Due to the increasing technology powering the art form we all love, open-world video games are more prevalent than ever. With the genre’s increasing presence within the medium, more and more gamers are starting to notice things about these titles that simply do not make sense.
Most of these apply to just about every open-world game out there, though depending on the setting it might not work the same way. None of these are meant to throw shade at open-world games as a whole, after all, at the end of the day, open-world adventures offer experiences few other pieces of entertainment can.
10 No Traffic Laws
In modern settings, you can generally drive around a city with no consequences as long as you don’t run over pedestrians or hit a cop car. Feel free to drive on the sidewalk, over the grass in parks, or even into some buildings, and the authorities generally do not care.
It is a good thing, too, since many will tell you driving is significantly harder in video games than it is in real life.
9 Getting Busted Is Not So Bad
Whether it be a contemporary environment like Grand Theft Auto or a fantasy world designed to look older like The Elder Scrolls, getting arrested is not so bad.
In reality, trouble with the authorities can have you end up in jail or ruin your life in some way; however, in games, someone might at worst have to pay a fine. Get all your criminal fantasies out of the way in video games.
8 Waking Up NPCs
Most of these games have day and night cycles, complete with NPCs who follow a schedule. Despite this, most games’ computer-controlled characters do not mind being woken up in the middle of the night for a polite conversation.
Rarely do they complain or feel tired the next day. Skyrim is particularly guilty of this, but it helps to be able to turn in a quest at any time of day.
7 Doing Side Quests When The Stakes Are Dire
Often the stakes are dire but do not let that stop you from indulging in the bevy of side quests populating any given game.
The protagonists in Grand Theft Auto 5 may be fighting for their survival and desperate to correct the problems in their lives, but they all make time to deliver some packages or play some tennis. While the story is important, clearing out a checklist is even more vital.
6 N0t Killing Innocent People Is Hard
In games with a lot of NPCs, driving, and gunplay, it is incredibly difficult to not accidentally end a few virtual lives while going through the story. It is not always your fault, either.
Sometimes the AI seems to welcome death by aimlessly walking into the path of bullets or a car. For a self-imposed challenge, try beating Grand Theft Auto 5 or Saint’s Row without killing innocent people.
5 NPCs Just Wait Forever
How many cutscenes end with an NPC saying something like “hey I’ll wait for you” at a particular location? You could take years to go there and the character would still be waiting patiently.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is particularly guilty of this. Some characters wait for Arthur Morgan forever in a bar or somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Let’s hope they at least have a way to use the restroom.
4 People Leave Their Doors Unlocked
In real life, even when people are home they tend to lock their doors. Especially in cities, as someone can never be too safe. However, the populace of numerous open-world environments feels comfortable enough in their towns and cities to just leave their doors unlocked.
It would be interesting for at least one of these games to have you knock on the door so NPCs can let you in.
3 NPCs Trust Complete Strangers
Generally, side quests are handed out by NPCs populating towns. In a few games, it makes sense for the main character to receive such tasks, like in The Witcher 3.
However, if the protagonist is a created character with no reputation, why should townsfolk trust them with saving their spouse or collecting some important items? It would be refreshing if at least one NPC was like “I need this package delivered, but no way will I ever trust you to bring it somewhere.”
2 The Player Is Not The Most Famous Person
Many open-world adventures lure gamers in with the possibility of causing as much destruction as possible. After leading cops on a high-speed chase, destroying property, and stealing countless cars, why isn’t Niko Bellic’s face plastered everywhere as the most infamous man in all of Liberty City?
Some games remedy this with people recognizing the protagonist as the story progresses, but others make no effort to hide this nonsensical element.
1 Why Are Maps Obscured?
Have you ever bought a map for a road trip only to find all of it completely blank until you have driven through the territory? The answer is probably no. So why do game maps in open-world adventures generally remain obscure until the player goes through it?
This is not true of all open-world games, but in titles where it is a feature, you are rarely ever the first person journeying through these areas. Therefore, it seems logical to assume that a fully-drawn map would already exist.
