I’ve noticed that when I play open world games I can have wildly different emotional reactions to exploration. Like, a new quest hub opens up and sometimes I go “Oh nice, there’s so much to do” and sometimes I go “oh no, there’s so much to do”. Why does this happen and what design choices make the difference?
Ask a Game Dev
AUGUST 31, 2023
In cognitive psychology, there’s this concept called “Cognitive Load”. You already have all of these things you’re thinking about already - this quest for this NPC, that collection for the thing you wanted to craft, how to defeat these particular monsters, etc. Beyond that maximum, you start forgetting things and need to be reminded.
52 
Let's personalize your content