Modern life is hectic.

We live in an attention economy, with every shiny piece of media trying to snatch up that precious resource: our time.

So we must guard it like little fire drakes sitting on our mountain of treasure. Only giving it to those who are worthy: friends, family, work (boo!), and of course—video games!

So Many Games, So Little Time

The gaming industry has exploded over the past decade!

According to a Statista report, 15,422 games were released on Steam in 2024, compared to just 1,401 in 2014. And that doesn’t even include the PlayStation or Nintendo exclusives.

My “Pile of Shame” (you know, the games you bought but haven’t touched?) grows every year. Of the games I do play, a good number end up in a separate “DNF” (Did Not Finish) pile.

And that’s no fault of the games themselves—most of them are great! There’s just too many games and not enough time.

Also, let’s be real: depending on your niche or genre, games are friggin’ hard sometimes (I’m looking at you, every single From Software game in existence).

Some games practically require a walkthrough

Take Classic WoW, for example (My first, very recent foray into MMOs).

Some quests are exceedingly difficult to figure out without guidance. Even when the quest text does tell you where to go, it’s often vague. Add-ons and Wowhead basically became mandatory to find the right location. Without them, you'd be sailing between continents forever, like a lost pirate with no loot.

Or let’s talk about Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, a deliciously difficult Metroidvania.

The platforming? Punishing in the best way. I’ll quite happily spend hours trying to time jump through spikey, slippery, often explody levels. Pure elation when I finally nail it! (And then have it quickly turn sour when it turns out I did all that for a mimic chest. C'est la vies—These are the risks we take.)

But the puzzles? Meh. Not because they’re bad—on the contrary, they’re well-designed—but because sometimes my brain just isn’t in the mood for riddles. And like in Tomb Raider or Final Fantasy, the puzzles are usually unavoidable if you want to progress.

“Ya-ha-ha! You found me!”

Don’t even get me started on those damn Korok Seeds in Breath of the Wild (BOTW) and Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK).

Don’t you “Ya-ha-ha” me, you little butt! Do you know how long it took me to find you? How did you even get up here, on this barren, icy mountain crawling with Lizalfos?! Not showing a great sense of self-preservation there, bud.

Life is short—It’s okay to look up the walkthrough (Really, It Is!) - image 1 - student project

The stigma of the walkthrough

There’s a lot of debate around walkthroughs. People say stuff like:

“It takes away from the achievement.”

“You’re not experiencing the game as the devs intended.”

And the worst of them all: “Real gamers don’t use guides.”

To that I say: thbptttttttt (imagine me sticking out my tongue and blowing a raspberry).

Really? We’re busy people with busy lives. Even game studios know this! Many of them publish official walkthroughs—beautifully bound collector’s editions, even! Bethesda did it for Skyrim, Bungie for Halo.

And in the most recent Nintendo Direct, the company announced that alongside the remastered version of BOTW and TOTK, they’ll be releasing a dedicated companion app to help players navigate their way through the game.

So clearly, they’re cool with you getting a little help.

Guides are a gateway to community, too

Looking up a guide can actually help you feel more connected. YouTube videos, Reddit threads, and game wikis are full of people going through the exact same frustrations as you.

Don’t be afraid to dive into the comment section and scream into the void about how absolutely balls that one boss/puzzle/platform stage was.

You’re not alone. We’re all in this boss battle together.

The main reason? more games!

But here’s the main reason why I think walkthroughs are more than okay—they’re necessary.

Because using one helps you finish more games.

And in the end, isn’t that what we want?

To enjoy as many stories, challenges, and adventures as we can, while we still have the time and energy to do so.

So, what do you think?

I’ve rambled a lot in this post (surprise, surprise), but I have strong feelings about this.

What do you think?

Is looking up a walkthrough just par for the course in today’s gaming landscape? Or are you someone who thrives on pure perseverance and discovery, no matter how long it takes?

Let’s chat in the comments

And hey—thanks for spending some of that precious attention on me. I hope it was worth your while. <3

Chelsea Schoenberg

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