Post by @onion@night.studio-2am.net

2026-07-24 03:59 UTC

What is it about games that makes me not want to read a lot of text in them? I can lie or sit down with a book for hours, so I'm definitely fine with reading a lot of text. But the idea of reading the same book on a monitor, at a desk, is a lot less enticing. Even if I could lie down comfortably and have a big TV to read on, I don't think reading a book on that screen would be a lot of fun. So it seems like the body position itself is already a big part of it. But then even if I imagine a small handheld device... I'm really not sure. Perhaps because it's often just 1-2 lines at a time, clicking through text boxes? Even in games like #DiscoElysium, where I sometimes think "wow, this game has some great writing", going through conversations with NPCs can be a chore, when I feel like I have to go down each dialogue branch with NPC A, then NPC B etc. Whereas reading a book, it's a constant stream of words from the page to the head, in the order that the author thought made the most sense. So the author can pace and break things up, while the game has all dialogue concerning "NPC B" bunched up in that dialogue tree. I'm trying to come up with ways for a game to break this up, but I'm not sure if's maybe just a me-problem. ^.^ #gaming #gamedev #reading #showerthoughts

Replies (4)

@8r3n7@mstdn.ca 2026-07-24 11:57

@onion Different modes of thinking? Rapid switch ruins your momentum.

Open ##4062114
@TheMightyGit@mstdn.social 2026-07-24 05:07

@onion I hesitate to suggest, but you phrased it as a question, so... It's not uncommon in a certain flavour of inattentive ADHD. I see you ponder and philosophise in your feed (not a criticism, you do it very well) and mention about being in your own head rather than the moment. More indicators. But, regardless of the cause, generally when you solve UX problems (which is really what a game is) for someone with inconsistent attention you make it better for everyone. I apologise if I overstep.

Open ##5461196
@havchr@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-07-24 05:26

@onion i think dialogue trees makes us want to explore every branch instead of enjoying the text. I think there is room for improvement if someone is willing to test out new ideas for better use of text for player enjoyment.

Open ##5461199
@Scordatura@masto.ai 2026-07-24 07:20

@onion Same here: I love reading, but struggle to play verbose games. #DiscoElysium is one of the best games I every played, but the only reason I finished it was a good friend of mine almost forcing me to play it (in a good way). It took ages before I really started to enjoy it. My guess as to why reading a book and a game are different for me: expectations. When I play a game, I want to clear my head, and I associate seeing text on a screen with "effort", i.e. work or having to concentrate.

Open ##5461204