I was watching a review yesterday on Nier: Automata on YouTube for fun (as I love gathering multiple opinions on my favorite games), and something that the reviewer said struck a chord with me. He said that the repetitive nature of the game drives home the themes that it attempts to invoke in its players. I cannot really get into how it does this without getting into major spoilers of the game, but suffice it to say the game tries to tackle the idea of humanity being stuck in a never-ending cycle to try to find meaning in a meaningless existence (quite the topic, eh?).
What interested me about this point he makes is that his examples included having to play the same story beats twice in the first half of the game, and the core gameplay loop being a hack ‘n slash-fest against hordes of machines. Looking especially at the first example, I specifically remember getting frustrated about going through it the first time I played the game. I was confused that the game forced me to do the same thing and see the same major events occur twice in a row. Granted, you are playing as a different character the second time, easing some of the tedium. However, I definitely was frustrated nonetheless.
If you want another more direct example of frustrating mechanics that service the themes of the game, look no further than Nier: Automata’s Loading Screen. If players download the game off of the marketplace, they will be told that they can begin playing once half the game is installed (pretty normal nowadays). Players are able to get through the tutorial level, then are jumped to this loading screen:
The crazy thing about this is that these questions are on a never-ending loop. They only disappear once the game is fully installed. Players are left to continuously answer these questions until they quit or the game finishes installation. Here is the kicker though. If you quit the game in this loop, you will have to repeat the intro sequence again. Thus, the game already is reinforcing the ideas of humanity’s never ending cycle in LOADING SCREENS. I don’t think that I have to explain why this would be frustrating to players, as it is pretty obvious that people hate long loading screens and losing save data. The crazy thing about this is that I agree with the youtuber’s point all the same. This frustrated replayability in the two playthroughs and the introduction loading screens subconsciously made me connect more with the themes the game was trying to deliver, and brilliantly so. This revelation made me ask, is it good or bad for a designer to incorporate frustrating/tedious mechanics in a game to drive home its themes or morals?
My immediate thoughts on the subject are that it absolutely is not and cannot be a good idea to do this. Games should be fun and engaging first and foremost. That’s what they are inherently meant to be for people, right? Thinking more about the subject, I am not too sure about it now. In a GDC talk that Yoko Taro, the director of Nier: Automata, hosted, he discussed his approach to making his games. He brings up the idea that the actual game and story do not matter in the slightest. They are just tools for him. His goal with the games he makes is to create some emotional response in the player’s head. He even admitted that the stories he tells are usually nonsensical when looking at them from the outside. His sole goal as a creator is to have his games mean something to the player, not create a “fun” game itself.
After listening to this talk, I am beginning to agree with him. My most fond memories in games do not ever include the fun of the gameplay or the uniqueness of the story. My favorite gaming moments solely include the emotions and feelings I had while playing games. I love Paper Mario for the feeling of awe and wonder I got when I entered locations like the Shooting Star Summit and Tubba Blubba’s Castle for the first time, not because of its actual story or gameplay. Same thing with Pokemon Emerald, another favorite game of mine. I remember staring at particular areas and routes in the game, imagining what it would be like to be placed in that world. Of course, I love the game for its gameplay as well. However, it is these particular feelings that make these games stand out to me. I could go on with many other games you may or may not know, but I think the point has been driven across. It is the emotional feelings that the game gave me that makes them favorites of mine, not anything that was actually happening on screen.
Looking into what makes a game a favorite of mine, I have to agree with him. I believe that if frustrating or monotonous moments drive home the emotions or feelings you are trying to deliver to the player, they can and possibly SHOULD be used. Looking at Nier: Automata, I love the game for how it made me view the world in a completely different light. It was the themes of the game that made it one of my favorites, not actually playing it. However, it is only through playing the game that you can get these feelings. I do not believe that you could get the same emotional response from just looking up what the themes are. It is through experiencing the game where its message is able to get across. This is why I still believe that Nier: Automata is a great game. It is because its themes and emotional response can only come through playing the game, even if the game can be frustrating.
Looking at another example outside of just Nier: Automata that left me feeling frustrated for a purposeful reason, let us look at the indie hit, Papers, Please. Papers, Please is a game where you play a border patrol in a fictional dystopian Eastern Bloc-like Arstotzka, which is at hostilities with its neighboring countries. In the game, you review arrivals’ documents with several tools to make sure to keep out undesirable individuals from entering your country. Each day, the player receives specific rules on what documentation is required and what conditions are required for entry. This progressively becomes more complex by the day.
Game trailer for Papers, Please
Each day, the player receives money from how many people have been processed, and any possible bribes they may have received. They lose money for any penalties or protocol violations. This money they earn has to then be budgeted on rent, food, heat, and other necessities in low-class housing for themselves and their family. As the game gets harder, the player has to balance trying to keep undesirables out as much as possible, while also making sure they are processing enough people to keep themselves and their family alive. The player also will encounter moral dilemmas, such as whether to allow the spouse of an immigrant to enter the country without the right documentation.
Just to be clear, I adore this game as well. I believe that it is truly a piece of art that should be played by any designer in the field. However, I do not have fun playing this game whatsoever. It is one of the most stressful and frustrating experiences I have ever had in a game. That is specifically why it is brilliant. The game tackles issues of keeping up with immigration policy in an ever-changing political environment, and how horrible of a life an immigration officer would have in a dystopian setting such as Arstotzka. You don’t have to imagine what it would be like because you can experience it first-hand.
In summary, games are a unique medium that I believe can be used in so many more ways than what is currently seen as “normal” or “standard”. Games like Nier: Automata and Papers, Please have challenged the very idea of what many believe to be the core of gameplay. Does a game have to be fun to be good? Can it be a great game if it is designed to frustrate the player? I believe that this can be true if done well. If the message that the developers are trying to deliver can be shown through frustrating gameplay, that is a valid choice in my book. I would love to hear of any examples that you may have that align with this discussion! I am also interested in hearing other viewpoints and thoughts on the matter. This is a deep topic can I have most likely only scratched the surface on. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Youtube Links:
Nier Automata Analysis How Nier: Automata Tells the Ultimate Humanist Fable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63PzQIbTrM8
Nier: Automata's Amazing Installation Screen:
Yoko Taro ‘Making Weird Games For Weird People’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO_d3fwTNPo
Papers, Please Trailer: