Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I’m not a huge fan of the recent trend of guns and firing in mainstream video games. Besides the janky awkwardness of polygons, there’s something off-putting to me about my character engaging in deadly combat. Am I supposed to be pretending that it’s me as I watch the action happening? When I play a game (esp. an RPG) I can get really immersed in the experience and feel like the mouse/controller is an extension of my hand, shooting fireballs and whatnot. So is it also supposed to be an extension of my weapon when my character starts killing? Am I supposed to be fully engaged for maximum immersion?
In movies, it’s different because when a character in a movie engages in deadly combat, the audience understands that they’re watching someone else do it. I’ve never seen a movie where I’m supposed to pretend like I’m the main character and I’m the one doing the killing. (Hardcore Henry notwithstanding)
I have nothing against action-packed games or games with mature content as their own thing, but encountering it in a regular game always throws me out of the immersion. Coming from a mainstream studio, it also just feels like a desperate attempt to appeal to a certain audience more than anything else, even if it’s nothing more than a short murder.