Open-ended (gameplay)
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In computer and video games, the term open-ended refers to a game that does not have a specific, predefined ending, or set of endings. The terms non-linear and freeform are also used to refer to this type of game. Open-ended games should not be confused with sandbox games, where the specific flow of the game is not constrained, but the game may still end once a predetermined objective is achieved.
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[edit] Conventions
Open-ended games generally follow several recurring conventions and styles. They include:
- Goals in open-ended games are rarely static or predetermined. Often in story-driven Computer role-playing games (CRPGs), both essential and non-essential preset objectives are presented to the player as optional. Example: The Elder Scrolls series by Bethesda Softworks is known for its many non-essential objectives.
- Open-ended games (particularly strategy games) allow players to achieve goals in a variety of ways, even allowing them to manipulate the virtual environment. This can take the form of traditional resource gathering in real-time strategy games, to (more recently) abilities in CRPGs that allow players to shift 3D terrain and objects. Example: The Age of Empires series by Ensemble Studios.
[edit] Early open-ended games
Before the 32/64-bit era of computer and video games true open-ended games were rare due to the physical limitations of late 20th century technology. However, in the late 1990s open-ended CRPGs and strategy games began to become fiercely popular amongst the gaming community because of the sense of freedom and hours of replayability they often awarded the player.
These earlier open-ended games allowed players to make limited decisions on how they played the game, but were still restrictive in certain aspects. Many were confined to particular storylines or suffered from lingering sequencing (where a player is forced to complete a task in order to continue anything else in the game) by the developers. As was mentioned previously, this was mostly due to the amount of memory true open-ended games required, and the technological limitations of the time.
[edit] Contemporary open-ended games
Today, more and more genres are integrating the open-ended style of gameplay. Because of the increase in memory capacity on many storage mediums (CDs, DVDs), developers are opening many new avenues in open-ended gaming, in some cases removing all instances of linearity. Some contemporary and future open-ended games include:
- SimCity 4 (2003, Maxis)
- Age of Empires III (2005, Ensemble Studios)
- Civilization IV (2005, Firaxis Games)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006, Bethesda Softworks)
- Electroplankton (2005, Nintendo)
- Spore (2007 TBA, Maxis)
- Deus Ex (2000-2005, Ion storm inc)
