10 Video Game Clichés Everyone Is Sick Of

9. The Arena Room... With An Ambush

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The first few times we saw a room riddled with chest-high walls, destructibles, maybe a handful of explosive barrels, and a few dozen crates of ammo, we were enchanted. When a swarm of foes or a boss burst onto the scene and forced us to use all the gear and environment features at our disposal we were thrilled.

Now that it happens in almost every single shooter and action adventure, the shine has worn off a little bit.

There’s something simmering within all gamers that triggers whenever we see an oversized room, so much so we’re more likely to mentally note the most defensible position in the room that sit back in anticipation of the mystery to come.

Because there is no mystery. It’s an ambush. It’s always an ambush.

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Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.