What do you think makes a game fun?
Author
I would like to know what you (the reader) think is fun in a game?
All replies highly appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
somthing addictive and somthing people will sit down for hours playing. it doesnt matter about what the game looks like if you make a game that you think is addictive and fun with nice graphics and sound effects im pretty sure others will to.
Originality, I remember the first time I played harvest moon, I played it for 12 hours solid, I had never done that before, but then again, I had never played a farm game before either. It was a great and addictive game, because it was completely different then all the stuff I had played before that.
A game thats unpredictable, therefore not repetitive, and probably, mini games within the game,gta games, are really repetitive, but you stay to play mini games, like there R/C(radio control) Missions.
It's a combination of a lot of things. I could go on and on about what makes a game fun, good gameplay, deep storyline, simple interface, replayability, emotional content, variety, etc. There's no formula for fun, that's why so much work has to go into game design. It's not a simple thing to make a game fun, and fun is also subjective, meaning that you can't please everyone. Usually you need to have a small target market for it.
There's been a lot of discussion on this in Game Design, you might want to look through old threads in there.
Remember that "fun" is subjective and you can't please everyone, but here's a few things I think help to make a game fun:
1) Easy to learn, but hard to master.
Anyone should be able to pick up the game and play reasonably well in a short period of time without excessive effort, but there should be added depth (think difficult combos in a fighting game for example) that makes the game hard to actually master. Not every game will be easy to quickly learn, but it's definately something to strive for.
2) Simple controls.
The player should not have to master the controls, they should have to master the game. The controls should therefore be as intuitive as possible, and if appropriate options should be provided for adjusting sensitivity/re-mapping keys, etc. Not every game will be able to have simple controls, but effort should be put into making them intuitive and sensible.
3) Challenge/reward the player.
The player should be challenged, and should somehow be rewarded for succeeding in the tasks presented.
Examples of ways to challenge the player include testing reaction time, testing memory and testing problem solving abilities. Not all players will enjoy all forms of challenge, and any given challenge can be presented in a massively varied number of ways.
Examples of rewards include high scores, cinematics, continued storyline and unlockable content.
4) Clean, functional interface.
Players should be playing a game, not messing around with an interface. Any interface elements included in a game should be kept as intuitive as possible, and should not interfere with gameplay. Any information the player requires should be made easily available. The interface should never hold the player's attention more than the game itself.
5) Well presented.
The game should be presented in a way that suits the gameplay and sets an appropriate tone/feel for the gameplay experience. This does not mean you need latest cutting-edge graphics, but rather that what graphics you do have should be of good, consistent quality, and should suit the game in question.
Remember that "fun" is subjective and you can't please everyone, but here's a few things I think help to make a game fun:
1) Easy to learn, but hard to master.
Anyone should be able to pick up the game and play reasonably well in a short period of time without excessive effort, but there should be added depth (think difficult combos in a fighting game for example) that makes the game hard to actually master. Not every game will be easy to quickly learn, but it's definately something to strive for.
2) Simple controls.
The player should not have to master the controls, they should have to master the game. The controls should therefore be as intuitive as possible, and if appropriate options should be provided for adjusting sensitivity/re-mapping keys, etc. Not every game will be able to have simple controls, but effort should be put into making them intuitive and sensible.
3) Challenge/reward the player.
The player should be challenged, and should somehow be rewarded for succeeding in the tasks presented.
Examples of ways to challenge the player include testing reaction time, testing memory and testing problem solving abilities. Not all players will enjoy all forms of challenge, and any given challenge can be presented in a massively varied number of ways.
Examples of rewards include high scores, cinematics, continued storyline and unlockable content.
4) Clean, functional interface.
Players should be playing a game, not messing around with an interface. Any interface elements included in a game should be kept as intuitive as possible, and should not interfere with gameplay. Any information the player requires should be made easily available. The interface should never hold the player's attention more than the game itself.
5) Well presented.
The game should be presented in a way that suits the gameplay and sets an appropriate tone/feel for the gameplay experience. This does not mean you need latest cutting-edge graphics, but rather that what graphics you do have should be of good, consistent quality, and should suit the game in question.
I didn't have time to post them when I responded earlier, but here's some links to a few articles you might enjoy:
- Designing Great Games, by Roger E. Pederson
- Fun Factor for Game Developers, by H. Hernan Moraldo
- Designing Games For The Wage Slave, by Stuart Walpole
- Balancing Games With Positive Feedback, by Ernest Adams (requires free registration)
- Designing Great Games, by Roger E. Pederson
- Fun Factor for Game Developers, by H. Hernan Moraldo
- Designing Games For The Wage Slave, by Stuart Walpole
- Balancing Games With Positive Feedback, by Ernest Adams (requires free registration)
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