I don't really want to post this, but I've decided I have to.
I'm not a young man anymore. I work a high stress job and I frequently work long hours. I enjoy it but it leaves me drained. I do it to support my family, some of whom have diagnosed mental health conditions. I work hard and when I do get time for games I crave nothing more than relaxing escapism. I often play Skyrim to immerse myself in the world, I roleplay a Ranger and run into the woods. I won't fight enemies, I won't do combat focussed quests. I hunt, cook and camp and sometimes I just watch the world go by. I don't play games for competition or to interact with others. I have enough of that in my job. I play for the atmosphere, for the chance to switch my brain off and do simple things to allow my brain to cool.
Gamemakers fill a wonderful role in society by injecting fun into so many people's lives, but they don't own the player's choice on how they play the game. This is true with all games, people will always play games the way they want to (have any of us ever read the rules to Monopoly?) and I think that's a good thing.
I love the sea and I want nothing more than an atmospheric seascape to lose myself in. I've tried a few games in this genre but SoT is the market leader in creating a beautiful environment with a fantastic mix of adventure, fun and exploration. I want nothing more than to escape into it, but of course this is not possible. Yes it's that subject, for me the pvp element creates a challenge I don't want. I've had a few good experiences but mostly they've been bad ones, because I don't have the energy or brainspace to engage with the game in a competitive way and despite reading all the advice, there doesn't seem to be a way to guarantee a relaxing experience. The last thing I want in a chill gameplay experience is uncertainty.
I've heard the podcast, I've read the posts on this subject and I've contacted the support teams to see if anything can be done. I was encouraged to share my feedback here but the devs seem steadfast and the community remains divided. I understand the reasons for forcing inclusion of pvp, it does make some sense, but it removes players' agency in choosing how we would like to play the game.
Here is a game that offers the chance to escape, a chance to relax and heal the stresses of the world. In my view the developers are gatekeeping this experience behind their own views of how we should play their game. I don't think this is fair and I find it strange and frustrating. Imagine if a healthcare company developed a treatment for a health condition at the same price as this game but they said you weren't allowed it because the creators want it to be something else, that would seem unfair wouldn't it? You might even say it was evil.
Put simply I cannot take more stress in my life and I cannot enjoy this game with the nasty pvp elements that exist in it. This makes me very sad. I know no one here cares. If you've never struggled with stress then you're lucky, maybe one day you will, but I sincerely hope not.
Anyway, please don't respond to me message, I'm only leaving it here as the final action in a chain of hope for some stress relief. I've said my piece and I will walk away. I hope someday to return but this game is off limits for me and I will only return when there is some freedom.
