Open Season

Because I’m unique and an individual, I’m playing an unknown little video game called Grand Theft Auto IV. I’ve observed two things that I haven’t seen discussed in the bazillion of discussions of the game, but I think they’re applicable to many other games. In both cases, the game has become more “real” with the result that it’s less fun.

GTA IV take place in a city that is dense and “realistic”: every street is different, every building has its own texture. The result is that landmarks don’t stand out nearly as well as they did in previous GTA installments, simply because there’s so much stuff out there competing for your attention. The result is that automotive navigation is harder (and you spend a lot of time driving!).

The game also requires you to maintain in-game “friendships” between your character and other in-game characters. The friendships pay off in terms of gameplay, but the game tries to be “realistic” by tracking how much time you spend together doing activities each friend likes: shooting pool, getting drunk, etc. Doing these activities requires a lot of time (my time, that is) and lots of driving, but I don’t get much pleasure from the mini-games they chose to implement (even the ones I originally liked were boring the 20th time!).

In both of these instances, making the game more “real” has made it less fun. In this context, more is less.