Do You Read All Of The Files & Such You Find In Games?

[Grunty]

I had a discussion with a friend awhile back regarding the reading of files, documents, and other such things you come across in games, and he said he never reads anything unless its required to i.e. such as needed puzzle information that me be on such a document. I asked him why and his argument was that if it was important to the story, they'd tell him without the need to read it and that he doesn't play games to read. I was honestly a bit baffled as he is someone who reads books quite often.

Personally, I read just about everything I come across. It adds an extra layer of information to the game that tends to really flesh out the world. He's right that it usually is never required, but I can't imagine having played through—as a few examples—either of The Last of Us games, the Metroid Prime trilogy, and most recently The Medium without having learned what I did about the world and/or the environment.

What's your stance on this era? Do you read most of what games have to offer or do you also tend to skip out on it?

 

[Nintendo]

If I like the game and its world, I try to read everything.

 

[Patitoloco]

If the story is interesting and the logs are somewhat personal, absolutely. I actively try to find them.

BUT, if it's just info dumps, like Skyrim books, lol no. I don't care of how this tech company made four models of their chips or some shit like that.

 

[Sabretooth]

I used to read everything religiously when I was younger. Now, I got no damn time, I only read if I'm really invested in a game's world.

Game's really got to earn my attention if it wants me to read all the stuff, like Dishonored and Pillars of Eternity being good examples.

 

[Duffking]

Depends on the game. Usually no as they aren't that interesting to me. I made an exception in Control though.

 

[404LinkNotFound]

Depends on the game. Usually no as they aren't that interesting to me. I made an exception in Control though.

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Id argue that the files in Control are more interestng than whats happenig in the story at some points

 

[Grunty]

Depends on the game. Usually no as they aren't that interesting to me. I made an exception in Control though.

Click to shrink...

I'm actually playing Control at this very moment and was reading some files and it reminded me of that conversation. Literally paused the game to make this thread. And he played through Control last year and he most definitely did not read any of this stuff. I feel he really missed out.

 

[BigTime_2018]

If they're brief and there aren't that many, yes. Otherwise, no.

I'm still playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider after it was free on PS Plus this January, and as much as I like it, it goes way too overboard on the documents.

 

[Strings]

I'd say 90% of the time no, because they're unbearably bad filler material. I'll make an effort at the start, and probably keep it up for an hour or two, but there's only so much shit about x character in y location dying over z amount of time that I can take.

The entries have to be mercifully short (Resident Evil), actually good (books in Dragon Quest, files in Wolfenstein: The New Order (though I gave up on them in New Colossus after the quality took a noticeable nosedive in that and The Old Blood)), or kind of the whole point (Control).

Audiologs are the worst because they're files you can't even skim read.

 

[s y]

Even if I like the game, heeeeelllllllll no

 

[laxu]

Depends. I speed read through most of the stuff in Control because they were neat world building. Same deal with Souls games and item descriptions. While there's a lot of them on both, they are short enough individually to read.

I hated going through the audio logs in Prey as most were too long for their own good. I have read some of the stuff in Nioh 2, mainly the Yokai descriptions. I skipped all of the treasure descriptions etc in Tomb Raider reboot games because they were largely uninteresting.

Overall I dislike the whole "found documents or audio logs" mechanic. It's not a substitute for having in-world events and even having an NPC to talk to is better.

 

[Rosebud]

Of course, I love random lore.

 

[NekoNeko]

i usually read absolutely nothing in games.
skip every dialog etc..

 

[beelulzebub]

I've always been a story focused gamer, but typically the stuff buried in logs is lore, and that's a piece of the puzzle but a very ancillary one. If it's integral to the story, it'll make its way out of the log.

I don't skip them because "I just want to play," but because I'm not going to spend months on a subreddit/Era community OT focused on the game debating it for months or years. Lore is meant for those kinds of fans. I won't absorb it; I got other things to experience after this.

 

[ghostemoji]

If I like the games story/lore/world building, yes. If not, I'll skip it largely.

 

[cowbanana]

Depends on the game and how interesting and frequent the notes, logs etc. are. I generally dislike games that throw too many logs, book, notes etc. at you.

 

[Cubs017]

Usually not. I used to, but I find that a lot of the time they aren't particularly well-written and I just don't have the time. I'd rather just play.

 

[BassForever]

90% of the time I do, unless it turns into like hours of reading with minimal pay off. Like if I'm reading 20 pages about the 7 moons of some random planet I never go to who the fuck cares? If I'm learning about what happened to the people before that that caused bad things to happen, or getting important backstory/lore explained I'm all about it.

 

[I Like Ginger Cats:3]

When there isn't that much of it, sure, but I have to be interested.

Control as a game looks fun but the insane amount of things to read made me just stop it. I assume most of the story is in there but it was just way toooooo muuuuuuch

 

[Chibs]

I tend to read everything I find when I'm relatively early in the game, but as soon as I get a feel for the game's mechanics and the pacing, I just can't be bothered after a while.
Great example of this was Control, I enjoyed reading it early on, but it became such a chore and I just wanted to float and blast people...

 

[Deeke]

The files in Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Control, and Prey 2017 are all fantastic. Other games like Outlast 2 also have good notes.

 

[Maculo]

Maybe diagonally, but nothing more. I'm probably not going to remember any of it by the next play session, so why bother to be honest...

 

[Future Gazer]

If I'm immersed in the world, yeah, I end up reading pretty much everything. I can't relate to the people who skip reading the notes in The Last of Us. You're missing out on so much world building.

 

[badnewsbeers]

I'm not a masochist about it, but often the files add a great deal of context (Metroid). Skyrim I won't read the books. Too much.

 

[Rumenapp]

Remedy exaggerates with this on QB and again on Control, while i tried to read the documents in Control i soon got tired of it because not enough story progression was given in the game's story missions.

 

[oni-link]

If there was a sometimes/depends on the game option, I'd have picked that one

 

[Rocketz]

Nope. I want to be playing the game, not reading a book.

 

[Asklepios]

RPGs need to fix this. You are in the middle of sneaking around somewhere or have just killed a bad ass boss and find this quaint little lore book about a magic cat or something which you're expected to just forget about the adrenaline rush and just sit down and read? Hell no.

Skyrim had this audiobook mod which reads out these books which I found to be a good compromise. You can just continue walking and the hear it. Dishonored had this audio letter thing too. More games need this.

 

[mudai]

Depends on the game. If I get really invested I will read every little detail I can find. If not, I read what seems to be the most important stuff and just skim the rest or even completely ignore it.

 

[texhnolyze]

Yes, of course. Most of the time.

RPGs need to fix this. You are in the middle of sneaking around somewhere or have just killed a bad ass boss and find this quaint little lore book about a magic cat or something which you're expected to just forget about the adrenaline rush and just sit down and read? Hell no.

Skyrim had this audiobook mod which reads out these books which I found to be a good compromise. You can just continue walking and the hear it. Dishonored had this audio letter thing too. More games need this.

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Skyrim and Fallout actually does it right. You can simply pick up the book/note/holotape for reading later if you desire.

 

[softtack]

Depends on my mood.

 

[Svejk]

I tell myself I'm going to, but when I'm ready to wrap a game up, I'm ready to wrap a game up. Games are just too damn long nowadays.

 

[60fps]

Most games really overdo it, so absolutely not.

It's one of the bleakest, uninspired excuses for "environmental worldbuilding".

 

[pbayne]

Usally no i think they need to be presented in an organic way. Like in last of us 2 some of them were interesting but they were also immersion shattering as hell

 

[Kyrios]

Really depends if it's needed or not. Most of the time I'll just skim through, especially if it's a lot.

 

[toy_brain]

In Resident Evil / Silent Hill games, sure. Usually they provide hints for a puzzle or point you to where to go / what to do next.

Everything else, nahh, not really. Its usually completely dull filler that has no bearing on the main story that's presented in cut-scenes and dialogue.

I must have opened "A Less Rude Song" dozens of times at this point, still couldn't tell you a single line of it.

 

[Xater]

No. If something is important put it in the main narrative.

 

[Tavernade]

Usually but strangely I haven't at all for Hades, which I otherwise adore. I think the gameplay is so good it's hard to stop to read (and it also doesn't seem to directly bring you to whatever new bit of lore you unlocked either?).

 

[TransEuropaExpress]

Depends on the game but generally I skim over most of it in some fashion.

I just played Control, which might be the most absurdly text collectible heavy game I've ever played, and I eventually did read everything despite my initial annoyance because the lore turned out to be right up my alley and great.

 

[VonGreckler]

For the most part no.
Exceptions are in Resident Evil and Metroid Prime games.
Scan visor got used a whole lot in Metroid Prime

 

[drewfonse]

There should have been a "I read the first 5-6, realize they are adding nothing for me, but continue to pick up the remainder without reading them" option.

 

[The Praiseworthy]

I try to read them all because they enhance the lore of the story and the world.

 

[dead souls]

Hell no. Why waste my time?

 

[Valkerion]

Only if they are interesting. I like RE's files because they ad to the rooms/situation overall not to mention hints. A lot of other games I find over do them in an attempt to go off they way RE kinda perfected. RE's are not too long and tend to be concise. Newer games sometimes have entire college essays in simple files to explain stuff and I just can't be interested in that.

 

[CortexVortex]

Depends on the game. Read about everything in TLOU2 but couldn't be bothered at all in Control for example.

 

[Forgotten in Space]

I'm actually playing Control at this very moment and was reading some files and it reminded me of that conversation. Literally paused the game to make this thread. And he played through Control last year and he most definitely did not read any of this stuff. I feel he really missed out.

Click to shrink...

I can only imagine what Control must be like for someone who doesn't bother to read/watch/listen to all the collectables. It must be an entirely different experience. Half a game.

 

[Dlanor A. Knox]

Depends on the game, and if it's important. In the Trails games for example, I'll read the newspapers because they add to the world building and there aren't many of them.

But in games like the witcher 3 or Skyrim where you find shit to read every 2 minutes, I don't.

 

[Pedrito]

I try to, but I'm currently playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution and I think I was spending more time reading emails than actually playing the game. So now, I just skim through them.

 

[NotLiquid]

If the world is absorbing enough and if it's well written, then absolutely.

Reading all the lore in Metroid Prime was basically half of the experience as far as I'm concerned. That being said, it stands out as one of the few times I actually do find the world interesting enough to read more about it.

 

[Discontent]

Varies greatly from game to game. Something like Deus Ex or Dishonored, absolutely. Even the Witcher 3 books were nice to read. If it's an FPS game like Wolfenstein, no thanks. I just wanna shoot stuff.