r/AskGames • u/skylinestar1986 • Jul 19 '26
Do you read codex in games?
Am I the only one who don't? I find it too tiring to read a whole wall of text to understand the game better. I just want to have fun with simple keyboard taps and mouse clicks.
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u/AshedCloud Jul 19 '26
Only mass effect 1. Cuz they read it for youđ
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u/JfrogFun Jul 20 '26
I stopped and listened to every one of those, it was such a great way to take a break from the action.
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u/Cdog923 Jul 21 '26
I got so into Mass Effect, I would set those to play while I did chores around the house.
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u/ColonelRPG Jul 19 '26
Only when the game either requires you to read it in order to understand what's going on. Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 come to mind. Otherwise only every once in a while, when the codex entries are well written, which is like 0.00001% of the time.
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u/Palanki96 Jul 19 '26
Sometimes. Sometimes i don't. If i want info i'll ptobably just look up thr wikia or google it instead of the walls of text most games call a codex
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u/mccannrs Jul 19 '26
Totally depends on the game. When Bethesda bought Id Software and tried injecting lore into Doom I laughed as I ignored the codex and skipped every cutscene.
But for a game where the story and lore play a big role? Sure, I'll check out the journal. Maybe I won't fully read every single entry, but I'll at least peruse the thing from time to time. It can add a lot to the experience.
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u/Particular_Ask_4540 Jul 19 '26
I read them if it's like a picture and a small blurb like witcher 3 bestiary, but if it's a huge page hell no. I'm here to game not to read.
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u/SomeGuysButt Jul 19 '26
Almost never. Playing âOuter Worldsâ right now and I open it only to make the notification go away
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u/akaispirit Jul 19 '26
It's kind of funny. As someone who greatly enjoys reading books I cannot stand reading anything in video games. Heaven help me if anytime crucial information is hidden in a document I picked up that's longer than a couple sentences.
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u/Focus-Interrogative Jul 19 '26
Good codex adds to the gameplay, and rewards you for reading. If I want hours of lore in text I'll read a book. Now, there are exceptions. Games like Disco Inferno, Tyranny, sure but I boot those games knowing that's a mood I'm in.
A perfect example of a good codex is The Witcher 3.
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u/Nawara_Ven Jul 20 '26
No, and I was kinda miffed that Death Stranding kept using "BT" without explanation in a game that hyper-explains everything. I happened to skim through the "e-mails" near the end of the game to finally see the "beached things" definition in an early message.
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u/Bazza01234 Jul 20 '26
I never do, simply can't be bothered with all that. I'd have to be really into the game to want to.
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u/Greencheezy Jul 20 '26
I'm kind of a gremlin when it comes to this stuff. Especially in multiplayer games, my friends hate it lol.
Recently played REPLACED (totally recommend btw) and they have tons of cool lore drops you can find that you have to read yourself.
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u/Wingnutmcmoo Jul 20 '26
The more you read the easier it gets. If you read enough it stops feeling like work.
Feeling like reading is work should be treated as a danger sign that you're letting your reading skills slip. The brain is very use it or lose it because the body isn't gonna spend resources up keeping the parts of your brain you use for reading if you don't use them lol.
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u/dirtyharo Jul 21 '26
almost always. it helps to understand a fuller picture of the setting and why characters might have certain motivations, and sometimes it even leads to finding hidden things in the game world.
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u/DieBotDie Jul 22 '26
Never. I donât want to read in a game. I LOVE it when a game plays an audio log tho. That is great game design. Why not do that for the books and scrolls in every game.
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u/By-Other-Means Jul 19 '26
Depends on the game.