by: SurveyorPete – Tuesday, 10 July 2018
Originally posted in https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/66798/what-is-the-end-game
I am confused by the term End Game. People will talk about "the game just beginning when you get to Pirate Legend"; while others will talk about there being no "End Game" when you get there.
Which is it? The beginning or the end?
The term, of course, comes from Chess. The "end game" there is when there are only a few pieces left on the board and there is just a matter of time before one player checkmates the other, or a stalemate occurs. And then... the game will END.
It also makes sense in something like Fallout. You have a main quest, and side quests, and eventually you do them all. Then, you may continue to build your settlements, and do all the fetch / kill "radiant" quests you want; but the main game is over. Most people will move on to another game.
To me, Sea of Thieves is different. It is "game as service"... An open-world, open-ended, multi-player adventure. It is, I am sure, Rare's hope that the game will grow and evolve and keep players excited and active for months; or even years. It is a game potentially with no end.
It is not a game you are meant to "finish". It is as much a toy, like a box of Lego, than it is a game.
I am not saying there should not be more to do. And more for PLs to do. And, ultimately, more for "Athena Legends" to do. But, assuming that all comes in time, why talk about an "End Game" in a game that is endless?
This is not meant to be a discussion about what needs to be added to Sea of Thieves. It is more a philosophical question of how people think about games like this, why they play them, and when the game ends for them.
