I find this first section introducing walking’s purpose in games and specifically as the base of “walking simulators” interesting because I had always viewed walking as a waste of time. I think it was an important thing to note that some people do feel this way, which has caused many games to include a “fast pass” that can be purchased or is a complete replacement for any walking. It’s especially interesting to look at how walking or the lack thereof can affect our “fun”, agency, and a sort of challenge. If we don’t have this break time to think and reflect, then it feels like it would be a lot harder to be able to overcome any obstacles we may face. I never understood the immersive power of walking through an environment for the player, but now that I think about it, having a “fast pass” model for the game feels like it would disconnect the player from the character they’re playing as. If we don’t get to experience the character’s entire journey, are we really in full control of the character? If we aren’t, how are we going to feel like we are the character themselves?

Comparing Walkers and Shooters really helped me to understand how all games parallel each other in certain ways, but diverge just enough to achieve unique meanings. This is especially apparent in games that can be glitched or modded to remove the violence or enemy in many shooter games. What do you do if not shoot? That’s all the environment is set up for.

While action games have environments set up for action, walking games have environments for exploration, referencing both the literal environment and how objects in the environment can convey meaning for the characters themselves. This can either be about the character the player is playing as, or about someone else that the character is finding out more about- usually a relative or a stranger. Walking simulators often try to add small movements/actions in order to help the player feel as though they are the character they’re controlling; it can be hard to be immersed in your surroundings when you can see the character you’re playing as. In these games, “permalife”, or always being alive, diverts our focus from being alive or dead to our surroundings. In action games, winning or losing is often dependent on if you survive. We as players need a way to invest in these games, something that is often hard when many of these games involve few endings or branched pathways.

So which one is better?

Used effectively, author plays with our emotions

A give and take between total freedom and having to make specific choices/actions