In recent months I've made my peace with continuing in arcade games. Before I struggled to enjoy them because I've always felt like the only real play was single credit. And the well designed ones at least must be designed to be technically beatable on a single credit. But they are not balanced to be fair and fun for someone to learn to beat on a single credit. On the other hand they are easily ruined by credit feeding, especially for someone like me that's at least as motivated in games by discovery as by mastery.

Now my new way to deal with that conundrum feeds back my frustration in the decision as to whether to use a credit. If I feel like I'm frustrated in a way that I would shove another credit in a machine if it actually cost me money, I use an extra credit, if I feel like I'm not out of my depth in the game, that I can probably stretch the next credit far. If I feel the game has actually defeated me, if I know instinctively that if I put another credit in, I will lose it in a minute or so, then it's game over.