10 Video Game Mechanics That Make No Sense

Traditionally, action-centric video games would litter health packs, potions, and other beneficial pickups around the map to allow players to conveniently restore their health.

But over the last few generations, regenerating health has become increasingly popular, whereby all a wounded player needs to do is take cover and avoid injury for, say, 5 or 10 seconds. Their vitality will then begin restoring itself.

The Call of Duty franchise is perhaps best-known for using this mechanic, whereby the player's screen will begin to flash blood-red if they're close to death, but if they can sit tight for a few beats, their health will return to full.

Not all games are quite so generous, but regenerating health as a whole is a totally cartoonish affectation, given that bloody injuries don't just miraculously repair themselves by taking a breather for a bit. Quite the opposite, in fact.

More often than not it speaks to the challenges involved with game balancing, that providing just enough health packs throughout a level to assist players is tricky.

We've all played older games where we've ended up stuck at a checkpoint with low health and no nearby health packs - it's supremely annoying as you either need to save-scum your way through the level or just start it again.

Conversely, regenerating health ensures that players always have a healing facility at hand, even if like Detective Vision it does feel like a crutch for designers who can't be bothered to balance their games properly.