I love video games, and chances are that if you’re reading this, you also love video games. Games are great, but some aren’t perfect.

It feels like for every incredible gaming experience, there are dozens of disappointing titles that cost way too much money.

I know that executives at publishers will never listen to me, but I can still try: here are the ten things that video games must stop doing.

Unnecessary Backtracking

I say unnecessary because the Metroidvania genre uses this mechanic well. It puts locations and areas of the map on your radar as you explore maze-like level design and become more powerful, therefore unlocking access to these areas.

Too many games from other genres, though, include unnecessary backtracking to feature expositional dialogue or stretch a six-hour game to ten-plus hours.

Filling A Game With Fetch Quests That Don’t Contribute to the Main Campaign

As games like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry became more popular, similar open-world titles followed suit, filling a game’s map with an overwhelming amount of content.

While having plenty to see and do was great, the problem is that most of this content is inconsequential. It only exists to add to the game’s playtime. More often than not, these side missions weren’t fun and extremely repetitive.

Making Every Game A Live Service Title

The logic is that publishers want their games to be something gamers always play. If they’re constantly playing a game, they always spend money on it.

Not every game fits this model, though. Some of the best games are strictly single-player experiences. Why mess with a good thing to just add a couple of extra bucks to the bottom line, especially when it doesn’t work more often than not?

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Single Player Games Requiring an Internet Connection

Remember that recent PlayStation Network outage? Those were good times, especially since it left players unable to play single-player games.

Games That Require Players to Play Every Day

I don’t know about you, but I play video games to escape the realities of everyday life. I am stressed enough from my job that I don’t need my game to become a job in itself.

It’s an issue that originally plagued MMORPGs. Daily and Weekly quests are, in theory, a good idea to keep a steady stream of content for players to remain engaged, but at the end of the day, they became second jobs.

Locking Content Behind Paywalls or Hundreds of Hours of Gametime

Speaking of having to play every day, Battle Passes are becoming a “popular” inclusion in modern gaming.

I use popular in quotes because publishers and developers are happy to put them into their game, but most of the time, they’re universally hated by gamers.

Playing for hundreds of hours to unlock a skin or a cosmetic is frustrating, and it’s even more frustrating when you can just spend $15 to unlock it immediately.

Games Being Difficult Just For The Sake of Being Difficult

I’m not talking about FromSoftware games like Elden Ring or Dark Souls here. Those games are difficult but not impossible, and with time, even the most challenging enemies can eventually become pushovers.

No, I’m talking about games that are difficult just for the sake of being difficult. There are no complex attack animations or boss moves; It’s just a lot of damage coming at you from enemies that take far too long to kill. That’s not fun, that’s frustrating.

Developers Releasing Unfinished Games

One of the nice things about the dawn of Early Access games is being able to support small indie developers. They don’t have the resources to spend years in development without seeing any revenue, so I’ll gladly pick up the occasional indie game on early access and support them.

However, seeing big name developers and publishers use this practice is frustrating. I don’t want to pay full price to test your game, which may never be released. It’s doubly frustrating when I’m paying a premium price for a game that is clearly not finished.

Yes, I’m looking at you, Game Freak; stop putting in minimum effort with your Pokémon games.

Charging Premium Prices for Early Access

Speaking of paying a premium price, one of the newest trends in gaming is charging extra to include post-launch DLC in a game and to allow players to play the game before it’s available.

Look at the cost of Civilization VII, for example. Why are we paying an extra $60 to play the game a few days before the release date, especially when it feels unfinished? Sure, we can also get the planned DLC updates, but why are we planning a steady stream of Battle Pass-style DLC in a Civ game?

Having Enemies Scale With You

One of the best parts about games like Diablo is how overpowered you become at max level. Those mid-level enemies that gave you trouble hours ago are now a walk in the park.

However, modern games often include enemy level scaling, which means as you get more powerful, so do the enemies. While it keeps combat fresh and interesting, I miss the feeling of destroying a group of lower level enemies in one hit.

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