Fun & Accessibility

Is your game fun?

Fun is the number thing a player wants in a game. It's probably the thing that gets us engaged or interested in playing games in the first place. Dramatic elements like challenges, play, and story can have a huge impact on players and leave them hooked on your game. Most of the time, playtesters will tell you whether your game is fun or not.

Most important aspects Challenges

A goal is pretty much the most important challenge that you can have in your game. Players always enjoy a game where the goal can stretch their abilities and skills. A game where you allow players to reach and exceed goals can truly captivate players in a very unique way. This is what you should ask yourself and your studio members before implementing gameplay. "What is the goal?" If you think that goals are already part of your game, then the only people left to check with are the playtesters. They are the ones who will justify whether you have a goal or not. Playtesters give you insight on how well your game is from a players' point of view. Playtesters should let you know if your goal needs to be defined and reachable if they are not strong enough. Another aspect is being able to play against an opponent. It gives your game more of a challenge. difficulties in the levels and being able to make vigilant choices are also a great way to engage your players in your game.

Natural Types of Play

• Living fantasies
• Social interaction
• Exploration & discovery
• Collection of things
• Stimulation of sense & imagination
• Self-expression & performance
• Construction/Deconstruction

Everyone always wants to experience the thrill of doing something that they don't usually do. In your game, you want players to be able to visualize or experience different types of fantasies like adventure, romance, or even living in an alternate universe. Some people play Call of Duty just to experience the thrill of being in a war, but they don't actually want to fight anyone in real life. Video games give them that opportunity to live out their fantasy or imagination that people cannot or should not do in the real world. This what you want to think about when making games. You want to be able to give your players a sense of imagination by providing a fantasy in which they are free to explore, fly, construct, incorporate social interaction, being creative and so forth.

Story

Story is a powerful mechanism for engaging people's emotions. A story gets players invested in your game. It is good to make a strong and meaningful story that can captivate players in a special way. For example, we all know about Batman's past and how his parents were shot right in front of him when he was 8 years old. We all know that. To see what he has made of himself and what he dedicated his life to do in Gotham City is very captivating, exciting, and emotional at the same time. That's why people react the way they do when they play the game. Because the story is so moving and because Batman is 'Batman'. Another example with a very good story is Kingdom Hearts II. Nobodies are alternates of a character in the game. At the beginning, you basically get to know these nobodies and before you even realize it they disappear and the real character of the story wakes up. It left me heartbroken because I really liked the nobodies and the alternate world they were living in, but it was all fake according to the game. They don't really exist. These are just few of how stories in game have impacted me as a player.

Conclusion

Games have to have emotional hooks that captivate your players. These players have to be invested in the outcome of these hooks so that they will continue playing the game until the very end. You want to be able to include a good story one that moves your players in an emotional way. You want to incorporate the natural types of play that allows them to live out their fantasy or imagination. And challenge your players. Give them a goal that really and truly stretches their limitations. Give them a reason why your game is fun.