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Sin And Punishment In Games

Posted by simoniker on from the saving-good-saving-more-better dept.

Thanks to NTSC-UK for their article discussing how games punish players for dying. The article starts: "Repetition has always been considered to be a pretty basic form of punishment and is still quite commonly used form even today. Fail a task, go back to the start of the level. Fail too many times and you go right back to the start of the game." It goes on to highlight save/restart points as changing this dynamic, saying that "...the most controversial aspect of the save point's growing role in videogames was the confusion between its two roles: acting as a marker which players are taken to when punished, and as a point where players could stop in order to resume play later on." Is there such a thing as being able to save too often?

2 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Too much of a good thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    ..."Many of us have REAL lives that take priority over games..."

    How could you possibly construe my critique of common game behavior to mean I don't have a real life?

    Your reply is a pretty self-indulgent reinforcement of self. Please, let's not turn this into another article of fictitious machismo because you can't take part in a serious dissection of the topic.
    Or did I forget that anyone who wants to talk games seriously *must* not have a "REAL" life? Silly me.

  2. Re:Too much of a good thing... by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I didn't mean it directly at you. Just that your post seemed like a good place to post my comments (since Slashdot ask for replies, not new comments where possible).

    I fail to see how what I wrote is reinforcement of self. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard on here (and that's saying something).

    The fact of the matter is, not everyone has the luxury of, say. being able to play through 30 minutes of a game between save points in one sitting. Some people, not just me, plenty of others, take their gaming where they can. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. The MAJORITY of gamers play for relaxation and fun. They should not be forced to re-do things over and over again just so some hardcore gamer can brag about doing it in one go.

    Since you chose to get personal in your reply, fine, your comment about quick saving being cheating was idiotic.