Very cool article. I haven't heard a new viewpoint like this in awhile. I suppose that was why ZombieU was popular. Once your character died, they were gone forever. I wish Skyrim was more realistic as well. Even though it was fun to be godlike in those aspects you mentioned, I found it strange that you could swim in the arctic ocean as well. heh

hey thanks, glad you liked it.  I've been thinking about this article for a while. I mean, I wouldn't want them to change the Elder Scrolls necessarily, because people like them how they are mostly, but it would be nice to have the option for greater realism. 

Great article, Matt. I'm also intrigued by what the future will bring in terms of simulation/more immersive gaming experiences. I think only now is it really being conceptualized, as opposed to before, where features like degrading weapons for example followed a more regimented "use it 3 times and it breaks" system that really didn't make sense. When certain games strive for such realism graphically, the fact that the player (and enemies) can take several shotgun blasts to the face seems a bit ridiculous. I personally cannot wait to dig into a retail copy of DayZ, and I'm hoping they smooth out the mechanics for the zombies and preferably make them slow shamblers (I'm a purist, what can I say?)

Personally, I truly enjoy a nuanced world not entirely like our own. I would be far more interested to explore the nooks and crannies of an alive and breathing Witcher moreso than say, Grand Theft Auto, but that is just my opinion. I shared your interest in a more environmentally-immersive Skyrim experience, and lo-and-behold, there is a great Skyrim Mod called 'Frostfall' where you suffer from the cold, frigid waters will kill, you must set up camp and rest etc. Here is a video to check it out!

hey, thanks, Justin!  Glad you liked it.  Yeah, I'm always looking for more realistic, immersive experiences, and often I'm disappointed.  But I truly think that as time goes by it will be more common.  And you're right: taking several shotgun blasts to the face is a little hard to believe! 

I think I've heard of that Skyrim mod.  I figured there would be mods for this kind of stuff, but since I can't get them to run on my PC, I didn't really research them.  But there's a Skyrim mod for everything, I guess.

Glad you enjoyed the article!

I never really given these things much thought. Can't say I've ever played a game with such detailed attempts at immersion nor have I wanted to, though I can see the appeal. The constant fear of death in DayZ sounds reminiscent of my short time with Demon's Souls, though, and that has me intrigued because I can't say I've ever had a similar experience to Demon's Souls.

I'm sure someone will some day make a game with a truly living city. It will also probably take a thousand-person team ten years to make and cost a billion dollars 

Anyway, good article. You have a good "voice" for this sort of writing. Keep it up!

thanks, man, I'm glad u liked it. 

I was really impressed with DayZ, obviously.  There was a realism yet an immediacy that I hadn't seen elsewhere. 

And yeah, someday there will be a truly living virtual city.  What a sight that will be.