The first time you play a game is a lot like the first time you have sex. You know what people say about sex, right? You always remember the first time.

Well, okay, maybe it’s not quite that dramatic. But there’s certainly something magical about playing a game for the very first time. It’s an experience that simply can’t be matched with anything else. The first time you play a game, you’re experiencing the gimmicks, plot twists, and challenges originally. You won’t ever be able to do that again. Many games have a New Game Plus feature, which allows you to essentially play the game again, albeit allowing you to keep the experience and/or items you’ve collected the first time.

But it’s different.

In most games, the cut-scenes don’t change the second time around. Once in a while, a game will do something slightly or radically different the second or third time through. Those experiences are rare. No amount of costumes or infinite ammunition can make the thrill of playing a game for the first time return.

I think there’s a desire to return to the original state. I often replay my favorite games again and again. Sometimes I don’t do so for months, or even years at a time. I always try to start from scratch. I don’t like starting a game with all of the best equipment. I like to work for a sense of achievement. But you always find that you can never truly experience the game as “fresh”. You’ll always remember about that hidden treasure chest, or what happens in the next cut-scene.

I was watching a friend complete Nier for the last time the other day. I say the last time, because he doesn’t intend to ever play the game again. But the game gave him a good reason not to. As a consequence for obtaining a final ending, he had to give up all of his saved data. We watched as one by one, the Xbox slowly deleted all of the items he had accumulated, all of the map locations he had unlocked, and all of the save files he had created. At the end of the game, there was certainly a sense of loss. But maybe it’s something more games should consider doing. When a game clears out all traces of you ever having played it, you’re more inclined to let go. Does the save data correlate to a person’s memory? Possibly. But at the very least, you value the experience of “getting there” more, knowing that you won’t be making the journey again.

Sometimes, it might be better just to let go.