Anyone familiar with game design talk knows about the concept of the "Flow State", wherein the player is so absorbed into the game that they cease to think about anything outside of embodying their character. It's the goal of many AAA game designers to induce the flow state, to remove any interruptions or concepts of pacing that might make a player remember they have limbs or need to eat food.
I would like to posit that there is a superior state beyond the Flow State; when a game streamlines its mechanics so thoroughly that even conscious thought is no longer required, the player enters a dreamlike state wherein nothing has meaning anymore. Plot, words, mechanics - all of these are irrelevant, as they have been streamlined such that the player only needs to hit the confirm button in response to any prompt and then go back to hitting things. The player does not need distractions. They are meditating. Only pressing the button on the skinner box matters. They attack. They press confirm to skip dialogue. They press confirm to equip items. They run forward. They attack. Where are they in a quest, what is the plot? All of this is irrelevant. The audio logs play and slide off of their brain like water. This is a game about running forward and pressing the button. The player has ascended beyond the need for anything else.
I have decided to christen this the "Decompositive State" for its success in inducing a deathlike fugue that I think we can all agree is the next great innovation in game development. Look forward to my TED ta
video games as hypnotic induction
