DISPATCHES JANUARY
Issue 378
Dialogue
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Chop assistants
As a child, I watched my friend’s dad play Tomb Raider, a stack of A4 sheets perched on his knee – afull walkthrough printed out in Courier New. We ribbed him for cheating, of course, but years later I am playing Elden Ring looking down at my smartphone perched on my own knee – checking quest lines, getting tips for bosses, or comparing weapon stats to optimise my build.
Adrian Hon wrote in E374 about this phenomenon and I enthusiastically nodded along reading about the collective play fostered by companion apps and websites. I enjoy this manner of ‘cheating’. It helps me clear objectives that might otherwise be roadblocks, maximises my playtime, and allows me to set and reach my own goals: I see it as an accessibility feature. Yet I agree with Adrian that we could be much better served with the right kind of app.
My online game subscription on PS5, along
with all the headline benefits, includes Activity Cards. One function of these is to jump into specific game modes, but what I love is the repository of tips, hints and videos. Available on the console via a single button,
Activity Cards attempt to avoid interruption of play. It’s fine, but navigating the menu can still be a faff each time you pause gameplay. While juggling a second screen is not an ideal solution, we are already doing it. So why are Activity Cards not also accessible through the PlayStation App?