Firewatch: Why is the End the Reward?

One of my favorite games of the year is Firewatch which puts you in the role of Henry as he spends his summer in a lookout tower in a Wyoming, watching for fires. His only means of communication is a walkie talkie he uses to talk with fellow firewatcher Delilah, who is your only guide as you investigate the vast wilderness. You begin to build a relationship with her but soon events begin to unfold that bring both of you to your breaking point. Firewatch is a game that is as much about its own narrative as it is about the player’s personal experience within the game. Because of this some players have felt that the ending was bad. I do not believe they feel this way because they didn’t like the game, or because they failed to immerse themselves within the story. I believe that today’s gamers have become so focused on the “end” as the most rewarding experience that they have failed to see the “journey” through the game as the most important one.

Recently in an article about the ending of Firewatch, writer Duncan Fyfe addressed criticisms. YouTube star PewDiePie criticized the ending by saying “What the fuck was that ending? That was so bad. How is that a fucking ending?” and even Hollywood screen writer Max Landis said “. . . I hate the ending of Firewatch so much . . .” but what makes them feel this way?

Fyfe argues it is because the story of Henry is disappointing. Henry’s personal problems at home drove him to work at the firewatch tower in the first place. He lost some friends at home and is in the process of losing his wife. Instead of owning up to his responsibilities at home, he is running away from them. Henry is a disappointing character and with all the plot twists that occur within the game, his lack of development, and the anti-climactic ending can make the finale feel unrewarding.

We become so preoccupied with how something ends that we fail to appreciate how we got there. My experience with traveling the vast emptiness of Wyoming as Henry left me feeling both happy and vulnerable. A casual stroll through the woods left me feeling uneasy and made the hair stand on the back of my neck. I felt genuine fear in the game even when there was nothing to be scared of. When a game’s story creates an atmosphere, and leaves your mind to make its own conclusions, this is where the real reward of Firewatch takes place.

Unfortunately a growing number of gamers are taking story based games for granted. They focus their attention on unlocking new weapons from loot cases at the end of a match, or buying upgrades with in game currency instead of becoming a part of the in game world and story that made all of it possible. It is as if they were reading just the ending of a book instead of appreciating the story that built to it. Triple-A game developers like Blizzard and Bungie made their names on the Warcraft and Halo series, both of which had grand stories reinforcing the game play. They understand that a growing percentage of gamers care less about world/story immersion, so the new games they develop like Overwatch and Destiny, sacrifice their story for rewards based play from online matches and events. Call of Duty has also fallen victim to this. The game’s roots started as a story driven narrative of World War II but as its popularity has risen, the need for a story has taken a back seat to the explosive success of online multiplayer.

It’s not the fault of developers for this change in story, it’s the fault of the people who play them. Triple-A game developers cater to the player who buys them. If the player cares less about story and cares more about end game rewards from completion, the developer is going to make that game. This issue is not fully a gamer issue, I believe it is largely a generational one. The internet has given us the entire history of the world at one mouse click away. Our smart phones have given us immediate access to our friends and family through messaging, social network sites and games. We want it fast and now. A college student may focus just on getting the degree instead of focusing on what he or she has learned over the years working up to it. The ease and speed of information has made world immersion and story boring when compared to shooting a bunch of guys in a multiplayer match and unlocking a new weapon skin. I believe this is why it is so natural for gamers to criticize the end of Firewatch. 

  

While story driven games like Firewatch will continue to find a niche audience, the marriage of story and game are losing their importance in the future of gaming. It is sad that quick and addicting gameplay is becoming more important than story or substance. But we live in a society that rewards quickness instead of deep thought or understanding, one where the end is a treasure of rewards instead of a moment to contemplate the experience that led you there. One time my friend Emmett wanted to watch me play his favorite game Journey. He sat and watched as I progressed through the game, taking in its subtle nuances and finally completing it. He asked me what I thought and I said “it was a great experience but the ending seemed kind of open.” And he turned to me and said with a smile “it’s not about the end, it’s about the journey.”