‘Far Cry 3’ Developer Says Most People Never Finish Games, And That’s Fine
Far Cry 3 developer Jason VandenBerghe says gamers rarely finish games, and that’s fine.
In an increasingly busy world, a lot of games that require extensive play time are never finished. This is increasingly apparent when it comes to games we’ve already finished once. The truth is, we don’t want the game to end if we enjoy it, so we constantly meander about, swiping collectibles and going on sidequests in an effort to prolong our time without ever finishing the game. Or in some cases we’d rather just hang out in the social hub and chat instead of going out and actually grinding monsters to progress.
Far Cry 3 developer and Ubisoft creative director Jason VendenBerghe has said that’s fine, and developers need to just embrace the fact. He stated:
“As a game designer, you are more free when crafting your ending than you are for any other piece of your game. First of all, having an ending at all is your choice. Don’t want one? All good! Games are loops, and if you want to leave yours closed, you will be in good company. No one has ever ‘finished’ poker, or football. But for games that do have an ending, only a small portion of your players will ever see it.”
It’s not disrespect to the game designers when the player never finishes the game. If anything, it’s more disrespectful to trade the game in for something else before it’s finished. Gamers should be allowed to put the game away without ever having seen the ending, the Far Cry 3 developer says. Sometimes the game is just too difficult and the gamer just needs some time to relax and come back with a fresh mind.
Jason VendenBerghe of Ubisoft adds, “[If] you learn to worry less about insisting that everyone who starts finishes, and put your attention on the advantages this fact of gaming gives you, you will not find a more personally liberating moment in game design than in designing your end.”
What do you think about Far Cry 3‘s developer saying people rarely finish their games? Could this lead to developers not putting any time into their endings?
