I sometimes wonder if open worlds have become the norm because, now that they’re possible, they’re easier. Not in a raw effort sense, but in a creative sense. T

I sometimes wonder if open worlds have become the norm because, now that they’re possible, they’re easier. Not in a raw effort sense, but in a creative sense. They solve the question of “what will the player do?” by giving the player a carnival of map checkpoints: shoot some targets here, do a scavenger hunt there; it pads out a story that could otherwise be played in 6-8 hours into a game that can be marketed as a 40-60 hour AAA adventure you can “play your way”. They’re not easier for the creatives, but they’re easier for everyone else. Of course, the continued existence of games like Dark Souls, and the meteoric success of games like Among Us and Phasmophobia tell me that players don’t always want to “play their way.” There’s plenty of demand for games with a finite amount of well-made content with a satisfying gameplay loop.