I remember the first time I hit that progression wall in a modern looter shooter - it was during a rainy Thursday evening, and I'd been grinding through what felt like endless side missions for hours. My character had reached level 15, but the main story mission required level 19, and let me tell you, that four-level gap might as well have been forty. This experience perfectly illustrates what I've come to call "The Evolution of Crazy Time" in gaming - those moments where progression systems push players into repetitive loops that feel increasingly disconnected from the core enjoyment.
The coffee had gone cold on my desk as I faced yet another generic "collect 10 wolf pelts" quest, and I couldn't help but think about how we got here. The evolution of crazy time in gaming has been fascinating to watch - from the straightforward arcade experiences of the 80s to these complex progression systems that sometimes feel more like work than play. I found myself in exactly the situation described in that Borderlands analysis - where side content becomes mandatory not because it's engaging, but because the alternative is simply unplayable. This can slow progression quite a bit if you avoid the optional tasks for too long, and unless you're ready to play on the easiest difficulty, it's extremely difficult to do any meaningful damage to an enemy that's four or more levels higher than you.
What struck me as particularly disappointing was how these systems have evolved without maintaining the charm that made earlier entries in franchises like Borderlands so memorable. I remember playing the original Borderlands back in 2009 and actually looking forward to side quests because they were packed with that signature dark humor and memorable characters. Fast forward to today, and all of which would be fine if the side quests weren't so boring or at least possessed some humor - a traditional Borderlands tentpole that's missing from this entry. The evolution here feels like two steps forward, one step back - better graphics, more complex systems, but somehow less soul.
As I forced myself through another hour of mindless fetch quests, I started calculating the actual time investment. Based on my experience across similar games, I'd estimate that about 35-40% of playtime in these modern looter shooters is spent on mandatory side content that doesn't actually advance the narrative in any meaningful way. The result? As a result, the only incentive to do any optional quest is to level up high enough to get back to the main quest - the side activities are frustrating, time-filling fluff, not meaningful narrative experiences. This realization hit me hard - I was essentially working a second job, except this one cost me $60 instead of paying me.
The crazy part is how normalized this has become. The evolution of crazy time has conditioned us to accept these grind-heavy systems as just part of the modern gaming landscape. I've noticed that my play sessions have shifted from "I'll play until I reach the next story beat" to "I'll play until I gain two levels" - and that fundamental shift in motivation bothers me more than I'd like to admit. It's like the games are training us to focus on numbers going up rather than experiencing compelling stories or satisfying gameplay moments.
What's particularly frustrating is that I can see the potential for better systems. Imagine if instead of generic collection quests, those side activities actually expanded the world meaningfully - giving us character backstory, exploring interesting locations, or introducing memorable NPCs with actual personality. The framework is there, but the execution often falls flat. I've completed roughly 47 side quests across three different modern looter shooters in the past month, and I could only tell you about two that actually felt worthwhile.
This evolution isn't entirely negative though - there are glimmers of hope in how some developers are addressing these issues. I've noticed that games released in the past year have started experimenting with more integrated side content that doesn't feel quite as disconnected from the main experience. The progression gates are becoming slightly more forgiving, and I've seen at least two major titles introduce systems where side quests actually influence the main story in small but meaningful ways. It's not perfect yet, but it suggests that developers are listening to player feedback about these progression systems.
Still, as I finally reached the required level to continue the main story that rainy evening, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd just wasted three hours of my life. The satisfaction should have come from overcoming a challenge or experiencing a great story moment - instead, it came from finally being allowed to play the game I actually wanted to play. The evolution of crazy time in gaming has brought us incredible technological advancements, but somewhere along the way, we've lost sight of what makes games fun in the first place. And until we find that balance again, I suspect many of us will continue grinding through content we don't enjoy just to reach the content we actually want to experience.