Hey, Gamers! This post is a bit of a sad one, but I wanted to offer my perspective on what makes Like a Dragon/Yakuza burnout unique in comparison to other games or gaming in general. I've been playing this series for an incredibly long time. It's my partner's favourite series, too, so it's one of our main conversation topics. Our instagram DMs are basically just us sending each other memes from this series. I've written quite a bit on this series, so check out my other posts if you want to. I also talk about it quite a bit over on Instagram, so feel free to give me a follow there, too (and despite this post, I'm always willing to talk about this series). Let's get into the post!
According to WebMD, burnout happens when "we experience emotional, physical or mental fatigue for too long". I experience burnout a lot as an autistic person, and I know a lot of you guys do too. So what is it about Like a Dragon burnout that hits different? Why do we even get burned out from Like a Dragon?
This series is very long. If you just want to play Kiryu's saga - as we've called it in our household - without the inclusion of prequels or post-Haruka, that's still 6 games. However, to really play Kiryu's story… you should play the full thing. So, Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, Yakuza 5, Yakuza 6, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Like a Dragon Gaiden and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. I suppose you wouldn't have to play Yakuza: Like a Dragon since the majority of Kiryu's story stuff is in Like a Dragon Gaiden, but it would be a struggle to follow along with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth if you didn't play it. So that's 10 games. 10 games, 7 protagonists, 3 spin-offs (Judgment, Lost Judgment and Like a Dragon: Ishin) and a lot of emotional investment. And I think that's the thing that makes this series immediately different. Not only are you putting a lot of time into this series (if we say each game times 30 hours, which is minimum in some cases, especially with 5 and the Like a Dragon games, then that's like 300 hours. Now, if you factor in the Like a Dragon games are more likely to take around 60-70 hours, if not more, and Yakuza 5 can easily take 100 hours… that's a whole lot more), but it's also a lot of emotional investment.
The Like a Dragon series lasts so long, and is so fleshed out that sometimes it can feel like a whole other life. You go through your normal day with your normal day-to-day activities, chores, your own mental wellbeing to worry about and then on top of that, you have to worry about Kiryu and his friends. But that's also the charm of the series, isn't it? That you get to witness these people go through life; you get to protect them, make sacrifices for them, lead them and love them. Kiryu is 20 in Yakuza 0 and 55 in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Obviously we miss a few years here and there (notably the ten years he spent in the joint), but we really get to see him grow as a person. It's the length of the series that can be attributed to this with Kiryu, but it's a bit different when we look at Ichiban. We've seen Ichiban a whole lot less, with him only being in two and a half games (because he is technically in Like a Dragon Gaiden but I wouldn't count that as a full game for him), but we get to witness his growth in a similar sense that we did with Kiryu. We can probably predict that there's going to be plenty more games with Ichiban to come, but for now, his time is short in comparison to Kiryu. It's not the time commitment that causes burn out when it comes to Ichiban. We don't spend a whole lot of time with specific characters, we haven't watched him grow up (apart from the whole pre-jail section). So, what's the difference? Ichiban is a lot more emotional. He expresses his emotions strongly, he feels them deeply and his bonds are incredibly tight.
Do you guys remember when the Like a Dragon Gaiden trailer came out and it showed Kiryu sobbing about… something (trying to do this as spoiler free as possible)? I remember clearly that there was a huge uproar online about it. People were upset because they felt like it wasn't in Kiryu's character to cry like that. They felt like it made him less masculine, and less… Kiryu, I guess. But, if that happened with Ichiban, it would be completely expected. I mean, I would expect it, at least. Ichiban is allowed to feel his emotions, because that's part of who he is. As a result of this, we as the audience are more likely to empathise with him in a way that we were perhaps unable to with Kiryu, who rarely showed his emotions in such ways.
My point here is that this series can exhaust you in two primary ways: with extensive time and emotional investment. I feel like it does this extensively by having the two primary protagonists - Kiryu and Ichiban - being incredibly different. It works, somehow, because the two have similar ideals and desires. Once you finish Kiryu's story, you're drawn into Ichiban's by the promise of more Kiryu, and then you stay because Ichiban is likeable and surrounds himself with cool people… and there's more Kiryu. There's always more Kiryu.
I haven't even gotten onto the use of the other protagonists of Yakuza 4 and 5, and how they're used to get you even more emotionally invested - particularly Haruka. Thinking of it, even Majima. You also get to see him grow through the series. Actually, Josh and I used to joke that Yakuza 6 isn't a proper Yakuza game because there's no Majima boss fight. Which leads me onto another point, actually, which is that by the time you get into the series, you're familiar with things that are only in this series, and the use of the other protagonists further that point. How? Think of Yakuza 5. You expected Akiyama and Saejima because they're meant to be there. You expect a Majima boss fight in every game. You expect a colosseum, a hostess minigame, the arcade, random thugs on the street that chase after you. You expect to get achievement points when you finish a restaurant's menu, or when you get 5 prizes in the UFO catchers. You expect these things, because it's the Yakuza series, of course they're going to have these things… expect when they don't, but that's what makes some games feel off sometimes. But the other protagonists are there to remind you that this world is vast, yet incredibly well-connected. They're there to remind you that no matter who you are, this world is always going to feel the same, and that it always will, no matter what changes. Even if the game changes genre.
I've spent the past 2+ years playing these games. I am so burnt out. I love them, obviously, but at this point, I care about these fictional characters more than I'm taking care of myself and that's not good. There's this edge that comes along with burnout from a specific game, and the only way I can explain it is that it starts to not feel good. And when that happens, you sometimes feel the need to push through. That's how you start to hate the game you're playing. Don't do that. Just take a break, guys. That's what I'm doing. I know I still have the Judgment games, but I knew I needed a break. I'm working really hard not to bring it up in every post (and failing), but my mum died in November. Since then, I've finished 3 Like a Dragon games. That's crazy to my brain. I'm already going through so much with my real life, and I know Judgment is meant to have the best story and I want to be able to get fully invested in that without… everything going on right now. And if you're in the same or a similar situation, I recommend you do the same. Please look after yourself, guys. I promise it's worth it. (Editor's Note: I think she's made this whole post just so people will stop telling her to play Judgment on Instagram, don't let her get away with it!)
That's it for this post, Gamers! Burn out really sucks, especially when it's from something that you love so much. It's always important to remember that these games can take a lot out of you in several ways, and it's okay to take a break if you need to. Go touch grass, as they say. But make sure it's clean grass. And don't do it if you have hayfever. Maybe just stay inside… Anyway, if you liked this post, give it a 'like' and comment your thoughts down below! Follow this blog for more gaming content, and follow my socials for more… social things. See you next post, Gamers!
