On Passing a Video Game

I just finished Super Mario Galaxy last night. I should put a qualifier with that statement as I just defeated the final iteration of Bowser and so I have passed it in the traditional sense. All in all it was a fun game, probably would give it a 7.5 out of 10 on the fun o' meter. It was somewhat anticlimactic though as the final level was a little to easy. Made it through on the first try without losing a single life. Thankfully there was no "Spring Mushroom" requirement. Can I just say that the "spring Mario" was the bane of my existence for a few levels. It made Mario very hard to control, and when you have to navigate through some very narrow corridors with a character that bounces every which way....it is a recipe for a busted controller.

I have not unlocked every single level, nor collected every single star. It seems now adays making it through a game is not enough, almost every game adds extra little accomplishments that you can do after defeating the final boss in order to fully "complete" the game. Why? I guess some people find the game so much fun that they just cant stand it when the game ends.

Maybe there is even a little bit of bragging rights in saying that you found every single item, passed every single level, unlocked every single character etc. I don't fully understand it. As a moderate gamer I sometimes feel guilty about not fully completing a game...as if beating the final boss was not quite good enough....and then I realize that it is a computer game...something I do fore entertainment! I am playing this thing for fun!!!! If it isn't fun I am perfectly free to stop playing immediately and shouldn't feel guilty about it!