Tarkov is a Forever Game

(Intro)

Tarkov is a product that has been around for a long time. People have been aware of this game since as early as 2016; and over the course of those ten years (God time flies these days), EFT has been iterated on and changed so much. The core gameplay loop has stayed largely the same, but with tons of new tools at our disposal, locations to explore, and reasons to stay around. Despite all the issues and problems this game has had over the years, many still enjoy the experience and have the desire to keep playing. And even though there have been people who aren’t interested anymore for one or more reasons, Tarkov has a dedicated and passionate group of people willing to keep playing even when the state of the game may not have been in the best state. Tarkov simply offers experiences and replay value that many games struggle to even scratch the surface at. Over the years, the ways in which an individual can boot up Tarkov and play the game has only grown as well. So today, I wanted to go over what makes Tarkov a potential forever game; how all the work they have done allows people to play this game as long as they have, and potentially much more into the future as long as the servers are still up and operational, of course. From content and expansions to different modes of play, Tarkov has sowed the seeds for this game to run a very long life; one even longer than it already has been. EFT could be a forever game for many, no matter how many times we have to start over.

(The content over EFTs life)

Over the course of this game’s life, it has been given quite a swathe of content. For some, it was more than enough, and for others they were hoping for something a little different. The idea of an open world or seamless traversal of multiple maps was an incredibly tantalizing one, especially for me. From originally three maps (factory, customs and woods) to now technically twelve playable locations, the game has come quite a long way. Even if two potential locations had to be scrapped before the final release. And for what it’s worth, these maps are all incredibly intricate and detailed. Sometimes a little too much, at the cost of potential performance. But no one can take away from how much has been added. An actual decade’s worth of content and updates. Most games that try to uphold that statement fail or don’t meet player expectations. And while there is an argument about the latter part of that statement regarding Tarkov, we’re lucky that this game has been supported this long. There were many times where it felt like just because of the discourse online surrounding Tarkov that they might just stop altogether. Luckily that didn’t happen, and we got to see the 1.0 launch of the game even if it was a little meager and soft compared to other bigger moments in the game. With hundreds of weapons, thousands of attachments and more equipment than two or even sometimes three other games put together, it’s important to remember just how much variety there is in Tarkov. To be fair, a large portion of it doesn’t see use because it’s not meta, or people just don’t like it. But that’s never been the singular reason why they add things into the game. Tarkov wants to be an all-encompassing game in terms of content. It doesn’t matter if this particular gun doesn’t get a ton of play time; someone out there is going to try and use it. Even to this day, there are weapons and attachments people still want to see put into Tarkov; which I think is a testament to how incredible the impact BSG and their depictions of weapons have had across the industry. No one really does it like them. Their maps are always so well-crafted too; maybe not in terms of balance (Lighthouse is a mess and needs some work) but the attention to detail is off the charts. Again, the fact we got twelve playable locations that are all on the same level of craftsmanship is something special.

(New modes of play)

For a while, Tarkov was just an extraction shooter with very few other functions or modes of play. You have the offline mode where you can learn maps, test weapons and break your computer with horde levels of scavs on Factory, but it was pretty much one mode of play; online against the computers and other players. But now, there are more options available should that get repetitive, too difficult or if you want to circumvent the conventional ways of playing. Arena is an alternative mode of play purchasable that focuses less on the immersion and hardcore nature of EFT, and replaces it with higher intensity, faster paced action in smaller battle arena's. With four modes to choose from, most of the weapons on offer from EFT (Arena is usually a patch or two behind so it doesn’t always have the updated weapon roster), and more focus on the gunplay of Tarkov, arena has become kind of a new home for some players that soley focused on the PvP of this game. While integral to what makes a successful extraction shooter, some don’t care for all the looting, questing, running around and lack of fighting. They want to load in with a big kit and run towards wherever there is gunfire. And those players have been around for quite a long time, going back as far as people who would just play Factory to fight other players and improve at PvP. But arena is not the only other way to engage with Tarkov.

Another popular way to experience the game is the PvE version. It's the exact same experience as regular Tarkov, except you only fight bots. There are no other players other than yourself and your friends. So, every PMC you come across with be a computer opponent. And to the surprise of many, especially Nikita, this version of the game has done exceptionally well. Tons of people either bought this version outright to enjoy it with their friends or own a version of Tarkov where it was included and are playing it more than the normal game. I can kind of see why; sometimes playing against other people who play more than you do, have more money and gear than you do, and are just better can be a draining experience. Not everyone wants to spend ten plus minutes building a kit only to lose it in the first thirty seconds of a raid. So, having an option to forgo all those circumstances and to just play by yourself where you can take your time, and go up against computer opponents is the closest official version of Tarkov we will get that feels like a single player experience. The best part is that this character will never wipe unless you go to the website and do it manually, so you will always have your progress. But even though you have to wipe your character to play with the 1.0 changes, I did it myself and am okay with it. Because now I can experience the solo version of Tarkov all over again. It can be rather easy to acquire a ridiculous amount of wealth and loot, so having to start over was a nice pallet cleanser. But like I said, even Nikita was surprised by how popular this version of the game has become. And I think there is a piece of him that kind of resents that; the whole point of his game is to go out and risk your life against other people in order to be successful. So, having a version of the game completely circumvents that part of the gameplay loop in his eyes must be somewhat blasphemous. But it shouldn’t matter; people are playing Tarkov and enjoying it. What more could you ask for, you know? We’ve been going for this long; anything that can entice people to stick around is just a bonus.

(A decade plus worth of support)

The fact that Tarkov has been around for this long is truly something special. With games coming and going in less than two weeks at worst, Tarkov getting stable and consistent support for a decade is something many of us don’t take for granted. We’re lucky as hell that BSG didn’t throw in the towel earlier, or cave and release the game in an unfinished state. Is it exactly where they probably wanted it to be? No, and many of us would probably be inclined to agree with those feelings. We all had crazy what ifs and imaginations about where Tarkov could’ve gone years and years ago. And then the game blew up, got super popular, and the reality that this game needs to be something that can actually be released within this decade came crashing down. In a perfect world, BSG would’ve probably pivoted a long time ago to focus more on the immersive elements, but the demand for the community that had ballooned in size wasn’t going to have that one way or another. Now, Tarkov is what it is; and most players are just happy to be a part of the experience and are looking forward to whatever comes next.

(It’s fun [even when it’s not])

Despite all the pain points that Tarkov has, something about it can still be an enjoyable experience even when it’s not. And I think a large part of that comes from the fact that now we have so many ways of engaging with EFT as a property that if one way isn’t working out of if you’re frustrated, you can go do something else but can still be fundamentally playing Tarkov; in the world, using the weapons, focusing on the mechanics. There are ways to get around the sharpness of the game and still enjoy it. Which is impressive for a game that basically wants you to bounce off it unless you are determined to understand where the fun comes from. There is an inherit barrier that must be overcome if you want to find your own personal enjoyment out of the game. And even though the tutorial and some of the new elements make this marginally easier, it’s still Tarkov; you are going to die and lose and have no idea what went wrong if you’re new. And even if you are experienced this game has a way of making each death agonizing sometimes. But there is always something to learn and improve upon. And if you are determined to work through those pain points and get better, Tarkov has a nearly endless amount of fun and opportunity to make this game memorable if you ever decide to put it down for good.

(Outro)

Tarkov is easily the hardest game I’ve ever learned and played. Over eight years' worth of time put into a single game and to be brutally honest, I still suck. But there are so many things about EFT that I truly love. The atmosphere, the insane variety of weapons and attachments, how there is endless reasons to be going into raids. The gameplay loop is so simple but incredibly nuanced when you go even just one level deeper. There aren’t many forever games in my eyes because eventually, you’ve played that one game so much you know every single thing about it and how to respond accordingly. But in Tarkov, you can play one map a thousand times, and every raid could be different. You need to adjust and adapt to whatever the situation calls for and to me, knowing that every raid can play out vastly different from one another, means that Tarkov is a forever game. Even when BSG eventually moves away from it. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts on Tarkov being a forever, what keeps you coming back if anything and be sure to subscribe for more videos about games that have seemingly infinite replayability for one reason or another. I hope to see you in future ones.