We've become used to the idea of the quick-save, the frequent save point, the idea that we can do everything perfectly, eventually. There is a good outcome, an expected way to win, things we can practice and refine to make sure we get every experience point and leave no man behind. If we don't do something perfectly, we reload, practice, and continue to try until we get what we want.

For the past few weeks I've been saying no to the quick-save, and I've never been happier with my gaming. Finally, decisions mean something and my actions have weight. They say life doesn't have a reset button, but the truth is gaming doesn't always have to have one either.

The future is not written

My quest first began when I played Heavy Rain, a game that can end before the story's conclusion if you fail to keep the characters alive. Everyone in the game can die, and the game soldiers on. Some of the game's most dramatic moments have multiple possible outcomes, and some are better than others. I had spoken to some of the people behind the game at E3 and asked about quick-saves and whether players can simply try each sequence until they get the outcome they want. Yes, that was possible, but it was hoped players wouldn't choose to play in that way.

So I didn't. If someone died, they died. If I barely escaped with my life, so be it. If doing the right thing meant I had less information to go on, I did the right thing. I tried to explore what I thought the characters would do, and even when it worked against me I continued to play without changing my decisions.

The result? The game felt tense and interesting, and by denying myself the possibility of a mulligan I thought long and hard about my decisions—except in the situations when time was at a premium, and then I was forced to go with what my gut said. The game opened up in a new way, and I never looked back. What other games would benefit from this style of play?

Being a vampire, saving the people

The second game I played was Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines. I created my character, set up my skill points, and pretended I was playing the pen-and-paper game. I role-played the dialog trees not based on what I felt was best for experience points or outcome, but what I thought my character would do. When I did something wrong and lost humanity or fed a little too long I didn't go back to a previous save... I lived with my mistakes.

And once again, the game felt larger, and things became almost scary. Going back and trying something again knowing what's coming next is something of a safety net, and taking it away from yourself makes you approach the entire game in a different way. Some things swung my way, and others didn't, but it all felt like my story, not a collection of my best in-game performances.

I'm playing Dead Rising 2 the same way. In one circumstance I was leading a group of three survivors back to the safe house, and we were attacked by a group of looters. The survivors scattered, although some fought back, and it was hard to swing my weapon without hitting someone I was trying to save. It was madness for a few minutes, and after it was all over two of the survivors lay dead on the floor. It was a serious hit on my experience points when I only brought one back alive, but I chalked it up to the chaotic nature of the game. It's a zombie apocalypse. You're not supposed to feel safe, and some people are going to die.

So now I use more space in my inventory for healing items. I make sure to arm my crew better, and I get nervous moving them through certain areas of Fortune City. If they die, they're dead. I'm not going to bring them back to life by going back to an older save. The added tension to the game is worth it.

Some games work better with this approach than others, and it's not something to be done every time you play. Still, give it a shot with the next game you play that has you make actual decisions, and you may be surprised by how it changes your thoughts on the game. When your actions have weight, and you can't go back in time to fix bad decisions, suddenly you're invested heavily in what happens minute by minute.

Give it a shot!