To say that a game is an “open world” game can mean a good many things. An open world game could be something like GTA IV or Saints Row II, but it could just as easily be Fable II or Fallout III, or even Burnout Paradise. Even more specific than that, many gamers have a clearly defined notion of what “open world” means when it comes to today’s games. That’s just as well, because video game designers are constantly redefining what it means to be an open world game. With each new release, update in technology or evolution in design aesthetics, what we call open world changes.
It seems like there are two ways of saying “open world” that are taking hold right now. The first, which we’ll call the sandbox approach, was really popularized by Grand Theft Auto III. In such games, a story and loose narrative structure are draped over a sprawling world (or city) of possibilities. When not following the main narrative, you can find and activate any of a large number of quests, challenges, activities and distractions. These activities are to a degree woven into the fabric of the gameworld. Most games attempt to hide the ludicrous, incremental progression of these tasks behind flimsy plot devices, but we are all in on the lie: we’re here to be distracted, to collect, and to while away our time.
A game like GTA IV takes itself and its fiction very seriously. It spends a lot of time, effort, and gameplay resources convincing you that the world you are traveling through is the same world that the story and cutscenes take place in. It may not be a game that allows you to own or control property to the degree seen in Burnout Paradise or Saints Row II, but it wants its world to be cohesive, not divided.
Fable 2 takes the same tack as Grand Theft Auto IV, when looked at in this light. As a narrative and as a story, Fable II works very hard to immerse youin the epic journey of your hero, using a dog, quirky companions to create a sense of attachment, and providing you with the ability to enact lasting changes on towns, cities and bandit camps. This is a game that wants you to enjoy what you’re doing, but it’s slightly more invested in how what you’re doing fits into the fiction as a whole.
While GTA IV’s game systems almost serve its plot, Saints Row II and Burnout Paradise live for their game mechanics. Sure, these worlds are fun to look at and explore, but any exploration and discovery that the player enjoys merely drives them to these games’ raison d’être: fun systems to play with. No one would argue that Paradise City is boring, or uninventive. It’s an interesting, spacious take on certain modern metropolises, and it’s pretty to boot. The same can be said for Saints Row 2: the sights and sounds of Stillwater may be inoffensive (although that could be debated), but the reason you’ll spend so much time gadding about this city is the different gameplay systems and distractions.
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