As someone who only plays video games occasionally, I get annoyed every time I want to start a game and have to update a client first. Even worse is when the game itself needs to be patched afterward. In this blog article, I want to share my thoughts and experiences on this topic.

Naturally, I am the problem...

... because I play too infrequently. And I don't have the fastest connection either. The truth is, I only play when I have time and desire. Those who play daily are welcome to do so. I also have phases where I do that. But that stops after two or three days, at most a week. Therefore, I am very annoyed when the game doesn't start as smoothly as I would like.

Yes, just because I use xyz

It is a universal problem. All the clients I use show the same "issue" when starting after a few weeks or months: updates.

First, I want to talk about Steam, the most well-known client for video games. Steam is great because it brings together so many games in one place and provides a convenient way to buy and play them. However, I feel like Steam updates too often. Every time I start Steam, I'm told there's a new version available. And when I'm finally ready to play a game, it often takes a while for the game to update.

Another client I regularly use is Epic Games. Here too, the same problem exists: constant updates. It's frustrating that I often have to download a new version of the Epic Games client before I can start a game. And then I often have to patch the game itself before I can play. This is especially annoying when I have limited time to play.

Lastly, I want to talk about Ubisoft. I don't play Ubisoft games as often, but when I do, there's almost always an update I have to download before I can play. This can be particularly frustrating when I want to play a game for a short time and then realize I have to spend an hour downloading updates first.

Who is the real problem now?

Overall, I think the constant updates and patches pose a significant issue for casual gamers like me. If I only play occasionally, I don't want to have to download updates every time I want to start a game. I understand the importance of regularly updating games and clients to fix bugs and ensure security. But I believe it's important for companies like Steam, Epic Games, and Ubisoft to consider that there are casual gamers who would like to play without dealing with constant updates. Perhaps they could simplify the update processes or reduce the frequency of updates to make life easier for us casual gamers.

Another aspect that annoys me as a casual gamer is the automatic launching of clients when the computer starts up. Many clients like Steam, Epic Games, and Ubisoft are configured by default to start automatically when the operating system boots up. This leads to longer startup times and unnecessary resource consumption. And I don't want that. My computer is a work tool 90% of the time and needs to function quickly. As a casual gamer, I want to decide when to start a client and not be forced to start it every time I boot up my computer. It would be more sensible if the clients were configured by default not to start automatically when the operating system boots up. Instead, they should only be able to start when needed to avoid unnecessary delays and resource consumption.