"Red Dead Redemption 2": The epic cowboys shows the dilemma of an entire industry

One thing in advance: "Red Dead Redemption 2" is great. Really. Getting lost in the wild west of the late 19th century, attacking the gang with trains or simply chasing and marveling at the beautiful world is incredibly fun. Unfortunately, it is also painfully obvious that the gaming industry is less and less successful in achieving its most important balancing exercise: that between hardcore gamers and casual gamers.

If you only want to stay in the saddle for half an hour, RDR2 will disappoint you quickly because the fans will shorten it. Even the entrance alone is heavier than the games today. First of all, you see one thing above all else: white. At least an hour, you must slide through the snowy area of ​​the tutorial, then finally free yourself in the gigantic freedom of the opulent game world.

Pleasantly slow or just too lame?

And there is almost no fast action. RDR2 plays much more slowly than the other current titles with its long outputs and its rather undulating action. A conscious decision that adds weight to the rare but intense action scenes, much of which will be discussed later in the story. Bringing the desired time with you, it's nice enough that the game lowers the tempo.

After all, it fits much better in the atmosphere. Those who play rarely remain confused. Spending a lot of time in the game, with food, baths and enough sleep to ensure the well-being of his character and his gang, allows immersion, but the problem of time does not make it better. .

Other elements of the game are likely to please the dabblers. The commands, for example, are extremely complex and their buttons are badigned to different degrees depending on the context. They therefore offer countless opportunities to interact with the world of detailed gaming. But in the beginning, you lose all the time – and you suddenly threaten innocents with your weapon instead of talking to them. Suddenly, you must flee the unintentional shooting that ensues with a generous bonus in front of the sheriff.

If you play longer – preferably in one piece – you get used to the complexity, at some point the controller goes in the blood. If there are days between sessions of half an hour, the confusion remains frustrating. The fact that the controller can be adjusted in the menu in detail, the average buyer should not be aware.

The industry thinks too big

With its problem developer, Rockstar is not alone. More and more great games with their open game worlds with dozens of hours of play are mainly aimed at players with a lot of free time. The plot becomes an element among others, places, characters and adventures hidden in the gigantic worlds of the game take more and more time. If you just want quick action, you'll be overwhelmed by the countless possibilities.

In the last generation, the difference was still clear. The action and Open World games were even clearer. For some, it was about the story, they were mostly completed by players with little time. The other guests to explore, the real attraction was the experience of the world. Due to new technical possibilities, genres are becoming more and more mixed. Whether it's "Witcher 3", the new Tomb Raider games or the current "Assbadin's Creed Odyssey": all combine a complex and detailed storyline with a huge open world – and thus become gigantic epics. This ensures that you can spend time with games forever. Who does not stubbornly follow the main story, but quickly loses the thread.

Hungry Hobby Stories

Some games even require you to take on secondary jobs. In Assbadin's Creed Odyssey, you only have one chance in certain areas when you reach the desired level. It's only with the pure expiration of the main story but hardly to create. Even with "The Witcher 3", you have to deal with many secondary tasks to move forward.

As it is nice to "RDR2", you can usually settle for the main tasks, if you wish. Unfortunately, the game does not always tell you which story missions you really need and which ones are not. But even those who play only the main story have a lot to do. If you can not get distracted by countless side tasks such as hunting, raiding, gambling or unexpected roadside stories, you have 60 hours of history. It takes a lot of time if you have to have a job or even a family life. The emotional end must therefore be seen only a fraction of the players. In fact, it is a pity.

Play time as a criterion of purchase

In addition to the desire to create something big, the background of more and more extensive game worlds should also indicate that a long playing time is increasingly perceived by some of the buyers as a measure of the pleasure of playing. This is also understandable: anyone who can spend hours every day in games will be entertained for a long time with the new giant works. Casual players are under the wheels.

Manufacturers are dependent on the same thing – after all, making such large-scale projects profitable. Ambitious games such as "Red Dead Redemption 2" cost hundreds of millions of euros – and of course have to be put back to consumption. As a result, Arthur Morgan, the main character, is also seen on all the pillars of advertising. In the long run, however, this could be against them: if casual gamers are deterred by giant games, they may not buy them anymore. The new FIFA or a quick tour "Fortnite" are finally much easier to appreciate. And the stack of unfinished games will not be smaller.