What is a quest, their types in reality and on the Internet, as well as benefits and harms

Updated July 24, 2021
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. To work productively, you need to be able to rest. When the premieres are reviewed, the news on social networks is studied, and trips to entertainment venues cease to be fun, the search for something non-trivial begins.

The buzzword “quest” comes to mind. Everyone knows it and associates it with brightness and uniqueness, but there is not enough specific information about it. So, the quest: what is it, and what is the secret of its attractiveness?

Quest: origin and essence of the concept

“Quest” in English means “search”, “object being sought”. The consonant verb “to quest” is translated as “ to seek ”, “to search for”.

In simple words, a quest is a movement towards a specific goal associated with overcoming difficulties and searching for something.

You can visualize this by remembering the TV show “ Fort Boyard ”. Also, folklore is full of elements of the quest (12 labors of Hercules, the tale of Koshchei, whose death is in a needle, a needle in an egg, an egg in a duck, and the list goes on).

Perhaps the most interesting search fell to the fairy-tale shooter Andrei: “Go there, I don’t know where, bring that, I don’t know what.” A technique that depicts the path of the main character to a goal is common in fantasy.

Gradually, this concept migrated to other areas, changing its original meaning. There is a novel with the same name (author – Boris Akunin), an action series “Quest” with a dashingly twisted plot was filmed. But most often it is used in the gaming industry .

Lake Ridden

Game genre: Quest, Indie, Adventure, Walking simulator

Year: 2018

Platforms: PC

Lake Ridden is another dark Scandinavian project in our selection. The plot of the game tells about the search for the mysteriously disappeared sister of the main character (yes, again). We will play as a thirteen-year-old girl who is exploring the forest and a mysterious mansion in order to get closer to the mystery of her sister’s disappearance.

Solving riddles and collecting the necessary knowledge bit by bit, it will be difficult for the player not to be imbued with the disturbing mystical atmosphere of the world of Lake Ridden. The mysterious estate and the surrounding area will present the main character with many puzzles and fragmentary information in letters and notes.

A special plus to the developers for the excellent implementation of game mechanics, leading us from simple tasks to deeply developed and exciting quests. You want to explore the eerie world thoroughly, because it keeps you in suspense all the time: there are no unnecessary details or useless empty spaces. The game will appeal to all fans of puzzles and riddles, as well as connoisseurs of an atmospheric and detailed world.

Computer games

This is the name of a popular gaming genre that has gained a huge army of fans. There are games that are entirely built on the principle of a quest, and there are those that only include its elements.

In the quest, the player, searching for objects and solving logical problems, consistently moves through the plot, interacting with other characters.

There are no battles or other elements that require rapid response, or they are kept to a minimum. Until the current task is completed, you will not be able to move on.

Another name for computer quests is “adventure games”.

The first computer quests were text-based. The oldest of them is Colossal Cave Adventure, in which the character searches for treasure in a cave. The first version was invented in 1975 by programmer and speleologist William Crowther. With the development of technology, text-based “adventures” were supplanted by graphic ones, and sound recording of what was happening appeared.

Among the most famous games in this genre are Deponia (a series about the adventures of Rufus on the landfill planet Deponia), Syberia (3 series about the adventures of a girl lawyer Kate Walker), The Walking Dead: The Game (a story about a zombie apocalypse).

Mansions of Madness: Mother's Embrace

Game genre: Quest

Year: 2019

Platforms: PC

The game is an adapted version of the board game of the same name, based on the setting of the HP Lovecraft universe. Mansions of Madness: Mother's Embrace is a quest horror game that takes us to a gloomy mansion to investigate some paranormal activity.

In the best traditions of Lovecraft's works, the mental health of our character is one of the main important indicators. This means that in order to successfully advance the investigation, it will be necessary not only to collect information and replenish inventory. While solving puzzles, you can switch between four different characters, using the skills of each of them. It may happen that the ultimate goal of everyone will no longer be to finish the investigation, but to try to survive and get out of the cursed place.

Quests in reality

They came from the world of computer games and quickly gained popularity, turning into an original way of spending leisure time. Players still need to solve riddles, complete various missions, pick locks, and get out of somewhere. With one difference: everything happens in reality , with tangible objects and living people.

The first realistic adventures appeared in 2007, quickly spreading to Japan, Hong Kong, China, and simultaneously capturing Europe.

In Russia, we became acquainted with this genre in 2012, the start was given in Yekaterinburg with the quests “Ward No. 6” and “The Beginning”. After 2 years, the Moscow company developed the first series of such entertainment. In 2015, special quests for children appeared.

Today they are in demand regardless of age, because they are:

1. option for a non-standard birthday celebration;
2. a way to organize a family vacation, meeting friends, etc.;
3. an extraordinary form of holding a corporate event;
4. improving team skills (team building);
5. an unusual, memorable date - a surprise for your other half.

The reality test can be taken alone, together or in a group. It all depends on the plot and location. You'll have to forget about gadgets, taking with you only ingenuity and intuition.

Within a certain time (usually 60 - 90 minutes , but there are longer options) you need to complete tasks in order to achieve the final goal.

Apocalypse

Game genre: Quest, Point-and-click

Year: 2018

Platforms: PC

A fascinating point-and-click quest for lovers of medieval aesthetics. The authors of Apocalipsis were inspired by the works of medieval engraving masters to create this small graphic masterpiece. Although the plot of the game is strange and uncomplicated, it is worth spending time on the game.

The main character, a young man named Harry, goes on a surreal journey to the edge of the world to meet his lost lover. Our character is experiencing his own end of the world, embodied in two dozen level paintings. Each of the paintings seen represents some kind of allegory, or simply the most striking and popular medieval scenes. However, the stunning visuals serve only as a backdrop to the fairly standard puzzles. The developers did not deviate from the classic techniques and mechanics for this genre, which makes Apocalipsis just another good quest for an hour. The short passage time prevents players from getting bored, and the indescribable visual style will delight many aesthetes.

The game also has several alternative endings, to open which players will not have to replay the entire game again. It will be enough to return to the desired “plot canvas” and choose another option for the development of events.

Types of real quests

The quest industry is growing rapidly. To choose “your” unforgettable adventure, you have to figure out “who is who” among the types of this action.

1. The escape room is a classic of the genre. The main task is to get out of the locked room within a strictly allotted time. This could be an abstract room or a prison room, a dungeon, etc. Sometimes you need to unravel its secret or find some powerful object in it. You will have to use your imagination (what is this?), ingenuity, and look for non-standard solutions.
2. Performance . Unlike the previous version, it involves actors who create a special atmosphere. They can help players or make things more difficult.
3. Action game. Suitable for lovers of not only intellectual but also physical activity. Here you will have to run away from guards, climb a rope, and overcome obstacles.

4. Urban a quest whose action is not limited to the room. Puzzles will have to be solved while moving through the streets.

5. Role-playing game (live quest), built on the interaction of characters. Each player gets a role, transforming into their hero. In the new image, you will have to solve certain problems on the way to a common goal (for example, look for a killer or treasure, escape from a disaster). The outcome is largely unpredictable and depends on the actions of everyone.
6. Morpheus , based on the work of the imagination. Participants are blindfolded, forcing them to use only hearing, touch, and smell to complete tasks.

Quests are presented in different genres: it can be adventure, fantasy, detective, horror (horror). Their plots are often based on popular films.

If the scenario involves solving one riddle after another, this is a sequential quest. Sometimes you have to “unwind” a lot of string puzzles. This is a non-linear option, more suitable for experienced players.

Golem

Game genre: Quest, Indie

Year: 2018

Platforms: PC

Golem is an indie project that tells us a touching story of friendship between a girl and an old dilapidated golem. The action takes place in an old tower filled with broken mechanisms - remnants of the former glory of humanity and its assistants. The main character cherishes the dream of restoring this place, and therefore, first of all, she needs to start restoring the only surviving golem.

As we solve puzzles, we will be able to restore and improve our amazing ward, and he, in turn, will become a tool for further solving all sorts of problems. Thus, with each stage of restoration, tasks and puzzles will become more and more difficult, because the player will need to predict the points of interaction of his golem with the environment. Each level of the game is a whole puzzle room that you need to go through from start to finish. This is where difficulties arise: having miscalculated in one place, not having time to react, or simply reaching a dead end, you will have to start the level again, which, admit it, is quite annoying. Some tasks can only be solved through trial and error, which also does not add joy to the constant replay.

Golem is a pretty beautiful game, however, some game mechanics do not work as they should, and therefore it feels like a constant obstacle course, which prevents you from thoughtfully and relaxingly enjoying the environment and atmosphere.

Benefits of quests

Some people think that this is just entertainment, a pleasant pastime. And in vain: the game format is also a tool for learning new things, which is lost as one grows up.

It has been proven that the brain creates new neural connections with each new action, but a mature person produces less and less of them, limiting himself to a “habitual set” - unlike a child.

Quests are a great way to return to childhood (in a good way!)

Participation in them also :

1. Getting rid of the feeling of daily routine.
2. A chance to test yourself in atypical circumstances, to test your reactions to different life situations. Moreover, the “testing” will take place under predictable conditions (especially important for teenagers).
3. Overcoming your own fears.
4. An opportunity to spend time without a mobile phone and other gadgets.
5. Development of attention, ingenuity, intuition, which are rarely used in daily routine.
6. Improving the ability to notice small details and analyze the situation as a whole.
7. Honing the ability to work in a team, developing joint decisions and achieving a common goal.
8. A gorgeous photo shoot, incomparable to the “product” obtained in the studio.

educational quests conducted in schools, museums, and libraries are widespread as an interactive learning technology This unusual way of learning stimulates cognitive interest even among avid “B students”.

Draugen

Game genre: Quest, Action

Year: May 29, 2019

Platforms: PC, PS4, XBOX ONE

According to the developers, the Draugen should be called nothing less than “fjord noir”. They promise to show us a colorful Norwegian corner in the scenery of the 20s of the last century. A leisurely psychological thriller will immerse us in the story of an American researcher and his young pupil, who decided to find the missing sister of the protagonist in a tiny Norwegian village. With their arrival on the fjords, a story full of mysteries and imbued with the spirit of northern mythology begins. Upon arrival, it turns out that the village the travelers are looking for is completely empty, and therefore Edward and Lissa begin searching for answers, plunging deeper and deeper into the frightening history of the beautiful fjords.

At first it may seem that Draugen is inspired by the work of Lovecraft, but this is not the case. Although the crazy visions of the main character contribute to this similarity. By the way, it is Edward’s mental state that will largely influence the course of the game, interfering with fantasy and reality. The developers also hint that Lissie, the protagonist’s companion, is very important for the gameplay. It is interaction with her that will help you find the keys to the mysterious events in the tiny fishing village.

Why quests can be dangerous

There is no more danger in a well-organized reality adventure than in a movie screening, experts say. However, the media is full of reports of tragic incidents at such events.

For example, at the beginning of January 2021, several teenage girls died in the city of Koszalin (Poland): a fire broke out in the room where the action took place. Why is this happening?

A good quest is a painstakingly created product that requires time and material costs.

However, not all organizers take their work responsibly: the demand for their services is growing, and with it the desire to “put together” everything in a hurry. Find an abandoned building, purchase minimal props - and you can recruit those who want to “tickle” your nerves!

The situation is aggravated by the lack of regulations governing responsibility for the safety of participants. There is also no official certification of reality games based on age, level of danger and other parameters.

Sellers of such services, realizing this, take various tricks, for example, taking receipts confirming the participants’ independent responsibility for possible harm to health.

The Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” establishes the right to safety of the services provided. The player who gave the receipt, if he receives serious harm, can complain to Rospotrebnadzor, as well as file a claim for compensation for damage received due to unsafe playing conditions.

Perfect hit

The name of the quest should hit the target audience directly. The more unambiguously it is interpreted, the easier it is for your clients to navigate. If you have a children's quest, the name should evoke positive associations (fairy tales, adventures, secrets). If you have a horror title, the title should evoke fear. There is an excellent example in Yekaterinburg - the “Hostel” quest from “Claustrophobia”. If you don’t see a photo of this quest, don’t watch the movie of the same name and are generally not aware of the topic, then you might think, as the creators themselves joke, that this is not a quest, but a place to spend the night. In the summer of 2021, in order to remove all questions, the quest was renamed “Hostel. Torture Basement."

If we consider adventure quests, then the names that set high expectations for the technical component and surroundings sound much more interesting, for example: “Space”, “Dinosaurs”, “Legoquest”, “Medieval Castle”, “Pharaoh’s Tomb”, “Submarine”, “ President's plane." You want to visit such quests, even if you have only heard their name.

Recognition

Most often, well-known works are used for the names of quests: films, books, fairy tales, cartoons. Recently, popular TV series have begun to appear (“Game of Thrones”, “Breaking Bad”, “Dexter”, etc.).

Recognition makes it easy to attract fans of the genre at the level of emotions that they have previously experienced from viewing or reading this work.

This mainstream also has a downside, for example, the same company “Claustrophobia” has already assessed the power of copyright in several projects (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, “SpongeBob”), which had to be renamed and even partially changed tasks.

Legacy of the Witches. Witch Queen's Lair

"Legacy of Witches" Lair of the Witch Queen" is included in the list of the best quests in Russian. Tom and Elizabeth Charleston are a beautiful couple for whom everyone predicted a wonderful future. But Elizabeth is not who she says she is. Under the mask of a sweet and kind girl hides an ancient old woman - a powerful witch who wants to find a successor among people. Her choice fell on young Lynn - the girl did not even suspect her abilities for magic, but Elizabeth immediately saw this potential in her. One by one, the Charlestons died, as if by accident. Everyone except Lynn. With your help, the girl managed to escape the pursuit of the witch, but her life changed dramatically... Choose the difficulty level: easy, medium, difficult - or customize it as you wish. Interesting puzzles and mini-games, hidden object searches or entertaining tasks in alternative mode await you.

Cradle

Cradle takes ninth place in the list of the best quests in Russian. The plot is based on the story of the relationship between the protagonist and a mechanical girl, who, under mysterious circumstances, found themselves together in a yurt, in the middle of the Mongolian steppe hills. The player’s task is to restore the lost functions of his companion’s mechanical body and, together with her, uncover the mystery of the abandoned amusement park, which is located not far from the yurt, and his own past.

Weird Park 3: The Final Show

Weird Park 3: The Final Show opens the top three quests in Russian. The final part of the Weird Park trilogy about clowns and missing children. The boy stepped into the closet and... disappeared. The police and journalists don't know what to think. But they cannot even imagine what lies behind the veil of reality: a bizarre alternative world created by the imagination. In the course of a journalistic investigation, you need to open a door to another world, save a child and deprive the terrible Mr. Dudley of power.

6. Sam & Max: Season One - Save the World

Sam & Max: Season One - Save the World - a series of the best quest games in Russian. The overall theme of the season is hypnosis. In the episode "Culture Shock", Brady Culture hypnotizes the Three Soda Poppers. In the episode "Situation: Comedy", Myra (a famous TV presenter) was hypnotized by the villains of the third episode - the Toy Mafia. And in the fourth episode, it turns out that the Toy Mafia was actually just a pawn in the hands of someone who managed to infiltrate the US government. This “personality” in the fifth episode turns out to be the Internet itself, which was also controlled by the true villain - Hugh Bliss, who tried to hypnotize the whole world so that everyone would become fans of the cult of Prismatology. The cult itself is a parody of Scientology; the basis of the theory of Prismatology is the “science” of Emetics (a parody of Dianetics). In the sixth and final episode, Sam and Max finally thwart the plans of Hugh Dar himself, who turns out to be a colony of alien bacteria that feed on the endorphins of happy people.

Back To The Future: The Game

Back To The Future : The Game is one of the ten best quests in Russian. The main character is Marty McFly, one of the main characters of the film. In It's About Time, he saves the life of Dr. Emmett Brown, the scientist who invented the very DeLorean, which can not only transport passengers, but also move them in time through entire decades. In the second episode, Get Tannen, young Marty will have to take care of his own father, as well as his lover. You see, Little Tannen, the cunning bandit familiar to fans of the film, somehow managed to escape the punishing hand of justice and found a powerful criminal group. Therefore, the younger McFly and Doc get into the time machine again and go back in time to find out the reasons why the criminal was not arrested.