Recently I've noticed that more than a few games have left me feeling emotionally detached from the characters, not in a sense where I cry or get angry or anything like that, but in a way where I just don't care about what happens to them. I feel like I've recently taken a turn and just don't care about the characters anymore and maybe I care more about the game play and being entertained. It's not a bad thing that I'm starting to focus on the game play more, but at the same time, a good story and having some sort of feelings for the characters I'm portraying would definitely enhance the experience.
As I thought more about it, I relized that it maybe the game play that is pulling me out of the game more than the actual story. Three games came to mind immediately: Saint's Row, BioShock, and Assassin's Creed.
BioShock and Assassin's Creed are one in the same for the reasons I felt pulled out of the game, but Saint's Row is a different story which I will elaborate on in a bit.
If you're a reader of my blog, you already know my feelings about BioShock. I was really into the story but the game play is what pulled me out of it and made me hate the game. Spending most of my time searching around for audio tapes is what did me in. That aspect totally pulled me out of the game and just annoyed me to the point where I didn't even care about what was happening anymore, I just wanted to find the tapes so I could say I completed everything. Ultimately it lead to me not even finishing the game and just not caring about it anymore, because I didn't care. Searching for these tapes brought me out of the game to the point of feeling detached from the character and how the story progressed.
To me, in a struggle like in BioShock, finding all these audio tapes would be the last of my concern with everything else going on. I understand that the audio tapes brought forth a lot of the back story and all of that, but if I was the main character, I really wouldn't spend my time looking for all these, I'd be more worried about not dying, because living is better than dying. Dying sucks.
If the tapes were in more easy to find spots, than sure, I could imagine this dude picking it up and gaining a better understanding of what the hell was going on around him. But having to literally search every square foot of every room, was a bit much considering the circumstances. Maybe I'm wrong and just not as curious as some people and in a life of death situation, finding tapes is obviously top priority.
I get it's a game, and I get they needed to do something other than the main story you're following, but it was obnoxious to place these tapes randomly on levels. If you disagree with me, that's fine, but you're wrong. If you like wondering looking at the ground, while everything around you is falling apart, I'd hate to have you leading me out of a life or death situation.
Assassin's Creed is in the same boat with me. When it comes to their little side missions (Vigilantes, pick pocketing, view points, etc) they threw in there to waste an hour or so of your time before every assassination, it just makes me want to stop playing. In every level, they are exactly the same with no difference whatsoever. They aren't hard to do, they aren't fun to do, they just aren't anything. It's all just filler to make the game feel longer, and it does just that, as well as pulling you right out of the game.
They could have made these side missions a lot more fun and different, the game itself isn't very long when it comes to the main plot. But instead of giving a variety of things to do, they gave you more of the same over and over again. Rather than thinking "Oh my god, what's next?!" I thought "Oh my god when does this end?" With that feeling of repetitiveness and just not caring about all this crap that needs to be done, I got pulled right out of the game and just didn't care anymore. I still haven't finished the game, but I will grind out the last couple kills later this weekend, but I really don't want to because I have no interest anymore in what's going on. ANOTHER SEMI INTERACTIVE CUT SCENE THAT I'VE SEEN SIX TIMES BEFORE? I CANNOT WAIT!
Saint's Row is a different situation for me, rather than the game play making me not care about the game, it's actually the story. The story was terrible and I think everyone can agree on that, the game itself though, is really fun to play single and multi player. I love the game play and I love playing the game, however I didn't care about the story because I don't care about thugs. I didn't feel anything for the story or the characters, I just wanted to play the game and enjoy all the different things to do. Oh, a main character died? I didn't even notice because I was too busy dressing my guy up as a pimp.
Maybe it's a little contradictory, but I did enjoy doing the thug things, but the thug story did nothing for me and I didn't care about it. I just wanted the game to end so I could sand box around and enjoy the game play aspects.
I could talk about the contrary and talk about games that really brought me in and kept me wanting more, but I'm not going to because no one cares. Well, maybe someone does, but I'm more interested in what games pulled you out and made you not care about the characters and why.
So you should tell me, so I can avoid the games if I haven't already.
ninja edit - i proof read good.