuff would break again. I never managed to get started on the game again back then, and instead moved on to other games. It did spread to other games as well (more so with games I was really excited to play), although not as bad.

I did finally start playing TW3 again last year (5 years later), and did beat it this time. After that I haven't had these issues nearly as bad with any other game. So yeah, that game really did a number on me, lol.

That's probably not the full explanation though, or the root cause, but probably rather a manifestation of:



Yeah, I have also had stress and anxiety issues over the last few years, which only started clearing up last year or so, and now that's almost completely gone. The OCD thing started before the anxiety did, but the anxiety was itself caused by stress I was under for a few years before that, and now both of these issues have more or less gone away simultaneously (well, they're not completely gone, but far less severe than they once were). So it's probably safe to say they are related.

I also have minor OCDs like flipping light switches on and off and stuff like that, but it's not too bad.



Ah, so I just need a controller without buttons!
Thanks for sharing! :)
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
I have an OCD habit of walking everywhere in games. That's why it took me 400 hours to plat Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. It even extends to Horror games. Like Resident Evil 2 OG, the self destruct sequence is activated well before the Birkin fight where the actual time limit shows up. So I'll just be walking around like a peaceful day at the park with sirens blaring and that female voice stating that all doors and elevators have been unlocked. Zelda games, and the off 3D games where walking is a slow pain in the ass like OG FFVII are exceptions.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
My sympathies OP. That sounds horrible.

My biggest issue is having to explore the whole map/area before proceeding. It's very immersion breaking in segments where you have to run or quickly follow a NPC; "22:22, run! They are on our heels and coming to kill us!!!" Me: looks around, haven't triggered the chase set piece yet; "Hmm, let's not and slowly check out what's behind these bushes..."

Also when you're getting chased or something straight after the cutscene ends I cannot enjoy the segment because I'm constantly aware of not being able to check out the area. Very annoying lol

It totally destroys the developers intention but I can't help it

This actively made me hate Diablo 3 when I first played it. Going into a map, mapping the entire area, but then if I were to return to it, it was blank. Frustrated the shit out of me.
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
I do tend to press and rub my index finger on the back of my controller (and in extension on my middle finger while typing this on my phone atm).. It's only recently (give or take a few months) I've developed this. Yay.....

Then again, I would take gold in the ERA Olympics if I would ever choose to participate =P

🏅🏅🏅🏅
 
Last edited:
That must be miserable as shit, I have a thing sometimes where if I step on a crack on the sidewalk with the heel of my right foot, it feels unbalanced and I have to eventually do the same with the heel of my left foot. But that’s as far as it goes. It’s so rare though, I can’t imagine how annoying this must be for you.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
OCD..... the volume on the TV, soundbar or whatever had to be on a even number.

This one too! Or rather, I want it to be divisible by 5. 20, 25, 30, etc. It just feels a bit wrong to have the volume at 29 or 31 when it could be at an even 30. This isn't something I NEED to do though, I just prefer it. I think this one is pretty common though.

This reads autistic spectrum (no disrespect)

Nah, I don't have any other signs of that, just a dumb OCD. And it's no longer anywhere near as bad as it was a few years ago, now it only happens occasionally. You can have OCDs without being autistic, and you can work on them. :)
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom