Room 12 - The Takeover of the Open World

Games are getting bigger and more expensive. More and more titles are embracing the open world structure of game design and in this room, the boys take a shallow dive into some of the ways that these open worlds can benefit, and even harm, a game's atmosphere and experience. Between Spiderman, GTA, Elden Ring, & even now, Halo: Infinite, every game is becoming more and more similar, but at the same time, each of these open world experiences offer something unique and enjoyable. What makes these open worlds so unique? Why is every game moving in this direction? And is this a good or bad trend? Are there negatives to an open world?