It is widely accepted that most stories – be that video games, TV series, books, etc. – have to come to an end. Writers run out of ideas, plots can not last indefinitely and even the most creative teams at some point decide to stop and end the story. This especially holds true for many video games that have the usual definitive ending to their story. Yet this is not true for every game. With the potential of randomized elements, dialogue options, or open-ended gameplay, various games can be played as long as desired without any real ending.
Minecraft
The most famous open-world sandbox game of all time, Minecraft is created in such a way that the game never ends. Of course, there is The End – a lengthy challenge, demanding many resources, exploration and including a daunting Ender Dragon boss fight. Yet the successful battle does not the end game – it is only a big, but not a final milestone in the player’s progression.
The game’s design emphasizes the freedom of the player, allowing everyone to choose their way of interacting with the world. Building homes and farms, going on world exploration journeys, joining to play with friends, or, simply, putting the game away and returning after a few months. As it is said, the journey, not the destination, is the reward.
image via minecraft.net
Animal Crossing
Highly successful and famous for its relaxed and welcoming gameplay, Animal Crossing has only one real objective when playing – to pay off the mortgage. After that, the player is left to choose what to do themselves. The game has almost endless content to entertain the player – be that socializing with the villagers, harvesting, or trying out various house designs.
Of course, finishing Animal Crossing could be considered paying off the mortgage, designing a house, and donating asked items to the museum – you can surely stop there. But as long as you want to relax in the light-hearted world of Animal Crossing, there always be something to do – it is a game not about progression, but rather about having an enjoyable time for yourself.
image via nintendo.com
The Sims
Probably the most famous life sims ever are The Sims series introduced back in 2000. Giving the player control of a family or group of people, the game revolves around the player interacting with their semi-autonomous game avatars. While the game provides some guidance, there are no exact objectives or milestones for the player.
Instead of progressing through levels and objectives, players make their own fun by managing their Sims’ lives. Helping to prosper, live fulfilling lives, or do the opposite – luring them into terrible and, sometimes, even deadly situations. The game never ends thanks to generations of Sims, as both birth and death are present in the game.
image via store.steampowered.com
Grand Theft Auto Online
While the story mode of the Grand Theft Auto game series has a definite end, leaving the player to roam the open world freely, GTA Online certainly lacks it. The game consists of dozens of different activities that are not directly connected – races, heists, deathmatches, missions – all providing some income to the player.
On top of various so-called ‘Jobs’, players can easily spend hours managing their (illegal) businesses – biker clubs, weapon manufacturing, nightclubs, and others. GTA Online does not have any definite end, as the only goal is to become the criminal lord – and have an enjoyable time in the process.
image via store.steampowered.com
Tetris
Created in 1984, Tetris is one of the best-selling of all time and has a huge fanbase. What makes the game so addictive is the total lack of an ending point. The game continues indefinitely until the player fills up the whole screen with blocks.
Racking up points line by line and trying to beat the previous high score is the main objective of Tetris, which made the game so addicting. Players loved competing with each other, trying to beat new scores until inevitably making a wrong move and failing. The game also has various releases, including Tetris 99 – a battle royale genre take on Tetris.
image via store.steampowered.com
Stay Tuned to All The Latest News on Gaming
Interested in learning more? Follow Breach for the latest industry news & don’t forget to Sign up! And be one of the first ones to join Breach MVP, which is rolling out soon!
