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submitted 1 day ago by alyaza@beehaw.org to c/gaming@beehaw.org

I've noticed a trend—particularly in some recent RPGs—of, well, let's call it 'Netflixiness'.

Dialogue designed to leave absolutely nothing to interpretation, to exposit information in the most direct way possible, devoid of any real character or context. There's an assumption that any moment the audience spends confused, curious, or out-of-the-loop is a narrative disaster.

I hate to keep knocking Dragon Age: The Veilguard about, especially since I still had a decent time with it all told, but the thing that made me break off from it after 60 hours really was its story. It's a tale that does get (slightly) better, but it gave me a terrible first impression I never quite shook.

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[-] Paradachshund@lemmy.today 4 points 1 day ago

It comes from a good place. Make things have more quality of life. Makes things feel smooth and responsive. Don't make things obtuse and confusing.

The problem is that while some friction kind of sucks (I don't think many would want clunky movement or controls), lots of experiences get thrown out with the bathwater when this goes too far.

My philosophy is that friction needs to be seen as a tool. It does something to the experience, and it needs to be considered whether removing it will improve the experience, and if so, what is being lost in the process?

this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2025
92 points (100.0% liked)

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