quote:Original post by ahw


Now one thing I am noticing, and that might be a hint to why we have so few women players, is the lack of girl games ... I would question the interest of a housewife simulator, but fact is, most little girls I know would die for that

Dude, I swear, the first person to make a replayable soap opera game is gonna make a *mint* As was noted in the games for girls thread awhile back, it''s the social complexity and emotion that''s so missing in our games (this is also why most RPGs have been nothing more than hack & slash / kill foozle affairs so far).

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As well, you might notice that as adults, it''s usually really hard to say "yeah, I am playing with my kids toys", but rather it would be something "oh dear, we *have* to buy these toys, the kid''s gonna love them" ... yeah, right

Yeah, there''s a weird stigma when it comes to play and imagination. Playing for exercise, or competition seems justifiable as an adult, but not just for imaginative fun.

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d''uh ! Does it sound very different from the games you would play between your GI Joe guys and the Barbie of your sister ? ... I didn''t think so

Nope!

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So my question, what kid games didn''t we recreate so far ?

Forts in first person?
House? (No wait, that''s the Sims).
???

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And what does the addition of more than gameplay bring to the experience ?

Color, deeper immersion, particularly for the imagination challenged...

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By bringing in a plot, don''t we limit the imagination of the player ? By limiting his ability to create stories, aren''t we defeating the purpose of the game ?

Yes, I think so. You have to provide structure, but as an author the more you impose your vision the less the player is free to contribute their own. Some people are perfectly happy with this, and in terms of being entertained don''t *want* to contribute. I suspect these folks want more story in their game, which is fine.

But there are folks such as myself that space through dialog and description because it''s not something that they can be a creative part of (no contribution other than to passively absorb, IOW). We''re the folks that chafe at missions, and being told what to do, and would rather carve our own path through the game.



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Just waiting for the mothership...

quote:Original post by Wavinator

But there are folks such as myself that space through dialog and description because it''s not something that they can be a creative part of (no contribution other than to passively absorb, IOW). We''re the folks that chafe at missions, and being told what to do, and would rather carve our own path through the game.

I like carving a path as well....

Instead of telling the player what to do via missions, I''d like to do is something along the lines of the player finding out a certain situation has happened and the player will react to it without direction from the game.

Like, the player finds out somehow that the king is about to be assassinated tomorrow. If the player is told who is going to do this, the player may go and kill the assassin first. The player may not like the King, and kill the king first, or just go watch the assassination. Of course there would always be consequences for whatever path the player chooses.

quote:Original post by Nazrix

Instead of telling the player what to do via missions, I''d like to do is something along the lines of the player finding out a certain situation has happened and the player will react to it without direction from the game.

Like, the player finds out somehow that the king is about to be assassinated tomorrow. If the player is told who is going to do this, the player may go and kill the assassin first. The player may not like the King, and kill the king first, or just go watch the assassination. Of course there would always be consequences for whatever path the player chooses.

Yeah, or maybe you could help the assassin out. Or blackmail him for profit later. The point is, at this level you''re completely blurring the line between story and game because the gameplay elements are the story elements.



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Just waiting for the mothership...

quote:Original post by Wavinator
Yeah, or maybe you could help the assassin out. Or blackmail him for profit later. The point is, at this level you''re completely blurring the line between story and game because the gameplay elements are the story elements.

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Just waiting for the mothership...

Yep, agreed. I think blurring those lines can be a good thing as long as it''s handled correctly.