I wasn’t particularly familiar with the term save scumming until I became more involved with the gaming community a few years ago. Just the choice of words used to describe when people save regularly before points in a game, exude such negative connotations. Scumming? Ew, how gross, right? Once I realized what it meant, I couldn’t help but wonder why do gamers consider this an egregious gaming sin?

There could be a few reasons why you’d want to save scum. The two main ones are to provide your own checkpoint prior to a difficult level or battle, and the other is to create your own checkpoint in a game with several storyline outcomes.

I found myself save scumming the heck out of Baldur’s Gate 3 because there’s an insane number of paths. Many times, I didn’t even realize I’ve messed up an intended romance option or selected a poor dialogue option. Also, since I spent well over a hundred hours in Baldur’s Gate 3, I’d rather not start from the beginning if I want to see another outcome that doesn’t start till Act two or three.

The several romance options are just too tempting in Baldur’s Gate 3, and I can’t afford a whole new playthrough to experience them all! Image Credit: Larian Studios

Many gaming elitists would likely shun me for this massive gaming sin, but I find it efficient when I don’t have all the time in the world. They think save scumming ruins a genuine experience? Who cares? If you, the player, are getting the most out of a video game with save scumming, then so be it. Video games are meant to be enjoyed however you want it, within the confines of the developer. I’m all Team Normalize Save Scumming. How about it?

Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

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The Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast About Video Games

The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, Stephanie Klimov, LeRon Dawkins, and Pat Klein come together with their friends, colleagues, and fellow creators to talk about their week in video games, discuss industry topics, conduct interviews, answer listener questions, and more. New episodes every Monday. Get each episode one week early and more perks over on the Boss Rush Network Patreon page.

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