Seth Gorden

Who’s Influencing Who?

I’ve recently had a thought about the relationship of Game Design & Player Expectations. There have been complaints all over the internet that games are too easy, with “Burn the Rope” type objectives, too much focus on achievements or graphics, or any of several other common concerns among players attentive to the game industry.

I believe this has generated the idea among gamer-critics that designers are creating a whole new set of expectations among players, giving rise to a generation of fast-paced, short games that do not necessarily appeal to the tastes of hardcore gamers, or long-time casual gamers, or those with nostalgia for the good ole’ days. But I’ve had some thoughts recently, which lead me to believe that players themselves (even the hard core ones) are shaping the game designs we see coming out, perhaps more than we think. The subject of my pondering is centered around the Final Fastasy series, as it has been all over the news recently, with much controversy.

Final Fantasy Debate

Okay, so Final Fantasy XIII is out. Some players in the western market already have it, or have it coming to them through pre-order, etc. I have a privilege of playing with my brother-in-law this coming weekend, to see it for myself. He is bringing his PS3 and games into town on Friday. Furthermore, our wives are going out for some lady time, getting nails done and so on… which leaves us with some time in which to indulge our desire for Final Fantasy goodness.

Now, there has been considerable debate about this latest Final Fantasy title. I don’t need to state all the arguments here, but there’s a good summary on Gamasutra right now, in a recent Critical Reception piece. Basically, even among the reasonably-objective, somewhat-favorable reviews, people are saying “This title is like no other FF that has come before. Check your expectations at the door, or you will be setup for disappointment.” It does things differently, cuts out some RPG genre mainstays, and focuses entirely on pushing the core game components to their limit; these appear to be battle, animations, and story-telling.

It has been said that this does not make it an RPG, that they have abandoned us in our desire for more of the tried-and-true staples of RPG-ism. But regardless, Square-Enix has seen fit to make these changes, push their best efforts into the game, and see what comes of it.  I could get into my opinions about the decision-making of the company. But to keep to my point, I will turn now to comparative player experience between old Final Fantasy games and new ones, and how the differences shed some light on the way players have (or at least this one has)  changed.

Fantasies Come and Gone

I’m currently playing (and about to finish) Final Fantasy 2. This would be a port of the original FF2, the “Dawn of Souls” cartridge for the Gameboy Advance.  This game does a number of interesting things. It uses a skill-based progression system that has not been repeated in the series, it pushes the animation and character interaction much farther than anything in the original Final Fantasy. Furthermore, it’s my personal opinion that the pacing and impact of the story is much greater than that of FF1. But for all these merits, there is one thing that stands out to me at this point in life: overall, it feels slow. The combat system, with all its flexibility, just seems to my modern gamer-mind to take forever. And you have to consider here, that I am a huge fan of the old games. It’s hard to admit, but as I approach the end of the game, it doesn’t really offer me the same sense of satisfaction that I had when playing the original at a younger age.

So I think: The game is basically the same, I must have changed. What’s different about my perspective? What’s changed about me?

I realize now that the main thing I loved about RPGs was the ability to take my time, and go at my own pace. I had no other responsibilities when I was a kid, my time was open-ended. And the game designers of the great RPGs of the 2D era must have caught onto this… they gave me open worlds, and they paced the game on the player’s gradual discovery of the plot, gently guided by expanding access to more areas or vehicles, or new weapons to kill more powerful enemies.

The Deep Truth

But there is another motivation. I was afraid of platformers and action games, of falling in holes, of being shot by projectiles, and ultimately… of the consequences of losing progress… the daunting “Game Over”. I took refuge in Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy, because, no matter what happened, I could continue from the last save point. It seems so obvious now, but allowing me to save was truly a relief, and not something I that could be taken for granted back then.

So, I know where I came from, and why RPGs grabbed me before, but what about now?  As many gamers out there are realizing,  we no longer have the open-ended time we did as kids. When I sit down at a game these days, I really want to make some progress at it. When I come into conflict with the adversaries of the game… I want to feel like I have the power to resolve it quickly. It’s a far cry from the motivations of the youthful years. And as I look at the offerings from developers these days, I’m seeing evidence that my needs are not being overlooked. Quite the opposite.

Proof in the Pudding

When I look at the games that are coming out, quick resolution is what’s being presented. We are being offered games to meet our needs. They move faster and they give objectives that are attainable within shorter periods of time. They match the difficulty of the current level to the experience of the player or game avatar. It’s not a leap in logic to see how this gives an overall impression of being “easier” than games used to be. But it’s not just a matter of a difficulty setting, here. Packing more content into shorter periods of time is a tough job for game designes, programmers, and artists of any experience level.

Think about how long it took you to beat your old NES games. Were there very many player milestones or plot moments to motivate you through it? People wear those NES-game-completion stories like badges because they slaved over the games to reach the climax, the completion, the victory screen.  Now ask yourself: Are you willing to make that sort of commitment to a game these days? If you’re willing, are you able? Moreover, are you willing to pay standard retail price for a game you may not complete? Other blog authors and articles have posed similar questions, and when I stop to consider my own position.. the answer is sadly no. The resources simply aren’t there.

Looking to the latest Final Fantasy title (having not played it yet), it appears that they have seen value in trimming down a game to its core essentials, and giving players an experience in which they are going to accomplish something, make some progress every time they sit down to play, and stand a chance at completing it, without giving life over to it. In order to do this… they have given up several established trappings of the genre. I see this now as an extension of players, a response to the times we live in. This leads me to believe that their choices are not an abandonment, but an assertion that they are still keenly aware of the world and the people in it. Moreover, I believe they desire change. That, in and of itself, is inevitable. While I frequently look back to the heritage of the game industry, I would fail to be interested in one that did not embrace change.

Conclusion

If we accept the idea that players are influencing game design, rather than game designers influencing the players, we are still left with questions. In the case of Final Fantasy, is it still an RPG? How can we count on these products if they change the rules, the very definition, on the fly? I am left with only a simple thought on this. I don’t know what to expect. I’m okay with that. Final Fantasy has never been the same twice, and I look forward to experiencing their latest work, firsthand.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Game Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.