One of many ways the internet has harmed game design.

Bard's Tale Riddles and Puzzles

There are probably many other examples where the internet (or more specifically, the extreme easy access to virtually any information) has been detrimental to games and game design. I invite anyone to share their own examples. For purposes of this post, I am focusing on one.

In the 80s and early to mid 90s, there were many games that made use of riddles and puzzles that were solved through player skill, not character skill. It didn’t matter how smart your character was – if you, the player, were smart, you could figure out a riddle and really help your character(s) out in the game. Wizardry, Bard’s Tale, Might and Magic, and many other games were examples of this. Further, every time you replayed the game you would benefit from the fact that you could get past such riddles and puzzles instantly – often reaping significant reward.

With the rise of the internet, and even more specifically with the power of google, gamefaqs, game hint/cheat sites, etc. many (especially mainstream) game designers moved away from riddles like these. They exist, but they are pretty rare these days. Instead, they went with riddles that are only solved when your character has found specific clues, triggered certain locations, or executed specific dialog with the right NPCs.

More often, game challenges and puzzles focus on character skill or character stats. For example, in Mass Effect 2 there is a mission where you have to figure out who killed someone or stole something (for reasons I’ll explain later, I don’t really remember the details). The perpetrator can be one of a number of different people. You get clues by going to 5 specific locations, clicking on a computer terminal, and listening in to something and getting a hint. If you figure out the answer before listening to all 5 terminals, it doesn’t matter. You cannot solve the mission. You are only allowed to solve it by listening to all 5, then going back to the mission giver who then accepts your perfect knowledge. You cannot even mess up at that point by giving the wrong answer. Your character knows the answer, so your character gives it. You, the player, really don’t have to even pay attention. You just click the 5 terminals and move along. That’s why I barely remember the details. I didn’t bother paying attention because it was obvious it didn’t matter. In an old school game, I’d have had the option of answering right away and either getting it right (and getting a reward) or being wrong and failing the mission. Or I could get a few clues and then answer. On subsequent replays, I’d know the correct answer immediately and could just give it right away. Yay for player knowledge! (Standard caveats apply: I am not saying ALL riddles/puzzles should work this way. But it would be nice if more of them did.)

I can begrudgingly understand why game developers have done this. It is frustrating to have a cool riddle in your game and know that the instant many players happen upon it they will just google it and move on by. There was a time where knowing that really discouraged me from having riddles or puzzles at all. But now I say: “so what?” Unless the riddle is a gateway to some kind of exclusive content in a competitive multiplayer game, why does it matter?

I can tell you right now that I remember very, very few puzzles from RPGs of the last 10 years, but have vivid memories of the puzzles I solved from older RPGs that rewarded *MY* intelligence over that of my characters.

It would be really nice to see games return to rewarding player skill and intelligence rather than relying totally on character skill and intelligence. Ultimately, I think it makes for a deeper, more meaningful, and more memorable experience when your personal abilities and brains are vital to your success. Escapism is great in RPGs. It is wonderful to play characters who can do and accomplish things you would never be capable of. But it is also nice to be able to think “these avatars of mine are pretty tough, but without my intelligence guiding them, they’d still be stuck in that maze!”