There’s been a case of videogame induced high blood pressure brewing inside of me, and it’s caused by one simple thing. This particular thing was born on parchment in the early days of humanity, and has now transcended its way into the digital world of gaming. I’m talking about the map. Ask me what’s wrong with it, and I’ll tell you everything…
Let me start by saying that I absolutely appreciate the effort that developers put into creating giant fictional worlds for gamers to explore. There’s nothing like the sense of wonder that comes across you when you discover something new. Exploration is something that isn’t part of a whole lot of games these days, and it really is a shame. Many developers decide to go down a more linear path, throwing more action and explosions at the player, never really giving the player any choice in where to go, except forward. Being the impatient man that I am, I respect that. There’s times when I just want to sit down, shoot guns, and obliterate everything in my path. For the time being however, let’s talk about those games in which exploration is an important element.
