Question When you finish a game, do you watch all the closing credits scroll?

[mainer]

Of course, the prerequisite to that question is that you have to actually finish the game. I try to finish every game I start, but it doesn't always work out that way, though I really try to, and hate it when I give up on a game. It can happen for a variety of reasons, and I think we've all been there.

For myself, I always watch the credits scroll by and listen to the soundtracks when I complete a game, at least the first time through. I replay a lot of games that I really love, and then sometimes I'll skip the credits, but even then it's a rare occurrence when I don't watch them.

There's a sense of accomplishment and serenity, as weird as it sounds, watching those credits roll by, especially if the last few hours of a game were intensely emotional, or having survived a brutal boss battle. It's also interesting to me to see who worked on the game, or who the voice actors were, or the artists of the different music tracks, or sometimes just short comments by some of the development team. Many of these people worked four or more years of their life on a single project, so it's partially out of respect for them.

Maybe I'm a bit strange in watching the credits of a completed game, but I do enjoy it. I've earned it. So what about you folks?

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Yes, I always do for fear that I'll miss something if I don't. I'm a big Zelda fan, and on all of the 3D Zelda games, they always have a special ending cut scene that doesn't play until after all of the credits. I believe Horizon: Zero Dawn did, too. So I always watch just to make sure if they put something like that at the end. It's worth it after investing that much time into a game.

 

[Johnway]

Honestly no. if its just a scrolling text i skip. if its got something more like conclusion of the story, additional content that i can ignore the scrolling text, then i would watch it.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Honestly no. if its just a scrolling text i skip. if its got something more like conclusion of the story, additional content that i can ignore the scrolling text, then i would watch it.

The games I'm talking about don't even show the additional content until after all of the scrolling text is over. You may have missed stuff and didn't even know it.

 

[Colif]

Journey - Yes, as its in end credits you find out the names of the people you played with. Can be a surprise to find how many it was, you might think its same person all along but instead its more. Lets you send them messages afterwards and discover in many cases you don't understand their language outside of the game...
the animations playing behind the credits also wrapped around to start of game so in essence game only ends when you are finished with it. I rarely restarted game and quit before end. Probably helps credits aren't long and nor is game.

Apart from Journey, I rarely finish games - I really prefer games that don't end. I think I probably skip them in the few I do finish.

 

[Brian Boru]

Rarely. My research before buying & starting will have told me if there's anything worthwhile in the credits. Assuming it's just a brag scroll for those involved, I quit.

The entertainment industry in general is far too full of itself. Opening credits for movies and TV shows have got better—and sometimes skippable, hurrah!—but they're still embarrassing and annoying with the whole 'Look at me, mom' vibe.

People who do far more useful or make far more impactful stuff don't brag all over their product. Has a surgeon ever tattooed hir name on your rear end? Chief engineer's name painted on the side of your latest car?

 

[Zloth]

Watch? Maybe. Listen, probably. It's a good time to get up and wander around to stretch my legs.

There have been some exceptional credits, too.

• Portal
• NieR: Automata (only game I know where you could spoil the plot of the credits)
• Sacrifice. So funny! I know I've seen them online, but I can't find them now.

The games I'm talking about don't even show the additional content until after all of the scrolling text is over. You may have missed stuff and didn't even know it.

Doesn't skipping normally go straight to the post credits scene instead of skipping it?

There have been a few games that give you an achievement for watching all the credits.

Has a surgeon ever tattooed hir name on your rear end?

Come to think of it, I haven't checked!

If it were movie/game credits, though, it wouldn't just be the surgeon. It would be the surgeon, every nurse, the uber driver that drove the surgeon in, all the cooks in the hospital cafeteria, then it would start listing off all the people in the insurance company.... That's what drives me crazy.

 

[Brian Boru]

Sacrifice … I can't find them

This?

 

[Zloth]

That's it! Your search-fu is mighty!!

 

[Frindis]

Most of the time I watch some of it and then that will be enough. If the game has an exceptionally good ending, I'll sit there in bliss while the end credits roll. I did that with the Bioshock Infinite ending and got a little surprise at the end.

 

[SleepingDog]

Never. What am I going to do with the information? I don't know these people and I don't know what their contribution to the game was. It's pointless, for me, perhaps if I was a game developer it would make sense.

It would not surprise you to learn that I don't hang around for film or TV credits except in a few rare cases and even then it is out curiosity.

 

[ZedClampet]

I almost always watch the credits for single-player games that actually end. On games without an ending, I generally will roll the credits once at some point, but not always.

Rarely. My research before buying & starting will have told me if there's anything worthwhile in the credits.

You're bonkers. I would never buy/play any game if I did that level of research on it.

The entertainment industry in general is far too full of itself.

I don't consider game credits to be bragging. They are just lists of names and what job each person had. It's like the author's name on the front of a book.

On the other hand, back when I volunteered at a local community theater, I used to experience a mix of amusement and disgust every time I read the credits. Each actor got to write their own bio section, and they would say things like, "Never before have I worked with such a brilliant and talented team..." and it would often get worse from there. You wondered why these amateur actors weren't out saving the world instead of wasting their amazingness at a community theater.

 

[Sarafan]

In the past I watched all of the credits. This has changed in time. Right now I usually skip them. Probably should watch them because there are some hidden Easter Eggs and it's good to honor the developers who made the game. I have a limited amount of time however and sometimes the credits are ridiculously long: you get names of developers, but also frequently the whole publisher staff. These can take forever to watch.

 

[Brian Boru]

You're bonkers

Indubitably—but how is that relevant? When in Rome…

if I did that level of research

Ah yes, the preeminence of quality over quantity, as underscored by a venerable and esteemed commentator:

Your search-fu is mighty!!

Or is that veneered and steamed…

It's like the author's name

Plus the authors pizza delivery guy, the editor and hir tech support guy, the artist and those who made PhotoShop, the Publisher and… okay, I believe there's a 10,000 word limit on a post, so I can't fit the rest in.

I volunteered at a local community theater

I can totally see you in charge of blocking. Yep, clear talent ooze for that.

also frequently the whole publisher staff. These can take forever to watch

I remember one credit roll of a game with worldwide release, they were listing all the localization teams!!! I'll take a RPG boss fight any day in preference

 

[Sarafan]

I remember one credit roll of a game with worldwide release, they were listing all the localization teams!!! I'll take a RPG boss fight any day in preference

And when I was a kid, I thought that movie credits are long.

 

[Zloth]

Well, if you go back far enough, the credits shrink to 0. The first credits I ever saw, I had to work to get to:

 

[mainer]

I always do for fear that I'll miss something if I don't.

So I always watch just to make sure if they put something like that at the end. It's worth it after investing that much time into a game.

The games I'm talking about don't even show the additional content until after all of the scrolling text is over. You may have missed stuff and didn't even know it.

because there are some hidden Easter Eggs and it's good to honor the developers who made the game.

Additional content and Easter Eggs, absolutely! Those are two more reasons that I'll watch (and listen) as the ending credits scroll, at least the first time through a game. Admittedly it's a rare occurrence, but if it happens I don't want to miss it.

My most recent game completed, Elex 2, had a situation like that.

Spoiler: Elex 2 Spoiler

After watching the credits scroll, and getting the Steam Achievement for completing the game, you're dropped back into the game and your journal updates with two main quests. Not side quests. Without going into too much detail, those quests involve all your companions and many of the main characters in the game, and completing those quests, help give a bit more closure to the main story line.

I don't know how it will affect events in Elex 3 (hopefully there is one), but they're impactful enough that they should. If this were a Bioware game I would expect the option to import those choices into the next game, but this is Piranha Bytes, so I don't know if they will (they've never done that before).

People who do far more useful or make far more impactful stuff don't brag all over their product. Has a surgeon ever tattooed hir name on your rear end? Chief engineer's name painted on the side of your latest car?

Sorry, my friend, but I find that to be an irrelevant comparison. And I don't consider it to be bragging.

I don't consider game credits to be bragging. They are just lists of names and what job each person had. It's like the author's name on the front of a book.

Neither do I. I feel like the individuals on game development teams are artists, much like writers/authors, painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, or actors; whether they're famous or not. They're all creating in their chosen medium. It's a recognition, or a signature, on a project they've worked on for hours, and sometimes years, of their lives.

My research before buying & starting will have told me if there's anything worthwhile in the credits. Assuming it's just a brag scroll for those involved,

I would never buy/play any game if I did that level of research on it.

Too much research and it feel more like, well, a research project and less like a game; it would definitely kill most of the enjoyment for me. I like playing PC games. I like being immersed in a story or a world and surprised by situations or outcomes. Too much research would deaden that experience in my opinion. Oh, I'll look at previews for an upcoming game that I'm interested in, but only to a certain point. I don't want that first playthrough, which is often the best, ruined by too much forehand information.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I watch all or most of the credits, mostly because as @Sarafan and @mainer said you occasionally get an easter egg or even achievement for seeing them all.

Also if I finish a games campaign, it's one I've enjoyed and its kind of nice to have 10-15 minutes of reflection as the credits go on. If it goes on too long you can always take the chance to get a drink or whatever anyway.

 

[Hitobat]

Yes and no.
These days I tend to leave the credits running just in case there's an achievement or secret at the end.
But usually I'm only half paying attention while fiddling on my phone or something.

In general I do like the idea of the people who worked hard on a game getting their due credit.
But I think that the target audience for that isn't exactly me, but rather their new future employer.

That said it is interesting seeing some of the strange job titles and trying to guess what they might be.
It's also amazing to see how many kids seem to be born during the production of a game, and that a lot of game companies are happy to put that in the credits.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Has a surgeon ever tattooed hir name on your rear end?

Maybe? If you ask nicely, you'd be surprised what they'll do.

But I don't think quite as harshly about credits as you do. If I were a lighting tech on a movie set for a movie where the stars didn't give me the time of day, I think it would be cool to see my name scroll by in the same credits their names were listed.

Doesn't skipping normally go straight to the post credits scene instead of skipping it?

The games I've played, the only way to skip the credits is to turn the game off. So you wouldn't get to see any post-credit easter eggs that way.

BTW, your example of Portal is great. The credits in that game are definitely cool.

 

[Shodan_]

Yes and for the same reasons OP mentionned. There's a sense of having dun it.

The first time I finish a game, I always sit and read the names. I went through that experience, time to recognize.

 

[Brian Boru]

many kids seem to be born during the production of a game, and that a lot of game companies are happy to put that in the credits

If that doesn't make my case, then nothing will.

I wonder how many kids were born during the dev of the James Webb scope?

I don't consider it to be bragging

I see a few have said this, so obviously poor word choice by me. Does eg cockalorum work better for y'all?

much like … painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians

You really want the list of the guys who worked on creating the brush bristles, the techs who maintain the jigs for binding them together, the manufacturer, distributor and retailer of each of the sculptor's tools, the…, the…, the… keep reading, there might be an Easter egg…

Too much research and it feel more like, well, a research project and less like a game

Check the bio of any chess grandmaster. Or pro StarCraft or football player. It's all research and practice and a lot of other inputs. Bill James is a good example of transforming a game thru research.

That said, of course us amateurs can approach it any way we prefer—but denigrating pro approaches isn't necessary to increase our enjoyment, is it?

I like being immersed in a story or a world and surprised by situations or outcomes

That seems to be the kernel of it. Many others feel the same way, and many don't. Both are valid. I love an immersive open world, existence of which is something I definitely want to uncover in my research. Story however is low down for me—I much prefer books for that, and prefer to write my own story in games rather than be led along some largely pre-determined branching path.

Surprise is not something I want, I've had too many games ruined or soured by surprises. Some I wouldn't have bought, the others it would at least have been nice to know they were in there so I could pick a time to tackle them—rather than have a looked-forward-to gaming session ruined.

first playthrough, which is often the best

Again, that kernel For me, first play is almost always the worst. But of course I must point out that I gravitate towards games with high replay value—which almost by definition means later plays will be better, why else bother with them? So for a primarily one-time player like you and others, then I completely get why surprise, story and immersion are valued attributes.

the target audience for that isn't exactly me

Right. I don't think there's a target really, it's just a hangover from the generally more exhibitionist and narcissistic nature of the earlier entertainment industries.

You also see it in other creative fields. Academics are well known for the poisonous rivalries to be first and be published, while public software devs—eg modders, open source—can get very antsy about getting credit or being ripped off.

some of the strange job titles and trying to guess what they might be

Um, no—in early movie watching, 'Best Grip' cured me of that fascination.

If you ask nicely, you'd be surprised what they'll do

I did, and I surely would've been. She said "I'm in a rush, but I could carve you a new one".

I think it would be cool to see my name scroll by

Where does it end? Why does lighting tech get in, but the pizza guy not?

I always sit and read the names … time to recognize

Question for you and others who watch the credits:
For what percentage of games where you've watched credits can you name the Assistant Level Programmer or Background Artist or Lighting Technician?

I confess I can't recall a single Best Grip

 

[Shodan_]

Question for you and others who watch the credits:
For what percentage of games where you've watched credits can you name the Assistant Level Programmer or Background Artist or Lighting Technician?

I confess I can't recall a single Best Grip

LOL, none.

However sometimes you spot a name you recognize from some other game you loved. Can't recall one right now but that happens.

Also I work for a company that develops mobile apps and I've spotted a few colleagues from Montreal or Quebec who used to work in the games industry. Always fun to shout someone out on Slack the next monday when you spotted them in the credits of some game you enjoyed enough to finish.

 

[Pifanjr]

Only if they made the credits interesting in some way. Or if the music is nice and I have nothing better to do. Though in both cases I'm not actually reading the names, as they don't mean anything to me.

 

[Zloth]

Sometimes the names are interesting from a culture standpoint, like what endings are common in various nations.