Xbox block hard games

I am not good at video games. This was a tough realization as a kid, but now I really couldn't care less. Part of me wishes I could enjoy games like Dark Souls, but I’m 100% out of my depth if I try to play. Elden Ring was fine, though I tapped out after a while. It’s not something I’m proud of, but thankfully, I never pursued a career as a professional gamer. If I do game, it’s going to be playing more open-world RPGs or games like Expedition 33 (which is totally manageable on the standard difficult level if you learn the combat mechanics).

This got me thinking about the UX of consoles like the Xbox. For the unindoctrinated, the sheer amount of games available can be overwhelming. What if, similar to many video games, parts of the experience (certain games) were blocked until you demonstrated a baseline level of competency?

It’s an interesting idea for net-new games, and an infuriating concept for anyone with experience. This would inevitably throttle the sales of games from certain developers, so there’s no way this launches, but the idea of a more linear progression system over a series of games is interesting.

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