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“This has to stop,” Twitter user FPSthetics captioned four images from Resident Evil 4 Remake. On it are objects that you can interact with in the game: a barrel, a window, an ammo box. And so that you don’t overlook them, they mark the game with thick, yellow colored stripes or adhesive tape.
link to Twitter content
This sparked a Twitter discussion as to whether such markings are really necessary. Do we have to be so boldly guided by games to avoid frustration and disorientation? Or do some development teams underestimate our ability to navigate games?
The three of us discuss this in the podcast:
- Michael Graf can understand why Resident Evil 4 uses the yellow markings, but is annoyed by the much less obtrusive stone markings in Sons of the Forest.
- Considered a Resident Evil fan Geraldine Hohmann the color streaks are just the tip of the iceberg. The real problem goes much deeper for them.
- Dimitry Halley doesn’t just have to think of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty when it comes to player control, but also of modern design language and development philosophies in general.
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Whether a game clearly emphasizes items & co. is rooted in fundamental decisions that developers have to make. For example, how much time you should spend with the game at a time and what you should experience during this time.
Modern multiplayer shooters, for example, condition us to pant for rewards – weapon unlocks, battle passes, cosmetic rewards, and so on. The fun of the game itself takes a back seat.
Ubisoft games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla also follow such a choreographed rhythm that you almost have to force yourself to switch off the interface and sometimes not to follow the markings and map icons.
On the other hand, there are sandbox games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild or completely open worlds like Elden Ring and Gothic, which in turn cannot be a blueprint for everything else. If you want to tell a stringent, well-staged story, you shouldn’t follow the example of Elden Ring.
So what helps against overly controlled gaming experiences? To observe oneself and to consciously play differently. Sounds weird at first – but that’s exactly what we’re talking about in the podcast.