8 Ways All Video Games Are Becoming Exactly The Same

3. Crafting Systems And Resource Gathering

Mass Effect Andromeda
Bioware

Are you really a big-budget triple A game if you don't have a crafting system and a resource gathering mechanic as part of your main gameplay focus?

Deciding that regular currency ecosystems are no longer good enough, most releases have instead started putting it in the hands of the players to create the game's best weapons and items from resources they can collect in the world.

Whether this takes the form of collecting scrap in The Last of Us to craft ammo and med-kits or mining planets in Mass Effect to create a swanky new set of armour though, all games are starting to adopt the same basic gameplay loop when it comes to crafting.

It can work well when it's contextualised properly, but it's gotten to the point where most games will have you collecting any old rubbish lying around to build new items just because they've convinced themselves there's no better way of doing it.

Contributor

Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.