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There are many ways to spend your free time pleasantly and profitably. One of these ways can be called video games. They can not only tell an interesting story and make you think about something, but also help to develop such useful qualities as attention, speed of thinking, and responsibility for the decisions you make.
But why do some games become so popular that their universe lives on for decades, while others leave the gaming platforms without ever seeing the world?
Popularity by Advertising Campaigns
There isn’t a gamer who hasn’t heard of hits like The Witcher or The Elder Scrolls series. But why were these games able to win so many fans? Maybe the secret is that they were published by large and successful companies?
The Witcher
The name of the company publisher has nothing to do with it. So, the first game of the trilogy The Witcher was created by the then little-known studio CD Project RED as a test case. No one expected it a great success. For the creators, it was a pleasant surprise that this world was able to attract so much attention.
Surveys among players showed that the most interesting feature they paid attention to in the first place was the right to choose and the influence of this choice on the further plot. This allowed the player to become even more immersed in the world and feel involved in the events on the screen.
In the second part of the trilogy, the creators went even further, creating two separate story branches. By choosing at the beginning, you affect the entire course of the game: from the NPCs, you meet to the quests you have to do. It was a very risky step because some of the players could not see even half of all the work done. But by taking such a risk, the studio ensured a resounding success and successfully released the third part.
The Elder Scrolls
Those who have started their gaming journey with a game from this series will tell you exactly what their special feature is. Certainly, it is a huge open world. Coming out in 1996, the second part of the series set a record that no one has yet surpassed. The map on which the events take place is so huge that it is impossible to bypass it on foot by accident. On YouTube, you can find a series of clips from How Big is the Map, dedicated to exploring this map. It took the gamer more than 60 hours to get around the map on foot. Even the publishers themselves don’t know the exact size of their brainchild, but comparisons and calculations give an area of about 161,600 square kilometers.
Subsequent games in the series were significantly smaller in size. But in return, they became more fulfilling. So you can’t just walk from town to town. You’re bound to stumble upon an interesting event.
Conclusion
The success of a game does not depend on the name of the publisher or the advertising campaign. These games have to surprise you with new mechanics or many quests. If the game shows something new that will be remembered by players, it will be doomed to popularity.
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