Why I won’t be picking up Fallout 4 this holiday season
Fallout 4 is the highly anticipated sequel in a series of games about a post-nuke retrofuturistic Earth. It is a science fiction portrayal of what the world could be like several years from now as our technology continues to rapidly develop. Although our world might not mirror the extremes of Fallout 4’s depiction, consider this: We have certain “diseases” and “conditions” today that came about because of modern technology.
My favorite of these is “phantom vibrating syndrome”, where people feel a vibration in their pocket even when their phone didn’t ring or isn’t even on their person. There are actual studies going on about this phenomenon. Well I’m here to propose another sickness of the modern age, backed by slightly less science: open-world fatigue.
Open-world fatigue is defined as the exhaustion one feels after being inundated by a flurry of massive open-world games like the aforementioned Fallout 4. It is categorized by an inexhaustible backlog of must-play video games and feelings of inadequacy (sexual or otherwise). Science.
The easiest way to define an open-world game is by comparing it to a massively multiplayer online game like World of Warcraft where there is a large world, many ways to customize and grow your character, and hundreds of mandatory and optional quests to complete in order to “finish” the game. The major difference is that open-world games are largely single-player experiences whereas MMOs take place exclusively online with the promise of indefinite gameplay/story expansions over time.
This comparison is important because in an MMO the developers are trying to make you get lost in the world and invest in hundreds of hours and dollars staying in it. When you invest in an MMO you are making a commitment to take part in a living and breathing world that will grow and develop with or without you. Open-world games have a similar goal, but the main difference is that, you are the singular force that drives everything forward. When you turn off the game you put that world in a stasis only to be revived when you boot it back up. That’s a lot of pressure for a busy guy like me.
For the most part, I play games for the narrative. I’ve grown to really love more linear experiences like the Uncharted series where the games only move forward in a mission-based structure. In open-world games you are usually impeded from barreling through the story as the game becomes impossible to conquer unless your character has been leveled-up high enough. The only way to buff your character to the appropriate level in these games is by completing a considerable amount of side-missions and other optional objectives.
This is a great device that’s been used in a countless number of games because it encourages the player to explore the world that the developers worked so hard to craft. My qualms are not with this mechanic, but rather with how it impacts me as a person pressed for time.
Not all open-word games are created equal. Like I mentioned before, games that provide the player with an open sandbox to explore have been a staple of gaming since I first held an NES controller. There are two main distinctions.
The first is an open-world game where the exploration supports the story. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a good example of this because although the player is free to explore most areas at their leisure, the in-game companion is constantly reminding you to complete the next objective. Your goal is to defeat Ganondorf; every side quest gives you the tools to do that better but ultimately does not inhibit your ability to kill Ganondorf should you forego them completely.
The second type of open-world game you’ll find, and the ones I have trouble with, are games where the story supports the exploration. These are games where the story is merely a vehicle for your character to take action in the world. Usually these stories are open-ended with no real villain or clearly defined end goal. These games are about developing your character, not developing the story.
The best example in recent history is the beloved hit The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. The premise of Skyrim is simple: There are dragons invading the land, figure out why and kill them. Skyrim really is about becoming the person you want to be in the world with a robust character creation and class system and a massive set of skill trees that allow you to create a character that is truly unique to you. Most players who reach the level cap, do so without finishing the story missions, because in the end the game is about your character and its relationship with the world it inhabits.
This year we saw many notable open-world games grace us with their interesting settings and countless hours of gameplay that are exploration-centric. Fallout 4 is just the most recent of these titles. But let’s not forget about The Witcher: Wild Hunt where you control a monster-slaying badass in a fantasy world or the long-awaited Metal Gear Solid V in which you play as the hardened super soldier Snake alongside his knife-wielding dog and bikini clad walking beanstalk. Both of these games were received exceptionally well and I genuinely enjoyed playing them, but I also didn’t get very far on either save file. I’m nowhere near the meat of these games and I suspect I’ll need to invest a lot more time if I’m going to get anywhere near the finish line.
The general public outcry is to have games that stretch the value of their dollar as much as possible. Nobody wants to spend $60 on a game they can beat in a few hours. Most gamers average 2–3 major game purchases a year so we have a tendency to expect more bang for our buck. However, as I get older I find that I gravitate tocwards games with more manageable storylines. It might be a weird concept in today’s gaming market, but I like to buy games that I can beat.
I really do enjoy open-world games; Skyrim is one of my favorite games of all time. But with these kinds of game rising in number this console generation, it’s time for me to be more selective. So sorry Fallout 4. I’m going to have to skip you this time around. My heart belongs to another. Zelda Wii U, I will wait for you.
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