Personal discovery is integral in the learning process, and thusly, an essential and underrated part of gaming.

Self-awareness shall set you free; it allows one to realize fear is the fuel for the gas can called courage

My writing occasionally takes me to places I had not yet conceived of when sitting down to initially put thoughts to screen: yesterday was one of those days, where it became quite apparent that my muse of creation was to spring from spiteful indignation at the systems of capital, and the hell they so often rain down upon us. I think on one level, I sit bemused more people aren’t as morbidly embittered by the same notions of shallowness that prompts the very same rage at the exploitative systems that make dancing monkeys of us all, and yet within the next breath, I am reminded of the notion that today is not a bad day, and the same things that were true yesterday will be true tomorrow, and that inspite of the injustices that pervade the realm, one must seek and maintain their sense of center amidst the chaos, lest they be subsumed by it. One can’t help make a difference or positive change if one becomes an insane pile of regurgitated giblets that reality had chewed up and spat out onto the the slaughterhouse floor that is the every day, now can they?

One of the more interesting internal debates that must go on behind closed doors in the offices of game developers must be the back and forth of just how much death is an acceptable amount of death?, in terms of what the player is going to tolerate in their experience overall. This context is key in creating the ideal risk/reward system, and perhaps one of the most compelling design methodologies that pervade all of gaming, from the silliest casual affair on a phone, to the loftiest triple A endeavor in the industry. Many people might overlook this or take the idea for granted, but there is no satisfaction gained if everything is too easy, and the sense of gratification must be earned through trial and error; it all boils down to just how much of the error players will tolerate before raging quitting the trial in question.

I’m guessing this is why stealth games are unique amongst all of the genres, as the ratio of failures to success is likely more tenuous for people than in most other types of games. Though, I think this boils down to an peculiar phenomenon of sorts, where players take to heart certain failings with a deeper sense of shame on some level than in other virtual experiences. For example, I’m guessing the overwhelming majority of players do not play action games in such a manner, where getting hit is of a huge concern to them, that taking damage is just a given, and an inevitable part of engaging in combat. Whereas with stealth games, if a player is seen a single time, I always get a sense of deep resentment from others for the lack of finesse that went into the encounter, and the internalized sense of tragedy that has now befallen them, due to their own sad clumsiness. Not that I entirely avoid these same emotional pitfalls mind you, I am just cut from a different cloth, and must be pushed to much greater lengths, for one to see similar results. For example, when I play any stealth game, I actually borrow from Metal Gear Solid’s design machinations, at least, the ones found on “European Extreme” mode, where even being discovered a single time is not just a shame I must bear, but an instant game over, even if I’m playing on easier difficulties, I subject myself to a self-inflicted rigidity to my play style, by reloading the game there and then…and that’s on top of not killing anyone, of course. It is definitely not for the feint of heart, but I find after all of my conquests and victories I may proudly mark as a notch in my over-sized belt, anything else represents too much of a push over at this point.

Though, I think why so many others have kind of a divisional feeling of repulsion with stealth games, is due to the fact that one of the biggest key elements one needs to play them, doesn’t come with the game itself, and that is patience. Without patience, you will never take your time enough to learn the patterns, see how the enemies move, understand your terrain etc. A stealth game played without patience essentially negates its own existence, as then one could argue, once one is seen in a stealth game and has given up all pretense of being quiet, it then becomes just another action game from that point on, prompting me to think of that Mitch Hedberg joke about how a broken escalator never really breaks, it just becomes “temporarily stairs”. All of this is why I wouldn’t be surprised if many prefer to watch others cut their teeth on the action, by tuning into a stream or watching a”Let’s Play” involving stealth games, like that of the Metal Gear Solid series, as they would rather prefer to take a backseat to enjoy the idea of the tension of the stealth game, but let someone else deal with the anxiety and frustration of accidentally being seen. I think these are some of the same reasons many enjoy “Let’s Play” in regards to horror games; people like the scares, but not necessarily surviving the nightmare that comes with them.

To that point, I think stealth series are one of the few groupings of games that benefit from a focus on tutorials, whether we are talking about dedicated scenarios, or just more exposure to mechanics in terms of an idiot proof playground to muck about in, so that one has a chance to really get use to the idea of just how hairs are split in the matters of the loud and the quiet. I feel as if most players have unrealistic expectations, on some level anyways, that they should just kind of “get it”, when dealing with any given stealth system, even though they will have done very little in ways of actual litmus testing to see how these things work. This is a big make or break moment for player relativity to the metaphysics of any virtual reality they contend with, as various factors of intangibility that can’t be seen or touched directly, can still be “felt”, in a sense, but it takes time to acclimate. If one considers the variety of different enemies one may be up against, with different ability levels, varying levels of senses, speed relativity, spatial awareness, environmental settings, impact of the elements, camouflage, the affect gadgets or tools may have…I haven’t even mentioned auditory levels one must persist with. The list is stupendous when considered, maybe even what one would consider almost too big of an ask from Johnny Casual & the Newbies of the realm (great band name, by the way).

If one is not willing to open themselves up to new experiences, however, one will never learn, and remain ignorant, average, unrefined, and bitter as a result of their misguided notions of what the world owes them. If one goes into any given experience with a sense of self-entitlement, the only thing they truly deserve is a hefty reality check as payment for their delusionally greedy pretensions they so foolishly hoisted upon the rest of the world. Maybe that’s why some folks can’t stomach the failures that come part and parcel with stealth games: the interpersonal intimacy involved with the standards of failure become too entangled in one’s own sense of self. Whereas the character on the screen may be the one who was “hit” and damaged as a result, you don’t feel the literal pain of the inflicted blow. However, when one is seen in a stealth game, they certainly feel the embarrassment of the exposure, feeling “seen” in a shameful response of culpability in their own mistaken folly. And for that one brief moment of clarity, they must come to terms with their own imperfection, and are confronted, beyond reasonable doubt, with the pangs of maturity that come along with the sense of being held personally accountable for oneself. Makes me consider the notion that there are no successful immature stealth agents out there, a true spotlight shined upon the notion that the impatient or childish need not apply.

A good reminder that many of us find rejection or embarrassment a worse fate than death.

-Pashford