With the recent release of the highly anticipated Crimson Desert the response has been mixed to say the least. From unresponsive/confusing controls to a storyline which seems to have been put on the back burner in terms of importance, the game has seemingly failed to live up to its expectations. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of positives as well when it comes to Crimson Desert. The undeniable beauty of the game's environment was a big plus for most players however that aspect was less than stellar when it comes to running the game on a base PS5. What's even worse is the game has been reported to not even run at all on certain consoles (mainly handheld) such as the ASUS ROG. With all the bugs aside I do feel like the creators of Crimson Desert have put out an extremely ambitious title that appears to require a good portion of time in order to full grasp the mechanics of the game and world. If you've ever dabbled in video game creation then you might be aware of how difficult it can actually be. One of the major difficulties when creating a game is the ability to fix bugs when they appear without creating more bugs or breaking the game entirely. When a game of this size comes out I am always left to wonder if this is partly due to the company's inability to fully test a game of this size properly. When you however release a game in its current state, and then you have 2 million people buy said game, well, you now have 2 million testers who you didn't need to pay! They actually paid you! Its quite genius, actually. With the current state of the world people are always looking for an escape. When COVID struck, it drove people further into video games due to everyone being forced to stay home. This trend however didn't fully go back to pre COVID behavior. People grew accustomed to being in a virtual world more than the real world. Those virtual worlds were also getting bigger. So big in fact that other current massive open world games have been delayed so many times people are starting to question whether the game will even ever be released! *Gestures vaguely towards Rockstar Games
When it comes to video games, there are those who spend almost every waking moment inside their unique worlds. Then, there are those who are only able to enter those worlds a handful of times. When life's actual responsibilities take center stage, many gamers either take a back seat when it comes to gaming or leave them entirely. I, for one, fall into the second category as a father of three young boys. When there aren't enough hours in the day to fully immerse your self into a world like Crimson Desert, the desire to even peek inside can become overwhelming. Of course, I WANT to play however would I even have fun? Would I be able to dedicate the time and brain power to fully grasp this insanely huge map? For me, the answer is a resounding no. I do not have the desire or the brain power to immerse myself into something of this magnitude. There are other however who have opted for a lifetime of simply existing while enjoying a fully virtual environment. That's ok! There's nothing wrong with going against the societal norms that have been seen as the ultimate goal in life. That goal being, get a good job, start a family and retire. Does that always lead to happiness? 2/3 times unfortunately it doesn't. With divorce rates at an all-time and the job market constantly having an identity crisis. The standard "American Dream" appears to be more of a Dystopian Nightmare.
To cap it off, in this day in age I think the best approach to life is to be able to spend what little free time we all have to actually enjoy our time. If diving head first into a massive giant open world video game is your idea of a good time then have at it! Part of the journey of life is to experience new things and those new things are not always going to be perfect. Good things also take time and patience to solidify. Its true while Crimson Desert might be too big for some players to chew or even swallow, for others it's an escape into a reality that might actually be less stressful (bugs and all) then their real life. So to each his own and if you're enjoying something others don't seem to be. Relish in it. There aren't many hours in the day so try and make the best of it.