Are you being played? The truth behind ‘forever games’

Some video games keep players hooked for years with an endless conveyor belt of new content and rewards. That sounds cool, but what are the hidden costs of a game that never ends? — SHAUN A. NOORDIN

The people behind my beloved Genshin Impact recently released a new game called Honkai: Star Rail.

The gameplay trailers look amazing, the character designs look great, and knowing what I know about the developers, miHoYo (though I think they’re called HoYoverse nowadays), I fully expect an epic story that’ll constantly be updated with gripping new chapters.

I can’t wait to never play this game!

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t mean that I’m uninterested in Honkai: Star Rail, it’s just that I literally don’t have enough time in this mortal world to play all these games.

My schedule is already committed to other video games I have to play: I need to get in an hour a day of Genshin Impact to take on daily quests; Fire Emblem has a limited-time “Heroes Journey” that I need to complete; the web game I play has a special swimsuit that can only be unlocked this month; and ...

You know what? Maybe it’s time I stepped back and properly evaluated these games that demand my constant time and attention.

I should really question why I find myself compelled to regularly play some games, even if/when I stop having fun.

Let’s talk about Forever Games.

Never-ending story

For me, a “normal game” is something like Super Mario Bros or Elden Ring.

You go on a journey, fight some baddies, and finally rescue Princess Peach and/or marry Lunar Princess Ranni (which is the best Elden Ring ending and I will die on this hill).

These sorts of games have proper endings, and while you can absolutely replay them, you also know when to stop, so you can move on to play new things.

Forever Games, on the other hand, will never give you that sense of closure, so you have to play, well, forever.

To properly define this term, Forever Games are titles that:

1. Are designed to provide an ongoing experience (usually with a story or content that’s continuously updated).

2. Require some sort of time commitment from you, based on the game’s schedule.

3. Have permanently missable content based on limited-time in-game events.

This isn’t a black-and-white definition, and most titles fall on a spectrum of forever-ness.

If you change your sleep schedule to maximise in-game rewards, then you’re not playing a game – you’re just being exploited. — Image by Freepik

Splatoon 3 is a “soft” example of a Forever Game.

The Splatfests and Big Runs are limited-time events, so if you miss them, you’re going to forever miss out on some bits of dialogue and small rewards.

However, the main single-player and multiplayer modes will always be available for you to play (and replay!) whenever you like.

You’d think MMORPGs like World Of Warcraft are stronger examples, but oh man, for me, my pick for reigning king of Forever Games is Genshin Impact. It’s not just that the main story is ongoing with no end in sight.

To properly explain this, I need to tell you about the Golden Apple Archipelago.

Sea of content

The Golden Apple Archipelago is a huge location in Genshin Impact full of mysterious and beautiful islands, clever puzzles, and unique boat-based gameplay, a la Wind Waker.

It’s a place where characters like Klee and Jean went on a sunny beachside adventure that ended with a heartwarming revelation from Klee’s eccentric mum. It’s an amazing place full of great stories and unique content.

And if you never explored it when it was available during June 2021’s “Midsummer Island Adventure” limited-time event, you’ll never get to experience any of that, nor will you ever unlock Klee’s unique weapon, “Dodoco Tales”.

Even if you visited the (altered) archipelago later in July 2022’s “Summer Fantasia”, it’d be for a new story featuring different characters, and you’d be missing some context that was only explained in 2021.

Genshin Impact is absurdly bold (or boldly absurd) in how it keeps creating huge chunks of unique content, and then throwing it all away.

It’s mad, but I have to admit, it really works to make players like me extremely dedicated to the game.

Or put another way, can I really afford to stop playing Genshin Impact? Once, I took two months off, and when I returned, there was suddenly a whole new card-based duelling system, and new characters suddenly kept talking about how I’m the mushroom- Pokemon champion. What did I miss?

Daily rewards (and punishments)

Of course, not every Forever Game can afford to run a perpetual content treadmill at the scale of Genshin Impact, so it’s good to be aware of the other mechanisms these games use to keep players hooked (and/or addicted).

Daily quests (or daily activities, tasks, etc) are a common trick, often used by mobile games.

Fire Emblem Heroes, for example, rewards me with shards, crystals, and orbs (all valuable stuff in-game) for simply defeating 20 enemies every day.

Viewed positively, daily quests give players a nice dopamine hit every day. Viewed a bit more cynically, these are design choices that force players to turn playing the game into a regular habit.

As far as I’m concerned, the ubiquitous Battle Pass systems are extensions of daily quests, just on a different time scale.

Paid battle passes (or similar subscriptions) in particular can be strong mental traps because now you’re also compelled to “not waste money” by leaving any reward unearned.

Energy systems are the other side of the motivation coin. Whereas daily quests can feel like chores, energy systems can trick gamers into trying to “optimise” their gameplay by not letting any energy “go to waste”.

Back to Genshin Impact: I spend “energy” (original resin) to gain rewards from boss fights and battle challenges. I gain one resin every eight minutes, but I can only hold 160 at a time.

My brain goes, “Hey, if I spend 120 resin at 6am and 60 resin at 10pm, I get to spend 180 resin a day!”

I felt like a genius until I realised that if I change my sleep schedule to maximise in-game rewards, then I’m not playing a game – I’m just being exploited.

You’ve probably picked this up by now, but Forever Games work primarily by giving you extrinsic rewards specifically to keep playing (which is great! I love new content).

But it also punishes you any time you stop playing (which is less great). The last part is important to recognise because this is ...

Fuelling FOMO

This means that Forever Games can, intentionally or not, get people addicted to playing them just by giving them FOMO (fear of missing out).

Forever Games can, intentionally or not, get people addicted to playing them just by giving them FOMO (fear of missing out). — Image by Freepik

Sometimes I play a game not because I’m interested in the story but because I’m afraid that I might never see that story again.

Or that I might miss out on some exclusive in-game collector’s item, even if it’s “just” cosmetic.

Or because it feels like a “waste” if I don’t earn all those battle pass rewards.

So does this mean Forever Games are all bad? No, of course not!

Having new content to look forward to is always awesome, and often Forever Games provides this for 0 ringgit.

I like having a continuing story to follow, and I just love collecting unique items.

But it’s also important to understand the hidden costs of playing Forever Games: some of their mechanisms are designed to change the way you engage with the game, and sometimes that makes you dedicate more of your time than intended.

And when that happens, you’ll never have time to do other things, like explore new games. Or do your laundry. (Oh my, this isn’t a bit, I just realised I actually forgot to do my laundry because I’ve been playing Genshin Impact.)

When we find that we’ve been playing some games continuously for years, we need to ask ourselves: are we still playing because we’re still having fun, or because we just feel compelled to? And if so, why?

Obviously, in my case, the answer is that I really, really want to unlock that special swimsuit.

Forever and ever

You know, after writing all this, I think I’ve come to a realisation.

As much as I enjoy my time with Genshin Impact and Fire Emblem Heroes, I really need to take a break from Forever Games.

Not because they’re bad, but because it’s good to make room for new things.

Maybe I’ll go try out some weird new indie games like that horror-fishing title, Dredge.

Or maybe I’ll see if NIS or Marvelous have any wacky new Japanese imports.

Or, who knows, maybe I’ll go outside? Perhaps I should spend some of the limited time I have in this mortal world embracing the joy and warmth of the real world and ...

Just kidding! By the time you’re reading this article, Nintendo will have released The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. I’m going to Hyrule, and I don’t plan to see sunlight for at least a week! Video games forever!