There are many different genres of video games out there, and every gamer has their own preferences. RPG’s, action-adventure, simulation, and FPS are just some of the gaming experiences you can find.
One of the more recent trends in the industry is the growth of sandbox and open-world games. These titles provide more freedom to improvise than any other genre, so your playing experience is whatever you make it.
We all know about some of the most popular sandbox titles, such as Minecraft, Roblox, Terraria, and Grand Theft Auto V (is VI out yet?). These games consistently top the charts for various reasons. What makes a sandbox game so much fun? Let’s look at six features that can elevate an open-world game to the next level.
An Intriguing World
Modern video game players care deeply about the game world’s immersion. This does not mean how realistic the graphics look, but how easy it is to enter the world of the game and feel like it is lived in. The environment has to pull you in right away, or the backdrop for creativity will fail to spark any imagination.
These games are considered open-world because players can explore them at will, but if the environment isn’t worth exploring, the playing experience falls flat. Minecraft is a great example of a blocky, seemingly childish design concept that, nonetheless, provides a world that stimulates imagination.
Player Impact
In many video games, your actions are driven by the story. As the story progresses, the world around you shifts with the narrative. Things work differently in a sandbox game where the narrative is optional. A game can fall flat when your actions do not affect the environment you exist in.
A truly effective open-world game has consequences for your actions. If you clear an area of a certain resource, does it affect the in-game economy? Does developing a civilization draw more attention and enemies to the player? Many open-world games have evolved to increase the player’s impact on the environment.
Multiplayer Interaction
Sandbox games can be played solo or in multiplayer modes. What makes sandbox titles so compelling in multiplayer is the ability to explore worlds together and set goals to accomplish as a team. In other multiplayer games, there is an established story or mission to follow. For sandbox multiplayer, you can create your own missions based on how the group wants to play.
You can design mini arcade games to invite your friends in, as in games like Roblox. You can face off against large teams of real players by developing civilizations and planning campaigns. The greater the multiplayer possibilities in the game, the more creative players can be in designing custom experiences.
Safety Measures
Unfortunately, online gaming has been infiltrated by individuals with malicious intent. Sandbox games are ripe with opportunities for abusive individuals to target vulnerable gamers, especially children. For example, there have been many sexual abuse claims involving harm on Roblox platforms.
If there is a danger of abuse or harassment in a sandbox game, it can ruin far more than the playing experience. Games like Roblox must have safety features and vigilant moderators to protect all the gamers in this space. Parental controls, privacy settings, user-generated content filtering, and private messaging controls can make a game far more secure against predators, allowing all players to have safe interactions on the platform.
User-Generated Content
Gamers love to test out their ideas on their friends. While not everyone wants to be a full-time game developer, sandbox titles let players express their creativity and design unique experiences in an open world.
Minecraft has hit it out of the park with this feature. Players can create their own servers, design adventures, and build out entire worlds for other players to experience. This has led to some of the most immersive multiplayer adventures the original developers may never have thought possible, all because there is a platform for user creativity.
Economies That Require Effort, Not Grind
There is a delicate balance between an in-game economy that requires effort and one that relies on grinding. Players want to feel a sense of accomplishment when they acquire enough resources to earn that major upgrade, vehicle, outfit, or weapon. However, if they push too hard on resource-gathering, it can lead to burnout before the final payoff. A game with a grind economy risks losing the player’s interest before they earn the tools necessary to really enjoy playing.
Some game developers understand this balance and how important it is not to make leveling too easy or too hard. After all, once a player reaches the level they want, it changes their entire experience of an open world.
Effective Sandbox Games Offer Limitless Possibilities for Players
The original Legend of Zelda, released in 1986, is famous as the first truly open-world title. Players began in the fictional land of Hyrule and were given only vague survival tips. Though the game has a narrative, players must discover it on their own, and there is no forced story.
The Legend of Zelda introduced the concept of sandbox gaming at its purest. Beyond the in-world restrictions, there are very few rules that prevent players from using their imagination and playing the game at whatever pace they prefer. The best games in this genre have at least some of the features listed here. Who knows what the next industry-changing sandbox will look like?
