Save Scumming
Throughout history, there’s always some asshole who confuses their own personal opinion for some undeniable, unassailable, universal truth. This misconception often ends in tragedy. Sadly it is the doom of men (especially Colin) that they forget. Hence, life continues to be regularly assailed by the following cycle. An asshole talks bollocks and advocates an erroneous position or philosophical stance that is unsustainable in the face of reality. A shit storm ensues. The asshole’s position is utterly and unequivocally demolished by facts and data. Everyone else then has to pick up the pieces, while the asshole, due to a lack of critical thinking and emotional literacy, still thinks that they’re right and that “they’re the victim”. This scenario manifests itself in many aspects of day-to-day life. Domestic politics, your places of employment etc. It is also an integral part of gaming culture and a core tenet of Gamers (™).
The latest poorly conceived and intellectually questionable outrage is about “save scumming”. The act of saving a video game just before you embark on a potentially risky in-game undertaking. Hence, if you fail or incur consequences that you deem suboptimal, you can simply reload the game and try once again with the benefit of foresight and knowledge. Apparently this “belt and braces” approach to gaming, usually in single player RPGs, is an appalling act of self abasement and a rejection of the “gaming code” as espoused by Gamers (™). It is apparently a worse crime than pissing in the Queen’s handbag and offending a Shaolin Temple. Those that indulge in such questionable gaming practices are members of the “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati” who undermine traditional values and lower property prices. It clearly ruins gaming and won’t someone please think of the children?
This perennial debacle has raised its head once again, mainly due to the success of Baldur’s Gate 3. That game is based upon the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition ruleset and many actions in the game are dependent upon the rolling of dice. Therefore failure is not necessarily due to poor strategy or lack of skill but the capricious nature of the random number generator. However, “save scumming” has been a thing for decades so let’s not lose sight of the big picture. The so-called pushback against saving and reloading is just another manifestation of the hubris and ignorance of Gamers (™), who seem to think that gaming per se is a pastime that should exclusively cater to their specific wants and needs. How they play is the only correct way to do so, and their views are evangelised with the all fervour that their zealotry can muster.
Back in the real world, functioning adults that enjoy gaming for fun, larks, relaxation and the social aspect, go about their business happily saving and reloading single player games. Why? Because games are perceived as a leisure activity by many gamers. They do not want a reality simulator with a comparable chance of an inequitable outcome, nor do they desire the labours of Hercules. They do not seek to test themselves or deem games to be “the fire in which they forge their own destiny” or some such similar “untermensch” bullshit. So called “save scumming” is a legitimate option available in most games by design. It is also purely optional but the lunatic fringe seldom has the emotional literacy to comprehend the subtlety of this distinction. So carry on saving and reloading and ignore the usual suspects along with their tiresome argument. “Certainty ends inquiry” as Jacob Bronowski wisely said.
