Games that require serious non game skills to play?

tempy_thinker.png

Games are often seen as tests of various skills, however most that everybody knows tend to test a fairly consistent set of them which most would be game players can learn and adapt to fairly quickly.
However they often shy away from asking people to use skills found in many but not necessarily anything like all. Here we want to know what you have either encountered in a game and came to a dead end with, or even sought out as a game as you have or wish to develop the skills in question.
Sometimes use of these skills are impractical to simulate in a game but other times they are eminently doable but few game developers would make such a thing, possibly for fear of limiting their audience.

Darlings of the first wave of PC CD games the 7th Guest and 11th Hour were often noted for wanting quite considerable maths, word and logic skills the likes of which have seldom been seen in games since then.
Should I wander around in a game and a game then asks me to play a 16 note sequence in something like real time from this piece of sheet music... that is going to involve me generating a key to do it and will take hours for something someone that can play and read sheet music might do first time in 15 seconds flat.
Rocksmith could see a mention in this sort of discussion but as its goal is clearly stated as being a music trainer it might not count.
Ever played a sniper game and not been taught what all those lines inside your scope mean or how to use them? Sometimes you might be taught about bullet drop/ranging, and wind or leading a moving target but rarely how to use mildots or other aim assisting aspects.
Fez was a fairly notable platformer for its rotational world mechanics but some of its secrets, easter eggs and bonuses were incredibly obtuse and saw people recreate QR codes, decipher very long form binary.
The hacking minigame/bonus game for enter the matrix was something of a recreation of DOS, as opposed to the usual simplified version of an old arcade classic or item consumer.

Are there any skills you would like to see explored more in games in the future? Fiction is replete with examples of clever detectives solving word puzzles on ancient tombs (something rather lacking in games despite such a scenario being far from unexplored in computer games), and likewise it is not short of fiction depicting computer games with clever puzzles for people to solve to unlock a secret job or government contract. ARGs and hackme contests are arguably this as well but might not quite be a game you are going to complete by yourself or with a few mates.

This is part of a discussion series in which we discuss and ponder things about games, be it individual games, aspects of the game industry, gaming culture, mechanics or gaming concepts. Previously we discussed What technologies in 20 years will seem unfairly held back.

 

Silent_Gunner

Crazy Cool Cyclops
Banned
Joined
Feb 16, 2017
Messages
2,696
Trophies
0
Age
29
XP
4,727
Country
United States
It was pretty much just typing, but you had to be fast enough to not lose. Here's the level I never finished.

If I went back and played today, I'm sure I could finish it. I've gotten way better at speed typing than when I was 5-7[?] years old.

I'll have to look into Typing of the Dead, never even heard of it before today.


It's basically House of the Dead 2 on DC, but you have to type in a bunch of weird shit to kill the zombies. It used the official DC keyboard that I think was more or less meant for chatting online in stuff like PSO and the like, but the only reason I knew of it was that one of my older brothers had it and a bunch of other stuff for the DC at the time.

 

strayofthesun

Active Member
Newcomer
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
33
Trophies
1
XP
1,261
Country
United States
I'm sure plenty of people here first looked at the Braille alphabet trying to catch the Regi's in Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. Not exactly a skill but definitely something that most people playing a visual game were unfamiliar with.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maq47

TheCasualties

Just trying to be helpful
Member
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
440
Trophies
0
Location
The Bardo Islands
XP
494
Country
Netherlands


The characters all running around with keyboards strapped to their chest is hilarious (skip to 7:58). That game actually looks quite fun!

Baba is you is another great logic/puzzle game that might fit this discussion. The later levels can get crazy, I'm decent at logic puzzles but that game seriously takes it to a whole new level. There are so many secrets too!

You can become other things, even the entire level! But that's just a small percent of the crazy stuff. This should give a good idea what the game is like.


There is also a prototype version that is free on itch.io https://hempuli.itch.io/baba-is-you
 
  • Like
Reactions: safan41

Zense

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2008
Messages
1,977
Trophies
2
XP
4,280
Country
Italy
Waifu sims: they require serious social skills to master......

The Animal Crossing games.
Want to elaborate on what it thought you? Did you manage to pay your mortage by selling fruit?

I was gonna mention Fez as soon as I read the title. Not gonna spoil, but its one of the few games where I resorted to looking up the answer for those last secrets. And I also don't regret doing it which is very unusual... Parts of that games secrets are impossible unless you have the very specific required knowledge. Not a surprise when it's about cryptography and breaking codes and finding patterns.

I passed the entrance test to become an air traffic controller and I was very surprised how similar atc games are for parts of that test.

I feel edutainment games don't count as much since it's so obvious. Like Dr Kawashima, Brain Age. Then there are all the fitness games like Wii Fit etc. Rhythm games if you've played an instrument or good at dancing. Karaoke games for singers. Ofc none of these need you to have those skills but you get a big advantage. Most point n click games benefit from you knowing stuff, but they also have their sheer number of random puzzles. (Shoes on a ladder anyone?).

I remember a very specific side quest in Kotor where you were asked to solve an arithmetic problem. I guess math came in handy there but that happens very often in rpgs where you often just do addition or subtraction for equipment, selling, plus the more "advanced" if there are bonus stats and drop rates, hits, crits, res etc. It's obvious that if you play dnd a lot many systems in rpgs will be familiar. Not sure if that counts, since many board games have video game counterparts.
 
Last edited by Zense,
  • Like
Reactions: TheCasualties

Axido

Maker of TRASLApp
Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Messages
1,294
Trophies
2
Age
32
XP
4,232
Country
Germany
I tend to like playing games that require and train real life skills in order to learn or maintain said skills.

I learn playing guitar using Rocksmith (and yes, that's totally a game, since you could see it as Guitar Hero on steroids). I played Dance Central in order to learn a few dance moves. Beat Saber and that Kinect workout game Your Shape - Fitness Evolved keep me in shape. Playing plain Pokémon games with adjusted language settings actually tought me a good amount of Spanish. And I guess the majority of my English came from games as well. The Professor Layton series of games even had a few puzzles that I've come across again now that I study computer science. Shenzhen I/O has already been mentioned. Hacknet, Human Ressource Machine and Seven Billion Humans are other examples I played.

And just out of fun I'd like to throw a mention of Custom Maid 3D and its Ju-C Air controller into the mix (and even though I considered getting this game, it never happened).
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheCasualties

raxadian

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2018
Messages
4,282
Trophies
1
Age
41
XP
4,450
Country
Argentina
Carmen San Diego, before the Internet it required either save scumming or knowledge of Geography.

The Math Blaster games required basic knowledge of math.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheCasualties

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    SUPPORT LOCAL PRODUCTS, MAKE REVOLUTION
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    THEY KEEP REMOVING LOCAL SHIt AND REPLACING WItH INFERIOR CHINESE CRAP
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    THATS WHY MY PARTNER CANT GET A GOOTWEAR HIS SIZE ANYMORE
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    HE HAS BIG FOOT AND BIG DUCK
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    d*ck i mean*
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    lol
  • Veho @ Veho:
    Mkay.
  • Veho @ Veho:
    I just ordered another package from China just to spite you.
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    Communism lol
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    OUR products
  • The Real Jdbye @ The Real Jdbye:
    @LeoTCK actually good quality products are dying out because they can't compete with dropshipped chinese crap
    +2
  • BakerMan @ BakerMan:
    @LeoTCK is your partner the sascrotch or smth?
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    Good morning
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    Out of nowhere I got several scars on my forearm and part of my arm and it really itches.
  • AdRoz78 @ AdRoz78:
    Hey, I bought a modchip today and it says "New 2040plus" in the top left corner. Is this a legit chip or was I scammed?
  • Veho @ Veho:
    @AdRoz78 start a thread and post a photo of the chip.
    +2
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    Yawn
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    and good morning everyone
    +1
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    @BakerMan, his partner is Luke
  • Sicklyboy @ Sicklyboy:
    Sup nerds
    +1
  • Flame @ Flame:
    oh hi, Sickly
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Oh hi flame
    K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2: Oh hi flame