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Fast Travel vs. Riding — Which I Prefer
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I prefer actually riding/walking to my destination. It yields richer experiences: discovery of unexpected encounters, environmental storytelling, skill/practice (navigation, attention), and a stronger sense of place and accomplishment. Fast travel is useful when time is scarce or the route is repetitive, but it trades away immersion and serendipity.
References:
- Game design discussion on exploration vs. convenience: Marc Laidlaw, “Why Traversal Matters” (various essays); see also academic work on player motivation and exploration (e.g., Przybylski et al., 2010 on autonomy and engagement).
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Con / Counterpoint
In Defense of the Journey — Against Fast Travel
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Fast travel may be convenient, but choosing to ride or walk preserves what makes virtual worlds meaningful. First, slower traversal fosters discovery: unplanned encounters and environmental details create narrative depth and reward curiosity (Laidlaw’s essays on traversal highlight how movement can convey story). Second, the act of traveling trains attention and skill—navigation, situational awareness, and tactical decision-making—that deepen engagement and player competence (research on autonomy and engagement, e.g. Przybylski et al., 2010, links active choice to sustained motivation). Third, moving through space builds a stronger sense of place and accomplishment: reaching a distant destination on foot produces memorable experiences and personal narratives that a teleportation shortcut cannot replicate.
Fast travel has a role when repetition or time constraints make traversal tedious, but it is a trade-off: convenience for immersion and serendipity. If designers care about exploration, presence, and meaningful play, they should make the journey worth taking rather than give players a constant excuse to skip it.
References:
- Marc Laidlaw, essays on traversal and level design (e.g., “Why Traversal Matters” discussions)
- Przybylski, A. K., Rigby, C. S., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). A motivational model of video game engagement (on autonomy and engagement).
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Why I Prefer Riding/Walking — Autonomy and Engagement in Gameplay
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Przybylski, Rigby, and Ryan (2010) propose that players’ engagement with games is strongly influenced by basic psychological needs: autonomy (feeling of choice), competence (feeling effective), and relatedness (feeling connected). In their motivational model, autonomy is central: when players feel they can choose how to play—whether to explore, take detours, or pursue personal goals—they experience greater intrinsic motivation and deeper engagement.
Applied to the fast travel vs. riding/walking choice: riding or walking preserves and amplifies autonomy. It allows players to choose routes, respond to emergent events, and pursue self-directed objectives (side quests, scenic detours). That increased freedom supports intrinsic motivation, making the experience more immersive and rewarding. By contrast, fast travel reduces choice and removes the interactive opportunities that satisfy competence (navigational skill, overcoming obstacles) and relatedness (encounters with characters or place-based stories). Fast travel is efficient, but according to the model it can lower the psychological satisfaction that comes from self-directed, skillful, and socially meaningful play.
Reference: Przybylski, A. K., Rigby, C. S., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). A motivational model of video game engagement. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 154–166.
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