ゲームでいらない要素「料理」に決まる
It seems many gamers consider in-game cooking systems largely unnecessary. Recent online discussions highlight frustrations like tedious material gathering and cooking, and that the effort often doesn't justify the effects. While some argue it's vital for world-building, the prevailing opinion suggests a simpler approach would be better.
Related Keywords
Survival Crafting Games
"Survival Crafting Games" is a broad genre where players gather resources, craft tools and structures, and strive for survival in untamed lands. Prominent titles include 'Minecraft,' 'ARK: Survival Evolved,' 'The Forest,' and more recent ones like 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' and 'Palworld.' In these games, "cooking" is often designed as a crucial element directly tied to player survival, not just for generating healing items. For example, in games with hunger systems, failing to regularly consume food can lead to decreased health or stamina, or even death, making cooking a lifeline. Furthermore, specific dishes frequently grant powerful buff effects such as increased movement speed, attack power, defense, or resistances, often becoming key to defeating strong enemies or navigating difficult areas. The system of combining ingredients to create entirely different effects provides players with the joy of experimentation and boosts their motivation to explore. However, outside this genre—especially in story-driven RPGs or action games where survival elements are minimal—the introduction of a cooking system can lead to the tediousness of material gathering and cooking hindering gameplay, thus making it feel like an "unnecessary element." This keyword symbolizes the challenge of game design: what is an "indispensable activity" in survival crafting games can devolve into "mere chore" in other genres.
User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)
"User Interface (UI)" refers to the interaction points between a game and a player, specifically encompassing screen displays, control buttons, and menu structures. "User Experience (UX)" refers to the overall experience gained through the UI, including feelings and sensations like "ease of use," "comfort," and "enjoyment." One major reason in-game "cooking systems" are perceived as "unnecessary" is often due to poor UI/UX design. For instance, issues such as having too many ingredient items that clutter inventory and make finding desired materials difficult, complex cooking screen transitions requiring multiple actions, too many recipes to manage effectively, or unskippable cooking animations that waste time, all stem from flaws in UI/UX design. If players cannot comfortably engage with the cooking process, the feature itself becomes a source of stress, leading to evaluations like "too bothersome" or "better not to use it." Conversely, games like 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' make cooking an enjoyable element with intuitive UI/UX, where players simply toss ingredients into a pot and eagerly anticipate what dish will be created. In recent game development, it's not just about implementing features, but critically about how players can enjoy those features intuitively and stress-free through UI/UX. No matter how interesting a system is, if its UI/UX is poor, players will not embrace it; conversely, a simple yet refined UI/UX has the power to multiply a game's appeal. The calls for "unnecessary" cooking systems can be seen as a reflection of players' desire for UI/UX improvements.
In-Game Economy and Resource Management
"In-game economy" refers to the overall cycle of item and currency supply, demand, exchange, and consumption within a game world. "Resource management" is the strategic act of players efficiently collecting, allocating, and utilizing limited resources (materials, money, time, skill points, etc.). In-game cooking systems are deeply intertwined with this in-game economy and resource management. The background for why cooking is often deemed an "unnecessary element" is frequently because it feels "not worth the effort" within these systems. For example, if the ingredients required to make a specific dish are extremely rare or demand an enormous amount of time or effort to acquire, yet the finished product's healing amount or buff effects are inferior compared to other simpler methods (e.g., store-bought potions, enemy drops), players will not perceive any benefit in cooking. Furthermore, if the ingredients needed for cooking are expensive, players might determine that selling those ingredients to purchase other items is more efficient. Conversely, if cooking provides powerful buff effects or unique healing within the game, and the process of gathering ingredients and cooking itself is enjoyable or economically rational, players will actively utilize the cooking system. In MMORPGs, where cooking can function as part of a production profession, rare dishes might be traded at high prices, significantly impacting the in-game economy. Criticism that a cooking system is "unnecessary" often stems from its function not being an optimal choice for players within the game's economy and resource management cycle, instead being perceived as an inefficient "hassle." Game designers are therefore challenged to incorporate economic incentives and engaging resource management experiences to prevent cooking from becoming merely a chore.