Death in Gaming: Punishing or Purposeful?

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

This video is a bit different from what I usually post on the channel! Would you like to see more videos like this one? And what video games mechanics do you feel like make a massive impact but don't always get recognized for just how much they effect your experience?

[@dgc1570]

I wouldn't mind more videos like this

[@sykora9526]

I thought it was a nice touch to have "Ideal and the Real" play in the background during this video on essentially, getting back up from your mistakes, learning from them, and pushing on. Whereas Dr. Maruki was someone who'd rather you run away from your pain/mistakes and not confront them and give up. Kudos.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Thanks so much! I was actually really happy with the choice and I was hoping that people who know P5R would catch it!

[@BigKlingy]

"Dying in a dungeon after not having saved for an hour" >Shows the Rikunort cutscene. >Triggers my PTSD. (Thank you re-released for adding cutscene skips) Celeste is the next indie game on my "to play list" after Hades. I'll probably get around to it next year. I just hope the B-side/C-side levels later on aren't too frustrating. Playing Hades has kind of conditioned me to see death less badly in other games, so hopefully it carries to that. It's interesting how death in Fire Emblem has evolved. The early games had a very large cast of characters and you'd be lucky if each got one line. The game was designed around accepting character deaths and using new recruits as replacements, and the early-joining characters were the best to reward you for keeping them alive. But as the pattern of people resetting when anyone died started, the games were designed around that mentality, including adding time-rewind mechanics so you don't lose ALL your chapter progress. (These are EXTREMELY contentious among hardcore players as many think it stops the player from learning) At the same time, characters are so developed now that many fans play just to interact with them. With how much resources and customization you have to sink into a single unit in Three Houses, and how few total units there are, the game practically demands you reset on a loss instead of moving on. I don't think either approach is more right or wrong than the other, but they're different design philosophies and require different gameplay approaches.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I think that the changes in Fire Emblem really helped to be able to make the games more easily played by more people which in my opinion is really a net benefit to the series as a whole even though I personally prefer classic mode!

[@BigKlingy]

@@ThoughtBubbleYT Plus, I'm glad we've moved past characters like Tomas from Marth's games: the Archer with no lines who only exists in case all your other bow users died.

[@perkasenior]

I started Hades a couple weeks ago after the sequel was announced, and yesterday I was able to reach the surface my second time, entirely by accident! I surprised myself on how I was able to do it, with a reversed setup from what I usually use, and not a good setup either. But I realized it was my progression through the game and learning about everything that I was able to do use what I did have and adapt. It was really satisfying!

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Wow that's honestly such a feat! I've gotten close but haven't quite made it to the top yet!

[@perkasenior]

@@ThoughtBubbleYT yeah, it takes a while but once you figure out a good combination of weapon and boons that work for you, and just get a groove going, you have a chance of making it! And even if you don't, it's still satisfying that when you die, someone will acknowledge your progress in some way. Really glad I got into this game!

[@もちの花]

I've never really thought about death in games before. Thanks for the interesting video

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Of course! I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@shamilevergreen6200]

Another game I think handles dying really well is Void Terrarium. At first I was really frustrated at dying so often, because its mechanics are similar to those in the Mystery Dungeon series which I was familiar with, but it seemed more punishing. What I realized is that no expedition is wasted- along the way you collect items that you can bring back to your base, which you can then use for upgrades. Sometimes I’d still be annoyed at dying but I never felt like my time was wasted. It’s interesting to think about for sure. Fantastic video!

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Thanks so much! I'm not too familiar with Void Terrarium but that definitely sounds like an interesting way of approaching progression!

[@Deadforge]

Beautiful video

[@kompressorkerstin3133]

Great video! I really enjoyed watching it.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

[@traytonvanderecken3311]

I like this kind of topic on gaming

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I'm glad you enjoyed!