4. Massive Worlds
Gigantic, open worlds are a more recent phenomena in the video game industry. Many games, such as the original Legend of Zelda and Super Mario 64, pioneered the concept, but it wasnt until the release of Grand Theft Auto III that the design truly came into its own, and soon every other game started implementing an open world design. The novelty may have worn off since then, but the design has been honed and polished to serve their stories. The results have often been worlds staggering in their vastness. The Grand Theft Auto series, Elder Scrolls, Red Dead Redemption, and Assassins Creed all provided gamers with huge open worlds to explore. These games are huge in scope and epic in their very nature, so much so that often the narrative can get lost in the shuffle. Open worlds give the player a real sense of time and place while extending the journey exponentially. In fact, often part of the problem with these games is that they are too big, forcing gamers to dedicate untold amounts of their time, and thus limiting their replayability. But this is a small price to pay for being able to explore these worlds at our leisure, discovering the secrets of the land and the stories of its people. Open worlds highlight video games ability to drop players into environment not possible in the real world, offering us escapism at its finest.