Jibran#one
Member
Game set and match
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Am I crazy or is "work" becoming a pillar of gaming?
- Thread starter Men_in_Boxes
- Start date
YuLY
Member
I think there are actually very few people that enjoy working as percentage, mostly people that can work in their passion field. We are just being fooled by society and the way we were raised to feel that working is good, because if you arent working you feel like you dont do something productive and it makes you feel like a waste, a leech upon society, with no aim or goal in life. Its quite brutal.
I'm not a fan of busy work in games, but I do enjoy looting around and exploring under every rock to find either lore stuff, items, currency etc (ex: Deus Ex, Fallouts etc) so maybe this could be considered work also? But yea I dont rly enjoy chopping wood or picking herb from the ground.
NecrosaroIII
Ask me about my terrible takes on Star Trek characters
Grinding mats and shit is tedious as fuck. Hate that shit. It's terrible mission design
mcz117chief
Member
I couldn't care less, if the game is fun then I'll play a checkout operator, a garbage man or a super hero saving the universe.
balls of snow
Member
Broke the cycle with Apex because been playing a lot of first person goodness already with Cyberpunk. Feels good.
Fredrik
Member
Sometimes it’s a bit much, like in RDR2 when you had to be a farmer building a fence all of a sudden. There was nothing fun about that. Tried Farming Simulator as well and it wasn’t fun, too slow.
But if I have freedom to build and craft something the way I want it I always end up having fun. I love Minecraft, No Man’s Sky, Viva Pinata.
But if I have freedom to build and craft something the way I want it I always end up having fun. I love Minecraft, No Man’s Sky, Viva Pinata.
FromDuskTillGameOver
Member
Every game is work in a way, otherwise your accomplishments wouldn't feel rewarding.
Bo_Hazem
Banned
Exactly that. Using their fans as their labor slaves to fix their mess.
NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
I really stopped caring about the grind. Old games rereleases, gimme QoL features (savestates, fast-forward in Final Fantasy, etc) or fuck off. New games, I don’t care how many options, subquests or secrets you manage to stuff into your game, the minute I realize I’m not having fun, I drop any attempt at 100%. I barely have time to game as it is. I much prefer spending an hour on a PC-Engine space shooter or a SNES platformer than 90% of the stuff releasing these days. I don’t play online with the exception of stuff like Tetris 99, I don’t enjoy open world unless it’s BOTW or something similar.
joe_zazen
Member
You want people to do stupid repetitive tasks for zero irl rewards? Access the dopamine system.
It is supposed to be for getting hairless apes to do irl work--like bathing, studying, learning a skill, work a job, reading, etc.--but can be hijacked by our digital crack dealers, just like our need for socialising has been hijacked by socmed surveillance capitalists. Hack human brains to make money, just like casinos, tobacconists, and heroine dealers.
now, I need to go by a cheap phone to keep that kid quiet and out of the way.
It is supposed to be for getting hairless apes to do irl work--like bathing, studying, learning a skill, work a job, reading, etc.--but can be hijacked by our digital crack dealers, just like our need for socialising has been hijacked by socmed surveillance capitalists. Hack human brains to make money, just like casinos, tobacconists, and heroine dealers.
now, I need to go by a cheap phone to keep that kid quiet and out of the way.
Hulk_Smash
Banned
“Crafting”.
To me that’s the game mechanic that most feels like work to me. I saw that it was a part of the new Tomb Raider game and I noped out.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I don’t mind it. But yeah, when I come home from the daily grind, I don’t want my escapist entertainment to also feel like a grind.
To me that’s the game mechanic that most feels like work to me. I saw that it was a part of the new Tomb Raider game and I noped out.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I don’t mind it. But yeah, when I come home from the daily grind, I don’t want my escapist entertainment to also feel like a grind.
hemo memo
Gold Member
True that. I avoid online and GaaS games. The only exception is Genshin because i’m treating it like a typical RPG and play for the story. Once I hit that GaaS wall i’m gone.
Rean no Kiseki
Banned
hemo memo
Gold Member
Open a twitch channel and stream.
Hawks Eclipse
Member
Nice TrollP, including Fortnite as the first example leads some people to think of GAAS, which isn't what you're talking about.
Busywork is part of pacing and functions as downtime that requires player participation.
When done well it can be meditative and creates build ups to the bigger moments. When done badly it feels like a disconnected, vestigial waste of time.
Busywork is part of pacing and functions as downtime that requires player participation.
When done well it can be meditative and creates build ups to the bigger moments. When done badly it feels like a disconnected, vestigial waste of time.
THEAP99
Banned
Sadly. Back in the day, multiplayer games were driven by gameplay that was fun for its time alone. Today, multiplayer games must incorporate a good monetization model that rewards players for their "work."
What I am saying is games today are driven by the reward factor as if it were a job - unlike back then when people would play for the gameplay itself, not external rewards.
What I am saying is games today are driven by the reward factor as if it were a job - unlike back then when people would play for the gameplay itself, not external rewards.
Aldynes
Member
I tend to view it as a double edge sword, the system make progression more rewarding when done good, more choices and involvement from the player but it's hard to do from a developer point of view.
When done poorly you quickly see trough the smoke and the padding and lack of interesting things to do and lack of reward don't justify your time, you quit the game really quickly.
When done poorly you quickly see trough the smoke and the padding and lack of interesting things to do and lack of reward don't justify your time, you quit the game really quickly.
Well, its not work but play by definition. Putting in an effort to recieve rewards does not constitute work in and of itself.
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PooBone
Member
A pillar? No.
A more-and-more common feature? Yes.
Most games have some element of work....as long as the mechanics you're engaging in to do the work are fun, I don't really care. Valheim for example, I spent a good 8 hours just cutting down wood and building my base, enjoyed every second of it.
I hate when games make you feel as though you have to play x hours a day or are missing out though. Daily quests/login bonuses/etc. Fuck all that.
I hate when games make you feel as though you have to play x hours a day or are missing out though. Daily quests/login bonuses/etc. Fuck all that.
KungFucius
King Snowflake
Death Stranding had more work than just UPSing it. Managing the inventory was worse than reformatting a shitty spreadsheet. It was grinding on top of grinding just to get a little story and a new area.
Grinding in general is bad unless its Ring Fit Adventure and it translates into calories being burned. Reviewers should be extra critical of this shit because their job is to play games to review them, and saddling them with grinding should result in shitty reviews. I don't get why they don't dock points for it.
Grinding in general is bad unless its Ring Fit Adventure and it translates into calories being burned. Reviewers should be extra critical of this shit because their job is to play games to review them, and saddling them with grinding should result in shitty reviews. I don't get why they don't dock points for it.
hemo memo
Gold Member
They do. IGN has the word “grind” 5 times in their review of Destiny 2 Beyond Light.
CagedChicken
Member
Yeah, while I agree with the OP that there is a core element that people simply like to work/achieve and then be rewarded for it, I think the proliferation of GaaS "extended grinding" mechanics has seeped into all games to some extent. And then of course for huge AAA games, you've gotta give people something to do to fill up the advertised "18,000 hours of gameplay".That's how they keep you on the GaaS hamster wheel. Been that was since Runescape an Ultima Online. I thought you liked those types of games.
Also Overcooked is one of the best games released this gen.
Hawks Eclipse
Member
Braag
Member
A lot of people love the grind and getting something in return. More power to them I guess.
Personally I can't stand excessive grind which is why I never really got into games as a service and the whole "daily" and "weekly" missions with never ending grinding which try to get you to keep logging in every day, feels like another job which I don't want.
Personally I can't stand excessive grind which is why I never really got into games as a service and the whole "daily" and "weekly" missions with never ending grinding which try to get you to keep logging in every day, feels like another job which I don't want.
Th3BranMan92
Member
I'll use your example of Deep Rock Galactic for my response.
In DRG, I get to role-play as a heavily armed space-dwarf who drinks copious amounts of brews and gets to mine space rocks for a living. It's literally my dream-job that I would not otherwise be able to perform in the real world. In fact, most, games have you role-play a protagonist who performs some kind of job (or role) that the everyday layperson wouldn't dream of being able to attain / handle / become.
So yes, humans have an innate desire to be productive in some way. Productivity allows for creative expression and connection, which are also innate humanistic traits. So whether we want to admit it or not, gaming will always consist of the player doing tasks of a repetitive nature to reach and end result.
In DRG, I get to role-play as a heavily armed space-dwarf who drinks copious amounts of brews and gets to mine space rocks for a living. It's literally my dream-job that I would not otherwise be able to perform in the real world. In fact, most, games have you role-play a protagonist who performs some kind of job (or role) that the everyday layperson wouldn't dream of being able to attain / handle / become.
So yes, humans have an innate desire to be productive in some way. Productivity allows for creative expression and connection, which are also innate humanistic traits. So whether we want to admit it or not, gaming will always consist of the player doing tasks of a repetitive nature to reach and end result.
Majima Everywhere System
Member
I think there are repetitive games that don't feel like work. Work games are the hardest to pick up every night, even if they are good.
I like self defining goals to skill up, I even like lists to complete. Yet some games I enjoy in the moment and stepping away for a day just makes me feel like it is returning to a job.
I like self defining goals to skill up, I even like lists to complete. Yet some games I enjoy in the moment and stepping away for a day just makes me feel like it is returning to a job.
MrJTeera
Member
Playing Hitman is like stacking dominoes. It’s hard work preparing, you can screwed up at any moment and let the pieces fall too early, but when you’re finally done, you get a fantastic payoff.
That, or you can launch the domino up in the air and let it fly to the other domino pile across the room, just like you did with that breach charge trick lol.
The creativity some people can do with this game amazes me.
Shmunter
Member
Don’t know about the rest, but Death Stranding works a on variety levels. Farming resources is braided, whereas DS mechanics and sense of conquering the environment is sublime.
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LaughingStock
Member
Destiny 2 is my second job.