10 Signs Sh** Is About To Go Down In Video Games




Throughout the years, video game directors have manipulated and conditioned our emotions and responses into recognizing signs that something is about to change. Usually this change comes in the form of a PRETTY BIG BOSS FIGHT. We as the audience know what follows after any video game exhibits one of the following signs:

1. Change in Music 

As in films, effective use (or lack thereof) of music in a situation has proven the to be the difference between a climactic emotional moment full of splendor or a cinematic scene full of suspense and apprehension. When the only thing you can hear are the sounds of your character's foot steps and the music playing in the background, you pretty much know you're either going to die or some crazy sh** is about to happen. Let's be honest, the moments where we take our time to enjoy the scenery, the music, and environment in general are the times we are most vulnerable to some kind of emotional rollercoaster AND DEVELOPERS KNOW THAT! 

2. Hitting a check/save point:

You've just finished mowing down a massive horde enemies and you finally have a second to breathe. You desperately search your surrounding for a place to save your progress because you know deep down in your heart that if you need to do this over, you're either going to break your controller, have an emotional break down, or someone is going to die. You search and search until finally you see the holy grail. A place where nothing else matters...a save point. Once you reach this point, you can die over and over again knowing that no matter what happens, you'll end up there again BUT there's sort of an ominous feel to the save point. Some of the thoughts going through your head could be: "Why are they letting me save here? Should I be preparing for something" or "OH MY FU***** GOSH, IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" 

3. Autosave

"Why did everything just autosave?" *heavy and slow breaths* We've all been playing a game when we notice the tiny little logo appear in the bottom right corner of screen only to realize that the game was either loading a massive boss fight or just telling us that "it's okay, we have your back covered." I can't really begin to explain the amount of baby heart attacks or heart drops I've experienced because of this little logo. 

4. No enemies around 

"Hello? Is any there?" *water droplets in the background* *panic ensues* You've just spent the last 20 minutes fighting off dudes with giant axes or flesh-eating-mob-mentality zombies while trying out your new weapons or abilities. All of a sudden, it's quiet. The action has stopped and you find yourself running around in circles because you must've missed something. Now one of the following needs to occur: You need to solve a puzzles in order to progress to the next area, an action needs to be completed in order for a cinematic to play, or you've probably missed a singular enemy whose been bashing his head into the side of a building for the past hour. Regardless, whatever comes next probably won't be the best thing to happen to you. The good news is...you've had numerous opportunities to reload. 

5. Long cutscene 

Some of out favorite games have long cutscenes such as Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, or even more recently, Batman: Arkham Knight. Long cutscenes are usually an indicator of a major plot point or some kind of extension of the narrative. They can be engaging and exciting or extremely dull and boring but regardless, the progression usually leads to one of the following: A major boss fight after his/her monologue, the introduction of a new character, or the death of an old one. I mean this is just a massive generalization but you can be sure that something mind-blowing is going to happen after a long cutscene. 

6. Loading screen

We have all complained about loading times. Especially since we've become a generation of gamers where the slightest amount of wait time means "something is wrong with the game" or it just isn't any good but these loading times mean something though... Something big. Whether it be a little lag with the flashing logo in the bottom right corner or an actual loading screen, you can bet your butt that the game just loaded up something crazy for you. Either new enemies have spawned, a boss fight is about to take place, or my xbox one is probably kicking the bucket. Regardless of the case, we become more cautious after a random load screen. Checking corners, taking potions, and making sure we have enough ammo for what lies in the unknown. *heart beat slows* 

7. Your surroundings just keep getting darker and darker 

Everything dangerous in the world comes out of the dark. This is common knowledge. The fear of the unknown plays into our biggest anxieties as gamers and humans period. The fact that we don't know what we need to prepare for or how to assess the situation makes us...uneasy...because...we...simply...don't know what lies in the...darkness. *eyes widen* 

8. Large amounts of health/energy potions

There aren't too many games out there that willing throw you into the blaze without preparing you first. Usually the developers take their time to place health/mana potions around an area or some kind of ammo/supplies because you are obviously going to experience something that's going to require you to have those supplies or potions.

9. Big ass scary door 
Dungeons are usually a big part of any RPG. Sometimes they're even necessary to progress through the story. A perfect example of when you would know something is about to go down because of a big door is pretty much ANY Zelda game EVER. Don't even get me started on the Water Temple. After hours of fighting meaningless enemies and solving awesome puzzles, you finally acquire the key that opens the portal to the next realm! *Evil laugh* No but really, this is probably one of the most obvious signs of impending doom. There really couldn't be something more straight forward unless it's something like the next sign. 


10. It pretty much tells you sh** is about to go down

We've all been in the position where we've tried to make this death defying jump that would take you straight to the end game. Super Mario 64 places the Bowser painting in plain view for your entire playthrough just to have it taunt you as you fail miserably. Super Mario 64 does well by letting you know that this is your end goal. The levels are meant to prepare you for one of the most epic battles in video game history so there's never really a surprise when you finally get enough stars to proceed to the end. 

Overall, it's truly a combination of all these that makes for engrossing and apprehensive moments that we're sure to remember for the rest of our gaming careers. As gamers, we've learned to pay attention to the little things in life. 





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4 comments:

  1. While reading your article I felt like playing a video game and scrolling down to reading every point felt like sh** is about to go down. It was such a lovely article. I really enjoyed reading it. It is so true.

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A group of passionate gamers who are tired of seeing entertainment being marred by big companies and corporations. We're here to give the perspective of average gamers like yourselves and give you worthy content! With a team of passionate and talented writers, Undiscovered Gaming is striving to become one of your favorite places for your gaming content. Thank you for the support!

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