Are Games Getting too big?

The technology behind gaming is constantly improving, thus, the worlds that make up these games are expanding as well. Games like Elden Ring, Skyrim, and The Witcher are revolutionizing the open-world genre of games.

In this slogging thread, we discuss whether we believe games are getting too big.

This Slogging thread by Jack Boreham, Jeferson Borba, Sara Pinto, Mónica Freitas and Limarc Ambalina occurred in slogging's official #gaming channel, and has been edited for readability.

Jack BorehamMar 22, 2022, 10:03 AM

Are games getting too big?

Jeferson BorbaMar 22, 2022, 1:50 PM

Oh no, more towers to climb. What I'm feeling these days is that games are getting bigger maps, but filled with generic quests. Whenever I think of huge maps with generic things, it always comes to mind those procedurally-generated games like No Man's Sky

Sara PintoMar 22, 2022, 4:36 PM

Jack Boreham, you already know I'm a newbie in these things 😅 How is this an issue? I mean, when we like a game they make new versions of it. Making it bigger would help us enjoy it for more time? I'm sensing that I'm completely wrong, but I don't know why 😂

Jack BorehamMar 24, 2022, 12:04 PM

Jeferson Borba Very true; as you said, No Man's Sky is a classic example of this. I'm playing Elden Ring at the mo, and I think they've cracked it. Large open world, split into sections, but with meaningful quests and bosses. Have you played it?

Jack BorehamMar 24, 2022, 12:06 PM

Sara Pinto, haha, so it's generally a gold thing. But sometimes, when the world is too big, it can be empty. That's a huge problem, so developers need to balance out huge worlds with genuine gameplay value. What's the biggest game you've played?

Mónica FreitasApr 1, 2022, 1:04 PM

Jack Boreham peasant here. I need you to tell me what you mean by big 😂. Is it more levels? More versions of the game? Either way, I don't see how that can be an issue for gamers or brands.

Sara PintoApr 1, 2022, 6:51 PM

Jack Boreham, oh I see. It makes sense. It's almost like making it big just for the sake of it and not really creating content. Do you enjoy it if the games are big in terms of many tasks or that can be an issue too?

Sara PintoApr 1, 2022, 6:51 PM

Jack Boreham, well, I just searched a bit, and an article mentioned Spore, which I did play when I was younger. I remember thinking it had no end, but I thought it was just me being dramatic haha. Have you ever played it? Do you think it fits this huge games category?

Limarc AmbalinaApr 19, 2022, 2:11 AM

I don't think so! I don't want us to limit creativity and if you feel the game is too big, you're free to stay in one area 😄 Like I know Skyrim has so many sidequests, but I don't feel the need to do them all

Jack BorehamApr 19, 2022, 7:55 AM

Mónica Freitas its basically just more open worlds, not necessarily levels

Jack BorehamApr 19, 2022, 7:56 AM

Sara Pinto, I do! I'm playing Elden Ring at the moment. It's fantastic due to its open-world design and plenty of content

Jack BorehamApr 19, 2022, 7:56 AM

Limarc Ambalina I agree! But don't you think a development team that focused on an open world might mean a lesser focus on other elements

Mónica FreitasApr 19, 2022, 1:22 PM

Jack Boreham New worlds offer players new experiences, keeping them engaged in a game. So I don't think that games getting bigger is an issue, from the consumer part, at least.

Though I guess for developers this is time-consuming and demands a lot from them.