The Philosophy of Crimson Desert
13 days after its release, market analysts estimate that Crimson Desert has already earned $200 million across the four main platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S). The game is certainly proving popular among gamers with the internet awash with live streams and “let’s play” videos. However, reviews are mixed both among gaming journalists and YouTube influencers. Common complaints about the game include that it is slow to start, the controls are poorly laid out on all platforms and that developer’s Pearl Abyss have done a poor job of explaining most aspects of the game to new players. Although such criticisms are true to a degree, I think these complaints highlight how many gamers are conditioned to expect new titles to follow a specific pattern with regard to pacing, narrative exposition and learning in-game systems. A pattern that Pearl Abyss has chosen to ignore, instead favouring an old school approach.
13 days after its release, market analysts estimate that Crimson Desert has already earned $200 million across the four main platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S). The game is certainly proving popular among gamers with the internet awash with live streams and “let’s play” videos. However, reviews are mixed both among gaming journalists and YouTube influencers. Common complaints about the game include that it is slow to start, the controls are poorly laid out on all platforms and that developer’s Pearl Abyss have done a poor job of explaining most aspects of the game to new players. Although such criticisms are true to a degree, I think these complaints highlight how many gamers are conditioned to expect new titles to follow a specific pattern with regard to pacing, narrative exposition and learning in-game systems. A pattern that Pearl Abyss has chosen to ignore, instead favouring an old school approach.
Today I resumed playing Crimson Desert after a week long break (I was on holiday). I decided to explore the world rather than resume any specific quests, so I just took off in a random direction from the Greymanes camp in the Howling Hills. My avatar travelled on foot as it allows you to go “off-piste” and traverse difficult terrain more efficiently than on horseback. I climbed a small plateau that was nearby for no other reason than to see if there was anything of note at the top. Due to stamina limitations, I had to climb up in stages, pausing on ledges as I went. When I reached the top, I was rewarded with a staggering view across Pywel. It was then I noticed that the regionally specific ambient music that plays intermittently had stopped. The only sounds that were audible were the environmental sound effects. There was no dialogue or prompts to do anything. Just stillness and an opportunity for me, the player, to reflect upon the game and how it makes me feel.
Contemporary RPGs eschew such moments. Instead of organic personal reveries, players are funnelled in contrived set pieces. Instead of genuine stillness, we’re presented with confected vignettes that telegraph their unsubtle emotional intent. Characters inner monologues become a verbally incontinent means to steer the player in the “right direction”. You want to think? You haven’t got time to think as there’s a game to play. Gaming is a process nowadays and no longer a medium for introspection. Video games are also becoming increasingly driven to meet the needs of those that play them for a living and not so much for pleasure. Hence the languid pace and player driven play style of Crimson Desert has bamboozled those gamers who want a quick and efficient play through before the next big title is released. As for silence in a game, it is a quality that frightens some players and is not welcome.
Crimson Desert, although filled with many modern game systems and mechanics from other big titles, has also thrown in a suspiring amount of “old school” concepts. Many of which hail from the halcyon days of the MMORPG genre. The first 30 hours or so of the game are still essentially part of an overall tutorial. The player is encouraged to peruse the various in-game menus to glean the information they need to play. They are free to do this at their own pace. As to what quests one does, it again comes down to choice. The game won’t nag you if you go off exploring doing side quests rather than the main story. From time to time, you’ll realise that you’re struggling with content due to gear or a skill being missing. You then have to correct this yourself. Again the game will not pester you. In fact the prompts that are available can be disabled. You the player are in charge, or adrift at sea, depending on your perspective.
Perhaps the most noticeable thing that Crimson Desert does is that it give the player time and space to stop and just be present in the world. You are encouraged to consider a vista or visit a settlement and pet a cat or goat for the fun of it. Such things are not treated as frivolous indulgences but essential to the enjoyment of the game. Developers Pearl Abyss do not feel that the key to happy gaming is being micromanaged and kept busy. Something that I feel is a very North American mindset. Instead they provide the player with such a dynamic and immersive world, that they cannot help but take time out to come to terms with it. Hence gamers who expect a process driven, conveyor belt approach to both story and “learning the game” struggle to come to terms with the philosophy of Crimson Desert. They have either forgotten or never known the non-didactic nature of older video games. For those who do it’s a breath of fresh air.
Do You Have a Gaming Philosophy?
We all play games for different reasons. Some will argue that “fun” is the common factor that unites all gamers, but it’s an extremely subjective term. I would argue that we all experience fun in our own way and therefore it is not a universal experience for all. The things that I enjoy in a game and that motivate me may be the complete opposite of the things that you like. It is our individual personalities and personal tastes that shape our motivations, causing us to gravitate towards certain genres of games as well as types of game play.
We all play games for different reasons. Some will argue that “fun” is the common factor that unites all gamers, but it’s an extremely subjective term. I would argue that we all experience fun in our own way and therefore it is not a universal experience for all. The things that I enjoy in a game and that motivate me may be the complete opposite of the things that you like. It is our individual personalities and personal tastes that shape our motivations, causing us to gravitate towards certain genres of games as well as types of game play.
Our relationship with games is also affected by other factors. Time, money and even our personal morality all play a part in the way we perceive games and how we approach them. The rise of multi-player and social gaming in recent years has added yet another layer to this complex system. I therefore thought it would interesting to see if I could try and quantify my personal relationship with gaming. So here is a summary of my personal gaming philosophy. It’s fairly straight forward and not profound. But it works for me.
I play for mainly for entertainment. I like a good story and the vicarious thrill of shooting stuff and blowing crap up. Gaming shouldn't be a chore. Therefore if you do not enjoy a particular game then don’t play it. It’s your leisure time, why waste it?
I am a lazy gamer. Although I like a modicum of a challenge, I don’t want to have to jump through too many hoops to get the job done. Nor do I want to read an immense tome of instructions or learn excessively complex skills. I have to do that already in real life but at least I get paid for that. I certainly do not want such activities in my leisure activities.
I like games that offer different skills levels. I don’t like it when the learning curve has some rogue peaks in it. Getting stuck at a specific point is lazy game design in my view. Choice is king as far as I’m concerned.
I see games as a simple business transaction. Games are a business transaction and as such should be subject to all the usual consumer legislation. Gamers should not be exploited by the publishers and vice versa. I don’t like a high degree of gated content in games. I have paid for an experience and therefore expect to be able to access all relevant content within the confines of the game mechanics.
I play for my own pleasure and do not consider my in-game achievements of any significance outside of their own context. Outputting 11K DPS in STO says nothing about me as a person or reflects any prestige or merit. I wouldn't big up my gaming on my resume and don’t buy into that theory that gamers are all misunderstood minor deities and geniuses.
Game developers are not social workers or rock stars. The guys and girls that work in the gaming industry are not trying to develop some utopian meritocracy. Some may have aspirations of art but this is often tempered by the fact that they are working in a competitive industry driven by financial imperatives. They are not your friend or your enemy.
I like to play both solo and with groups. There are times when I want to play socially and then there are times when I need to play socially (IE I cannot do something alone and therefore grouping is a tool). There are also times when I want everyone to fuck off.
Treat other players how you like to be treated yourself. Courtesy goes a long way in gaming. Conduct yourself with decorum. Remember that chat can be switched off and problem players can be put on ignore. It is also important to take a stand from time to time. Call people out if they cross the line and never feel bad for reporting someone if they have clearly broken the TOS.
Gaming is just one of the things I enjoy. I like games and facets of gaming culture. I like to interact with the gaming community. However it does not define me. There are times when I will happily ignore gaming and focus on some other leisure activity. Everything in moderation as the expression goes.
I'm sure there are gamers whose personal philosophies are at total odds with mine and my foibles are a complete anathema to them. However there is no right or wrong when it comes to gaming philosophies (with possibly the exception of the “don’t be a dick” rule) and it really comes down to doing what is right for you. It can also be beneficial to take the time out and to actually clarify your own personal approach to gaming. It may well allow you to make better decisions about how you spend your leisure time.