All Discussions > Steam Forums > Off Topic > Topic Details
Pipe Apr 24, 2024 @ 7:03pm
why buy and play walking simulators?
when you can watch them on youtube?

now I'm not saying you're "dumb" for buying them or anything, I'm just trying to understand

for Telltale Games, I get it. they're kind of walking simulators but you can kinda dictate how the story goes - that's a reason why you would want to play them yourself

but for walking simulators, I don't get it. you move forward, occasionally interact with a door or something, maybe read some notes, watch cutscenes, and that's it
I don't know what you're missing by just watching a youtube video
Last edited by Pipe; Apr 27, 2024 @ 9:29am
The author of this topic has marked a post as the answer to their question.
Click here to jump to that post.
Originally posted by Basho:
this is gonna be a long one, but as you might expect answering a question like that cant really be done in one sentence. so here are some of my thoughts on the topic.

first of all i have an issue with the term "walking simulator", because it used to apply sarcastically to a very narrow type of (flash) games where you literally only held down right arrow to make a 2D character walk slowly along a fixed side scrolling 2D path periodically interspersed with vague text popping up, alluding to some equally vague overarching theme and that was it.

so as far as i can tell, "walking simulator" as a term came about in a mocking manner to make fun of those types of games, and applying that to games like Stanley Parable and Death Stranding makes little sense to me in that context.
granted, games like those two are kinda hard to pin down genre-wise and meanings can change over time, but it still irks me when games are called "walking simulators" for unclear reasons.
but besides, what is even the definition in the first place? lack of combat? because some games that bear the title do have combat. and some FPS games go long stretches without combat too and/or feature environment puzzles etc and extensive storytelling (Halo 1, Half Life 1, System Shock 2).

but if by "walking simulator" we are referring to a game like Death Stranding (as many people do), then what i like about it is the scenery, music, atmosphere, story, etc, and i like being my own director to an extent - being able to set my own tempo, choose what to look at and explore an when, etc. in a movie the camera pans by the building (and when watching someone play as well) but as a player i can go behind it and see whats there, maybe inside it as well and find all sorts of visual story telling that a movie could not have made room for in the first place.
that last part hold true for any game and is one of the main parts that is unique to video games as a medium.

i may have mentioned this elsewhere, but one of my favorite moments was fording a difficult river, and after making it across, drenched and exhausted, it started raining and i found a slight outcrop in a cliff face to shelter under and sit down for a rest.
just sitting there, listening to the rain and the ambient soundtrack, looking around at the scenery, thinking about how i got there and why, and where i need to go next, generally immersing myself in the world, was such a great experience.
i could not have gotten that from watching a video.
same goes for the moment of panic and terror when slipping during a river crossing and getting flushed down stream while watching your cargo scatter among the currents.

also, building roads, or generators and bridges and such in strategic locations, and coming back to find that other people have been using them and thanking you for it, or finding another players trail or strategically placed asset and having that ease your travels, is quite a unique experience that also dont translate well if at all through a video.

there is overall just a lot of mental stuff going on in that game that isnt strictly bound to a script/story that you can just watch a video of, but is more of a personal meditative experience that i kinda want to liken to how you cant just watch a video of someone eating a pie or solve a jigsaw puzzle and expect to get the same experience.
not the best analogy, but i feel it is a lot like that.

also, especially with Death Stranding, if you like hiking IRL that is a huge part of the appeal of the game imo, and the mere mental act of planning your route ahead is such a big part of the experience that it just goes missing completely when watching someone else do it instead.

if it was just the story, then the idea of just watching a video can apply to a lot of games, but for a lot of games a lot of what i've said above is also true. consider a game like Doom (any version) for instance or others like it.
you could watch a video of those too, but not doing the playing yourself and not experiencing the thrill and terror of tense and skin-of-the-teeth victories yourself by your own effort robs you of a lot of the experience and the impact of any twists and surprises.

i could probably go on, but i hope i got some points across about what i like with Death Stranding in particular, even if i very much hesitate to use the term "walking simulator" as already mentioned.
< >
Showing 16-30 of 73 comments
Bassturd Apr 25, 2024 @ 3:45pm 
I only watch YouTube videos to get an idea of what to expect. You still need to experience the game to fully grasp it. That's like saying "I watched a porn once, so I'm no longer a virgin."
#16
Pipe Apr 25, 2024 @ 4:32pm 
I wonder how I should edit the op so I could start getting less defensive answers
#17
Hammer Of Evil Apr 25, 2024 @ 4:44pm 
op is shocked different people like different things: the thread.

Originally posted by BassTurd:
I only watch YouTube videos to get an idea of what to expect. You still need to experience the game to fully grasp it. That's like saying "I watched a porn once, so I'm no longer a virgin."

nice
#18
Pipe Apr 25, 2024 @ 8:15pm 
Originally posted by Pipe:
I wonder how I should edit the op so I could start getting less defensive answers
there, I edited it. hopefully that's better
#19
Kapitein Gnapmans Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:06am 
That's like somebody else walking for you. I crave the experience of actually walking, but without actually walking.
#20
Eidolon Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:10am 
Originally posted by Pipe:
I wonder how I should edit the op so I could start getting less defensive answers
Well, how do you expect people to answer or write back without it sounding defensive, unless they agree with you? And do you think the answers you got so far are wrong even if you expected them?

There's not a way to explain it to you, I think, if you just don't find the appeal. There's nothing wrong with you not finding the appeal, but there's also not really another good way to explain it other than the really obvious way, "some people just like different things."

Now as for the topic of the thread myself, walking simulators at least still do have gameplay even if they seem tedious to you. I think your question would make more sense to ask about linear visual novels. Those have literally no gameplay and are only watching. Why not just watch it instead of buying yourself?
#21
猫 • König der Piraten Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:14am 
Pros: you walk.
Cons: you pay money.
#22
Kapitein Gnapmans Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:15am 
Originally posted by BassTurd:
I only watch YouTube videos to get an idea of what to expect. You still need to experience the game to fully grasp it. That's like saying "I watched a porn once, so I'm no longer a virgin."

You don't have no point at all but that metaphor isn't great. With the game, you interacting with it is the only real difference. It would be like experiencing porn from the viewpoint of the porn actor. I say "viewpoint" because "experiencepoint" is not a word, but it would include all senses.
#23
Kapitein Gnapmans Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:38am 
Originally posted by M͂͒̀λgi͡caℓ Ήo͓̽ﻇo̴:
Some people actually appreciate art than mindless shootingand collecting. :special:

So you stare at a painting for like an hour, which makes you feel "cultured", whatever that means, and when you get bored with that you mindlessly shoot and collect afterwards?
#24
Kargor Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:43am 
As with all tags, "walking simulator" isn't always reliable. As an example, when I look at my library, I find that A Plague Tale: Innocence is tagged as a "walking simulator", but from having played it, I can assure you that it is much more of a stealth game. And yes, while I preferred to kill enemies if possible (so they don't suddenly show up from behind), I could probably have avoided some of them by just walking past. Still, there ARE mandatory fights.
Last edited by Kargor; Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:44am
#25
Kapitein Gnapmans Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:45am 
Originally posted by Kargor:
As with all tags, "walking simulator" isn't always reliable. As an example, when I look at my library, I find that A Plague Tale: Innocence is tagged as a "walking simulator", but from having played it, I can assure you that it is much more of a stealth game. And yes, while I preferred to kill enemies if possible (so they don't suddenly show up from behind), I could probably have avoided some of them by just walking past. Still, there ARE mandatory fights.

I can see why they did that. It's very much on rails. It prevents people who expect more immersive gameplay from getting disappointed by it.
#26
Bagel Apr 26, 2024 @ 3:49am 
I’d take a walking simulator over a VN any day.
#27
Apteryx Apr 26, 2024 @ 4:01am 
The only walking sim I played was Firewatch, and the environments and graphics really helped. Also, the game was really short, only taking 3 hours to beat, or 5 hours of you wanted to find all the caches of rather useless little novelties
#28
Voroff Apr 26, 2024 @ 4:06am 
Originally posted by Pipe:
but for walking simulators, I don't get it.
=>
Originally posted by Hammer Of Evil:
op is shocked different people like different things: the thread.
=> yes, basically :D

Is Abzu a walking sim ? You dont kill things in there, go look at it ; its quite old. Please OP, d'you have any arguments for playing this game by seeing the screenshots ?
For the walking sims proper, i enjoyed almost all my time in the Ethan Carter thing and everybody gone to the rapture thing. You may not be in for the like of it, but isnt that a matter of ... taste ?
Is the Stanley Parable or Soma something you'll spit at ? Because that's not your taste ? Come on.




Anyway, i wont redo the whole topic there
www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/uqc35m/best_walking_simulators_u_ever_played/

But i was looking for a particular treat, and the name is just gone from my memory. T'was a 2D side-scrolling, no dialogs, lenght of 20 minutes, most of the time you jsut walk towards right. There's a "view" of a dystopian futuristic "society", with a VR helmet shenanigans included. The chara falls from a bdy chute in the beginning. But damn, i just can't remember the name of that student project. But to my eyes, that "thing" is the quintessence of "walking sim", it's free and it's 20 min tops.
If it rings any bells to anyone ... ?
#29
Apteryx Apr 26, 2024 @ 4:16am 
Originally posted by sfnhltb:
Why are you so threatened or confused by people liking different things to you? Why not worry about your own life and interests and not care about what other people are doing?
No, op is asking a genuine question. They want to understand the appeal of a genre of game they may have not interacted with. Id do the same with tactical shooters, because on the surface, they seem slow and repetitive but there's most likely a hidden appeal that makes them so popular
#30
< >
Showing 16-30 of 73 comments
Per page: 1530 50

All Discussions > Steam Forums > Off Topic > Topic Details
Date Posted: Apr 24, 2024 @ 7:03pm
Posts: 73
Start a New Discussion

Discussions Rules and Guidelines