#371: In this reflective episode of GT Radio, Marc shares a recent personal experience of "platinuming" two video games—Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage—and how completing them offered a rare sense of fulfillment and stress relief amidst the chaos of work, school, and life. What begins as a conversation about video game achievements evolves into a deeper discussion about motivation, goal setting, and how we define success both in games and in life.

Josué and Laura join Marc in exploring how they approach gaming—whether as completionists, story seekers, or somewhere in between—and the psychological parallels between gameplay goals and real-life challenges. The group unpacks topics like burnout, the dopamine of anticipation, and the disappointment (or satisfaction) that comes at the end of a long journey.

They also dig into the difference between doing something for fun versus doing something because you feel you have to, and how we can sometimes make hard things easier by adjusting our goals or skipping the metaphorical filler content.

From struggling through boring grad school assignments to skipping fights in One Piece, this episode offers rich insights into how we pursue fulfillment and why the way we approach goals—both big and small—matters.

Characters / Media Mentioned in the Episode

• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (video game)
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage
• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
• Miles Morales: Spider-Man (game)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Horizon Forbidden West (+ DLC)
• God of War
• The Last of Us Part I (game + TV adaptation)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Dark Souls
• One Piece (anime & manga)
• Never Let Me Go (book and film)
• Beartown (book)
• Othello by William Shakespeare
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• CliffsNotes
• Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (stage play)
• Twitch Plays Pokémon

Themes / Topics Discussed

• Fulfillment
• Motivation
• Goal Setting
• Burnout
• Coping with Stress
• Behavioral Psychology
• Completionism
• Enjoyment vs Obligation
• Optimization / Working Smarter

Relatable Experiences Discussed

• Juggling School, Work, and Personal Life
• Procrastination & Avoidance
• Chasing Achievements
• Getting Overwhelmed by Big Tasks
• Losing Interest in Things You Thought You Liked
• Re-evaluating Life Goals
• Feeling Empty After Finishing a Game or Show

Continue the Conversation
Join us on the GT Forum to share your thoughts on this episode. You can also connect with us on social media through the Geek Therapy Network.

What about you?

• Have you ever platinumed a game? What motivated you?
• Do you find fulfillment in completing hard goals, or do you prefer to follow what feels good in the moment?
• Have you ever re-evaluated your life goals based on how hard the journey became?
• How do you make difficult things easier for yourself?