Why Do You Never Finish Open World Games?
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- Why do you never finish open world video games? Well that's what we're tackling in this video essay, so I hope you're ready to dive into open worlds new and old like Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, and Elden Ring while also touching on some classics like Skyrim (and the anniversary edition), Breath of the Wild, Far Cry 3, etc. I also talk a little bit about depression and how that affects the way we play video games, especially open world video games.
🌎 What's your favorite open world game that I should check out?
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👽 Credits Are Below:
⚔ Games Featured ⚔
SABLE, Shedworks 2021
www.humblebundle.com/store/sa...
BREATH OF THE WILD, Nintendo 2017
www.humblebundle.com/store/th...
HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST, Guerilla Games 2022
THE ORDER 1886, Ready at Dawn 2015
RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2, Rockstar Games 2018
www.humblebundle.com/store/re...
FAR CRY 3, Ubisoft Montreal 2012
www.humblebundle.com/store/fa...
MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN, Insomniac Games 2018
THE OUTER WILDS, Annapurna 2019
store.steampowered.com/app/75...
ELDEN RING, FromSoftware 2022
GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK, Santa Monica Studios 2022
CYBERPUNK 2077, CD Projekt Red 2020
FINAL FANTASY XV, Square Enix 2016
www.humblebundle.com/store/fi...
FAR CRY 6, Ubisoft 2021
SUBNAUTICA, Unknown Worlds Entertainment 2014
www.humblebundle.com/store/su...
THE OUTER WORLDS, Obsidian 2019
www.humblebundle.com/store/th...
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM, Bethesda 2012
www.humblebundle.com/store/th...
FALLOUT 4, Bethesda 2016
www.humblebundle.com/store/fa...
THE FOREST, Endnight Games, 2014
www.humblebundle.com/store/th...
DAYS GONE, Bend Studios 2019
www.humblebundle.com/store/da...
CRACKDOWN 2, Rockstar Dundee 2010
INFAMOUS: SECOND SON, Suck Punch Productions 2014
DYING LIGHT, Techland 2015
www.humblebundle.com/store/dy...
DYING LIGHT 2, Techland 2022
SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY, Nintendo 2017
www.humblebundle.com/store/dy...
DEATH STRANDING, Kojima Productions 2019
www.humblebundle.com/store/de...
THE PATHLESS, Giant Squid 2020
ABZU, Giant Squid 2016
www.humblebundle.com/store/ab...
A SHORT HIKE, Adamgryu 2019
store.steampowered.com/app/10...
HADES, SuperGiant Games 2018
store.steampowered.com/app/11...
HOLLOW KNIGHT, Team Cherry 2017
www.humblebundle.com/store/ho...
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0:00 Intro
1:42 The Prison of Choice in Open World Games
4:18 Navigating the Open World
7:55 Micro Open World Games
8:30 Depression and Anxiety
10:21 Open World vs. Other Genres
11:54 HELLO
All footage in this video game analysis video essay was captured by Filmotter
#OpenWorld #HorizonForbiddenWest #VideoEssay
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I have never been a fan of open a world games. It's so much moving. I think exploration is being lost with a purpose. I like objectives.
Oooh, being lost with a purpose is an interesting way of putting that honestly. I felt that way while playing The Pathless recently, which is an open world game that held my attention until the end. Have you played that at all?
Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring are my favorite Open World games.
No check list, no mini map, no predeterminated path but with true exploration.
Another one i loved was Days Gone. The tension of running out of gas at night added so much to the game.
Random hordes out of nowhere after you clear an ambushing camp is horrifying too.
The game is really underrated
What grabs me about those games is the fact that you can jump on them and more likely than not will always find something new every time. Ill never forget playing BotW for hours on end every day for the first couple of months and after every play session I reflected on the journey and was like “man I wonder what ill find next!” all the way to when I decided to reach the game’s conclusion
So there's no way to beat the game?
@Ilias Alice you just named two game of the years underrated? Go sit down
@@averyhaferman3474 Reread again my man, this game not those game.
I meant Days Gone.
Totally agree RE Spider-Man. I don't know why they even included fast-travel in that game. In two playthroughs, I never used it.
Another straight banger, I really love swinging around in Spideyworld too. Definitely noticed the void of "open world for the sake of open world" when I played Greedfall. Lots of grass, lots of nothing. x:
Yes! Spideyworld swinging is sooooo satisfying. The animation and the smooth controls... it really spoiled me in terms of movement mechanics for any kind of video game, honestly.
And yeah, there are a lot of open worlds just for the sake of open worlds. Could've definitely included a lot more examples but also like... I don't want to download that many games. LOL
Not mentioned in the video, but Ghost of Tsushima has nice open world traversal (probably due to very pretty visuals)
OH dang that's another one I need to check out! It looks insanely beautiful, and tbh I'm always down to experience a pretty game! UWU
The lack of a minimap is a major reason I love Subnautica so much. Exploring by making mental landmarks of geographic features, it's so much more immersive.
A concept that I think would be really interesting for a game is this:
Let's say that in x amount of time, a bad thing is going to happen, but you can stop it. Similar to Majora's Mask, but you can't just reset time.
In order to prepare for/stop the bad thing, you are going to need to explore and interact with the world. Its not ginormous, because you have a real time limit, 15 hours maybe, but each area in the game has something that can be potentially useful during the climax. (Side note: there is no fast travel)
Speaking of which, at the end of the time limit, you are forced into the climax that I would imagine plays out similarly to Mass Effect 2's Suicide Mission. The equipment you've collected, the allies you made, and the skills that the player has gained might all factor in to stopping the bad thing.
Only after beating the game, can you explore at complete leisure (fast travel is available now), ticking off those collectables for you completionists. Also, you can choose to move directly to the climax at any time, like Breath of the Wild.
Someone please make this idea a reality.
Loved this video! Extremely insightful. I don't play that many AAA huge, sprawling open world games myself but i do love new and unusual approaches to the idea of an open world (especially the kind of "micro" open worlds you mention ... i guess various towns and buildings would come under that umbrella as well?), plus it's just fascinating to me to think about these kinds of things (just from a narrative perspective or from asking "what different kinds of storytelling are there?")
Kinda makes me want to do my own little video about small open worlds now :)
I like Yakuza games they have a smaller map/ zone with so much available content.
2:24 i saw what you did there and i loved it chefskiss
Ok THANK YOU! I'm excited someone caught that lmaoooo. I spent way to long on that one little moment. 🤣
That was absolute genius.
I was kinda hoping you would bring up Sunset Overdrive when talking about fun ways to move about the world. It wasn't just fun to bounce and grind, but the better you were at it the more the music would ramp up which I always really enjoyed. I don't hate fast travel even in games where it's fun to move around, but there are times when I just wanna take the long way just cause it's more fun to do that than it is to watch a loading screen.
Oh! That would've been a great inclusion. I never got a chance to play it because I think it was an Xbox exclusive.
Just wanted to say this video is incredible. Idk how I only now stumbled across it, but I've been wondering about this for so long, it's cool to see someone put in the work to explain it. Awesome job.
Thank you so much! I had the same problem, so it's nice to see people connect with that idea.
@@filmotter It's also a very well made video essay, so I'm glad I found your channel :D Very high quality stuff!
@@shadowboy1001 thank you! I'm glad I get to use my editing degree for something! 🤣
my favorite open world is Spider-Man. Traversing the city is always so fun!!! Web swinging is so fun and then every now and then there's a crime you can stop to break up the swinging
A short hike was so good 🥺
I love walking around in skyrim lol. the plants and sky are always so pretty!
I like theHunter: Call of the Wild, an open-world hunting game, even though I'd never hunt IRL. There are two base maps and 10+ DLC ones, each at about 25 square miles, big enough that when you revisit a remote area you get a lovely feeling of "Aah, this, I'd forgotten this was here".
The scenery on almost all is breathtaking, with mountains and lakes and glorious sunsets and sunrises. There is a mission mode, and weekly challenges, but they're all completely optional. It has fast travel between specific points once opened up, but a lot of the map is a fair distance from any of them, and the general rule for travel otherwise is that the faster you move, the noisier you are, so you see less prey, which is a nice balancer. I'm currently a little over 1200 hours in, and there are still 4 maps I haven't even visited yet.
NB of the ones you've used as examples, Skyrim got me through a divorce; Far Cry 3, Subnautica, Outer Wilds, and Sable all feature on my backlog, with several others being on my wishlist.
"endless sidequests" is actually the most braindead boring shit to do in a game. I'm so fed up with open world games even tho i love em. I've never missed linear games so much in my life, or even thought i would ever miss them. I still need some depth tho. Just tired of walking simulators and ubisoft fetch quests, and whatever mundane thing they give us in open world games now a days.
If more open worlds had traversal as fun as OG Assassin's Creed parkour or the webslinging in Spiderman games, maybe they'd be more tolerable.
Totally agree with you! I feel like a good open world is all about fun traversal mechanics
I'm not annoyed by samey objectives in open world games. I dislike some things about them, like how cryptic they can be if they don't tell you what to do, or a lack of fast travel (it doesn't need to be instant, but it can be) but I also am pretty neutral about the open world concept.
If you want fast travel then you don't really want open world.
I've come to a point where I'll usually just steer clear of open-world games unless I know they'll be worth it in some way. Saves me time, and I can buy three $20 indie games for the price of an open-world game.
EXACTLY. I'm exactly the same way. I'd rather play 3 great 6-hour indies, than one open world game that I'll never finish.
When 60% of what you do is walking in a straight line from point A to point B, you just decide to play a game where everything you play the game for is closer together. You get more for the time you put in.
Totally agree
I might be the odd man out as games are my relief. Now I am very, very picky about what open world games I play, not due to any unknown detail about me but it's just how I've always been. The only thing I still really struggle with is PTSD but again games help pull me out of that funk. I've always played games in a type of meditative state and it's always helped me solve personal issues with myself or in life in general. I guess that's just a me thing. 🤷 Anyways I hope ya'll start to enjoy your games again. Great video.
I'm actually working on a follow-up to this video soon (this one is like a year old at this point) talking about how I've found a few open world games recently that got me excited about the genre agian. :D
To clarify, I'm super happy to hear that games help you in that way! Games are amazing and can be wonderful tools of healing.
Favourite open world game would either be Ghosts of Tsushima for the wind mechanic or Red Dead Redemption 2, riding my horse and hunting the wilderness was rather relaxing.
Oh man, I need to make a video about Ghost of Tsushima! I played that after making this video and i loved it!
That explains why I bought over 6 different P-OW Games and only finished 1.
RIP Sekiro. You were a beast to play. You're next Elden Ring.
Very interesting channel, subbed
I'm glad you're enjoying what I'm putting out there!
very good camera work and information. now i will know exactly what to say if i don't like an open world game
Just link people to this video LMAO
really nice video!!
thank you so much!
ya forgot Xenoblade Chronicles X. Same team made the map for Breath of the Wild, but XBCx has flying gundams you can fly around. But the game do be hella long. Great video Otter!
I've never played a Xenoblade game 😔 But honestly I'm totally here for the idea of flying around in sexy lil mech suits! 😍
Also thank you Dabe. 😊
Erm more dirt paths? Really enjoyable video Otter
Thank youu!!
How does this guy have only 2.5k subs ;_; you underrated man.
I just get overwhelmed by all the things there are to do.
Same here. It can be way too much
Great video, now this explains why I can't muster the energy for a lot of open-world games. I really did enjoy RDR2 and Outer Worlds though, nowadays I'm more pressed for time and dive into games or get distracted by IRL stuff.
I totally get that! I feel like I have less and less time to actually play games these days, which is a bummer.
Hey Man, liked your video! I'm writing a think piece on a similar topic BUT my article is focused more on Days Gone and how it was easier for me to complete this than other games
This is an amazing video keep it up man
Thank you so much!
A good open world game for me was Fenyx Rising. The world felt like it was crafted around the story, instead of being crafted first before the story. It’s a good size map but also compact and considerably smaller than other open world games, and there’s something to do every 30s of walking or something. It felt like that even thought you’re going from point A to B, the path remained interesting enough.
Oooh see this makes me want to try Fenyx Rising because an open world built around the story and not the other way around sounds like a great time. I should put it on my list!
Navigating the world is where I believe Breath of the Wild actually excels in my opinion. The thing with that game is, sure, sometimes you're given a quest and have to head to a destination.... but a lot of the time the quests feel more like a "discovery" than a chore or a task. There is almost always something around the corner and it doesn't feel like it follows that "retrieve quest, go to marker" sort of formula. Not to mention, you can go by foot, horse, bike or glider. You can even do some extended techniques like Bomb Impact Launch or even the new one that was recently found.... bow lift smuggling slide; this one is a glitch tbh, but still fun and relatively easy to do.
Another aspect that makes that game work so well are the tools at your disposal and the game mechanics integrated in the game's engine. It opens up the game into the realm of creativity and thinking outside the box. It is so easy to sink hours into watching CZcams videos of people pulling off mind blowing tricks using the mechanics given, or even just solving a puzzle in a way you wouldn't have ever thought of. This is a big part of what keeps this game fresh for me. I've done the same quests and shrines in BotW countless times and most of them still haven't gotten old because of how they can be approached differently every time. This is where I think Rockstar Games fails terribly. If you don't follow their missions in the way they intended you to, you get a big "MISSION FAILED" thrown at your face. That's not even touching on how in BotW you can take multiple quest routes to the end game and even go immediately to the end game from the very start.
I always tell people that Breath of the Wild ruined open world games for me. I find it so hard to get pulled in now for a lot of the reasons you mention here, but I always end up going back to BotW. I think open world games need to take not just a single page from BotW's book, but various pages from their book.
Wow, this was a wall of text. I love this topic and I love what you had to say. Good selection of music, clips and it was very well written. Great video Otter!
Omg SEFF thank you. That is very nice of you to say and tbh I fully agree with the points you brought up. Breath of the Wild is definitely one of the better open worlds out there for sure! Definitely has a lot more open quest structures than the genre usually has. Which is definitely very welcome.
^ THIS - it's why it's also fun to just watch other people playing Breath of the Wild and see them figuring out the weirdest possible way to get through a shrine or .... realise it was *that* simple and you figured out the weird way for that one, and absolutely because the quests are not just collect [number of] [item] for [character] and WHEEE! I'M ON A HORSE! Sorry I didn't mean to make you run into that tree horsey :o (I'm not good at horse wrangling... or vehicles... or walking apparently)
i’d say the aspect of traversal isn’t always as important as it’s made out to be. of course i don’t want too many games to be so samey, but i think what’s important is that there’s at least a variety of games you’ll play for different reasons. where you might play spider man just to play around slinging webs in NYC, there’s also intentionality in Skyrim’s more grounded methods of traversal. i think some games definitely do make traversal simply boring, for sure, but a lack of mechanical depth in movement isn’t generally the reason for that.
I've said many times that fast travel has kinda ruined open-world games. Now don't get me wrong I know it is a needed component to a lot of games. People don't have all day to walk around the world, fast travel is needed. The thing is that I feel like devs use the knowledge that people will likely use fast travel.... as an excuse to make their worlds very empty. Then because the game is so empty.... you just fast travel.... so it's a vicious cycle. Fast travel makes the world end up being fairly bland, but the bland world is what makes a lot of people fast travel. Then my question becomes... if I am just going to fast travel everywhere... what is the POINT of an open world?
exactly! I totally agree with you! I did an entire playthrough of Skyrim without using fast travel, for example. And I have to say, it really showed how little is actually going on in open worlds most of the time. At the end of the day, most of the time, it just becomes a checklist of locations, which is a shame.
Imagine if Genshin have no fast travel. The map size alone would ruin you. Well, if it's very populated then the lack of fast travel is okay
Great video!
In my particular case I think I have moments when my body asks me for an open world and others when all the possibilities, quests, locations and collectibles overwhelm me. I really enjoyed the more than 200 hours I dedicated to "Breath of the Wild", but right now I would be too lazy to face something like that. Now I crave shorter, more linear and concrete experiences, for which you usually have to move away from triple A and find refuge in indies. To that you have to add the commitment of hours that you have to dedicate to a video game of this type is very big. Even so, I have to admit that "The Outer Worlds" tempts me...
The Outer Worlds has been really fun so far! I highly recommend it, especially if it goes on sale at any point. It's pretty long, but honestly the colors and design of it keep it fresh for me most of the time.
And I totally feel you with the feeling of being too lazy to face a LONG game sometimes. I felt like that while filming the segments for this video, honestly. LOL. There's a lot of shorter games that have been coming out lately that are really fun though, so that's bee a big upside in that way.
I can relate to that but I am a hardcore sucker for linear gameplay experience. Quality over quantity that's why some of my favorite games of all time are linear with one or 2 open worlds crammed in there. Like this year I'm going for Hogwarts legacy and horizon forbidden west are the only open world games this year. But sifu, Callisto protocol, dead space remake and resident evil 4 remake, starwars jedi survivor and fallen order, uncharted you get the idea.
Spiderman seems to be one of the only open world games I enjoy due to its traversal, infamous and batman fall into the same category.
Great vid. Keep it up@
Thank you so much!
Good takes! What's your opinion of Death Stranding, since you alluded to it? Some reviewers have considered it "meditative" despite its fetch-quest nature. I liked it as I played it during lockdowns - it very much resonated with the isolated feeling, though the lack of physical NPCs to interact and talk with was really a turn off for people. I think someone else also commented that the game might actually work for people that are depressed/anxious due to its typically low intensity, but that too probably garners a lot of disagreement.
On that serotonin note: I disagree with the particulars as serotonin is not the big player it was purported to be in decades past. The issue in depression seems to be a general brain activity problem, which co-occurs with (or causes) deficits in serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and other chemicals. Newer treatment approaches like ketamine and psilocybin both "goose" the frontal lobe into being more active, and cause it to be able to re-wire itself. I only nit-pick as this is my field, or at least adjacent to it.
Totally get that. I should do some more research when it comes to psychology, I admit. And if you have anything else to add on the note of serotonin, I'd honestly love to hear it. I'm always excited to learn more about that kind of topic, since I admit I'm not that knowledgeable. II did go to film school after all. LOL
@@filmotter Totally reasonable. I think it would be a bit demanding for me to expect everyone to know and shake off neuroscience misconceptions that have existed for decades - they've stuck around for a reason after all. And it's not like you're way off base, but the newer knowledge shows more nuance and is unfortunately not all that publicly accessible (journal paywalls and technical language an all).
I think serotonin is still an oddball neurotransmitter, so I shouldn't claim to know everything about it. But it's got more going on than happiness, just like dopamine isn't pleasure (another misconception) but instead facets of motivation.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. The video is still quite good!
Haven't even started yet, but here's my take on open world games - the point of an open world is not to finish it in its entirety. Sure, you can - and you'll get some nice, shiny 100% achievement on whatever platform you're using - but that's not, and has never been, the point of them. The point of open world games is to have your own experience, your own path, and the breadth of the world creates more opportunities for that personal experience to take place.
Take Tears of the Kingdom as an example. Personally, I didn't go for the Wind Temple first, even though that's what the game was heavily pushing me towards. I saved it for last, actually. And as part of that, I hadn't found or begun the memories quest from Impa either. So for my experience, I was getting almost all of the memories around Hyrule almost immediately before heading into the spirit temple/5th sage stuff. A lot of other people didn't experience it that way, but I personally appreciated that that's how it played out for me. And that's what open worlds allow you to do. Experience the game, the story, at your own pace, whatever that is.
And that doesn't necessarily mean they're for everyone, either. A lot of people look at open world games and just see a lot of running between objectives - and frankly, if that's all you see in them, then they probably aren't for you. That sense of discovery, of not knowing what you'll find - maybe this side quest has a cool reward, maybe this village has some special NPC, I wonder what's over that mountain - it's not something that everyone wants in a game, and that's okay. Me personally - I've tried Elden Ring. Loved the aesthetic, could not be less interested in the style of combat. To me, it felt clunky, unresponsive and unintuitive - and I recognize that to millions of people that's part of the joy in mastering them.
Very well damn done!
I do what I can! 😅
Great video Otter! This was super interesting. It's always a toss up for me if i finish an open world game. I enjoy playing them, I just get distracted by other games, or life outside video games, or i just lose interest. I wish I could finish every open world game that I play. The mental health issues part make a lot of sense though as someone who also struggles with depression and anxiety. I love that I learn something new in all your videos.
Awww thank you! Yeah honestly, I'm very much the same. There are so many interesting Open World games that I just never finish and I do regret that a little bit. Like Days Gone is actually really fun but I've never even gotten halfway through because I feel like it overstays its welcome, which is a shame.
Can't say I agree.
I never lost interests in my hobbies. "Gaming" is much less a hobby, but more "entertainment".
It can be both though. I used to play a lot of rocketjump maps on TF2. My "entertainment" videogame, became a hobby. I stuck with it for quite a while. It became something like skateboarding to me, and to this day I remember all things and could probably describe everything to near perfection.
(I say gaming isn't a hobby, because all the stuff you listed is absolute entertainment. You say "fishing" as a comparison. Well... who fishes daily? Who sits at a pond, or goes to different waters, and sits there fishing every single day? Nobody. And "fishers" don't count... they do it as a job, not a hobby.)
When gaming is filled to the brim with mindless entertainment, then people shouldn't expect to be happy with the game.
If you play a game for the skill aspect of it (see shooters and stuff like that), you stay for it for YEARS - I'd say that's a time killing hobby... like fishing!
The original 2 assassin creed games were amazing but... since then, the only open world games I've reached the end credits for are spider man and breath of the wild. As you say, if traversing isn't fun it's so easy to tire iut
Yeah exactly! Traversal is such a big part of open world games, so if it's not fun, the whole game falls apart for me.
The title of the video instantly intrigued me to watch it right-away, since most of my favourite video games belong to that category. And I watched the video twice, before commenting. And I paused it several times in order to take some notes, before commenting. So, here are my thoughts:
You propose that "all triple A open-world games are buggy", yet you only mention CyberPunk (I guess as an example and it's your right to do so) but nothing else. Perhaps Ubisoft's titles could or should be mentioned (I am saying this despite the fact that I love most Ubisoft titles). But, really, ALL games have bugs (especially the modern ones). How is that a specific con of the 'open-world' theme? It's something that all games have, nowadays. We even see "early-access" titles being famous, now. And bugs are statistically more often in "huge" worlds that perhaps were not fully tested before the release of the game (that can happen more easily in games that are not over-expanded), so we must be a little more lenient haha :D
Let's move on. You present us "the so many choices in an open-world game" as a flaw. Why? You mark it as something that makes people "get tired"..? How so? I noticed later in the video that you tried to connect this claim with mental health issues and I respect it. For example, having so many choices on how you'll finish a mission or even simply invade an enemy base on Metal Gear Solid 5 can cause anxiety to some people, I understand it, but I kind of comprehend that this is not a flow of the game, it might be a flow of ourselves (roughly speaking). Of course, we will not start analyzing 'human psychology' plus 'mental health' here but yeah. As far as I know, the general variety in gameplay is what many people seek for, while choosing a game to spend some time on. Even big studios and video game makers talk about it, during their interviews, as I have noticed in the past. Having "choices" is an absolute 'must' for too many people, then.
I totally enjoy the other way around as well, when some video games put you on their train-rail (I apologize for my english but hopefully you get what I mean) and you can surely have a very good time with that too, even if you generally play and move in a more robotic mindset (do this do that open that box go to the next door etc). But, the plan of a video game developer offering you MANY choices is to make you feel happier, not tired. Many choices might affect you positively, they might even hook you up with the game even more and make you want to play (and live) more and more inside its "world".
I agree with you about the amount of side-quests, though. They are only there to make you spend more play-time and feel "full". It is a norm that should be abandoned, but I know people often ignore them and still enjoy the game, so it's not a big deal. After all, some games have many side-quests as a way to "show" you their world, that perhaps you would NOT explore that much, if those were not there.
I also agree about the vast size of some maps in games, these last few years. A huge map might be proven useless and perhaps not add-up anything in the experience of playing, since most of the "space" is quite empty. It's just another marketing trick, I believe, nothing more than that. Going from point A to point B, although, has its own touch of "traveling" in a virtual environment, many players kind of enjoy this (I am one of them), so I can accept it. I wanted to mention this because during the video I heard you saying something like "walking is not interesting so they try to make it look like it's interesting and they fail miserably" (not literally that but yeah). Guess what, for many people walking IS very interesting, haha :D Why would that should be excluded from video games? It could be decreased, but that's why "fast travels" options are there, right?
Now, about the total length of open-world games, and, in some occassions, their included "never-ending cut-scenes", I think I have to agree with you, and you are spot-on when saying this might become a serious factor on someone's decision of abandoning the game. Endless quests that lead to endless play-time really might "get translated" as a waste of time instead of a pleasant experience inside some peoples' heads, yes, and I cannot blame them.
This goes along with the "recycle effect" of these games too, you are right about that as well.
Today's video shows how much passionate you are with this 'hobby' (or shall we say 'type of art' nowadays) and how much time you have spent in video games (like most of us watchers have), including the 'open-world' ones. And I appreciate it.
In conclusion, I really believe you enjoy the open-world ones too, you are not against them, as the title might initially suggests :D
Hey there! Thank you for the thought-out comment. It honestly makes me really happy that you would put in that amount of effort because I'm really passionate about the subject of video games and the analysis of them!
It's also great to here from someone who LOVES the genre. I think for the most part I can definitely see where you're coming from with a lot of your counter-points to what I presented in the video. I think, honestly I should play more open world games to inform my experience. There are a lot that I haven't played. ☺
As far as only showing the bugs from Cyberpunk 2077, I think I only showed those because it was so notorious for being so buggy. Other big ones like Fallout or Skyrim could have also been shown there.
Also I completely understand what you're saying in your comments, so no need to worry about English. It's also not my first language, so I totally get it.
Again thank you SO much for your comment. I really appreciate it.
Good one! Best traversal ever was Prototype for me!
I've had a lot of people recommend that game after I made this video. I should really try it out!
@@filmotter wait you didn’t play Prototype?!? Man you gotta!
The only open world I never grew tired of was the world of Gothic 2 (+ Night of the raven). Why? Because it's completely handcrafted. There's not a single repetetive Quest, everything has its own story, fits into the main story and feels right at place where it is. No procedurally generated terrain, no NPC giving you the same quest over and over (I'm looking at you Preston Garvey), the whole world is moody and atmospheric. Of course the graphics can't keep up with AA/AAA-titles from today. But the world design can. And does. Since its release.
I've had way more fun in the five measily hours I spent playing and beating Shadow Warrior 3 than the 100 of hours I've spent in AC: Valhalla. Open world trick you into thinking you're having fun because they'll GIVE you something fun to do, but then it takes a loooong time to travel to that fun thing so your brain has time to rest. All the while getting bored with the huge empty land you gotta traverse before something fun happens again.
Less is more, man. I loved the idea of open world games and actually one of my favourite games IS an open world game and that's Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Why? The map wasn't too big and you didn't need a minimap to navigate it. There were easy to tell landmarks that helped you keep your bearings and each little location offered something engaging to do and did not at all take too long to get to.
With the advent of improved technology in video games to create these massive open worlds, I feel like a lot of devs hire on too many other underlings to code some useless sidequests to create a ton of filler. Almost nothing in sidequests offer anything all that useful in terms of story or gaming progression. ALMOST nothing, there are a few exceptions. But those exceptions are increasing a lot more the bigger they bloat these worlds.
Some games definitely do it better than others, but the point of open world games isn’t usually the destination. Sable does that so well. It’s about the journey of discovery. I’ll still log into red dead to ride my horse around
Totally! Some definitely nail that journey!
I'm not interested in spending too much time in open world games because there are other environments of other games I miss in that time. My free time is limited, so I don't want to waste it with something I already know. There is always a new world to explorer artists have created for me.
dude how the heck do you produce content this amazing, thank you so much for the inspirations and experience!
Thank you so much. I just do my best, haha. I appreciate it.
I finished the Spider-Man games and Xenoblade 1 cause they had compelling narratives and in the case of Spider-Man, fun traversal. I think my attention span has just gotten worse for them, because back when botw came out while I was in 8th grade I finished it no problem, but now with totk I've only completed 2 dungeons and don't feel like playing the rest even though I know it's good.
The last open world game I really liked was the Witcher 3. I only did the main quest and side quests, and only a few of the POIs (the tedious aspect of the game)
I've found that most open world games really only pull me in nowadays when thr main storyline is well written and compelling, which the Witcher 3's seems to be. I could definitely see myself spending a lot of time with it
Are you SUBSCRIBED? It's free and really helps the channel grow. 🥰
I'm love game design video, so yes.
@@tasoganedude Thank you, I appreciate that!
Fantastic video
Thank you so much!
I've been trying to figure out why open world RPGs don't bring me the joy they used to. Open world RPGs used to be by far my favorite genre. But, I don't have the time or energy to sink hundreds of hours exploring these worlds anymore. It all feels like a rehash of the same quests that I've already done a hundred times. It's not rewarding anymore. I'm scared of missing things so I do as many sidequests as possible... And then I just burn out on the game. It starts to feel like a chore to complete quests. And I have enough chores to do in the real world.
I would say God of war ragnork and Horizon Forbidden west avoid getting stale in core gameplay by making sure you have variety within enemy’s and characters, the world feels lived in and that for me goes a long way towards my willingness to finish an open world game . Conversation between characters also goes a long way, as long as I find what characters are saying interesting I usually stay engaged and invested.
The Outer Wilds is not for everyone, but it is a game like no other and is super excellent
I totally agree! I recommend it to almost everyone I know. 😅
I'm about 2/3 through The Witcher 3 main quest, and I'm about to quit. I know it's blasphemy, but it's started to feel more like a chore than fun.
My go to games are roguelites. For just 10 minutes I experience a lot of fun.
I don't think that's blasphemy at all. It's a long game! And honestly i don't think I'll ever finish it.
@@filmotter I'm more of a "sub 20 hours campaign" kinda guy. I quickly feel bored or like I'm not getting anywhere, when I could just boot up Binding of Isaac and have immediate fun.
Luckily I've had a lot of free time lately and decided to jump on Witcher 3.
But the free time will soon be over, then it's back to the short games.
Nice to hear someone who gets this mindset. Cheers.
I guess my brain must have alien chemistry then, because I always finish games.
Not finishing games? Decisions are hard? anxiety and depression? I feel SEEN 👀 Also, who is Sarah Tonin and why did you put her in charge of my brain? 😜
.... but I do love a good splore and ooh! shiny! collectibles and... ooh a shrine! (shut up, sheikah slate - I saw it before you did) and - ooh! what's that? and where was I going? and whaddayamean "main quest"?! One day... one day I will finish the main quest in Skyrim... maybe?
I actually secretly made this video JUST for you. 😘
I think the best example of micro open worlds is Super Mario Odyssey
Totally agree! They did a great job of mixing the Open World movement with platforming. I loved it!
i love open world games. but i find they too often focus on the objective, rather than the journey. Youre traveling through a space to get to the next linear zone, instead of navigating a menu to the next linear zone.
Thats something that botw, totk and elden ring have kind of started to lift the curtain of. totk especialy, its hard to not get lost. still, repetitive enemies and very little excitement beyond "oooh whats this new cave" makes the novelty wear out.
I think for open world games to truly shine, we need to get rid of questlogs, quest markers, clear objectives and criteria to fulfill.
One of my favorite games of all time is a link to the past. not in a small part because of how very little guidance yoy have. theres markers on the big map for your main objective, and thats it. if an npc days they want something, you better remember and figure it out.
Man, this is a perfect culmination of something I've been thinking about for past couple weeks ever since I've discovered Wayward Realms. Look into it, they make pretty big promises (5800x larger world than Skyrim apparently). My question this whole time is: how the hell will they manage to make it fun after first couple "novelty" hours? My only answer so far is: Spiderman it. Make travelling so fun it's gonna be a main feature of the game. I seriously doubt they will, but we'll see....
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Also I wrote somewhere else today that I basically have three thresholds: 26 hours of gametime (generally for good games), 60 hours (awesome games) and 90 hours (the very best games) after which even with the best game I'm like: "Come on, I wanna finish already." :-) 26 hours is a really important one, though, as if I put the game down after that, even for a while, I rarely get back to it sooner than in half a year. Your "serotonin" explanation is fitting right into that. The novelty is gone, the enjoyment ain't that strong and so I tend to move on.
Also: your point with the minimap: oh god, you're so right. I remember how I struggled with this in The Witcher 3. That world is so beautiful and carefully crafted, yet I've noticed that later on my eyes were mostly glued to the minimap when travelling.
Oh I totally agree with you. After 90 hours, I am checking out! Although I just started Elden Ring and so far, I'm thinking that might be an exception.
@@filmotter Nah. I've 100%-ed that beast and on my first playthrough I was still like "come oooon, finish already?" :-D To be fair it was like 120 hours in. FromSoft games have one thing going on for them, though. They seem to perfect the "ok, one more turn" formula in an action game environment. A small satisfying portion of gameplay experience that begs you for playing more. With every enemy being impactful, once you beat them, generally you (or at least me) get a rush of "hm, I wonder what's around the corner?" Playing for ten minutes and beating down this obstacle is just as rewarding as finishing a quest in other games. Imagine that in Skyrim. To get the same excitement you have to play for at least half an hour, much of which will be spent on actually not playing (listening to NPCs, reading texts etc.). Anyway, enjoy Elden Ring, I wish I could play it for the first time again. :-)
Damn this was an amazing video. I was really surprised to scroll down and see that you dont have dozens of thousands of subscribers! Amazing quality, made me think a lot!
Thank you! I do what I can and it means a lot!
you deserve more attention :)
I appreciate it! Sharing the videos is a good way to help. 😊
There must be something wrong with me, because I finish them all. Sometimes twice.
The only game I love the traversing equally or almost more then the actual content is the Spider-Man games
Spider-Man games are really great for that! Totally agree.
Very impressed with the quality of the YT vid, if your channel was a stock I’d invest
LMAO thank you, I hope it would give you a good return on your investment! 🤣
Cyberpunk 2077. Big oof! A+ essay, though!
One of the biggest tragedies. It deserves a documentary LOL
Such a huge OOF and I was so excited for it 🙃
*scribbles notes*
I. surprised you don't have more subs great video
I appreciate that! Thank you!
I enjoy the occasional open world. Exploration is a core human desire, after all.
In general though, open world is always a red flag for me. I've grown to read it as shorthand for "repetitive, quantity over quality design".
Sleeping Dogs is a great example of an open world game that was a fantastic linear gaming experience, with lacklustre open world activities, seemingly for the sake of it. It's a great game when played as a linear action game. Poor open world game.
Historically they are lengthy experiences, so I also need to psych myself up and plan them out (builds, desired completion percentages etc). And planning out the next one or two months of my gaming time.. that's quite a thing. I really need to be in the mood for it.
It's funny, often it's touted as a selling point. Something to get excited about. And I just can't join that bandwagon. Take Elden Ring for instance, I'll get and play it as soon as it gets a first modest sale. But would I have preferred a shorter Bloodborne/Sekiro-esque experience? Absolutely. Going open world wasn't a thing I wanted From to do. Just imagine the amount of copy paste environmental and boss encounters it would surely require.
The last openworld I had the courage to finish is Ghost of tsushima with its intesting iki island as a dlc. The world is beautifull and exploring it on a horse is a pure joy for hours. Unfortunately, this game also suffer from things that made me quit ubisoft games: the few different objectives it offers during the (I think it took me 80 hours something like that) discovery of the entire island. There are probably around 10 differents activities in the games and after 2-3 times of each, magic disapears and you ended up tired of seeing your 40th fox to discover a shrine... In the end, the island is way too big for its own good and you feel like focusing on missions and story more than just taking a ride.
What made me continue: the great gameplay, the storyline which is really really well writen and greats side characters too. Otherwise i would have quit before the end
I honestly got so bored of GoT after 45 hours in that I quit during Act 3, and have no desire to see it through to the end. Eventually even the beautiful landscapes just became more of the same and it became a chore to continue.
As soon as my weapon broke in botw I pulled the game and tossed it in the trash
To those complaining about fast travel - do you think it’s more realistic to have the entire world exist within 300 metres from your home base? New frozen biome 200 metres from the desert? Maps need size to make them realistic sometimes!
I don't know what demon overtook me to make me 100% Assassin's Creed Odyssey, took 123 hours and it _sucked_ but in comparison there are open world games like Marvel's Spider-Man that are an absolute blast to 100% complete.
That sounds like a VERY long 123 hours. Was it worth it in the end?
(I also completed all of Insomniac's Spider-Man output 100% and it was a joy!)
@@filmotter No, it wasn't worth it at all lol. Unless you count the sense of relief once it was over and the ability to put that game aside forever.
@PotterAndMatrixFan oh no! 😂 I'm so sorry. I feel at the 60 hour mark, I would have just been so over it!
Yo, incredible vid. I expected tens of thousands of subs! I'll help you get there! Keep up the effort, it's paying off
Thank you so much, that really means a lot! I put way too much work into these video tbh. A share is always appreciated. 🥰
10/10 video
Thank you! That's very kind of you
I couldn't disagree more with some of your takes but I absolutely adore your videos 💖💖 hope you continue to share these with us for a long time to come
I honestly appreciate this comment so much. I know not all of my takes are ones that people agree with. But I'm glad my content is still enjoyable regardless!
wholesome comment :)
I'm pretty sure the developers know this. That's why they pile so many quest, goals and achievements into a popular series that, unless you have no life at all, you can't get 100% completion in a video game. Advertisers make it sound like this is something you just can't live without and if you can complete it, it will have been time well spent and, by the way, thank you for your $64.93.
It’s not serotonin its dopamine. Dopamine is a motivation happy chemical and serotonin is a happy chemical of contentment.
I always 100% open world games lmao but this is still a rad video
I wish I could do that, tbh! 🤣
And thank you!
Open world games usually have either too much to do or too little. Or bad physics.
These usually make me quit.
Y'know elden ring gladly sidesteps a lot of these pitfalls. It's a very lean game; world design is tight and engaging. It doesn't bog you down with objectives. Movement is simple but satisfying. Beautiful environments that are distinct from each other.
I'm actually finally getting around to playing Elden Ring in a few days and I'm really excited to give it a shot.
@@filmotter good luck mate!
Jokes on you I do haha. No but seriously most people don't and I definitely don't 100% most open world games but I have quite a few times it just depends what I like about said game. You also shouldn't feel that you need to 100% a game ever. I have jumped around games due to boredom or lack of knowing what I want to play. A short hike is the best mini open world ever.
I love Elden Ring but even I don't like the open world aspects of it; run around doing nothing isn't fun.
why is outer wilds in this video. outer wilds slapped
I used it as a positive example. I agree. Love that game!
@@filmotter oh lol sry. Outer wilds is so good it makes dementia a good thing so i can replay it
Experincing a game don't always mean see how it ends.
I agree!
I finish open world games.
Is it a flaw that you never finish open world games? I'd say the whole point is that there's so much to do that you don't risk running out. Of course some are better than others, but I keep playing Skyrim because there's always the potential of discovering something new there, or something new happening, and I rarely touch the main quest. In that sense I'd say the measure of whether or not an open world is successful, is whether you can enjoy being in it without the main story to drive you forward.
I've got long term depression and anxiety, and I find Skyrim's open world relaxing, perhaps because there aren't any pressing choices for you to make unless you choose to. You make a good point about the minimap, though. One of the reasons I enjoy walking around Skyrim is that the scenery is engaging enough, and they were clever enough to make few enough roads that you don't constantly have to check where you're going, unlike Witcher 3 for example.
I haven't played any of the Witcher games but I have to say, from what I've seen the side quests at least look really compelling. But yeah the "following a colored" line thing seems to be very prevalent. I'm curious, is it possible to navigate Skyrim without a HUD or map? I haven't tried, but based on your description, it sounds like it might be possible?
@@filmotter The problem with the Witcher (3 in particular) is that your child is missing. It's hard to get into side quests when there's something much more important you should be doing. Same issue I had with Dragon Age Inquisition, to an extent. Personally I think open worlds are wasted if the story is so pressing that it discourages you from exploring.
Skyrim is easy to navigate because they they've restricted movement so much. There's a lake in your way, or a river gorge, or a mountain. Bridges are few and far between. If you want to get from Whiterun to Windhelm for example, there's only one road to take. There are few crossroads to get lost at, and those usually have road signs you can read. You might find a short-cut by exploring, but those are usually also very specific.
Even off-road locations are easy to chart your way to by, say, noting that you need to go south-west of some settlement. I think a map is always required, but you don't need to keep checking it, and you certainly don't need a mini-map or HUD.
@@vanyadolly Oh no! The trend of open world games that focus on a missing child continues! So that's Witcher 3, Fallout 4, The Forest.... I'm sure there's more out there too!
As far as Skyrim goes, I agree. I rarely had to check my map to get around, but I will admit I often just followed the waypoint on the HUD. I'll try playing with my HUD off next time I fire it up to see if I can still navigate. That sounds like a fun challenge honestly
@@filmotter I really recommend it. One of the first mods I installed was an iHUD hider. It's easy to get addicted to the compass just because it's there, but like you said, then you spend all your time experiencing that instead of the game.
Haha, I hadn't realized there were that many missing children. It really is an odd and counter-intuitive trend for open-world games.
@@vanyadolly Totally agree! As much as I like Days Gone for example, I spent my ENTIRE time with the game looking at the minimap and not at the environment at all.
The only perfect Open World Game that really hit the nail in my opinion is Metro Exodus.
Oooh I own it but haven't gotten to it yet. What makes it great?
@@filmotter Most immersive game I've ever played and every encounter in the open world must be taken with great account since every other open world game I've ever played just has you doing the ubisoft formula. Best you play it with the hardest difficulty since the thrill of its combat is centered around realism.
Open world games bore me...I'd feel more like I got my money's worth when a game is more linear but offers replayability and true reasons to actually go back and do more
I finished gta v
if I have problems finishing, I just install big boob mods
i finished elden ring in its fullest and horizon forbidden west
if the open world activities are fun and not like ac valhalla were no effort is put in i love it
Fair! I'm also really loving Elden Ring as an open world. Made this video before that came out, though. Might have to make an update specifically around Elden Ring honestly
The people who can't finish open world games most likely don't finish any other games
Why do you say that?
I always finish open world games 100%
I wish I had that level of dedication.