Upgrade addiction: how RPG elements can turn games into work

When you look at it with a wide lens, the transformation in games over the past decade has been pretty incredible. Ten years ago, practically none of the most popular games we played had RPG-style upgrade systems (except, of course, for the RPGs). 2003’s top shooter, for example, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun didn’t feature any sort of upgrade system or rank progression. But now virtually every game on the market has upgrades built-in; this year’s top FPS contenders (in terms of sales) Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts, for example, both feature extremely robust RPG-style upgrade/progression systems.

There’s a good reason for this, of course: when these systems are implemented well, they make games better. A good upgrade system can make gaming more fulfilling by giving you more clear goals, and tangible rewards once you reach those goals. The reason that modern shooters have virtually all aped Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s ranked upgrade system, for example is that it worked. It was extremely satisfying to collect enough XP in multiplayer to move up to the next rank and see what new weapons and equipment you had unlocked. Upgrade systems like that can add depth and a progression that’s especially valuable in multiplayer games, where things can quickly get stale if you’re playing on the same maps over and over with no greater goal to work towards.

The other thing about upgrade systems that makes them work, though, is that they’re a little bit addictive. Even when you’re playing a game that isn’t all that fun in and of itself, there is always that part of your brain that wants to keep going just to hit that next level or unlock that next weapon or spell. It’s just natural curiosity, really: if you’re at level 5 and you know you get something new after every level, of course you’re going to be curious about what happens when you hit level 6 and how that new item might change the way you experience the game. That’s something that game developers are acutely aware of. Unfortunately, I increasingly feel like these systems are being plugged into every game in an attempt to cover for gameplay issues that would otherwise drive players away.

The problem with that from a gaming point of view is that you end up spending more and more time in games that you don’t actually like all that much, just chasing that next level. I can’t count the number of times over the past couple of years I have suddenly realized midway through a playthrough of a game that I’m not actually having any fun at all. The story doesn’t appeal to me, the core gameplay mechanic isn’t satisfying. I’m only still playing because I’m trying to hit that next level. That’s not gaming, it’s grinding.

Of course, as a gamer, when you find yourself in that situation, it’s mostly your own fault. Developers cannot force you to care about upgrading everything in their game. At the same time, though, they know the power that these systems can have, and accordingly it seems like many developers put a lot of time and effort into creating deep, robust, finely-tuned systems that keep you grinding away for as long as possible.

That’s fine when it’s a game that’s fundamentally enjoyable to begin with, but if the game’s core mechanics need work, shouldn’t developers be spending their time tweaking that rather than building in upgrades, leveling, and perks? I’ve played several games over the past few weeks that have extremely robust upgrading systems coupled with a gameplay mechanic that’s simple to the point of absurdity. Wouldn’t the game be better if the devs had spent more time working on the actual gameplay itself?

Another issue is that even when the gameplay mechanic is itself fun, an upgrade system can easily break it if the devs aren’t very careful about balance. Spacing upgrades wrong can easily make a game that would otherwise be fun too easy or too difficult. And in multiplayer games, poorly-balanced upgrade systems can make games frustrating for new players if all of the higher-level players have superior weapons and items. Balancing an upgrade system properly is certainly possible, and when it can be accomplished, it can turn a good game into a great one. But it’s also very difficult, and it has turned more than a few good games into bad ones, too.

(I realize that I’m being a little vague here, but I don’t want to name names because this post was inspired by a few games from Asia-based indie developers, and I don’t think it’d be productive or helpful to name and shame them here. If you’re a developer, you probably know your games well enough to know whether or not this applies to you, so I don’t see the need to drag anybody’s name through the mud.)