pauljeremiah
Gold Member
Lately, I've been reflecting on how many games focus on escalation, apocalyptic scenarios, or world-saving stakes. Still, very few seem interested in what happens afterwards—or even in the quieter realities of adulthood.
By adulthood, I don't just mean age, but responsibility, compromise, repetition, emotional residue, relationships that don't resolve neatly, and lives shaped less by destiny than by accumulation. Games are excellent at simulating systems, labour, traversal, and optimisation—yet strangely hesitant to explore themes like maintenance, regret, care, or the slow erosion and rebuilding of meaning.
Is that because "saving the world" is a more straightforward, more dramatic conclusion than "living in it"? Or because interactivity struggles with stories that don't rely on escalation and mastery?
There are exceptions—games that hint at aftermath, routine, grief, or responsibility—but they remain rare and are often seen as niche or "boring." Which prompts the question: is this a limitation of the medium, a market issue, or a creative blind spot?
Interested in whether people believe games can genuinely explore adulthood—or if the medium is inherently biased towards ongoing adolescence and heroic conclusions.
By adulthood, I don't just mean age, but responsibility, compromise, repetition, emotional residue, relationships that don't resolve neatly, and lives shaped less by destiny than by accumulation. Games are excellent at simulating systems, labour, traversal, and optimisation—yet strangely hesitant to explore themes like maintenance, regret, care, or the slow erosion and rebuilding of meaning.
Is that because "saving the world" is a more straightforward, more dramatic conclusion than "living in it"? Or because interactivity struggles with stories that don't rely on escalation and mastery?
There are exceptions—games that hint at aftermath, routine, grief, or responsibility—but they remain rare and are often seen as niche or "boring." Which prompts the question: is this a limitation of the medium, a market issue, or a creative blind spot?
Interested in whether people believe games can genuinely explore adulthood—or if the medium is inherently biased towards ongoing adolescence and heroic conclusions.
