Search Results
7/23/2025, 11:05:00 PM
7/21/2025, 11:09:15 AM
7/17/2025, 3:58:56 PM
7/10/2025, 4:53:03 PM
7/7/2025, 11:01:34 PM
7/4/2025, 7:55:28 PM
7/2/2025, 12:33:17 AM
6/18/2025, 3:15:46 AM
The biggest detractor to games that prominently feature emergent gameplay (like most immersive sims, or a game like BOTW) is the lack of incentive from the player to actually engage with the emergent gameplay possibilities. There is often a most expedient, most optimal way to deal with problems and the player will tend to gravitate to it over time, and games will rarely ever take this option away from the player.
I'm thinking for example of Prey where most locked doors are dealt with in one of a few similar ways: mimic your way through, use GLOO gun to climb to hidden hatch above, hack the keypad, use dart gun to open the door, or brute force your way in. Most players will try around different options but eventually settle for a one-and-done over time. Same thing for combat emergent gameplay, like in BOTW. The game may give you numerous options to deal with enemies, the threat level isn't there to justify actually engaging with those systems. The optimal way to play becomes spamming the most OP move at your disposal (perfect parry) and spamming attack.
Emergent gameplay isn't overrated, games just fail to use its full potential.
I'm thinking for example of Prey where most locked doors are dealt with in one of a few similar ways: mimic your way through, use GLOO gun to climb to hidden hatch above, hack the keypad, use dart gun to open the door, or brute force your way in. Most players will try around different options but eventually settle for a one-and-done over time. Same thing for combat emergent gameplay, like in BOTW. The game may give you numerous options to deal with enemies, the threat level isn't there to justify actually engaging with those systems. The optimal way to play becomes spamming the most OP move at your disposal (perfect parry) and spamming attack.
Emergent gameplay isn't overrated, games just fail to use its full potential.
Page 1