The Player Doesn’t Always Need to be the Center of the Universe
Most games try to make the player feel significant and essential to the world presented. No Man’s Sky does the opposite, and that makes the experience so much more rewarding.
During a recent hour-long session of No Man’s Sky, I found myself gleefully performing the very sorts of video game tasks I’ve eschewed over the years: grinding for minerals so I can craft a portable refiner that I can use to create more useful items that will improve my spaceship, thus allowing for me to more efficiently travel to another planet just so I can repeat the process. At no point during this playtime did I experience a shred of plot, complete a scripted side mission, engage in any form of combat, or even find myself in a smidgeon of conflict. I simply worked to make everything easier for my little space traveler, to feel like I was a true resident of this universe instead of the center of its existence.
The beautiful sights, colorful planets, and star-filled galaxies make for some truly awe-inspiring moments, but No Man’s Sky is so much more than that. It’s about immersing oneself in an entirely capitalist-driven universe by becoming a part of its economy, not the focus of it. In No Man’s Sky, the player is no hero or savior. They simply exist, having been given the opportunity to function in the stars just like everyone else. You are an explorer, but you’re also a worker, someone who must rightfully earn their way through each star cluster.
Never a Dull Day
Every time I boot up NMS on my PC, I’m in for a seemingly endless laundry list of things I need to do. My character has blueprints for multiple ship, exosuit, and multi-tool upgrades, so I need to mine for the proper elements to construct those improvements. Meanwhile, the freighter I control is having trouble on the mission I sent it on, so I need to head back out to space to remedy that and send it on another quest. On my way to the freighter, however, a group of space pirates have decided to ambush me, sparking a dogfight. Once all that’s over, I get a message that a space anomaly has emerged in this galaxy, so I need to check that out.
None of these tasks makes you a hero, or even elevates your standing in the galaxies beyond “good Samaritan.” But that’s where the brilliance of No Man’s Sky lies; it makes you a part of the ecosystem without the gravitas most games bestow upon the player. You are everything, but you are also nothing. The universe existed before you, and it will exist forever without you.
This characterization of the gameplay behind No Man’s Sky risks making the game sound pointless or boring, but I swear it’s not; it’s the perfect cross of delightfully relaxing and thrilling, with moments of intense grinding interspersed with perfect serenity. I’m always busy in NMS, but never too busy to stop for a screenshot of a perfect landscape. I must work to establish my standing in this universe, but I do not owe it anything.
For me, what separates No Man’s Sky from other grind-heavy resource management sims is its vastness; I might be spending a lot of time gathering ferrite dust, but I know that once I’ve gotten what I’ve needed from a planet, I can skip over to another system to find something new and extraordinary. The same goes for why I prefer the game to more action- or story-oriented games that add grindy systems like crafting (e.g. Fallout 4); I’m not beholden to anyone or anything at any given time, so I never feel like spending time as a space trader is an opportunity cost.
This isn’t my way of saying that games with involved storylines (or power fantasies) are an inherent waste of time or even games I don’t particularly like. It’s just that most games I’ve ever played fall into this category, and most games that step away from that construct are often too boring to matter to me (I’ve never really cared for Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, or The Sims). No Man’s Sky manages to make the player just another member of society without removing the possibility for wonder.
Just Let Me Wander… and Mine for Copper
No Man’s Sky contains much of the desired content any sci-fi enthusiast would enjoy. You’ll travel to multiple planets, engage in space battles, talk to aliens, and even discover ancient relics that give the universe a little more flavor. No single action holds a great deal of importance, though every task paints a picture of a day in the life of a galaxy hopper. Video games have given me the opportunity to feel like a mercenary, sports star, war hero, and wanted criminal. Sometimes, however, I just want to be a spaceman.
