Have you ever made a mistake in a game that caused you to lose all your progress?

Maybe you chose the wrong dialogue option by accident, spoiling an important moment in the storyline forever. Or you might have missed the perfect opportunity for a decisive strike, leading to your character’s death and the loss of an hour of gameplay.

At such moments, many players think the same thing: “If only I could turn back time…”.

This is where we come in, because we have a way of doing it. Say hello to “Save Scumming”!

Read our guide to find out exactly what this is and what it means in the gaming world! We guarantee you’ll be satisfied!

Save Scumming Meaning in Games

First of all, let’s explain what save scumming is in games. It’s a term used to describe the practice of players often returning to their last save in a game when something goes wrong.

This can be extremely useful, especially before a difficult battle or an important plot decision. Instead of having to replay hours of gameplay, you can simply go back and correct your mistake.

However, not everyone sees this activity as a positive thing. While it can be a useful tool, it also has a dark side. The problem arises when the players become addicted to the save mechanic and abuse it to the point that they lose the fun of the game.

QUICK NOTE: This phenomenon is called Save Abuse, and is defined as the compulsive use of the save and load feature to achieve the best possible result.

What is Save Scumming in Practice

Now that we know the theory, it’s time to move on to practice.

Save scumming takes different forms depending on the game genre. Here are three examples that perfectly show how differently this technique can be used:

  • In Fire Emblem (strategy/tactical RPG), players save the game before battle to avoid losing characters forever.
  • In Baldur’s Gate (adventure RPG), the tactic is used before dice rolls and important choices, so they can go back if something goes wrong.
  • In XCOM (turn-based tactical game), players undo the game if their plan doesn’t work out and try again to win.

Conclusion

That’s it! Now if you happen to stumble during the game and you don’t want to lose your progress so far then you know what to do. Remember to use it wisely though, as too much saving and reloading can lead to Save Abuse moment, which can spoil the fun.

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