[classybull]

Why are we constantly pushing for larger and larger open worlds? When I was a kid, the idea of such a gigantic open world where I could spend endless hours exploring would have been amazing. However, now, as an adult with responsibilities, when I usually play video games its for 30 or 45 minutes once or twice a week when I have just a bit of down time. Gigantic open worlds have become a hinderance to me rather than a feature, because it means I will never fully be able to explore all of it.

I know that my experience doesn't reflect every gamer's experience, and many people do have the time and energy for them, but I also know quite a few people in this "prime", aging game demographic that are turned off by these large games and tend to focus on smaller, more compact experiences. I wouldn't be so upset if it weren't for the fact that the games that seem to get the most attention and development effort are these giant ones, with small experience games generally an afterthought or published as indie.

[derstander]

Honestly, I feel like you do a lot of the time about a lot of things: not just games. But I'm trying more to enjoy the act/process of doing something rather than the end goal that I may or may not ever achieve. This is taking that philosophy to the extreme, but when I reach old age I want to be able to say something like "I really saw a lot of the world (real or digital) -- not just superficially -- and I learned and experienced a lot so my time was well-spent", rather than "I didn't see everything so I spent all of that time in vain exploring something I never completed".

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think it's healthier to just enjoy as you go, rather than having to reach some state of completeness before you allow yourself joy. I don't inherently think like that and I think my mood has suffered a lot for it over the years. But I'm definitely trying to move in that direction.