DayZ: A Game or a Job?

This isn't one of those articles that goes into depth about how a person who is passionate about video games can make a living by playing them.  Instead, I wanted to discuss the different ways players approach video games in general.  Obviously, video games are built to be interactive entertainment experiences.  The level of player interaction varies in degrees from passive interaction (i.e. playing simple puzzle/physics games in ones spare time on a cell phone) to rigorous consumption in the vein of someone spending hundreds of hours per month digging through in game content. 

Ain't it the truth?

The question is, when does a person cross the line between simply "playing" a game and treating games as another job?  I asked myself this after playing online with a group of friends this past weekend, and I began to wonder what my level of video game commitment stood in relation to those I was playing with.  My overall position has always been that I am a moderate gamer with a relatively high affinity for video games.  This blog would not exist otherwise, but the amount of time and effort that I sink into games really can't hold a candle to some.

For reference, let's look at what events transpired over the weekend that led up to this realization.  As I had mentioned in a previous post, many of my friends are fans of the ARMA 2 mod, and soon to be standalone title, DayZ.  Most people who play are drawn to DayZ because it requires a certain level of devotion and patience to truly enjoy.  The environment is unforgiving, and unknown players are a constant threat.  I personally only play the game in small doses as the experience can sometimes be frustrating if you don't have anyone watching your back.  Gathering loot and weapons can be a tedious process, and losing your inventory to murderous bandits can be disheartening. 

Spawn randomly, my friends.

Still, this past weekend I agreed to play online with some of my local friends who have rented their own DayZ: Origins server.  Origins is an offshoot of the original mod in which players can band together to take on NPC characters guarding some of the more coveted loot and weapon items in the game.  The NPCs are merciless, and it's really quite challenging, but I digress.  Being a newbie to this particular flavor of DayZ, I was subject to the instruction of my peers as I loaded into the game. 

My friends had made an alliance of sorts with some of the regulars on their server in an effort to gather loot and to set up safe zones on the map where they promised not to steal each other's gear.  The point of stockpiling gear in the first place is that assaulting NPC controlled areas takes a certain amount of preparation and planning as the AI enemies are particularly fearsome.  My friends were kind enough to arrange transport for me to one of the safe zones, where I was geared up and briefed on our objectives. 

Even though my friends had made a pact with some players on the server, there were still other squads who were only interested in killing our respective squads and stripping our hard earned items from our carcasses.  At the safe zone, we prepared our transport helicopter and set off for the NPC controlled island to collect more high end gear.  This process alone took approximately thirty to fourty minutes.

After our heli was sufficiently stocked, we flew to the island and touched down to begin our work.  After a confrontation with an enemy player that resulted in the death of one of our team members, we were ambushed and massacred by NPCs.  Our pilot escaped and picked us up as we respawned around the map, but we then had to re-kit ourselves by looting our dead bodies.  Then we loaded high end gear from the NPC zone onto the heli to replenish our depleted base supplies.  The entire process from the time of our initial incursion to our return to the base took another forty five minutes to an hour. 

Once the game went into the night cycle, we were ready for our raid on the NPC island once more.  Some of the high level NPCs inland were holding valuable loot items that our team required to build structures capable of increasing our stockpile.  We moved across the island in the cover of darkness picking off guards as we made our way to the Mayor's mansion.  We suffered a few casualties along the way, but ultimately our mission was a success once we assassinated the Mayor and exfiled back to the base island to unload our bounty.  The entire event spanned five to six hours, and continued on long after I had logged off for the night. 

Even though this particular raid was incredibly fun and exciting, it left me wondering just how much time a person would have to sink into the game to do this on a regular basis.  Most of our time had been spent farming resources and loot from the game in order to prepare ourselves sufficiently so that we wouldn't be massacred again.  The next night I logged on, and it was an entirely different story.  My own squad and our allies were simply gathering resources and transporting them from one place to another to build storage houses.  It was a far cry from the excitement and anticipation I had experienced the night before.  It felt more like work, or grinding.

Does anyone miss this.....ever?

That's when it hit me.  Was I really willing to grind it out with this squad night after night like this just so that I could enjoy the few nights that we wouldn't be grinding?  On the one hand, I admire the level of detail and depth that games like DayZ offer.  It's rewarding when a game allows you to take control of your own livelihood in such an involved manner.  On the other hand, nine times out of ten I like to play games as a means to escape the fact that I spend forty plus hours a week at a full time job, and then spend another good portion of my time doing house work.  Sometimes the last thing I want to do is more work whether it be virtual or otherwise. 

I've always been a man of all trades when it comes to video games.  I have never claimed devotion to one particular gaming platform or another, and (perhaps too often) I buy multiple game systems so I can enjoy everything that appeals to me across all platforms.  My attention span for games has somewhat diminished when it comes to video games over the years, and perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that I haven't chosen a single platform to support, but I like to think I'm just a fan of games in general instead of being a specialist.  Perhaps I'm not "hardcore" enough, but I like variety. 

So, what is it that makes the grind more appealing than the occasional, easier to consume action or puzzle games that I normally enjoy?  I should say that I have put hours upon hours into some of my favorite games, but none of those experiences were as involved as this.  The same goes for people who pour time into games like World of Warcraft, or the Everquest games.  For someone like me, the concept can be difficult to understand. 

When I first started playing DayZ, the formula was simple.  You spawn randomly.  You are forced to find weapons and gear that is mostly only obtainable in cities where other players will see and possibly kill you.  You get gear so you can go and raid areas on the map where better gear is spawned.  Then, if you so desire, you terrorize other players with your advanced weaponry, and then repeat.  If you got tired of the game, you could step away for a while, and the formula would still be the same when you picked it back up. 

With the way things have changed, if you are away, you could miss just about everything.  When I spawned in after one day, I would have been stranded on an abandoned island with no transportation had my friends not still been moving their stores around.  That would have been unfortunate.  It would have been the equivalent of waking up one day to find that your house had been moved and your family left you with just enough provisions to survive for one day. 

I don't want this all to come of as me complaining about grinding, or that I'm putting down those who enjoy playing games in this fashion.  In fact, I think it's awesome that video games have evolved to the point that players can enjoy games in pretty much any way they would like.  What's even more compelling is that different types of gamers can find some common ground through games like DayZ. 

However, I still feel that there should be boundaries when it comes to responsible play time.  This may vary from person to person depending on his or her real life responsibilities, but I'm not here to preach about the importance of personal responsibility.  When I refer to DayZ as a "job", it's because it would be easy for a person to sink in as much as thirty plus hours into it per week if not more if he or she were so inclined, and obviously I'm referring to the grinding. 

I can't tell if they are playing Wii, or if this is the
first person view of the family dog who is about
to be beaten?

With that said, looking at how some people play DayZ has made me better understand where my own balance between game time and family time must stand.  The two don't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive as games can be enjoyed as a family, but there needs to be a healthy mix between quality time and "tube time" spent as a family.  Games will always be a part of my personal time, but I know now that I'm not looking for a second job unless it pays really well.

~Krimmit

Now Playing (On a PC near me)

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything in the ole' blog.  I'm not sure what it is.  It could be another 6 month stretch of writer's block, or that I've been over exposed to alternate reviews that crop up on the internet for games that I'm currently playing.  All of those reasons chalk up to the fact that things have grown stale.  I'm not saying that games have grown stale, or that the many titles I've played in the extended blog hiatus are poorly executed.  In fact, the opposite is true. 

Most of the games I've bothered to purchase have been excellent to the point that they have somewhat eased my concerns about video game writing and development and the stagnancy therein.  There's still a lot to be done in order to save what I view to be an overly generic creative trend for popular AAA titles in recent years, but I digress.  There's a case of writer's block to be broken.

So, what is it that I have been up to since the start of 2013 you may ask?  Well, lots of things really, but I have run through several multi platform games on my PC in the past several months that are worth mentioning.  Heck, most of them were entirely worth reviewing, but rather than go back and slog through individual reviews, I can offer a little summary review of the titles I have been playing in the order I played them.

1) Far Cry 3

I spent quite a few hours exploring the island scenery in Far Cry 3 at the end of 2012, and I stuck with the game into the early weeks of 2013.  That alone is a testament to the overall longevity of the game's single player campaign.  However, the game left me feeling a bit conflicted, and mostly in agreement with a lot of the Internet buzz surrounding it. 

The campaign missions and the story fell a little flat after what I would call the 60% completion mark where you travel to the second island.  After wrapping up some of the events on the first island, the game felt empty, and somewhat devoid of purpose.  Liberating enemy bases which is a staple requirement for opening up island events, was by far the most interesting and satisfying part of the single player campaign, but mission events felt a little too forced and linear for my liking.  That was surprising given that the island environment provides for so many open sandbox opportunities outside of regular missions.

I didn't bother playing the online multiplayer since I used my Xbox 360 gamepad to play the campaign on my PC.  Adjusting to keyboard and mouse controls to be competitive online seemed like a hassle.  Plus, multiplayer looked like a tacked on, derivative FPS attempt rather than an earnest endeavor to introduce unique multiplayer combat.

Perhaps the most disappointing part about the game is the lack of replay value after the main story is completed.  There are a slue of challenge opportunities and treasure hunting objectives to explore in order to complete the game 100%, but I didn't really feel like there was a reason to continue.  Maybe it's just me.

2) Spec Ops: The Line

I waited to play this game for quite a long time, and after seeing it drop down to the bargain price of $4.99 on Amazon I could resist no longer.  Spec Ops: The Line (SO:TL hereafter) does some very interesting things with storytelling that I hadn't really considered possible for a video game until now.  There are definitely still some cliche character archetypes being used here, but the pacing of the story was spot on, and the whole thing seemed pretty plausible as long as you can ignore a few plot holes here and there.

I will admit that I haven't finished this game yet, but I like to break it up into chunks of play time for several reasons.  First and foremost is that once I really start to enjoy a game, I don't want it to be over.  I have done this for years, and the only draw back is that is has led me to restart many games repeatedly because I forget where the story last left off. 

The second, and perhaps more unfortunate reason, is that SO:TL's gameplay can be a bit frustrating at points.  It's not a matter of difficulty in most situations, but the lack of a clear cut objective or proper course of action that plagues some of the game's more intense action sequences.  Some segments lead to unfair deaths that could be prevented by better game design.  Still, Spec Ops: The Line is one roller coaster ride that I was happy to get on.

3) Sine Mora and Bastion

I put these two together because I purchased both on a Steam sale, and I haven't really taken the time to dig into either title much since.  Sine Mora is a side scrolling airplane/submarine shooter with some interesting gameplay elements.  Rather than follow the standard "shoot bad guys, avoid environmental obstacles" formula, Sine Mora takes one from the old Time Crisis handbook and gives you a countdown timer that will run out more quickly if enemies damage your umm.......airplaine/submarine craft.

Killing enemies adds time in small increments, and upgrades to your vehicle's weapon systems will appear onscreen.  The story is secondary to the action, which is completely fine in this case.  I literally ignored 90% of the dialogue/subtitles with this game and focused on not getting my butt shot off during most play sessions.  What appeals to me most about this game is that it gets things completely right in terms of difficulty.  Players are punished for mistakes, but the respawn system is mostly forgiving.  It's a source of good, quick fun.

Bastion was a little more disappointing for some reason, and perhaps it's because there have been so many people raving about it on the Internet since it was released.  So many of the elements that others praised since the game's release such as the narration and the way environments build themselves as you move along felt somewhat hollow to me.  Perhaps it just didn't appeal to my own play style as much as I had hoped. 

I still admire the amount of polish that the combat system shows given the fact that it is an indie game, but I had half expected it to feel a little more like an old school action RPG from the Super Nintendo glory days with more graphical fidelity.  Still, it deserves some props for accomplishing as much as it has in today's market. 

4) Tomb Raider (2013)

What can I say about this game?  I thought the reboot was fantastic, and it was a truly enjoyable experience from start to finish.  Crystal Dynamics took the smartest possible approach to rebooting one of the most definitive action platforming franchises of all time, but some people will always complain that the new Tomb Raider is too different from its forbears.  They claim that there isn't enough focus on puzzle solving which has been replaced by an increased emphasis on action, but lets be completely honest.  I don't think anyone wanted this game to go the other direction in the first place. 

When the Tomb Raider franchise was first launched in the 90s, video games were in a very different place.  Environmental puzzle solving was more about showcasing the introduction of 3D platforming than it was about developing characters or crafting compelling story arcs.  Controls were clunky at best, and character interaction was sparse.  Sure, the original Tomb Raider had a story, but it was nowhere as involved as what consumers expect from games today. 

Once people understand that this is a different Tomb Raider that hasn't completely forgotten its roots, things will get a whole lot better for this franchise.  That being said, I was hooked into this game from the time the opening cinematic played all the way to the end.  Heck, I have even started my second play through shortly after finishing it the first time. 

Another thing that bothers me about Tomb Raider's reception is the number of people who keep comparing it to Uncharted.  Sure, the fundamentals are similar, but Tomb Raider is a very different game both tonally and in terms of overall environmental navigation.  Don't get me wrong, I love Uncharted, but Naughty Dog's games are built to feel like cinematic experiences.  Characters interact in real time as they banter and poke fun at each other.  Tomb Raider puts more focus on trying to make players empathize with Lara as she stumbles painfully through the world the game throws at her.  There is nothing light hearted about Lara's adventures, and she is mostly alone which makes players feel like they are constantly trying to survive.

I digress, however, this won't turn into another Tomb Raider blog rant.  Let's move on to what is next. 

5) Euro Truck Simulator 2

This is like the zen game of the century for me, and I was completely surprised at how much I really enjoy ETS 2.  The game is wonderfully simple while being complicated enough to keep me engaged at the same time, but it's something that I can only play in spurts.  To make a long story short, ETS 2 is a sim game about being a semi truck driver in Europe.  I know it sounds boring, and it may not be for everyone, but there are some interesting mechanics going on here. 

It's a slow driving game on the surface, but there are quite a few RPG like elements going on as well.  I won't go into much depth about it since I'm not writing a full review, but ETS 2 can take a bit of thinking and planning if you want to make your experience feel a bit more fulfilling.  The game does have its flaws.  AI controlled vehicles can be really stupid at times, and traffic patterns don't always pull off very realistic simulations, but that's all minor stuff.

The control system is a little complicated as well, and it's not really clear what the best way to play would be.  Some might consider getting a racing wheel, but then there are so many secondary functions mapped to the keyboard that I don't know if there would be enough buttons to do so.  I personally use a combination of an Xbox 360 controller and the keyboard.  It makes playing a little clumsy, but I don't use some of the controls anyway. 

Still, what I love most about this game is that I can sit down, accept a long distance job, and just get lost in the game hauling my cargo from point A to point B.  Some trips can take up to an hour to complete, so it's incredibly easy to sink time into building your bank roll.  Then, after you buy your first truck, the game really opens up.  You then have the ability to hire other drivers and build a successful trucking business.  Again, it isn't for everyone, but I have been having a blast so far.

6) ARMA 3 (Alpha)

OK.  I pretty much got suckered into this one.  Last August, a couple of my PC gamer friends talked me into getting ARMA 2 and the expansions so I could get online and play the DayZ mod with them.  I never really got into it as much as they did, but I did play ARMA 2 quite a bit, and I realized how difficult and rewarding this military sim could be.  Months passed, and I played less and less until I started watching YouTube videos of others playing multiplayer missions like "Wasteland" for ARMA 2, and my interest was piqued once again. 

Still, none of my PC friends would play anything but DayZ, and I lost interest again.  Then, once it was announced that the ARMA 3 Alpha was being released, my friends started geeking out about how awesome it would be and how we could play online together and so on.  The prospect of playing online with others again was too exciting to ignore, and I downloaded the Alpha so we could connect once more. 

Can you guess what happened?  I am once again stuck being the only one playing ARMA 3 while my friends have gotten sucked back into DayZ.  Don't get me wrong, I love DayZ, but I'm not very good at it.  I don't like to spend day after day memorizing the maps and scraping up loot only to be killed by random players and have to start over again.  I can only take it in small doses. 

ARMA 3 seems like a fine game, but the only single player content missions available are the showcase assignments.  Multiplayer is open, but the game's optimization is still not where it needs to be, so technical issues abound.  It's getting better, and I'm sure the end product will be just as great as previous installments.  I just need better online friends.


Closing Comments

Well, there you have it.  Things have slowed down a bit since we started the blog, but I'm still around doing what I do.  G4F will not likely become a full fledged website as originally planned.  I also don't expect that reviews will ever come as frequently as they originally did as I am no longer interested in purely doing reviews.  I will post content more frequently, but it will mostly be editorials or random comments on industry news as opposed to review content.  I will also attempt to get back into producing video content for the blog.

I think my blog partner will be largely absent from this point forward, but if you follow G4F on Facebook, you will see updated article postings there.  Things have mostly cooled down on the console front, but with The Last of Us coming in June, I will most likely HAVE to write a review for that game.  Keep looking for more stuff from G4F, and as usual, stay frosty!


~Krimmit