If there’s one trend I am seeing lately as I troll around the interwebz reading about, it’s the whole conflict between open world, or “sandbox” gameplay, and linear, or “themepark” gameplay. There are those who want to be shown things and guided to elements of enjoyment, and those who sort of want to discover those for themselves – or better yet, make some of their own. The talk of which style is better, or which is more successful, is something that has consumed forums and blogs, and is most likely to be connected to MMOs and their gameplay.
The whole business about debating it and being upset or sad about it has never really affected me, but then, that should come as no surprise to anyone who typically reads me. In fact, I kind of find the argument between the two styles to be a bit silly, mostly because of this simple fact:
A sandbox and a themepark still has walls.
Games are developed with limits. Until someone develops something on the level of The Matrix where we can all say “Whoa” in our own Keanu Reeves-like way, we’re probably going to be walled in with some kind of border in mind. The fact that sandbox games tend to move the goalposts so the wall isn’t as obvious doesn’t mean there’s one there. Conversely, themeparks make it not only obvious that it is there, but also a factor by which a player measures their enjoyment. Either way, the borders exist.
Knowing that a game ultimately has limits makes it a lot easier for me to accept them no matter where they exist. Common sense dictates that the technology has to limit what a player does in a game because there’s an ultimately design to adhere to. Yeah, it’d be nice if I could be the character class and race combo that was totally unorthodox, but there’s a design in place that limits me. Sure, I’d love to be able to sensibly ninja my way onto the roof of a building that somehow doesn’t allow me to jump on it, but there’s a reason the game doesn’t let me do that. Regardless, I know that there are parameters and restrictions, and adjust or move on accordingly.
Now, I’m not saying it’s just wrong to be mad about how a game isn’t open enough or doesn’t guide you enough on the right path – only that it isn’t such a big deal with restrictions are put into place, on any level. Put into perspective like that, I think it gets a lot easier to digest a decision a developer makes when they seem to restrict you from doing something. The sandbox, and the themepark, after all, wouldn’t be identified as such without them.