Alto's Adventure makes me wonder if endless-runner games - even absent of the predatory microtransaction bullshit that plagues this genre - just have an inherent harmfulness to them that you have to actively resist when designing them. Sure Alto's Adventure never once asked for me to give it money but even despite this addiction loops are still baked so deeply into the game's core, so many little aspects that try to make you compulsively, instinctively start 'one more run' until suddenly you're ten more runs deep, deeply cynical, hollow design that wants you to give up your agency. It is less rotten that its brethren, and even has moments where it is legitimately pleasant to play, but I still think this game's attitude towards its players is just unforgivable.
3 Comments
@raidiancat ong
Classic arcade games are deeply different experiences.
If I play Tetris the thing compelling me to try again is internal motivation; a desire to improve at the game, or just have some fun, or to see if I can beat my high score. Playing a classic arcade game involves a decision point of asking yourself what it is you value in the moment and whether you want to make the active choice to play another game to meet whatever matters to you personally in the moment.
Alto's Adventure uses external motivation to manipulate you; achievements for things to complete in runs so you can level up (the moment you complete the ones it's given you it immediately gives you three more to try and trick you into one more run - especially if there's an easy achievement you know you can tick off without any difficulty - and some of the challenges rely on luck rather than skill to generate a gambling feel of 'maybe this will be the run where I happen to see enough of this particular feature'), in-game currency so every run ends up feeling like you're working towards buying your next upgrade (generating this feeling of 'okay but if I do a few more runs I can buy the next upgrade so I shouldn't put down the game yet right? mindlessly playing more of this game is actually productive because I'm gaining progress'), even how frictionless moving from one failed run to starting the next one is contrasts with the experience of many classic arcade games in a way that makes it harder to break out of the compulsion loops.
If I play Tetris the thing compelling me to try again is internal motivation; a desire to improve at the game, or just have some fun, or to see if I can beat my high score. Playing a classic arcade game involves a decision point of asking yourself what it is you value in the moment and whether you want to make the active choice to play another game to meet whatever matters to you personally in the moment.
Alto's Adventure uses external motivation to manipulate you; achievements for things to complete in runs so you can level up (the moment you complete the ones it's given you it immediately gives you three more to try and trick you into one more run - especially if there's an easy achievement you know you can tick off without any difficulty - and some of the challenges rely on luck rather than skill to generate a gambling feel of 'maybe this will be the run where I happen to see enough of this particular feature'), in-game currency so every run ends up feeling like you're working towards buying your next upgrade (generating this feeling of 'okay but if I do a few more runs I can buy the next upgrade so I shouldn't put down the game yet right? mindlessly playing more of this game is actually productive because I'm gaining progress'), even how frictionless moving from one failed run to starting the next one is contrasts with the experience of many classic arcade games in a way that makes it harder to break out of the compulsion loops.
Raidiancat
1 year ago