Hello to all the users of this beautiful community!
I hope you are feeling quite well today because I come to talk to you about a topic that interests me quite a lot.
We all know the open world games right? You know, those games whose main feature is to offer us a game experience in which we are able to make all our decisions in a totally free way.
However, something that I've been noticing over the years is that this genre is starting to feel a bit exploited, because every year at least one open world game is released, which inevitably leads me to wonder why.
That is why in this post I will try to find the answer to this question.
First, what exactly is an open world?
I know this may seem pretty obvious, but I think I need to explain it because there are people who have a different definition of what an open world video game is. Some people think it's simply a huge map that you can explore, others think it's about being free to do whatever you want, and so on. These opinions, while valid, are not exactly what defines an open world per se.
That's why now I'm going to try to explain in a very summarized way what defines this genre xd.
An open world video game is one that offers us the possibility to explore a vast world full of different things to do, in which we can freely alter the order in which we decide to do our objectives, or simply pass them and go to the end of the game. Not only that, but it also allows us to face different situations in different ways than expected.
This summary may have a few flaws, but I'm sure the main idea is understood xd.
Mind you, don't confuse the open world genre with the Sandbox genre. While the former offers us freedom in each and every one of our actions, the latter still asks us to accomplish certain objectives, only in a non-linear order.
With that said let's move on to the next point.
When and why did the craze for this genre start?
Let's go to what interests us, and is that knowing exactly the moment in which the free exploration took so much popularity can be a bit complicated, because come on, with the amount of games that come out year after year to the market would be complicated to answer this xd.
However, in my honest opinion I think the game that popularized this concept is none other than Minecraft.
And no, I'm not saying that as a joke. We're not going to lie to ourselves, regardless of whether you like the game or not it's impossible to deny the tremendous impact this title had on the entire gaming industry. Minecraft is probably the first game that comes to mind when you think of freedom.
And we must remember that Minecraft is a game characterized by its vast world and infinite possibilities. Do you want to leave aside the collection of minerals and focus on your farm? You can do it; Do you want to spend your time mining diamonds 24/7 like a sick person? You can do it; you just want to explore the huge world around you? Well, you can do it!...Oh, and in Minecraft too.
So, seeing the resounding success that Minecraft had back in nostalgic 2011 it was only natural that several developers would take note and try to adapt the open world formula to their own games.
In the years that followed we can see the result of this, with a slew of open-world games that seemed to come out one after another in succession. Obviously good games came out, such as Horizon Zero Dawn, GTA V, The Witcher games, and so on. Come on the free world was in full swing at the time.
However, all the games I mentioned above while they were able to offer us a good experience in the genre, they didn't exactly have absolutely all the freedom you are supposed to have in a game of this style.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are bad games, it's just that they still required you to perform certain objectives in a certain order in order to complete them.
It seemed to be that all games other than Minecraft were incapable of giving you the full open world experience. And it could have stayed that way...until that game came out.
Breath of the Wild and the redefinition of the genre.
In 2017 the long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released, an installment of Nintendo's mythical saga that moved away from the linear gameplay style of all previous titles, betting this time on using an open world in which players would be able to explore the vast world of Hyrule with a single goal: Stop Ganon.
What can I say about BotW that hasn't already been said? Nintendo managed (after many delays) to create a vast game world that was able to keep all players entertained by its vast possibilities. Dude, in what other game are you able to transport yourself at high speeds by harnessing a rock? And I'm not kidding xd.
With that said, I'll go out on a limb and say that this game redefined what it means to be open world. While Minecraft taught us that you can offer a vast world where the only limit is your imagination, Breath of the Wild taught us that an open world isn't just about a huge map to explore, it's about a map that is able to entertain with all it has to offer.
And what is something that no one can deny me is that there are many games that boast of belonging to the open world genre, only for when you try them they are emptier than PUBG servers xd.
How is this genre today?
With the success of Breath of the Wild, the interest for an open world increased among players, and several developers tried to fill that need by releasing their own games in this style, but the problem with that is that the market ended up being oversaturated with this type of titles.
However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Yes, it may be tiring to see the typical announcement of the next big Open World at every videogame conference out there, but that doesn't mean that in the midst of that sea there aren't some truly great games. Without going any further, we have the beautiful Elden Ring, a videogame with a huge map full of content, in which if we want to dodge a giant arrow we can simply jump instead of rolling.
Moreover, there are even sagas that are trying to contribute their grain of sand to the industry by entering this genre. Pokemon Legends Arceus is a good example of this, as it offered us a totally fresh experience for the saga that had been following the same formula for decades.
Conclusion.
Open world video games are undoubtedly one of the fads that has defined the industry in recent years. Which is a good thing, because from a fashion we can get good titles that make us spend hours hooked to the screen.
Also, I think it's nice that it was precisely this genre that gained popularity over others. It's as if we as gamers, unconsciously, are looking for a break from the linearity that has characterized video games since their beginnings.
I think this is one of the posts I've enjoyed writing the most. Recapping and watching the evolution of this genre has made me a nice and nostalgic experience xd.
If you liked the post remember that you can leave me a vote which, although it may not seem like it, helps me a lot to keep bringing you content. Comment so I can know your opinion, and follow me if you don't want to miss anything I do.
With nothing more to say, I'll say goodbye.
See you again my dear Mekhanites!
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¡Hola a todos los usuarios de esta bella comunidad!
Espero que se encuentren bastante bien el día de hoy porque les vengo a hablar de un tema que me interesa bastante.
¿Todos conocemos los juegos de mundo abierto verdad? Ya saben, esos juegos que cuya principal característica es el de ofrecernos una experiencia de juego en el cual somos capaces de tomar todas nuestras decisiones de una forma totalmente libre.
Sin embargo, algo que he ido notando a lo largo de todos estos años es que este genero se empieza a notar algo explotado, pues cada año sale al mercado por lo menos un juego de mundo abierto, lo que inevitablemente me lleva a preguntarme el porque de esto.
Es por ello que en este post voy a tratar de encontrar la respuesta a esta incógnita.
¿Primero, que es exactamente un mundo abierto?
Se que esto puede parecer bastante obvio, pero es que creo que necesito explicarlo porque hay personas que tienen una definición diferente de lo que sería un videojuego de mundo abierto. Hay quienes creen que es simplemente un mapa enorme que puedes explorar, otros piensan que se trata de ser libre de hacer lo que quieras, etc. Estas opiniones, si bien, son válidas, no son exactamente lo que define a un mundo abierto per se.
Es por ello que ahora voy a tratar de explicar de una forma muy resumida lo que define a este genero xd.
Un videojuego de mundo abierto es aquel que nos ofrece la posibilidad de poder explorar un vasto mundo lleno de distintas cosas por hacer, en el cual podremos alterar libremente el orden en el que decidamos hacer nuestros objetivos, o simplemente pasar de estos e ir al final del juego. No solo ello, sino que también nos permite afrontar distintas situaciones de formas diferentes a lo esperable.
Este resumen puede tener unos cuantos fallos, pero esto seguro de que la idea principal se entiende xd.
Eso sí, no confundan el genero de mundo abierto con el de Sandbox. Mientras que el primero nos ofrece libertad en todas y cada una de nuestras acciones, el segundo aún nos pide que cumplamos con ciertos objetivos, solo que en un orden no lineal.
Con esto dicho pasemos al siguiente punto.
¿Cuándo y por qué inició la moda de este género?
Vamos a lo que nos interesa, y es que saber exactamente el momento en el que la libre exploración tomó tanta popularidad puede ser un poco complicado, porque vamos, con la cantidad de juegos que salen año tras año al mercado sería complicado responder a esto xd.
Sin embargo, en mi más sincera opinión creo que el juego que popularizó este concepto se trata ni más ni menos que de Minecraft.
Y no, no lo digo en broma. No nos vamos a mentir, independientemente de si te gusta el juego o no es imposible negar el tremendo impacto que tuvo este titulo en toda la industria del gaming. Y es que Minecraft es probablemente el primer juego que se te venga a la mente cuando piensas en libertad.
Y es que debemos recordar que Minecraft es un juego caracterizado por su vasto mundo e infinitas posibilidades. ¿Quieres dejar de lado la recolección de minerales y centrarte en tu granja? Puedes hacerlo; ¿Quieres pasarte farmeando diamante 24/7 como un enfermo? Puedes hacerlo; ¿Simplemente quieres explorar el enorme mundo que hay a tu alrededor? ¡Pues puedes hacerlo!...Ah y en Minecraft también.
Entonces, viendo el rotundo éxito que tuvo Minecraft por allá en el nostálgico 2011 era natural que varias desarrolladoras tomarían nota e intentarían adaptar la formula del mundo abierto a sus propios juegos.
En los años posteriores podemos ver el resultado de esto, con una tanda de juegos de mundo abierto que parecían salir uno detrás de otro en sucesión. Obviamente salieron buenos juegos, tales como Horizon Zero Dawn, GTA V, los juegos de The Witcher, etc. Vamos que el mundo libre estaba en pleno apogeo en esa época.
Sin embargo, todos los juegos que mencioné anteriormente si bien fueron capaces de ofrecernos una buena experiencia en el género, no contaban exactamente con absolutamente toda la libertad que se supone deberías de tener en un juego de este estilo.
No me malentiendan, no digo que sean malos juegos, es solo que aún requerían de realizar ciertos objetivos en cierto orden para poder ser completados.
Parecía ser que todos los juegos que no fueran Minecraft eran incapaces de ofrecerte toda la experiencia de un mundo abierto. Y todo pudo haber seguido de esa forma...hasta que ese juego salió.
Breath of the Wild y la redefinición del genero.
En 2017 salió a la venta el tan esperado The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, una entrega de la mítica saga de Nintendo que se alejaba del estilo de juego lineal de todos los anteriores títulos, apostando esta vez por utilizar un mundo abierto en el cual los jugadores serían capaces de explorar el vasto mundo de Hyrule con un solo objetivo: Detener a Ganon.
¿Qué puedo decir del BotW que no se haya dicho ya? Nintendo se las arregló (Luego de muchos retrasos) en crear un vasto mundo de juego que era capaz de mantener a todos los jugadores entretenidos por sus enormes posibilidades. Amigo, ¿en que otro juego eres capaz de transportarte a altas velocidades aprovechándote de una piedra? Y no lo digo en broma xd.
Con eso dicho, me arriesgo a decir que este juego redefinió lo que significa ser un mundo abierto. Mientras que Minecraft nos enseñó que puedes ofrecer un vasto mundo en el que el único límite es tu imaginación, Breath of the Wild nos enseñó que un mundo abierto no es simplemente un mapa enorme que explorar, se trata de un mapa que sea capaz de entretenerse con todo lo que tiene para ofrecer.
Y que es algo que no me puede negar nadie es que existen muchos juegos que se jactan de pertenecer al género de mundo abierto, solo para que cuando los pruebes estén más vacíos que los servidores del PUBG xd.
¿Qué tal se encuentra este género a día de hoy?
Con el exitazo que supuso el Breath of the Wild el interés por un mundo abierto aumentó entre los jugadores, y varias desarrolladoras intentaron suplir esa necesidad lanzando sus propios juegos de este estilo, pero el problema con ello es que se terminó sobresaturando el mercado de este tipo de títulos.
Sin embargo, eso no es algo necesariamente malo. Si, puede que ya canse ver el típico anuncio del próximo gran Open World en cada conferencia de videojuegos que existe, pero eso no significa que en medio de ese mar no haya auténticos juegazos. Sin ir más lejos, tenemos al bellísimo Elden Ring, videojuego con un mapa enorme lleno de contenido, en el cual si queremos esquivar una flecha gigante simplemente podemos saltar en lugar de rodar.
Es más, hay inclusos sagas que están intentando aportar si granito de arena a la industria incursando en este género. Pokemon Legends Arceus es un buen ejemplo de esto, pues nos ofreció una experiencia totalmente fresca para la saga la cual llevaba ya décadas en la misma fórmula.
Conclusión.
Los videojuegos de mundo abierto son sin duda una de las modas que ha definido a la industria en los últimos años. Lo cual es algo bueno, pues de una moda podemos llegar a obtener buenos títulos que nos hagan pasar horas enganchados a la pantalla.
Además, me parece bonito que haya sido precisamente este género el que ganara popularidad frente a otros. Es como si nosotros como jugadores, inconscientemente, buscamos un descanso de la linealidad que ha caracterizado a los videojuegos desde sus inicios.
Creo que esta es una de las publicaciones que más me ha gustado escribir. El ir recapitulando y viendo la evolución de este género se me ha hecho una experiencia tanto nostálgica como bonita xd.
Si te gustó el post recuerda que puedes dejarme un voto el cual aunque no lo parezca me ayuda muchísimo a seguirles trayendo contenido. Comenta para poder conocer tu opinión, y sígueme si no quieres perderte de nada de lo que hago.
Sin nada más que decir, yo me despido.
¡Hasta otra mis queridos Mekhanítas!
Traducido con DeepL
Translated with DeepL
For me, "open world" and "sandbox" games are the exact opposite: An open world game typically has a semi-linear story "off rails" while a "sandbox" game is entirely free form much like kids playing in an actual Sandbox make their own fun.
To that end, games like The Elder Scrolls series are open world in the sense that you are free to explore, but there are specific objectives you're asked to complete in your own time. Sandbox games ask nothing of the player but often have clear progression systems they can follow or skip through at their leisure. Minecraft falls under this category because zero expectations are placed on the player, but you do have an order of steps that can be followed to unlock new activities.
That said, I agree with everything else in your post. Minecraft was a game that helped popularize sandbox games by pairing it with a survival element. As such, the survival and sandbox genres are often joined at the hip. Even though I've switched the definitions for open world and sandbox, I do agree that Breath of the Wild is an open world game because it had specific tasks you were asked to do but at your leisure.
I think a major component of the appeal for open world/sandbox games is the ability to "express" your interests in whatever manner you please. Open world games are free flowing and encourage players to essentially put themselves into the game by choosing how they engage with the content. Sandbox games often go a step farther by also providing players with the ability to create their own content. A great example of this is players using redstone in Minecraft to create calculators.
There are definitely times where game developers attempt to milk the "open world" and "sandbox" buzz words by providing a largely empty game world to explore. Sea of Thieves is a great example of this, as its initial release was largely lifeless due to predominantly empty islands littered all over the game world.
All that aside, I'm a huge fan of both genres when done right ;)
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I really agree with you on this. While linear games are highly enjoyable, the magic of being in a open world/Sandbox full of content and do as you please is something that many players around the world really like.
There's no wonder why GTA is a really loved franchise in the industry
I've gotta disagree with this. An open world game is a game that usually has world that is completely exploreable without those pesky loading screens. It really doesn't have anything to do with how we can accomplish how objectives. Some of the open world games that have a linear story are games like Mafia, Batman Arkham City, you can even through in Arkham Knight, and even Spiderman.
Almost all, or any decent open world game, also has it's world full of side quests/missions which you can do, and doesn't make the world feel so empty.
Then inside the Open World Genre, is sub genres such as "Open Area" ( As I call it). Open area games is exactly what they sound like. Games that different sections of their overall map is blocked my loading screens. A good example of this is the dragon age series. Although the areas are often huge, it's not true open world, as we have those pesky loading screens.
I think what you're trying to talk about is just objective base, and doesn't define what an open world game is. Open world games can be linear or non linear, they can give you a bunch of "missions" to do at once, and you can choose to do them in whatever order, or they may only give you one at a time. But the term Open World, and the Genre is literally what the term says, and Open World.
And the reason why open world games are getting released so often is because it's what people want. Some stories can't be told in any other way but in an open world. Can you imagine GTA playing out like COD where it's just mission after mission? There's a demand for those games, and I would argue that there aren't enough Open World games being developed to meet that demand, which is why people love games like GTA V.
You have some very good points over here. I think that my main problem was to try to define open world as simply "Huge map, Lot of content". As you said, things like sidequests are really necessary in order for the world to not feel empty, also it helps with the atmosphere because you really feel like you are an active part of that world and not just some random guy dropped over there.
Jamás consideraria a los juegos mundo abiertos sobreexplotados o algo así, todo lo contrario. Creo que este género de juegos va a seguir expandiéndose mientras más avance el mercado y es por la libertad qur dan; por algún motivo todo jugador quiere sentirse identificado con los juegos, y la libertad abre el puente perfecto para permitir esto.
Concuerdo contigo. Si bien el mercado puede estar un poco lleno de este tipo de titulos, ¿Eso realmente es un problema? Por mí que saquen todos los open world que quieran pq aquí voy a estar yo listo para explorarlos y suplir mi necesidad de exploración en un juego xd
creo que tambien los jugadores necesitamos este genero, donde la mision sea hacer lo que te sale del alma, y tambien los mundos abiertos son muy buenos para relajarse eso ayuda, en mi caso juego muchisimo minecraft apesar de que no me tenga tan conforme amo el juego, me relaja, explorar por ahi, es genial, esa experiencia en los mundos abiertos es genial
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Recién ando en una enésima partida de Skyrim y New Vegas, el poder saltarte olímpicamente las misiones principales, ir a donde te plazca y hacer los objetivos que desees de la forma que quieras es una libertad que disfruto mucho. Hace un momento comentaba en otra publicación, que los juegos sobre rieles o de paso real, podían llegar a ser divertidos, pero prefiero más estos mundos abiertos o los llamados sandbox. Es una buena publicación y muy bonitas imagenes. Mucha suerte.