Video games have a great power to take us to magical places and wondrous lands where we can slaughter legions of enemy minions. That’s cool, but what about the wondrous land itself? Video game tourism is the practice of exploring the world of the game, hunting secrets, discovering lore and amazing sights. Some games are all about the tourism, like Myst and Endless Ocean. As the casual players seep into our little community, tourism games may well become more common. Check out this article on game tourists. The Metro has the story.
Even back in the day, tourism was a thing. Playing Wing Commander Privateer, I would often find myself relaxing on orbit above a planet, watching ships go by and listening to the new age music. Exploring the galaxy even turned up a system or two that wasn’t on the star charts.
Fighting pirates is one thing, but living in a fantastic world is another.