Most modern games allow the player to save progress at any time they wish. Gamers do not expect to be thrown back to the start of a level when they fail to complete it, and often this kind of gameplay can lead to players losing interest rapidly.
Giving the player the ability to save whenever they want can also influence the difficulty of a game in ways the developer may not have intended. For example, Splinter Cell Double Agent allows the player to save at any time and this results in the ability to trial and error your way through sections of the game that may have been intended to be much more difficult. The other issue with this mechanic is when developers recognise it as causing a problem, rather than solve the issue by limiting the amount of saves they begin designing level difficulty around this ‘infinite save’ mechanic.
Back in the 80′s games did not have saves. It was pretty rare to even get an option to continue your game in fact. Most games operated under a ‘three lives then your out’ system, with some (Treasure Island Dizzy) opting for just the one life. I have personally witnessed a good friend of mine reach the end of Treasure Island Dizzy only to die as he picked the very last Gold Coin required for completion. At 9 years old swearing is not as fast and thick as it would have been had he done it now, but the disappointment on his face stays with me forever. Of course, a few years later he would have his revenge when I would reach the end of Fantasy World Dizzy, and fearing a death at the hands of a badly timed jump towards a screen containing a dragon (which I might add, I had already subdued but feared perhaps it had awakened in the meantime), I instead chose to blindly leap in the opposite direction only to land in the gears of a lift and lose my one remaining life! I had literally completed the game, all I had to do was make my way to Daisy and I’d have been home free. Needless to say, my friend gleefully reminds me of such gaming disasters whenever the opportunity arises.
Of course, in today’s gaming world the above incident would not be a problem, you would simply load up an earlier save and jump in the other direction. Is this a good thing? Allowing players to prevent the loss of several hours of hard work? Or is it diluting the challenge to a degree that completing it is just not as satisfying as it once was?
I’m a firm believer in risk vs reward gaming experiences. There can be no great reward if the risk is minimal. It is a simple fact of life. If a game holds your hand all the way throughout, allows you to save whenever you want, grants any number of continues, what achievement remains upon completion of the game?
The recent Super Mario Brothers Wii has a feature that allows the console to play the game for you. Today’s Mario experience says “don’t worry, if this bit is too hard for you, we’ll do the work for you”.
Not too long ago there was a huge fuss made over the fact gamers had to complete Guitar Hero in order to unlock all the songs. If I want to listen to a particular song, I have the CD for that.
The worst offender to date (that’s right Alone In The Dark I’m looking at you) allows the player to skip levels entirely. I’m not even kidding, it is advertised as a feature on the back of the box. Don’t want to complete the game? Fine, skip all the way to the end, watch the pretty cut-scenes then put the game away never to be played again. If that is the experience you want, watch a movie. The only barrier to content is sticking around till the end, knock yourself out.
Take a look at the majority of children’s games today on the DS for example. When I was a kid just about everything in a game could and would kill you. A blade of grass, a gust of wind, a pixel to the left of the correct spot and OOPS you’re in the spike pit. Start over.. and over… and over again, till the point that when you did manage to complete the game the achievement was something worthwhile. A challenge met head on and bested. Something to be proud of. My father still fondly recalls clearing every puzzle/difficulty settings of the original Lemmings. A feat that was only achieved over long frustrating nights punctuated with rapid fire swearing. Words I had not heard used in such obscene combinations till years later. But the day he completed it a calm fell over our house, he smiled for weeks and even now, years later, if I should ever remind him of this achievement I can visibly see his eyes glaze over in happiness.
That is fulfilment, that is what we play games for. I know its not a popular thing to say in regards to current attitudes to gaming difficulty, but you didn’t get a medal for just showing up and doing your best in my day.
