This little rant of mine illustrates why I think that Quick Time Events (QTEs) in roleplaying games are basically a stupid idea.

It’s like driving a bicycle...

When you play a new roleplaying game, you need a little time to get used to the controls. But once you have settled in, controlling the game does not require any more conscious thought from you. It is like driving a car or a bicycle. You do not have think about what to do. You just do it. Automatically. On a subconscious level.

This also allows you to immerse into the game world. You can actually “become” the character you play. In your mind, you just swing the sword or cast the fireball. The out-of-world layer (which buttons to press) happens subconsciously.

When you come into a situation where you trigger a QTE, then suddenly the controls change. That which you have become accustomed to no longer works. Instead, you have to do something else. Suddenly, you are confronted with the out-of-world layer on a conscious level. And the immersion is gone. Now you’re not in the game world anymore but back in front of your computer, trying to figure out which buttons or keys to press.

Since I believe that immersion is a key element in roleplaying game, it should not be sacrificed for some so-called action.