Reflecting On Why I Always Come Back to Tarkov

In this day and age of videogames, where they feel more disposable than they ever have. Largely due to poor conditions upon release, atrocious live service monetization schemes, and other contributing factors, a lot of games in 2023 (at least games from larger publishers) feel rushed, incomplete, and devoid of any real soul. They just feel more like products to produce all the money and then some. Which is why so many of us are resorting to playing older titles from generations ago, or just replaying the games that are currently out, whether we still enjoy them or not. However, at the very least for myself personally, I have been consistently coming back to Tarkov time and time again. Even when there’s new games out that are solid and people are enjoying them, I guess Tarkov is just a comfort game to me. It’s hard to explain why Tarkov specifically is this game; I mean I casually play all the Soul’s games every now and again because they are all still amazing, but in terms of online games that are out there currently, Tarkov is still my number one. So, I figured it made sense to take some time and reflect on why this might be the case and go over some of the larger aspects of BSG’s game that make it not only so compelling, but also replayable. No matter what state it’s currently in.

Right off the bat I think the 30 second loop is the primary reason why this game can hook people in for so long. We went over this in a previous video, but Tarkov’s loop of fighting players, exploring maps and looting what’s on them, and the sense of progression all culminate together to create an experience that is heavily replayable. And looking across other games and genres, there aren’t many that have tried to replicate what Tarkov does. And even fewer that get it right. I don’t want to call any other games out but the fact that The Cycle Frontier is going offline later this year is unfortunate. But it also highlights why Tarkov is so successful; the replabaility of Tarkov is something that I personally haven’t felt from an online game in years. Battlebit is another example of a fantastic game, but they are different games entirely. One is a massive multiplayer game focusing on huge conquests with tons of players and an almost pseudo sandbox like experience. And the other is an immersive FPS focusing on weapon detail, survival, and telling a story. They can’t really be lumped into the same category, but Battlebit is a great example of a small team wanting to create something fun, and they did exactly that. And that game is also highly replayable. But, for something like Tarkov, it isn’t just the gunplay that makes it fun. It isn’t just the graphical fidelity of the weapons or environments that get hooked.

It’s also this, weird, obtuse, alien of a videogame as well. For anyone to come into Tarkov new and have maybe only seen some clips online, this is one of the most intimidating FPS games to try and get into. For both good and bad reasons. The level of complexity with many systems in the game can be seen as something to really dig into and learn over the course of your playtime. However, depending on who you are, it can also be seen as a tedious, unnecessary mess. Ammo charts, the healing system, how weapon modification works; there are plenty of hours in just these systems alone to sink your teeth into. And that doesn’t even cover the many different in raid aspects. Learning each of the maps; where their extractions are, how to AI scavs and bosses as well as other players. There are many layers to this game, both in and out of raids for new players to explore and get invested in. Again, some will certainly see this as over the top, but I’d argue this is one of the largest reasons why Tarkov has withstood the test of time and become such an icon for the FPS genre. Even at its worst, it still beats many other games in the same genre. And while there have been a handful of other games and publishers with their own take on the extraction shooter genre as it has been aptly named, Tarkov still stands as the pinnacle of how and why this genre can be so rewarding to play.

For myself personally, there is also the comfort the game brings, if that even makes sense. Again, I use the Soul’s games as an example. Most people associate Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring with stress. But for myself and others out there, those games do the exact opposite. They are comfort games; I play those to sit back and relax. Even if I die a hundred times I don’t really care. There is something melodic about going through a Soul’s game and knowing what you’re supposed to do and hitting those beats. You wouldn’t normally use comfort and Tarkov in the same sentence. You don’t associate that word and those feelings with the game because of what it’s meant to be and represent. But think about it: once you spend enough time with the game, you use weapons you are familiar with. You run the maps you enjoy, and yet every single raid will play out differently than the last. So, while there is unfamiliarity with that, for some reason in my head, that’s comforting. It’s partly why you only ever see my play Customs, to which I do apologize for; I just really love this map. I should learn Streets but ehhhhh Customs (laugh). But that just reinforces my point that we enjoy what we know. And I know Tarkov, and I really know Customs. So I stick with what I enjoy. Also, the map has a great PvP scene late game so that’s a huge contributing factor.

Time is another factor that goes into coming back. This doesn’t have to be just Tarkov related. This goes for honestly any game you invest hundreds if not thousands of hours into. Games like League of Legends, Destiny, Apex, or any active fighting game; they all can have so much of your time dumped into them. Whether you enjoy it or are just going through the motions, these kinds of games including Tarkov are daily login kind of games. Where you open it up almost every day if you can, to either play it, or just to see what’s going on. And as someone who has played all of these, Tarkov is number one for games with the most recorded amount of time I’ve put into it. For Honor was up there for a long time, because I loved that game to death, but since have shifted over to “maining” Tarkov. And these hours are only on one account. I played on a different one for years before I got my own. And I racked up just as many hours as this account currently has. Now to be fair, there have been tons of moments where the game is left open and I’m not actively in a raid, but still. So, I’ve put my time into Tarkov and then some. Which is crazy because there’s people with even more than that. But again, it’s kind of like a sunk cost fallacy, where you keep putting more in because you are already so invested. But unlike sunk cost, I actually enjoy what I’m doing and the time I put in, so it’s not a bad thing.

Tarkov is a game that I have kept coming back to for years now. I enjoy every element and mechanic that is in it enough to want to always improve and get better. Because while I will certainly never be the best mechanically, I can always try and improve each time I load into a raid. And with the wipe on the horizon, it will be just another opportunity to improve further. Looking at everything we talked about, it makes sense why I keep coming back. Despite its flaws, all the bugs glitches, crashes, everything that can go wrong, there isn’t a game like it out there right now. Maybe one day we will get a proper competitor to Tarkov. But until then, I’ll stick with what I know. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know in the comments why you keep coming back to Tarkov if you do and subscribe for more videos about games that keep us invested for years on end. I hope to see you in future ones.