The Comfort of a Quest Log

Why opening a quest log can calm a bad evening, and what to do when life doesn't come with one. For a moment, a game tells us exactly what to do next. Real life almost never does. This short video looks at what a quest log really gives us. It isn't success, just a clear next step. It draws on a study at University College London, where people's stress tracked not knowing more closely than the electric shocks themselves, and on research suggesting that a concrete plan can quiet an unfinished goal. Then it turns to games that take the log away on purpose, like Sable and Outer Wilds, and to Rilke's advice to a young poet: "live the questions now." Which game do you open when you need to know what comes next? CHAPTERS: 0:00 When did you last know what to do next? 0:43 The quest log slides open 1:21 Why not knowing is so stressful 2:00 A quest log for real life 2:53 When the tutorial ends 3:23 Games that take the log away 4:07 Rilke: live the questions 4:30 Next step vs. final objective 4:53 Leaving the marker GAMES SHOWN (in order of appearance) A Short Hike – adamgryu Sable – Shedworks / Raw Fury Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Intelligent Systems & Koei Tecmo / Nintendo Tunic – TUNIC Team / Finji Return of the Obra Dinn – Lucas Pope / 3909 Metroid Dread – MercurySteam / Nintendo Death Stranding – Kojima Productions Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition – Beamdog, original by BioWare Final Fantasy XIV – Square Enix World of Warcraft – Blizzard Entertainment Cyberpunk 2077 – CD PROJEKT RED Dragon's Dogma – Capcom Pillars of Eternity – Obsidian Entertainment / Paradox Interactive Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Journey – thatgamecompany Minesweeper – Microsoft Dragon's Dogma 2 – Capcom Outer Wilds – Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive ANIME SHOWN Frieren: Beyond Journey's End – Madhouse (manga by Kanehito Yamada & Tsukasa Abe) Violet Evergarden – Kyoto Animation SOURCES Uncertainty and stress (the UCL snake game): de Berker et al. (2016), "Computations of uncertainty mediate acute stress responses in humans," Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10996 Plans and unfinished goals: Masicampo & Baumeister (2011), "Consider it done! Plan making can eliminate the cognitive effects of unfulfilled goals," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024192 Curiosity and the information gap: Loewenstein (1994), "The psychology of curiosity: A review and reinterpretation," Psychological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.116... Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, Letter Four, trans. M. D. Herter Norton (W. W. Norton). AN HONEST NOTE The idea that adult life feels like playing without a quest log is this video's metaphor, not a research finding. The studies show that uncertainty is stressful and that a concrete next step helps. The bridge to games is mine. All games, footage and anime belong to their respective owners. Clips are used for commentary and criticism. A channel about the psychology hiding inside the games we love. #gaming #psychology #outerwilds #ffxiv