But i would say to answer the question quite generally what makes it so hard is balance.
Lets use your example of hide an object. What clues can the person write or not write. What makes it fun and interesting for the seekers. Ok as kids it is fine but then what about after 1 hour, do the people still want to play? Who got bored the seekers or the hiders? Did they both get bored at the same time. If you cant get the right balance one side or the other will feel dejected, then it is game over.
Your aforementioned game is easy to create in the real world, because you borrow everything that already exists:
Good point! I could merge the two. A game that is played both in the real world and in the virtual world at the same time. Not something like Kinect games, but a game that requires real world participation.
When I was a kid, we could make up a game on the spot.
...
So, why is making video games so hard?
Because making up a game is simply the preliminary design phase of building a computer game.
the old "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" concept.
its only hard when you don't know how to do something, or don't have the right tools for the task at hand.
once you know how to do it and have the tools, its mostly "inspired gruntwork", "glorified word processing", etc, etc. In that respect, its only the coolness factor of the resulting product that differentiates it from any other type of software development.
also, real time, interactive, multi-media, relational database driven, networked, multi-user, modeling and simulation (did i forget any? <g> ) software applications (IE computer games) are one of the more complex types of apps out there.
I see some game developers trying to change the process. One attempt is Project Spark, but you soon find out that you actually have to use programming concepts to do anything spectacular.
Another one I saw was the ToyBox mode in Disney Infinity.
Of course, before all of these was Little Big Planet by Media Molecule.
Now, supposedly, Media Molecule is trying to do something completely original. They are trying to bring the game creation process into the real world:
One of the most exciting technologies to me is Augmented Reality. Anyone done any research into that area? Another facet to being able to achieve this "real world gaming" is Virtual Reality.
So, augmented reality takes a virtual world and projects it into a real world. Virtual reality takes "you" and projects you into a virtual world. A merger of these two would put things one step closer to the perfect game creation environment. Okay, that is all for my fantasy.
Still, there just has to be a better way to make computer games.
As another note, I was also interested in the Euclidean Engine:
Their idea is a good one, taking information from real life and using that to create virtual things:
Also the 3-Sweep software is a very good idea:
Wait, I am not finished yet.
3D printing is gaining popularity nowadays, but I saw the potential long before at Siggraph.
Now, before a computer generated object is printed, it is a 3d file. So when you print the object, you then have two identical objects, one in a virtual world, and one in the real world.
Unfortunately, the robotics industry is far behind. haha.
As another note, I was also interested in the Euclidean Engine:
Their idea is a good one, taking information from real life and using that to create virtual things:
Just to nit-pick --
That's not their idea. They're deliberately misleading in their videos, confusing their own voxel-renderer with 3D scanning technology (one reason why they've got a shite reputation in the games industry).
Their product is just a renderer. For their demo, they used another company's 3D scanning software to create the assets.
You can use the same 3D scanning software with any renderer.
In fact, many games already do make use of 3D scanning technology (it's standard practice for AAA games!!), they just don't lie and pretend that they've invented the idea!
It's fraud, or creative marketing, don't listen to them :)
As another note, I was also interested in the Euclidean Engine:
In short "there are too many polygons to process, so instead make even more atoms and it will be easier to process" :) Come on...
And the funniest part "unlimited quantities" :D That's against the laws of physics of our universe :)
