Video games a strange form of entertainment. They’re not the sort of medium that people enjoy just for a good storyline, yet their main attraction can be the story (in the case of an RPG is sometimes is). But when it comes to actually playing video games, what is it exactly that is exciting to actually do or interact with? What part of games, what singular moment in the game world, can you name that accounts for why video games are fun?
Also, when answering, try to avoid answers like ‘killing / destroying objects in the game world gives me a rush’, if you can. I’m interested more in why certain actions and motions give you a rush, if you see what I mean, although anything goes…
I love shaping the outcome of a story, which is why I have a great fondness for RPGs. I love seeing how the outcome of a game’s story shapes future events in subsequent games as well.
Also, who doesn’t love exploring huge non-linear worlds?
First of all : the sense of abstraction.The big power of a videogame is to “transport” you to somewhere else in a more complete way than say, a movie.
That’s the main reason of why I like them.You are in a world where you don’t know how things work, so you have to explore and inform yourself.Depending on the complexity of the worlds the games are more or less fun.
But there are other things that are more difficult to explain.Things like feeling a thrilling sensation just because you dodge an adversary’s punch and then hit him/her with a super kick are odd…
The one thing that videogames have over any other medium of storytelling or entertainment is the ability to directly control what is happening on the screen. Which is why I have always felt that the less the player has the ability to control what is happening, the worse of a game it is.
In other words, the ability to take part in the entertainment you are enjoying, whether it be affecting the story, affecting the outcome of a battle, etc.
I’d like to see, however, more games like Ico, where the story emerges from your interaction with the game.
There are some parts of game that i love. Such as the music. Games with good music just make me immersed and it just feels right. Its like it just reflects your mode. PDS, NiGHTS, Duke Nukem 3D, Exhumed, Command & Conquer even Sonic R are all good examples. Fast shocking music builds tension, which makes you feel even more into the game. i.e - Resident Evil
As you can see, being a part of the game, becoming immersed int he game play is what excites me most, because theres nothing more exciting that being part of it.
I guess it all depends on the game. For something like a first person shooter, you can have a game with an awesome story and a great level of immersion and you can have another game with a flimsy story, and both can be great games. For example, Serious Sam has about as throw away a story as you can get and the hero looks like a Duke Nukem clone. Yet it’s still a rocking game because the action is always in your face and it throws out the most enemies I’ve ever seen in a shooter. Halo on the other hand has a huge level of immersion and a better story, and that too is a great game.
For something like a vertical or horizontal scrolling shooter, it only needs to be as twitchy as possible. The twitchier the better. The more things explode, the happier I am.
3D shooters can be good as well. However these often have to have something unique about them or have characters that draw me in. Skygunner is an excellent example. If this is not the case, then they should be as hardcore sim as possible. X Wing or Falcon 2.0. Rogue Leader is more arcade like, but the action is always fast.
For a side scrolling beat em up, it’s very hard to get a game right. The characters need to appeal to me. The story doesn’t need to be a big issue. You can have a standard story about revenge for all I care. But what makes a good beat em up is its battle system. I can’t stand to see slow attacks and the same 4 attack animation over and over. Guardian Heroes had an outstanding battle system, great replayability, great characters, and fast and hard action.
In most cases, whether it’s an RPG or a racing game, what appeals to me is a sense of actually being in the world of the game. Even if there are no characters or story or it’s a wildly abstract game, gameplay and mechanics and sometimes graphics usually make a game. But what sets games apart from the rest is a sense that the game is doing something different from the norm.
Exactly that, Gehn. When you play an RPG, for example, you either play the role of someone or become someone else inside a work of fiction. Playing the role of the hero allows players to escape their everyday lives. Hell, the need to escape reality from time-to-time practically gave birth to fiction.
In games, I like the ‘connect’ effect that I’m given. When you do something and and a reaction is displayed on the screen in a timely fashion, such as defeating a monster or collecting a powerup item and hearing that jingle as it’s collected. I like the simplicity of a do something/instant reward system.
entertaining the fanciful subject of escapism, which game universe would you choose to be implanted into if possible (AND mandatory) a couple friends could come too, i guess.
i don’t just mean seeing the game through your own perspective and being able to touch stuff, i mean the entire scope of the game is fully realized in it’s own real world… as an example, you only got to see one small area of the city on pioneer 2 in phantasy star online. if you were to be put into that universe, there would be a full city for you to explore and a proper amount of people inhabiting that city. the people would also have their own lives and you could have a discussion with one, rather than having them repeat one or two statements over and over about the current state of things. the general workings of the universe would also remain the same.
i think i would go with… PSO or elderscrolls/morrowind. for PSO i liked the setting of all these random hunters banding together then going to explore ragol. for morrowind, your success in that world is directly related to how skillful and clever you are.
i would also say panzer dragoon, but it is far too likely that i would die from a deadly infection, being made into an example by the empire, or being mauled by a coolia. and the chances of me being a dragon rider are too low and if you think about it, the most time anyone spent as a dragon rider is a couple weeks.
Exactly that, Gehn. When you play an RPG, for example, you either play the role of someone or become someone else inside a work of fiction. Playing the role of the hero allows players to escape their everyday lives. Hell, the need to escape reality from time-to-time practically gave birth to fiction.[/quote]
PDS ENDING SPOILER
[size=42]which is why I didn’t particularly like “me” being the divine visitor at the end of PDS…[/size] end spoilers
For those of you that don’t know how to read it… just copy and paste it into your browser address bar or press quote…
Some of my favourite RPGs allow you to literally play as the main protagonist, giving you the opportunity to be yourself, or become someone else entirely (the beauty is you’re free to choose). I don’t actually like role playing a character as much as I love interacting with my surroundings as I would in the real world. In Neverwinter Nights or Knights of the Old Republic I could never bring myself to harm an innocent. When certain good characters in Neverwinter Nights and Warcraft 3 turned against the people they once strove to protect, I couldn’t wait to kill them…
On the other hand, some RPGs put you in someone else’s shoes, which feel like shackles more often than not unless you’re free to forge that character’s destiny.
Personally, I’d love to live in the world of Warcraft where human beings are too preoccupied defending themselves against armies of demons, orcs and undead creatures which defy description to fight amongst themselves.
I was arguing with someone over at Shining Force Central who dared to claim that the Japanese are better storytellers than the rest of us. Needless to say, chaos ensued (I couldn’t allow such inane comments to go unchallenged).
Tolkien’s work is a prime example of the western mindset that is the source of our inspiration for the worlds we have a nasty habit of creating. Play Baldur’s Gate 2 or Planescape: Torment or Morrowind and then tell me that we westerners lack a worthwhile imagination. While western RPG developers like Bethesda and BioWare have helped RPGs evolve over the years, Japanese RPGs have rotted in stagnation. I’ll take Lord of the Rings over a melodramatic coming of age story of a cliched anti-hero any day of the week.
I hate playing video games with no bosses. Quake had it’s little “final challenge” for each episode, which worked OK, but some games forget about these massive baddies who push you to your limit, and it’s ust not the same.
Kaiser Greedy from Ristar, on super mode. almost impossible, but a great feeling when you beat it.
and if you think about it, the most time anyone spent as a dragon rider is a couple weeks.
