The Last of Us

How Much Agency Do Games Need? - Choices in Linear Games - Extra Credits

The quality and relevance of player choices are significantly more important to the gaming experience than the sheer quantity of options provided.

• Player agency is defined by the meaningful impact of actions on the game world rather than the sheer volume of choices provided.
• The binary debate between open-world exploration and linear narrative is reductive, as agency can be effectively integrated into both structures.
• Designers can foster deep emotional engagement in constrained, linear sequences by allowing players to physically navigate spaces, as demonstrated in the opening of The Last of Us.