We’ve all experienced the thrill of massive open-world games. From blazing guns and slaying monsters to racing custom cars and facing formidable challenges, we’ve jumped from mission to mission, objective to objective, and checkpoint to checkpoint, inching ever closer to the main goal. It’s exhilarating, engaging, and addictive.

But sometimes, just for a brief moment, we pause. We stop clicking our keyboards and simply do…nothing. We rest beside a campfire or a drink our sorrows down in a tavern, and in that quiet moment, it dawns on us: is this what it feels like to truly belong in the game, rather than just playing it as an…outsider. Yes, we play as characters & dive into their journey but sitting in front of a monitor or TV somehow always keeps us conscious that we’re only experiencing the highlights of it. A person’s life doesn’t really jump from event to event, does it? There are gaps. Spaces between life-changing events when they simply…exist? Spend a normal day, maybe even…explore? Not purposefully as in to find a hidden object or seek ancient ruins to gain magical weapons, but…to live. To spend the time, maybe just to talk to the NPC shopkeeper for once instead of buying health potions or ammo? There is an open world for that. We’ve all run through it on horses, bikes, spaceships with a gun or sword in our hands. Maybe for once we could sit beside a creek and watch the sun set? There are beautiful experiences waiting in plain sight if we just stop…and look at it. Maybe introspect as our protagonist for once, in our own way. Maybe for once, belong in the world that was designed to make us feel…home.

A few games with such immersive but idle worlds. Dive in, stow your horse or park you spaceship & just look up to watch the stars. Maybe heat yourself a cup of coffee.

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