“If the player trusts you enough, they are not going to savescum”: Why the makers of some of the best RPGs on PC want you to get used to failing
The article explores the design philosophy behind some of PC’s top RPGs, specifically examining the widespread player behavior of “save-scumming”—reloading saves to avoid consequences and undo failed skill checks. The author reflects on this contradiction: in single-player RPGs like Divinity 2, players obsessively reload to prevent failure, yet in tabletop RPGs, failure often creates the most memorable and engaging stories.
Several leading RPG developers argue that this reliance on save-scumming stems from player distrust and game design that encourages frequent saves. They believe that if players trust the developer’s vision and game balance, they’ll naturally accept failure without resorting to reloading. This philosophy represents a return to tabletop RPG principles, where consequences are permanent and failures become pivotal narrative moments.
The piece suggests that video game design has inadvertently trained players to treat failure as a mistake to undo rather than embrace it as part of the experience. By removing the safety net of frequent saves, developers hope to restore the sense of genuine stakes that makes RPGs compelling. This design approach reflects a broader question about player agency, trust, and what makes gaming narratives truly engaging.