200 Games I Won't Play: Gold

Update 18 Jan. 2022 10:56AM:
Disco Elysium has been funded. More information shortly.

Unexpectedly, my last list 200 Games I Won't Play got some mixed reactions. Here, I will clarify my thoughts and retract the notion that I will not play any of these games. I will play these games for a price.

Listed at the bottom are the games from my previous list with a detailed cost associated with playing each game to completion. As before, the hours are based on search results from HowLongToBeat. If anyone wants me to play any of these games, you will have to pay for the complete play through rather than paying me to try out the game for an hour or two. If you only want me to play an hour or two of the game, you can not expect me to have previously purchased it in order to play it for a small percentage of the time. For games that are only a few hours, this allows me to have the full experience. I do not want to play it for a small while, not be paid for the rest of the game, and be told that it only gets good x hours in. If the game can be fully experienced in a few hours and is much longer, this should be a moment of reflection for developers that make bloated games.

I apologize for including the games that I crossed off of the last list in this list. I will not remove games from this list unless they are paid for. I realized what my boundaries are now and I hope to be consistent in what I owe other people and what other people owe me.

'Pur' refers to the purchases I will have to make in order to play the game. My estimate for each purchase was made by first searching each game on Steam 's store. If the game was not available to be played on PC, I would then, based on casual knowledge of what platform I could play each game on, either search for the game on GOG, Apple's App Store, Amazon, or eBay. If a physical purchase would be required to legally play the game, the purchase price is based on the first used copy price plus shipping. If used copies were not available when I searched for a game, the purchase price is based on the price of a new copy. If the console required to play a game is not in my current apartment, I included the first used console price that I could find on either Amazon or eBay.

The hourly rate is loosely based on several job hourly rates, how much I want to play each game, and where I want a game to appear in this list. If games did not appear in an order that I felt was evocative I increased or decreased the rate in increments of $5 until I felt satisfied.

I asked two friends who live in single bedroom apartments with one pet in Brooklyn what an approximation of their hourly rates are. I wanted to make sure if I was being paid to play many these games I would make more money than they do at their full time office jobs. I wanted to make sure it was worth my time as I have a master's degree, two cats (1 year old previous strays Calendar and Shoelace), and live in a 6 bedroom apartment with 5 roommates. I borrowed a large sum of money in order to pay for veterinarian appointments and would like to pay it back. One, with a master's degree told me that they make approximately $45 an hour, and the one with an undergraduate degree told me that the master's rate was close to what they make.

For games that I particularly do not want to play, I based my rate on the upwards hourly rate of an NYU Adjunct Professor. I have an MFA in Game Design at NYU, so if I am playing something I really do not want to play, I want to at least monetarily one up some of the folks that taught me how to make games. This is not as a gotcha, but as a tribute. Every teacher should wish for their students to surpass them, and monetary gains feels like an easy measurable method of success. For some games that I feel more strongly about not playing, I multiplied the rate by 2, 3, 4, etc.

Disco Elysium is the game I wanted to be the cheapest to play. Part of the reason I made the previous list is because I feel the most tormented by the recommendations to play this game. Because of this, I want it to be the most likely for someone to pay for me to play. People have recommended me play this game probably because of the political statements it makes in regards to Communism. Coincidentally, I have not wanted to spend $40 to play it, even though I am sure that is an equivalent cost to the labor put into the game. I would like to stream this game with my roommate Eva Khoury, someone who describes themselves as a fan of Disco Elysium. Streaming this game on my Twitch would entail me controlling the game, making narrative decisions while Eva provides conversation and additional narration. While playing this game, I will be bound with rope to not only symbolically represent a hyperbolic torture of playing a game I do not want to, but as a reference to the gig economy, and the relationship between the cultures and modes of pay of sex work websites such as Chaturbate and game streaming websites like Twitch. The rate of $30 would be evenly split between Eva and I to be equivalent to Bernie Sander's suggested $15 an hour minimum wage. 

Part of why I would not like to play Disco Elysium is because I reject the genera of game that it is a part of and I see no clue to how it significantly differs from other games in that genre mechanically. I am allergic to long narrative choice driven games. Games like Super Mario Bros. if something bad happens, if you lose, it feels as though it is the player's fault. Many narrative games, when sticking to genre conventions, are in comparison arbitrary and authoritarian. The frustration of playing word based puzzles is exaggerated in my free game abc2 (apple). If I am paid to play this game, I hope that I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of narrative interaction.

If you donate to this itch page now, you will help fund my playing of Disco Elysium. If the full $655 is raised, I will then post a schedule for the game and start playing it accordingly. Because of Eva and my respective work schedules, we will attempt to stream as frequently as we can. Hopefully, we will work out a schedule where we can play through the game in a couple of weekends. If over $655 is raised, the additional funds will go towards streaming other games on this list that I will announce. If you donate, you will receive a signed agreement that also reveals the next game I would like to play for money.

That Dragon, Cancer is listed as the most expensive game, not because I think playing it would be that painful, but because I would like the money made from it to go directly to charity. If someone wants me to play this game for $99,999 I will start looking into advisement for what charity I should donate the money to. However, I will not accept money for this game unless the funding for Disco Elysium is successful.

If you would like to see a the total hours or cost for all of these games, you will have to add those things together yourself or use your imagination. I did not want to include those numbers because I do not want anyone to think that I will play all of these games. Playing some of these games for money seems like it would be worth my while. I am not interested in becoming a full time streamer or game player. I would also like to have the free time to work on my own games and play games that I am interested in. These reasons are why I am fund raising for one game at a time.

If you would like to see me play Disco Elysium or if you just enjoy my work and would like to support me making more things in the future, I would appreciate you donating $5 at minimum. If you like Eva, support them with $5. If you do not donate to me or Eva, think about financially supporting other independent game developers that you appreciate. I appreciate you looking at, glancing over, or reading this writing and chart that took me approximately 10 hours to write and format for $0 an hour.

Title	Hrs	Rate	Pur	Total
Disco Elysium	20.5	$30	$40	$655
Thief: The Dark Project	13	$50	$7	$657
Firewatch	4	$160	$20	$660
What Remains of Edith Finch	2	$320	$20	$660
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons	3	$215	$15	$660
Telling Lies	4	$160	$20	$660
A Way Out	6	$105	$30	$660
Crysis 3	7	$90	$30	$660
Crysis 2	9	$70	$30	$660
Wolfenstein: Youngblood	9	$70	$30	$660
God of War: Betrayal	2	$330	$1	$661
Dear Esther	1.5	$435	$10	$662
God of War 3	10	$65	$13	$663
Shovel Knight	6.5	$100	$15	$665
The Evil Within	16	$41	$10	$666
INSIDE	3.5	$185	$20	$667
Dream Daddy	4.5	$145	$15	$667
Little Nightmares	3.5	$185	$20	$667
Crysis Warhead	5	$130	$20	$670
Crysis	10	$65	$20	$670
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus	10.5	$60	$40	$670
Dead Space 3	13	$50	$20	$670
Tacoma	2.5	$260	$20	$670
The Red Strings Club	4	$165	$15	$675
Into the Breach	5.5	$120	$15	$675
Alan Wake	11	$60	$15	$675
Child of Light	11	$60	$15	$675
A Plague Tale: Innocence	10.5	$60	$45	$675
Dead Cells	13	$50	$25	$675
Jericho	7	$95	$13	$678
Furi	5.5	$120	$20	$680
Ruiner	5.5	$120	$20	$680
F.E.A.R. 3	6	$110	$20	$680
Guacamelee	7	$95	$15	$680
BioShock 2	11	$60	$20	$680
Pyre	11	$60	$20	$680
Prey (2006)	7.5	$90	$7	$682
Far Cry Primal	14.5	$45	$30	$682
Oxenfree	4.5	$150	$10	$685
Red Faction II	4.5	$150	$10	$685
Ori and the Blind Forest	8	$85	$5	$685
Slay the Spire	11	$60	$25	$685
The Banner Saga 2	11	$60	$25	$685
The Outer Worlds	12.5	$50	$60	$685
Colony Wars	6.5	$105	$5	$687
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon	4.5	$150	$15	$690
Super Time Force Ultra	4.5	$150	$15	$690
Call of Juarez	8	$85	$10	$690
The Banner Saga 3	9.5	$70	$25	$690
Red Faction: Guerrilla	13.5	$50	$20	$695
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak	10	$65	$50	$700
Far Cry New Dawn	11	$60	$40	$700
Star Wars: The Old Republic	10	$70	$0	$700
This War of Mine	10.5	$65	$20	$702
Jak X: Combat Racing	10	$70	$3	$703
The Banner Saga	10.5	$65	$25	$707
FreeSpace 2	15.5	$45	$10	$707
Helldivers	11.5	$60	$20	$710
Homefront: The Revolution	11.5	$60	$20	$710
Diablo	14	$50	$10	$710
Metroid Prime 3	14	$50	$13	$713
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night	13.5	$50	$40	$715
Far Cry 3	15.5	$45	$20	$717
BioShock Infinite	11.5	$60	$30	$720
Ori and the Will of the Wisps	11.5	$60	$30	$720
Outer Wilds	15.5	$45	$25	$722
Far Cry Instincts	12	$60	$6	$726
God of War II	12	$60	$6	$726
Dead Space 2	9	$80	$20	$740
Dragon Quest II	16.5	$45	$5	$747
Vagrant Story	23.5	$30	$45	$750
Prey (2017)	16	$45	$30	$750
Fallout 1	16.5	$45	$10	$752
Rogue Legacy	16.5	$45	$15	$757
FTL: Faster Than Light	12.5	$60	$10	$760
Hard West	12.5	$60	$20	$770
Far Cry 2	17	$45	$10	$775
Pinstripe	3	$260	$15	$795
Titan Souls	3	$260	$15	$795
Dying Light	17	$45	$40	$805
Far Cry 4	17.5	$45	$30	$817
Uncharted	8	$85	$143	$823
Uncharted 2	10.5	$65	$143	$826
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes	17.5	$45	$39	$827
God of War: Ascension	8.5	$80	$148	$828
God of War: Ghost of Sparta	6.5	$100	$197	$847
Far Cry 5	17.5	$45	$60	$847
God of War: Chains of Olympus	5.5	$120	$189	$849
Mass Effect: Andromeda	18.5	$45	$30	$862
Uncharted 3	9	$80	$145	$865
Conker's Bad Fur Day	10.5	$60	$247	$877
Prison Architect	19	$45	$30	$885
Watch_Dogs	19	$45	$30	$885
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	19.5	$45	$10	$887
Watch_Dogs 2	19	$45	$50	$905
Far Cry Instincts: Evolution	7	$95	$259	$924
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II	20.5	$45	$23	$946
Hades	20.5	$45	$25	$947
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei	21.5	$45	$0	$968
Shin Megami Tensei If...	19	$45	$115	$970
L.A. Noire	21.5	$45	$20	$987
Far Cry Instincts: Predator	15	$45	$369	$1,044
Final Fantasy IV	23	$45	$16	$1,051
Fallout 3	23	$45	$20	$1,055
Journey	2	$520	$15	$1,055
Red Faction: Armageddon	8	$130	$20	$1,060
The Witcher 2	24	$45	$20	$1,100
Night in the Woods	8.5	$130	$20	$1,125
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri	25	$45	$6	$1,131
Mass Effect 3	24.5	$45	$30	$1,132
Mass Effect 2	24.5	$45	$60	$1,162
Ghostbusters (2016)	6	$110	$512	$1,172
Hollow Knight	26	$45	$15	$1,185
Uncharted 4	15	$45	$513	$1,188
Path of Exile	26.5	$45	$0	$1,193
SOMA	9	$130	$30	$1,200
Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword	26.5	$45	$10	$1,202
Dragon Age II	26.5	$45	$20	$1,212
Torment: Tides of Numenera	26	$45	$45	$1,215
Shin Megami Tensei Nine	27	$45	$0	$1,215
Dragon Quest IV	27	$45	$15	$1,230
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands	26.5	$45	$50	$1,242
Fallout 4	27	$45	$30	$1,245
Dragon Quest III	27.5	$45	$10	$1,247
Fallout: New Vegas	27.5	$45	$10	$1,247
Final Fantasy XV	28	$45	$35	$1,295
Watch Dogs: Legion	17.5	$45	$522	$1,309
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	29	$45	$10	$1,315
Final Fantasy III	30	$45	$16	$1,366
Fallout 2	30.5	$45	$10	$1,382
Dragon Quest V	30.5	$45	$15	$1,387
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords	31	$45	$10	$1,405
No Man's Sky	30.5	$45	$60	$1,432
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner	27	$45	$218	$1,433
God of War (2018)	20.5	$45	$514	$1,436
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga	32	$45	$23	$1,463
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor	31	$45	$74	$1,469
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2	32	$45	$32	$1,472
Dark Souls 3	31.5	$45	$60	$1,477
Final Fantasy V	32.5	$45	$16	$1,478
Dark Souls 2	32	$45	$40	$1,480
Don't Starve	33	$45	$10	$1,495
Planescape: Torment	33	$45	$20	$1,505
Fallout 76	34	$45	$40	$1,570
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2	34.5	$45	$25	$1,577
Final Fantasy VI	35	$45	$16	$1,591
Diablo II	35.5	$45	$10	$1,607
The Witcher	35.5	$45	$10	$1,607
The Last of Us 2	24	$45	$529	$1,609
Ghost of Tsushima	24.5	$45	$545	$1,648
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord	36.5	$45	$50	$1,692
System Shock	13	$130	$10	$1,700
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers	29	$45	$418	$1,723
Fire Emblem: Awakening	30.5	$45	$378	$1,751
Dragon Age: Origins	40.5	$45	$20	$1,842
Dragon Quest VI	41	$45	$15	$1,860
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim	31	$45	$563	$1,958
Baldur's Gate	44	$45	$20	$2,000
Shin Megami Tensei II	42.5	$45	$128	$2,040
Final Fantasy 7 Remake	34	$45	$527	$2,057
Bloodborne	34	$45	$529	$2,059
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition	46	$45	$20	$2,090
Dragon Age: Inquisition	46.5	$45	$40	$2,132
Skies of Arcadia Legends	41.5	$45	$280	$2,147
Final Fantasy XIII	48.5	$45	$16	$2,198
Fire Emblem: Three Houses	48.5	$45	$44	$2,226
Dragon Quest IX	48.5	$45	$51	$2,233
Red Dead Redemption 2	48.5	$45	$60	$2,242
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE	49.5	$45	$40	$2,267
Skies of Arcadia	45	$45	$250	$2,275
Mount and Blade	51	$45	$10	$2,305
Shin Megami Tensei IV	43	$45	$400	$2,335
The Witcher 3	51.5	$45	$40	$2,357
Neverwinter Nights	53	$45	$20	$2,405
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne	53	$45	$20	$2,405
Days Gone	38	$45	$700	$2,410
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey	54	$45	$50	$2,480
This is the Police	19	$130	$15	$2,485
The Last of Us	15.5	$130	$509	$2,524
Darkest Dungeon	56	$45	$25	$2,545
They are Billions	56	$45	$30	$2,550
Dragon Quest XI	57	$45	$40	$2,605
Horizon Zero Dawn	22.5	$130	$50	$2,975
Xenoblade Chronicles	68.5	$45	$40	$3,122
Dishonored	12	$260	$10	$3,130
Dragon Quest VIII	62.5	$45	$380	$3,192
Persona 4	70.5	$45	$27	$3,199
Dishonored 2	12.5	$260	$40	$3,290
Dragon Quest VII	73	$45	$40	$3,325
System Shock 2	14	$260	$10	$3,650
Apex Legends	93	$45	$0	$4,185
Rust	94	$45	$40	$4,270
Persona 5	97	$45	$60	$4,425
Pillars of Eternity	35.5	$130	$30	$4,645
Mount & Blade: Warband	118	$45	$20	$5,330
Final Fantasy XIV	233	$45	$20	$10,505
Mount & Blade: Warband - Napoleonic Wars	900	$45	$10	$40,510
Dota 2	1595	$45	$0	$71,775
League of Legends	1476	$49	$0	$71,778
That Dragon, Cancer	2	$49,995	$10	$99,999

Sincerely,

Blake Lee Andrews