cormack12
Gold Member
Source: https://gamerant.com/death-stranding-slow-paced-games-appeal/
The success of Death Stranding and other slow-paced titles demonstrates that there is a market for games that do not rely on non-stop action.
When Death Stranding was released in 2019, it was polarizing among gamers. For some, it is a unique project that innovates gaming while telling a strange yet emotional science-fiction story. For others, the game is simply too slow-paced and, because of that, it fails to be engaging.
The desire to keep the attention of gamers affects the design philosophy behind many games. This is apparent in The Witcher 3, a game developed by CD Projekt Red. According to Bartosz Von Ochman, who worked on The Witcher 3, worldbuilding for the game followed what his team terms "the rule of 40 seconds." As Bartosz explains, every forty seconds, players “should see something and focus on it, like a pack of deer or some opponents, some NPCs wandering about.”
Death Stranding’s design philosophy seems to run in the complete opposite direction. It is not rare to go for extended periods in the game without coming across NPCs or anything to interact with. The game leaves gamers with a stark feeling of isolation, and it forces players to travel for long stretches before they come across any points of interest.
Death Stranding forces players to slow down and truly take in the world that is being presented to them. Instead of having their attention grabbed by a smorgasbord of activities and NPCs, gamers are instead enthralled by breath-taking vistas and picturesque scenes of nature. Stopping beside a river to play the harmonica as an upside-down rainbow fades away in the sky is an introspective, meditative experience that is produced by carefully crafted, slow-paced gameplay.
A similar experience is created in Red Dead Redemption 2 where there are vast swaths of open countryside to wander. Players can put their guns away and just enjoy some slow-paced gameplay in nature. While the crazy shootouts are certainly fun, some of the most powerful moments in the game are the quiet times spent camping in the wilderness.
The success of Death Stranding and other slow-paced titles demonstrates that there is a market for games that do not rely on non-stop action.
When Death Stranding was released in 2019, it was polarizing among gamers. For some, it is a unique project that innovates gaming while telling a strange yet emotional science-fiction story. For others, the game is simply too slow-paced and, because of that, it fails to be engaging.
The desire to keep the attention of gamers affects the design philosophy behind many games. This is apparent in The Witcher 3, a game developed by CD Projekt Red. According to Bartosz Von Ochman, who worked on The Witcher 3, worldbuilding for the game followed what his team terms "the rule of 40 seconds." As Bartosz explains, every forty seconds, players “should see something and focus on it, like a pack of deer or some opponents, some NPCs wandering about.”
Death Stranding’s design philosophy seems to run in the complete opposite direction. It is not rare to go for extended periods in the game without coming across NPCs or anything to interact with. The game leaves gamers with a stark feeling of isolation, and it forces players to travel for long stretches before they come across any points of interest.
Death Stranding forces players to slow down and truly take in the world that is being presented to them. Instead of having their attention grabbed by a smorgasbord of activities and NPCs, gamers are instead enthralled by breath-taking vistas and picturesque scenes of nature. Stopping beside a river to play the harmonica as an upside-down rainbow fades away in the sky is an introspective, meditative experience that is produced by carefully crafted, slow-paced gameplay.
A similar experience is created in Red Dead Redemption 2 where there are vast swaths of open countryside to wander. Players can put their guns away and just enjoy some slow-paced gameplay in nature. While the crazy shootouts are certainly fun, some of the most powerful moments in the game are the quiet times spent camping in the wilderness.
