You know what I'm talking about. You see a massive map and think "woah I'm gonna be playing this game for hundreds of hours!" but then realize most your time is spent walking... walking... walking... and occasionally you run into an enemy. I noticed this trend starting with GTA San Andreas where most of the map is just empty space. I get that there are the hidden seashells scattered about but really I dont want to spend a ton of time running around looking for them.

Breath of the Wild seems to have this same problem. Even Ocarina of Time annoyed me with the massive Hyrule Field that you had to traverse to get from point A to point B.

Morrowind is a game with a massive sandbox BUT it seemed like there was actually a payoff to your exploration. it was always fun to see those Daedric ruins come into view as you turn a corner or come across a random NPC standing off to the side.

Mass Effect is another "empty sandbox" game. Whats the point of exploring these planets if they are mostly empty with the exception of a few mineral deposits with the stupid keypad thing you had to beat.

World of Warcraft is another one where it just seemed like this vast expanse of pointless terrain. True Crime Streets of L.A. is a massive game with essentially nothing in it. Mercenaries 1 was an awesome game with tons of area to explore and had an actual payoff with things hidden everywhere and structures to blow up.

Developers: if you're gonna create a huge play area, give us something to do!!