We can argue over the technicality of making games, about the gameplay, art and technical trickery. But what makes a game a great game is the emotional element in it. The greatest game were designed with the phrase, man it would be awesome to play a game like this. It didn't matter after that if it was a text based game or an online multiplayer game on a handheld device. If it didn't address the emotional aspect, that game was gone.
So a great gameplay has to address the emotional elements like would it be fun, would it excite me, or would it make me angry or frightened or happy? For me, a game design would start with the emotional ambience first. What kind of music or movies or games I love, what would be an epic experience, what kind of ideas/theories/conspiracies/myths interests me, Once you enter into that zone, that's when everything starts to flow, that's when you come up with the best ideas and maybe even have a revelation to come up with an innovative gameplay or an idea. You talk about things, you flirt with different concepts and then you see a need and that becomes your point of focus.
Of course, that does not mean that the game comes purely from psychedelic ways of execution. It is very important to have necessary knowledge of the craft. You have to know about games and it's gameplay to execute your brilliant idea. Talent is superior but experience is wisdom, great games can never be made out of ignorance. However, the base of any good game have to be emotional.
Fun is, for the most part, the most important emotion that is required in a game. It is one single emotion that describes a game to be any good or not. But how do you know if your game is any fun? Well, most fun games can be described in a sentence and the game would sound fun in that sentence. Eg.
Killing thousands of zombies
Cutting fruits with a ninja sword
Aiming at pigs with birds
Indiana jones action adventure
Pulling the skull out of a guys head along with spinal cord attached to it!
Building an army and destroying other armies.
Police car chase
Planting bombs or counter terrorists preventing it to happen.
Fun, can never to too fast or too slow that would make the player loose interest in the game. There has to be an organic flow. Anything that requires an audience should have a pacing to it. It is hard to describe or truely understand pacing with a rigid set of rules, written on papers. However, to really know what pacing means we have to understand the organic flow of things. What I mean by organic flow is that, based on the elements around you, like emotions, pacing would vary and would effect the gameplay, thus effecting the pacing itself, while the game progresses. The flow comes naturally and it is this nature of the flow that makes the player play the game forever because it fits right in the real world flow of things. True fun in the game would only be achieved when we can find an organic flow in a game. This flow can be directed by mostly GUI and gameplay. GUI would be the HUD, menu design, placement of buttons etc. Where as, gameplay would be, the rewards and punishments, game features etc. Sound, maybe I'm wrong at this one, does not lead the flow but helps or accentuate the organic flow. Although I do think that having a lack of sound also contributes to the flow, ofcourse, not all the times. The visuals, on the other hand, does not directs the flow but it does help in overall fun element in the game. The kind of art style that is used, sets the mood of the game thus contributing in the overall experience of the game.
Most refined games are made by paying attention to details. No game can be fun or great without these refinements. Attention to detail does not mean to have things filled with details but to know the right amount, or the lack of it. It can be minimalistic or filled with details, it can have multiple colors or just mono chromed, it can have only one feature or plenty. It is the idea to give importance and equal respect to every part of the game design and the process. Playing the game millionth time, refining it and making it better with every iteration. Great games are never a one shot deal but a laborious process of refinements by iteration.
Lastly, you have to question every perfect game design and every Holy Grail. Break every rule, once you learn them well. Challenge every design, every theory because that is the only way to improve and innovate better design. However, by no means disrespecting any design or rule.
So a great gameplay has to address the emotional elements like would it be fun, would it excite me, or would it make me angry or frightened or happy? For me, a game design would start with the emotional ambience first. What kind of music or movies or games I love, what would be an epic experience, what kind of ideas/theories/conspiracies/myths interests me, Once you enter into that zone, that's when everything starts to flow, that's when you come up with the best ideas and maybe even have a revelation to come up with an innovative gameplay or an idea. You talk about things, you flirt with different concepts and then you see a need and that becomes your point of focus.
Of course, that does not mean that the game comes purely from psychedelic ways of execution. It is very important to have necessary knowledge of the craft. You have to know about games and it's gameplay to execute your brilliant idea. Talent is superior but experience is wisdom, great games can never be made out of ignorance. However, the base of any good game have to be emotional.
Fun is, for the most part, the most important emotion that is required in a game. It is one single emotion that describes a game to be any good or not. But how do you know if your game is any fun? Well, most fun games can be described in a sentence and the game would sound fun in that sentence. Eg.
Killing thousands of zombies
Cutting fruits with a ninja sword
Aiming at pigs with birds
Indiana jones action adventure
Pulling the skull out of a guys head along with spinal cord attached to it!
Building an army and destroying other armies.
Police car chase
Planting bombs or counter terrorists preventing it to happen.
Fun, can never to too fast or too slow that would make the player loose interest in the game. There has to be an organic flow. Anything that requires an audience should have a pacing to it. It is hard to describe or truely understand pacing with a rigid set of rules, written on papers. However, to really know what pacing means we have to understand the organic flow of things. What I mean by organic flow is that, based on the elements around you, like emotions, pacing would vary and would effect the gameplay, thus effecting the pacing itself, while the game progresses. The flow comes naturally and it is this nature of the flow that makes the player play the game forever because it fits right in the real world flow of things. True fun in the game would only be achieved when we can find an organic flow in a game. This flow can be directed by mostly GUI and gameplay. GUI would be the HUD, menu design, placement of buttons etc. Where as, gameplay would be, the rewards and punishments, game features etc. Sound, maybe I'm wrong at this one, does not lead the flow but helps or accentuate the organic flow. Although I do think that having a lack of sound also contributes to the flow, ofcourse, not all the times. The visuals, on the other hand, does not directs the flow but it does help in overall fun element in the game. The kind of art style that is used, sets the mood of the game thus contributing in the overall experience of the game.
Most refined games are made by paying attention to details. No game can be fun or great without these refinements. Attention to detail does not mean to have things filled with details but to know the right amount, or the lack of it. It can be minimalistic or filled with details, it can have multiple colors or just mono chromed, it can have only one feature or plenty. It is the idea to give importance and equal respect to every part of the game design and the process. Playing the game millionth time, refining it and making it better with every iteration. Great games are never a one shot deal but a laborious process of refinements by iteration.
Lastly, you have to question every perfect game design and every Holy Grail. Break every rule, once you learn them well. Challenge every design, every theory because that is the only way to improve and innovate better design. However, by no means disrespecting any design or rule.
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