Get in the Game

Chapter 11Conclusion: Point of No Return

Determining when you are near the end of a video game, particularly those with broader, more sprawling narratives, has become a fair bit easier in modern games. Many introduce what is colloquially known as a “point of no return”—this is where the player (and their avatar) advances the narrative to the point that the lead up to the conclusion of the game kicks off in earnest, ending only in the roll of the credits. Modern games have adopted a number of more or less subtle cues at the point of no return—anything from in‐game characters telling the player they should “finish up other business” before proceeding, to less elegant but very direct prompts from the game UI asking the player to confirm if they would like to continue.

Players have a choice—they can forgo saving the world/galaxy/whatever for a while to finish up other tasks, collect various MacGuffins, and power themselves up for the climatic ending, or charge headlong into the final moments of the game. Either way, it is a false choice—in many of these same games various iterations of “New Game+” exist (where upon completion of the game, the player can go through it again on different terms) or DLCs can extend the narrative sometimes indefinitely. The story and journey never really end, even after the ominously titled point of no return.

You may see where I'm going with this—we've reached our own point of no return. We're heading to the conclusion of this story arc, but one that ...