I love vibe checks in video games, and to
be clear, when I say vibe check, I mean it in the purest sense of the phrase—that being
taking a second to measure where a person is at emotionally, and not, ya know, something
like this. I find a lot of value in those small moments
where a game asks me to stop what I’m doing and just reflect, breathe, and consider why
I am doing the things I’m doing. While these types of breaks may seem inconsequential,
they help give me the space to recognize what I am enjoying about a game instead of just
grinding through it without appreciating the ways it’s pulling me in. Progression is a major motivator for most
players, and it comes in all sorts of forms. Like, the progression of a character’s skills
and abilities or the progression of a story or simply, the progression of a completion
percentage. Accomplishing these things gives players that
nice sense of satisfaction for hitting a new benchmark which then motivates them to move
on to the next goal to get a little more of that dopamine-fueled satisfaction. That’s how gameplay loops typically work,
but, for me at least, it is really easy to get so caught up in those loops that before
I’m even halfway through a game, I’m already thinking about how good it will feel to be
at the end of the game, regardless of how much I’m enjoying it. And, that leads to me rushing through experiences
I don’t actually want to rush through. The pacing of video games is different than
any other medium because so much of it is dependent on how the player engages with the
world around them. If left unchecked, some players will approach
games with the mindset of consuming them instead of experiencing them. Especially over the past few years where I
have been trying to play more games so that I have more things to pull from when making
videos, I find myself slipping into that consumption headspace a lot, which is why those simple
moments where a game practically forces me to stop and reflect on what I’m doing are
so important to me because they get me to remember that I’m playing a game to enjoy
the experience, not just finish it. Vibe checks come in all sorts of forms, but
one of the most common are save-points. They are literally a way to mark progression,
and the best of them create space for players to mentally mark that progress as well. Bonfires in Dark Souls are one of the most
famous and well done examples of this. As the series has a steep learning curve due
to its unforgiving difficulty and sprawling map, there is nothing quite like the relief
that comes from finding a bonfire after a long, fraught journey. It’s a checkpoint that releases the tension
that comes from the threat of losing progress. And while all checkpoints do this to a degree,
not all of them are made with this kind of intention; plenty are just meant to be run
through as the player continues along in the level. But Dark Souls wants players to soak in that
relief. Lighting a bonfire and then sitting at it
causes smoke to wash across the screen accompanied by the soothing sound of a fire being lit,
ensuring players that, while dangers are still out there, as long as they stay at the fire,
they’re safe. It gives them the chance to catalogue the
challenges they’ve overcome before rushing off to the next thing that will almost certainly
kill them. Another famous example of this comes from
the Resident Evil series in the form of save rooms. Many entries in the franchise use these to
provide a respite for players where they can escape the relentless threats pursuing them
and vibe out to some haunting yet relaxing music. It helps punctuate the thrill of the action
and horror scenes by giving players a sense of safety so that they don’t grow numb to
the tension of being chased down by Mr. X or toyed with by the Baker family. Without these moments of safety and reflection,
the scary and exciting stuff wouldn’t land in the same way because there would be too
much of it. Of course, my favorite instance of this kind
of vibe check comes from Hollow Knight with the benches. Much like Dark Souls, the combination of Hollow
Knight’s difficult encounters and massive world to get lost in makes coming across a
bench feel like a godsend. They act as a checkpoint, update the map,
and give players the chance to consider how best to move forward. Anytime I enter a bench room, I feel like
I can breath again, and a large part of that comes from how much I love the track that
plays in these rooms, aptly titled Reflection. With most games, I take breaks by turning
them off and doing something else, but with Hollow Knight, especially on my first playthrough,
I would take breaks by just sitting on these benches and listening to the song play over
and over again. It was a video game space that I just liked
being in. It helped me relax, both in and out of the
game. I’d take the time I needed to recharge before
setting out to get my ass kicked again by whatever threat waited for me in Hallownest,
and when that ass-kicking inevitably came, I was greeted by that peaceful bench, like
an old friend, helping to ease the sheer anger I felt from dying to the Watcher Knights again. Oh my...WHY?!? Vibe checks are also often tied to beautiful
views, where the main purpose is to just stare in awe at the picturesque environments crafted
by the game designers. This can happen organically by the player
seeing something cool and stopping to look at it, but a lot of games opt to add a button
prompt to engage with a view. And as small and unimportant as having it
be a prompt may seem, it signals to players that this would be a good spot to stop and
relax for a bit. While there is a lot of value in people recognizing
beautiful moments and stopping for them on their own, a lot of folks won’t because
it’s easier to get caught up in a task than a sunset. Like, I record every game I play in case I
need something for a video, and there have been so many instances while editing where
I notice a gorgeous view in the background that past-me just completely ignores and runs
past. Sure, I shouldn’t need a game to tell me
to stop and look at something, but the reality is that I do. Similar to save points, they help the pacing
of a game’s action by not letting things be intense all the time, but they feel a little
less formulaic because they often aren’t mandatory and they come with unique vistas
to look at. Maybe the most common type of vibe checks
comes from cut scenes. Any shot that features a swell in music and
a lookout at a grand landscape will elicit a reflective sense of calm that asks players
to consider what they’re experiencing. I find that moments like this are most effective
when the line between cutscene and gameplay is blurred—typically by giving the player
control over how long they engage with a moment. For instance, Life is Strange is filled with
cutscenes that typically start with Max monologuing for a bit but continue long after she’s
done, cycling through various creative shots, all with golden hour lighting and accompanied
by some indie song playing in the background. Many of these moments come after intense scenes,
allowing time to process what has happened and release some of the tension that has been
building. What I think works so well about these is
that they let players dictate how long the vibe check lasts. Given that the game is all about weighing
the morality of various decisions, it’s great that it gives players the time to do
that. My favorite vibe check that falls in this
same vein comes near the end of The Last of Us. After trekking across the country and barely
escaping the most dangerous threat they’ve run into so far—that being David and the
other actual cannibals in his group—we get a subdued scene with Joel and Ellie in spring
that culminates with the two finding a herd of giraffes roaming around the remains of
Salt Lake City. It is an occurrence unique to the setting
of The Last of us, and while the focus of this story is often on how much worse the
world is than it once was, rare moments like these that would never happen without the
world having had come to an end are impossible not to admire. Even on a first playthrough, there is a distinct
sense that whatever is ahead can’t be better than this moment. Players have experienced enough of how the
game works to assume that everything is not going to be okay. And playing it on a second playthrough comes
with the knowledge that, in fact, everything won’t be okay. The two characters do come out of things alive,
but something will always be fundamentally broken between them. So, every time I go back the game and find
myself staring out at the giraffes ambling through the city, I don’t want to leave. I want to stay in that perfect moment because
I know what comes next won’t be. What makes it land for me is that I have to
be the one to interrupt it; the scene doesn’t end until I choose for it to end, making things
all that much more bittersweet. I understand that this sort of interactivity
is tiny and for a lot of players, it may not make a difference, but for me having a choice
made me feel the weight of the scene far more than it would without it. Ultimately, what I love about vibe checks
in video games is how obvious and intentional they are. They’re crafted by actual people who want
players to have a specific experience. When done well, they act as a much-needed
breath between tense moments, reminding players that it isn’t just about getting to the
end. And...I wish that the real world was like
that too, but unfortunately, there isn’t someone making sure that we stop at all the
right moments to appreciate things in just the right way. Honestly, there are far more people in our
lives that do the opposite. Many of us are conditioned from a young age
to always look towards the next thing. The countdown towards next summer starts ticking
on the first day of school, and it only gets worse as the years go on. In middle school, I distinctly remember thinking,
“well, I’ve just got to get to the end of this, and then I will be in high school,
which will be so much better.” So, I put my head down, hoped the days would
go by quickly, and eventually, middle school was over. I was in high school, and yeah, it was better,
but it didn’t take long until I started thinking, “well, I’ve just got to get
to the end of this, and then I will be in college, which will be so much better,”
and again I put my head down, hoped the days would go by quickly and, boom, college, which
I loved but after a couple years, I started thinking, “well, I’ve just got to get
to the end of this, and then I can actually start my life, which will be so much better,”
and now I’m in my actual life, and I’ve realized that every step of growing up has
been centered around getting to the end of whatever part of it I’m in, and terrifyingly
enough, I sometimes catch myself thinking, well, I’ve just gotta get to the end of
this and then I can retire, and holy shit I may be internet old, but I’m not that
old, and if I keep putting my head down and hoping the days will go by quickly I’m gonna
look up and realize there aren’t many days left. Life isn’t designed for us, at least not
like how a game is. We aren’t guaranteed once-in-a-lifetime
experiences right before going through a big change or beautiful view at the end of a taxing
day, or a bench to sit where the perfect song to calm you down is playing. No one can really design your life to be filled
with these things except for you. And, to be honest, that kind of sucks as it
takes a lot of work and intention to pull off, but it’s really important to do. I don’t want to sound as if vibe checks
in video games have fully taught me how to live in the moment because they haven’t,
but they have helped me realize that if I don’t try to, no one else will do it for
me. So, I have to find those moments; I have to
be thoughtful with how I engage with the world. I have to dictate the pacing of my own life
because no designer is going to do it for me. I’m learning to check the vibe. And now for the awkward task of transitioning
from a mild existential crisis to this video’s sponsor Dr. Squatch. One of the few places that I do find myself
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this video. For all of you still watching. Hey. I wanna give a shoutout to all my patrons
for giving their generous support and a special callout to The Meaning of Nerd for being an
honorary Bagbuten. With that, I hope you have a great day and/or
night, and I will see you in the next one.
I love Razbuten. He passes every vibe check for me.