History Main / RunDontWalk

* In ''Videogame/{{Okami}}'' for the [=PS2=], pushing the right joystick forward with any force at all makes Amaterasu run. Sustained running (or starting out with a dash) makes her 'shift gears' into two faster speeds. But one puzzle requires her to walk, which is accomplished by thumbing the joystick very lightly.

* In ''Videogame/PlanetSide 1'', soldiers jog (or walk quickly with a weapon drawn) by default - sprinting requires a [[SprintMeter dedicated implant]] -, which cause them to show up on sensors, while walking and crouch-walking make them invisible to motion sensors. In the sequel, players move at a fast walk and have infinite sprint, but the only way to remain invisible to motion sensors is to crouch-walk, as there isn't a "slow walk" button.

* You can't walk in ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' unless you've got some spell or something slowing you down. Or walking backwards, which doesn't really count. But if you are slowed, then you ''walk'', with a perfectly fine walking animation... and probably some mob on your case. A shame, since the game is [[SceneryPorn kind of pretty (in some places)]]. Granted, it would probably be quite the unhelpful feature given how it's much, much easier to [[{{Griefer}} grief]] in the game by being intentionally bad at it than by being unevenly matched....

* ''Golden Sun'' franchise:
** In ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', Isaac walks so slowly on the world map that it is practically required to use the run button.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise
** In the first two ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' games, as well as ''VideoGame/{{Fallout Tactics|BrotherhoodOfSteel}}'', running automatically disabled sneak mode. This made it very important for some character builds to avoid running in most dangerous areas. In ''Fallout 3'', running simply makes you somewhat noisier. In all games, however, there's a perk that allows running in sneak mode, thereby playing the trope completely straight even for sneaky characters in the middle of a battlefield.
** This trope was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}''. In a city inhabited entirely by Ghouls, you run into an old Ghoul who previously lived in ''another'' all-ghoul city that featured heavily in the original Fallout. When talking about the Hero from the previous game, he mentions that what stood out the most about him was that he was always ''running'', all over the place, which left quite an impression on the ghouls--since they couldn't manage much more than a [[ZombieGait shamble]].

* The ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' games provide a rare example of when a move-slow ("focus") button is really helpful. With Aya as a partner in ''Subterranean Animism'', Reimu gets a third, ludicrously fast speed if she's not firing. Not only that, but the focus button improves the graze box size to [[HitboxDissonance outside the character sprite]]

* In ''[[Videogame/MechWarrior MechWarrior Living Legends]]'', tanks and [[FutureCopter VTOLs]] default to digital throttle controls; holding forward is 100% throttle, while letting go is 0%. Tanks have an additional overdrive mode to increase their speed at the cost of generating heat. Pressing K switches them to the boat/airplane-style throttle that the [[HumongousMecha Battlemechs]] and [[SpacePlane aerospace fighters]] use, where holding forward or reverse gradually adjusts the speed, though it grants no inherent benefit to tanks aside from a less jittery ride at lower speeds.

* In the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, it being a stealth game and all, occasionally it was rather annoying if you hit the analog stick just a tad too hard so the sneaking turned into a short run or made Snake/Raiden do a roll all of a sudden. this is especially annoying when a guard happens to be close (which is the only reason making you sneak in the first place) and is suddenly alarmed by your louder movement. Dang it. In VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater this was fixed by making it so that the D-Pad would make you sneak instead.

* All the characters in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' run by default, although moving while crouched could be considered walking. Interestingly, since the characters have different running speeds (for example, the Heavy is about half the speed of a Scout), they can be broadly identified from their movement speed. Not a big deal generally, but it means that only newcomers to the MasterOfDisguise Spy class will ever dress as a Scout. The mysterious gentleman slows himself down automatically for other diguises, but becomes a rather slothful (and quickly killed) Scout.

* In ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' (and most of its mods and games with the same engine), it was possible to walk by holding shift, which would slow you down, and crouch by holding control, which would slow you down even further. Either option made you silent.
* Despite using the same engine as ''Half-Life'', walking is actually useful in ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' since most players run all over the place Quake-style, sneaking can get you an advantage since you can hear them coming but they don't hear you (they might even accuse you of camping if you don't make noise).
* ''VideoGame/GarrysMod'', however, has walking be of very little use outside of precision adjustments with the physics gun, which can be similarly accomplished with crouching. Indeed, in earlier versions, while a key was bound to walking by default, the corresponding function didn't even ''exist'' (likely since ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', with which [=GMod=] shares its engine, didn't have a walk function either), and now that it does players have to bind it themselves if they want to use it.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' series and any games running on its engines, walking [[EdgeGravity prevents you from falling off cliffs or other sudden drops]]. It gets a bit iffy at times, however, where you can walk far enough over an edge that you're not physically standing on it but are still on its level, only to release the walk/crouch key and promptly fall off.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Siren}}'', walking is usually the best way to move - running makes more noise and as such can alert Shibito, plus if you run long enough your character will tire out and need to slow down to catch their breath, which can be doubly troublesome since they swing weapons slower in this state.

* In the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, it being a stealth game and all, occasionally it was rather annoying if you hit the analog stick just a tad too hard so the sneaking turned into a short run or made Snake/Raiden do a roll all of a sudden. this is especially annoying when a guard happens to be close (which is the only reason making you sneak in the first place) and is suddenly alarmed by your louder movement. Dang it. In VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 this was fixed by making it so that the D-Pad would make you sneak instead.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' uses a run button, which makes Samus go faster than normal and also triggers the Speed Booster power when she collects it later. This button is notorious for being frequently overlooked; new players would inevitably get stuck on the [[http://www.metroid2002.com/3/other_noob_bridge_without_run_button.php noob bridge]], where it is first required. The later 2D installments, ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', do away with this system; instead, you run all the time (especially fast in ''Zero Mission'') and the Speed Booster kicks in on its own when you run far enough. This was done to accommodate the [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance GBA]]'s fewer buttons, and it's convenient, but unfortunately eliminates the GoodBadBugs from ''Super'' that work by monkeying around with the run button to hit top speed faster.

** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' encourages running most the time. To find good post-battle loot in the clutter and darkness under the low glow of your Pipboy it's better to walk, and to pull back your camera for a high angle view. And the female model's [[SexyWalk "saunter"]] is sometimes the most eye-catching thing you can find.

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* In the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, it being a stealth game and all, occassionally it was rather annoying if you hit the analog stick just a tad too hard so the sneaking turned into a short run or made Snake/Raiden do a roll all of a sudden. this is especially annoying when a guard happens to be close (which is the only reason making you sneak in the first place) and is suddenly alarmed by your louder movement. Dang it. In VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 this was fixed by making it so that the D-Pad would make you sneak instead.

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Once upon a time, player characters walked by default. So, players held the run button down in action games, or counseled new players in MMORPGs to hit the run/walk toggle. For convenience, many games now have the player characters constantly running unless they deliberately switch to walking--if that's even an option--since that's what players would do anyway. Sometimes, the only choices are run or run ''faster''.

* ''VideoGame/GarrysMod'', however, has walking be of very little use outside of precision adjustments with the physics gun, which can be similarly accomplished with crouching. Indeed, in earlier versions, while a key was bound to walking by default the corresponding function didn't even ''exist'' (likely since ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', with which [=GMod=] shares its engine, didn't have a walk function either), and now that it does players have to bind it themselves if they want to use it.

* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'' was one of the earliest games to make running the default, and very slow walking (which was done by holding down the shift key). Notably, the game does have a ''reason'' for walking slowly: it enables you to get past [[SpikesOfDoom spike traps]] without getting skewered, step right on the edge of a ledge without falling off, and trigger loose tiles so they drop without you on them.

Once upon a time, player characters walked by default. So, players held the run button down in action games, or counseled new players in MMORPG to hit the run/walk toggle. For convenience, many games now have the player characters constantly running unless they deliberately switch to walking--if that's even an option--since that's what players would do anyway. Sometimes, the only choices are run or run ''faster''.

* Franchise/SlyCooper's default movement speed is "sneak", but it's relatively fast. The run button makes him more detectable to the [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy guards]].

** ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger 2'' has lampshaded this by the fact that one of the teachers [[spoiler:and villian]] hates the fact that the protagonist runs all the time.

* In the ''Franchise/MetalGear'' series, it being a stealth game and all, occassionally it was rather annoying if you hit the analog stick just a tad too hard so the sneaking turned into a short run or made Snake/Raiden do a roll all of a sudden. this is especially annoying when a guard happens to be close (which is the only reason making you sneak in the first place) and is suddenly alarmed by your louder movement. Dang it. In VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 this was fixed by making it so that the D-Pad would make you sneak instead.

* Some early ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games had the passive Dash ability that allowed the part to run instead of walking. The remakes on the other hand offer this ability as a menu option. This sometimes stacks with the ingame ability, allowing the party to move even faster.
* The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' remake for the Nintendo DS allows the player to toggle between run and walk; walk is set as default with run applied with a held button, but the options can be switched in the menu to make run the default and walk triggered by the button. Given the unrealistically slow pace of the walking animation in comparison to the ground being covered (to the degree that it looks almost like moonwalking attempts), it's better to run everywhere, not simply to progress faster, but also to look less stupid while doing so.
* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', where Barret will complain about having to run up the stairs of a skyscrape. Cloud, on the other hand, won't even break a sweat.

* In the ''InazumaEleven'' games, you hold B to run and release it to walk, although the options conveniently include a setting to reverse this so you run by default and hold B to walk.

* All the characters in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' run by default, although moving while crouched could be considered walking. Interestingly, since the characters have different running speeds (for example, the Heavy is about half the speed of a Scout), they can be broadly identified from their movement speed. Not a big deal generally, but it means that only newcomers to the MasterOfDisguise Spy class will ever dress as a Scout. The mysterious gentleman slows himself down automatically for other diguises, but becomes a rather slothful (and quickly dead) Scout.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' has you always running unless you held down the walk or couch button. You otherwise move slower if you were hurting.

* In ''Videogame/PlanetSide 1'', soldiers would jog (or walk quickly with a weapon drawn) by default - sprinting required a [[SprintMeter dedicated implant]] - which would cause them to show up on sensors. Crouch-walking and walking would make them invisible to motion sensors. In the sequel, players move at a fast walk and have infinite sprint, but the only way to remain invisible to motion sensors is to crouch-walk as there isn't a walk button.

* Averted by the ''[[VideoGame/{{STALKER}} STALKER]]'' titles. The default speed is walking or a light jog if you're not carrying much weight. Sprinting depletes your stamina bar quickly.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'', the player character can initially only walk, up until the graduation ceremony. After that, they have good reason to run as fast as they can, and never stop.