Skipping Combat - Why All the Controversy??

So, I saw this article on Rock Paper Shotgun the other day about skipping combat in games, and I thought hey what a great idea. Little did I know that there is actually a whole Internet controversy surrounding the whole issue. I guess I was too busy running the WSGF, working my day job, dealing with my family, and spending what little free time I had playing games.

Turns out a whole bunch of people don't like the idea of skipping combat in games. To that I say play games like you want to play him and I'll play games like I want to play them. See here's the thing, twenty-five years ago - when I was twelve - I had all the time in the world to struggle through games, and figure out each puzzle, and master each boss level.

Today the reality is that I don't have much free time and unfortunately most games are designed for my way of life. Games are designed for your average 18-25 year old, (or younger) who has plenty of time to dedicate to the game. At one point I was this person too. Once upon a time, I completed all manner of King's Quests, lived all manner of Bard's Tales and roamed the Proving Grounds of Mad Overlord Werdna (Wizardry).

But at this point my life (pushing almost forty), if I want to experience a game's world, art and story, shouldn't I be able to do that on my own terms? If my choice is to buy more games, and spend less time with each of them by focusing on the story (and not the combat) isn't that my choice? Shouldn't I be able to spend my disposable income in the manner that I choose, and enjoy the games I purchase in the way that I want?

If I can play the game how I choose, and buy more games from more developers isn't that better for the industry? Isn't that better for my happiness in my enjoyment of my gaming hobby? And have and I earned that right to make that choice?

Is the choice of how I play doesn't diminish the choice of how you play. And this is a great way that achievements in trophies can be valuable. I can purchase a game, and experience the world in the story that the developers have created in my own way. But if I choose to skip the combat then I won't receive the achievements or trophies that you do. Someone can easily see that we both played the same game, but played it differently. You received more awards, points, trophies or kudos for playing it "completely" or "fully".

In closing I give you this scenario... I started "The Witcher" and put about 25 hours into it, using no hint books or walk throughs. I played the game, engrossed in its story and combat, due to my afinity for the source material. And then because of issues from loading beta drivers for the AMD 7000-series, I ended up reloading Windows 7.

I remembered to back up and copy a bunch of things, but I forgot that The Witcher saved games were in the My Documents folder. So I my Windows reinstall ended up overwriting 25 hours worth of game progress. By this point I knew the ins and outs of the games and its underlying systems. I was able to go through and create a better version of Geralt, having learned from my original mistakes.

So, I spent another 12-15 hours blazing through the prologue and first two chapters game. I was able to run roughshod over all the story, dialogue, and choices, as I had seen them before. So why couldn't I do the same with the combat? In every encounter that I had, my new version of their simply cleaned house.

Couldn't I have taken the option to allow the program to "run percentages" between my hero and the monsters to see how much damage I took in winning the encounter? If the percentages ended up with any sort of "real" negative outcome for my character, then the game could then force me to play out that one encounter and use whatever strategies I had as a player (tactics, spells, potions, etc.) to see the combat through to its conclusion.

To me this is the best of all worlds. Let me skip the story I want to skip, and let me skip the combat I want to skip, unless it's consequential - then force to me make choices...

In the meantime, "Get off my (virtual) lawn". I'm an old crotchety gamer, and I don't need no young whipper snappers telling me how to game. I've been doing it for almost twenty-five years.