![]() In a way, it’s a capsule of all the other major arguments surrounding games: ludology/narratology, entertainment/art, and on and on. (I mean, sure, it means the big crisis is ongoing, and maybe people are dying, but flowers.)īut I also think this trend of poor denouements is par for the video game course. If you know the last bit is likely to be subpar, why partake? I’ll wander and pick flowers instead. I’ve never made the connection before to poor post-climax finishes in games, but as I re-read Walker’s article, it makes sense. ![]() I’ve thrown over many a main quest line halfway through in favor of side quests and exploration, so as to never lose that feeling of being part of a world, and I’m not alone in this - I’ve talked to many people who feel the same way. I think for some of us that leads to a lack of desire to finish. There’s no way to ease back in, to let go. But I’d love to see a little more denouement.Ī number of things seemed to have inspired Walker’s piece, from big games that require long commitments to reader/listener questions to a conversation at a conference with Michael Thomsen about the heavy focus (from critics and others) on video game scaffolding and onboarding materials and the lack of focus on ends. You’re so, so, so good at climaxes, video games. Let me call up an old friend and get a drink, or catch up with that party member I lost at the end of Act 2. Instead of simply showing me a brief glimpse of the world after my hero has saved it, let me wander through it-or even just a part of it! Let me meet the old fish seller again, or check in on that bickering couple. But sometimes it’s all too easy to leave a world behind, even with some things unfinished, which I think is part of what Walker is getting at here (I’ll explain more below): ![]() Preparing to return to the world can be a challenge, certainly I’ve never come back from Trumbull Valley, for instance. Last week, Austin Walker wrote about endings over at Waypoint, focusing not only on literal game endings, but also on letting go. ![]()
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