I agree with you on the surface' date=' but to play devil's advocate there are certainly ways I can see "leveling up" being incorporated without upsetting the immersion, realism or sandboxiness. Best example I can think of off the top of my head is improving your ability to butcher animals. I have no idea how to butcher an animal. If I tried, I would probably ruin some of the meat. But if I practiced, and my very survival depended on it, I would probably get better with each passing attempt (i.e., increasing the amount of raw steak acquired from animal caracasses as my skills improve). Medics could apply bandages and give blood transfusions faster. You could increase your athleticism over time by eating regularly and running long distances - reducing reticule wander from exhaustion, increasing recovery time, or even eventually increasing run speed slightly. etc., etc. I think there are ways to incorporate slight and subtle differences in player abilities - and doing so might add some interesting variety and secondary goals to the game. [/quote'] This sounds awesome, given that you still lose these perks when you die.