Video Games are supposed to be fun. If a game can’t provide the escape, players need, then it shouldn’t be labeled as one. Every gamer has been through this multiple times in their journey. Where they bought a game and didn’t quite enjoy it for some reason, whether it was lackluster features, false promises, or pay-to-win mechanics. Here are 7 things players absolutely hates in Video Games.
Let’s take a look at how great games can easily be ruined by certain design choices and features.
Things Everyone Hates in Video Games
1) Repetitive Gameplay Loop
Go to point A, eliminate this person at Point B, Return to Point A, and collect your reward. Or climb Tower C, reveal the map, Liberate Outpost B, and secure the area. These gameplay mechanics, without any story elements, long-term changes, or even repetitive trailing, make a game boring. This has been the case with many great games plagued by a repetitive gameplay loop.
Many great video games have suffered from the game loop formula. A very popular one is the loop in Mafia 3. To date, Mafia 3’s story and characters are some of the finest works in a story game. But what killed Mafia 3 was its same loop of eliminating bosses, clearing bases, and securing a district without much alteration or in-game repercussions.
Repetitive gameplay loops, such as in the case of Mafia 3, end up making the mid-game boring.
A great example of a good gameplay loop is Skyrim, even with the same dungeons again and again. The game offered good rewards, secrets, and even special encounters.
2) Pay to Win
Purchase the 15$ Ultimate Save Me the Grind bundle and unlock the ACR-13. A gun that shoots unlimited bullets or does more damage than the combined damage of the top 5 free guns in the game. Pay-to-win mechanics in video games are some of the most greedy ways to squeeze the maximum money out of a gamer’s pocket. Disguised as loot boxes, many video games are often affected by these mechanics.
Creating a divide between actual players, who spend and grind their way to this gear, while others end up paying for it and saving the grind. While not criticized much for it, recent FIFA Games have locked high-value players behind card packs. Giving an edge to players who pay upfront for these packs for a chance to win their favourite football player. And let’s not forget Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and its infamous loot box system.
3) False Marketing and Promises
Oh yes, the loop of watching a video game reveal trailer, pre-ordering it, and then it lands like a PS2 version. The original Watch Dogs is a prime example of this, and how its original reveal was much more promising. The Watch Dogs reveal trailer showcased upgraded visuals, lifelike NPC interactions, gameplay mechanics, and animations. But when Watchdogs launched, it was bombarded with negative reviews for its difference in quality in comparison to the trailer.
CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 suffered the same fate on its launch. The last-gen versions of the game were nigh unplayable. And current-gen consoles and PC had groundbreaking bugs, missing features, and whole areas and mechanics being cut. While the developers turned around the fate of Cyberpunk 2077 with continuous updates, the same can’t be said for Watch Dogs, Anthem, or Aliens: Colonial Marines.
4) Unfinished Games
Imagine paying for a car, but as soon as you start driving, the left indicator is missing or the engine has performance issues. That’s what an Unfinished Game feels like on launch, when companies decide to rush a video game’s release. One thing players worldwide can agree on is that unfinished games ruin the overall gaming experience. No one wants to start a video game for them to find out the story is missing an ending, that there are no side quests, or that the gameplay is completely broken.
But it’s not just about broken gameplay mechanics; Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain was released without a story ending. Hideo Kojima had initially planned 3 Chapters for the game’s story. Chapter 1: Revenge, Chapter 2: Race, and a third chapter called Peace, but due to KONAMI’s forced release. The last chapter, with the end of the story, was cut. While MGS 5 is highly praised for its gameplay, fans to date show their distaste for the story’s abrupt ending.
Unfortunately, this has been quite the norm in recent years, with developers pushing out more and more unfinished video games. And everyone absolutely hates this in a video game.
5) Always Online Games
This Game Requires an Internet Connection!
Offline modes of video games requiring an internet connection will always be on the hate list of any gamer. Many AAA Games today require a stable internet connection to access features, even for offline use of these games. Games like Diablo and SimCity (2013) required the players to always be online and connected to the servers, even for solo play.
While always online features are implemented for protection against piracy and malpractices. They severely restrict gamers in the corners of the world where a stable internet connection might not be a privilege.
A leading example of this was The Crew 2014, when Ubisoft decided to shut the game’s servers. Restricting access to gamers worldwide with no offline play availability. For this exact reason, gamers are joining hands with the Stop Killing Games Movement. Read more about it.
6) Unskippable Cutscenes
While a rare occurrence now, older video games from the 2000s & 2010s era were the time of unskippable cutscenes. Imagine sitting for 20 minutes straight through a game cutscene, and when the boss battle finally starts, You Die. Only for you to go through the entire thing again (And no, you can’t skip the cutscenes). Video Games in the early 2000s and 2010s were crazy, called the golden age of gaming. The era was famous and infamous for its long cutscenes and the inability to skip them.
Classic titles like the original PlayStation 2’s Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil Code Veronica. And even in recent times, The Order 1886, and some parts of Final Fantasy XV cutscenes are unskippable.
Visit Driffle for the most exclusive deals on your favourite video games.
7) Toxic Players and Cheaters
Well, the last on our hate list for video games is certainly toxic gamers and cheaters. Whether it’s a greefer in GTA Online or someone creaming slurs in your ears in a Call of Duty Lobby. Every multiplayer game is plagued by toxic gamers and cheaters who ruin the experience for others. This has highly affected the overall multiplayer experience for even major titles. Even major titles like Warzone continue to face issues, PC lobbies remain flooded with cheaters, and online spaces are frequently overwhelmed by rage-bait content creators.
Summary
While it’s true that certain features and design choices, like pay-to-win systems, unskippable cutscenes, or toxic online communities, can frustrate players. Their criticism always comes from a place of passion. Gamers care deeply about the video games and the worlds they immerse themselves in, and their feedback helps push the Gaming industry forward. These issues lead to great games being bogged down by certain design choices, leaving a bad taste in every gamer’s mouth.
Each frustration highlights an opportunity for developers to improve gameplay, create more balanced systems. And deliver video game experiences that respect players’ time and effort. By understanding what players dislike, studios can craft better, more enjoyable games that can truly be appreciated.
What are your thoughts on this list of 7 things everyone hates about Video Games? Let us know in the comments below, and for the latest gaming news, game guides, and reviews, check out Driffle Blogs.
