There Are Reasons Why Bad Games Are Bad

There are reasons why trash games are trash. I loved Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but alternate history sims weren't my thing, and mindless hack-and-slash action games where you just button-mash through armies as a single general? Not for me either. That was me. Turns out, if there's even a sliver of demand, game devs will dig into that niche. And so, an RPG based on the Three Kingdoms came out. Called Silver Dragon, it blended soul-like action with grounded combat. "Hidden Dragon"—a title that screamed epic potential, like some great being rising from obscurity to reshape the fate of the world. This was it. This was what I wanted. The Three Kingdoms I knew should taste like this pure adrenaline rush.

The trailer alone screamed masterpiece. Sure, every studio polishes their trailers, but this one felt right. Not playing as famous generals in the Three Kingdoms world—instead, living as an ordinary citizen of the late Eastern Han, experiencing all sorts of lives. A god game tailored to my tastes. High-freedom RPGs like this... they just don't come out anymore. I bought it day one and dove right in. Back then, I had zero doubts this would be my god game. At least, until I actually cracked it open and played.

The community was in flames. Pure rage.

Yeah, the backlash was real. They made the bottom-of-the-barrel life too realistic, injecting pointless grit. Grinding from penniless nobody to the fun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠parts was pure torture. Too ambitious for its own good, and it faded into obscurity. Devs posted hotfixes, but the company went bankrupt overnight. Straight-up scammed.

"Sigh."

Deleting the game—which hogged way too much space—left an inexplicable void. Disappointment? Nah. 'But... I actually liked it...' No game had ever hooked me this hard. Yet the community called it peasant bait for masochists. Tears welled up. 'Is it really that boring?' Sure, character growth was grindy... but still funner than real life. It became my escape. Not total trash. Not a god game. I dubbed it my shit-god game. Anyway, my secret haven got trashed, so my motivation tanked. Felt like my private playground turned into a dump. I crashed like that.

And the next day... I realized I'd woken up inside my shit-god game world.

"Make way!! This is the muster of Youzhou Inspector!!!"

A man in ragged military garb posted a notice from one spot. No way I could read those squiggly ancient characters, obviously.

"With the Yellow Turbans mocking all under heaven!!! Those with resolve, enlist in the volunteer army to restore order!!!"

The soldier bellowed, then stepped back. Couldn't read the sign, but he spelled it out—thanks, man.

"Those Yellow Turban bastards again..."

"Sigh. End times."

"What end times? Always been end times. Do our jobs. Lock the doors tight, stay wary of outsiders. Keep the women and kids safe."

The grubby locals muttered in unison. Yeah. The clothes matched the Eastern Han peasant rags from Silver Dragon. Straight out of late Han era obscurity.

Glancing around, I checked my status. Damn, these guys are filthy. Mine wasn't much better—ragged clothes just like them. But one difference.

Clink.

A Han-style ring-pommel sword at my waist. Folks didn't bat an eye at an armed stranger. World was so fucked in late Han, sword-bearers just screamed defeated soldier or drifter.

Ding.

Same status window as the game. Isekai'd, but at least they gave me the UI. Maybe poke around the status screen next. That's when—

"Tch. Outsider?"

"Refugees pouring in daily."

"Armed ones are all trouble."

"Daddy, that guy."

"Shh. Don't talk to strangers. Don't even look."

Soldier gone, folks shot me dirty looks as they shuffled back to work. Same as the game. New area in chaotic times? No warm welcomes unless you're official or uniformed.

Play it safe. Random thug events lurked. Anyway, I patted my clothes and pockets, just in case.

"......"

Yup. Penniless as expected. Game start meant no food, no shelter.

"Fuuuck..."

What now? Dread hit hard; suddenly missed Mom. Staring at birds overhead for escapism, I thought of my old world.

"Ah."

But even there, life sucked. Homeless vibes, minus the basics—it was all the same grind. Suddenly, dopamine surged; mindset flipped positive.

Alright. Let's do this.

Game had tons of money-making routes. Follow one, problem solved. Whistling, I strode off purposefully. First, pinpoint location, secure basics via my grind route. Full isekai-optimized mentality engaged. Time to grind. I was peak positivity incarnate.