In my design philosophy, the videogame experience should be analogous to two people in love. They should be about the ultimate marraige between your games and your gamers.
There's you, feeling sad, angry, lonely, bored, maybe even happy and wanting to amplify that feeling. Maybe you are searching for something new or something that allows you to express your creativity, individuality or mental prowess. Maybe you want to escape into a fantasy world where people need and love you or you can do worthwhile things. There's a hero inside of you dying to be set free. In other words, you have some sort of a longing to play a videogame.
Then there's the game, all ready for gamers to fall in love with it. It puts ads on TV, in magazines, and on the internet. It waits around and your videogame store hoping that you'll pick it up and take it home for some indulgent love making.
First, one way or another, you meet, and the game turns YOU on.
And you turn the game on in kind. So the love affair begins right? Not exactly. In a perfect world, relationships would all be wonderful love affairs that lead to wonderful marraiges. In the real world, relationships, like videogame experiences are undeniably "hit or miss". Everyone is looking for "THE ONE" that will make them happy. What are qualities of "THE ONE"?
Here are a few:
1. Noone wants a lover with barriers built around their hearts. Gamers don't want videogames with barriers built up around the fun. They want the game to fill a void, to make them happy, to challenge them but not discourage them. They don't want to spend all their time filling in the game's void and making the game happy. The balance between give and take must be well established. THE BARRIERS TO THE FUN SHOULD BE EASY TO OVERCOME.
2. The love of your life must be EASY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH.
Easy to dial-up the fun!
This means your concept must be easy to grasp, the controls easy to pick-up and the goals easily understood. Developers, how long from when you turn the game on should it take for your gamers to grasp the concept, controls and goals? I say as long as you want, as long as the journey is fun and rewarding from the beginning.
3. Everyone wants someone they can "Become One With", or B.O.W to, who does the same back. They want someone who responds well, who they can communicate well with. They want someone who listens, who understands, who gives as much to the relationship as they do. They want someone who is willing to serve them, and deserves to be served. Deep down, people want the same from their videogames. Poor visual cues and storytelling are like poor communication. Poor controls are like a unresponsive lover -a lover it seems you can never satisfy no matter how hard you try.
A game that BOW's to you is a game that is going to take your commands and exceed your expectations, because it is trying to win your heart. This game wants to become one with you. It's going to learn about you and from you, just as much as you do the game.
Developers, how long should it take from when your gamers turn your game on, to the point where the feel this love affair brewing, that they might have found the one, that they are falling in love with your game. How long can you sustain this quality level of fun? Try to make this most immediate. Remove those barriers! Remember the game must love the gamer from the very beginning.
Communication between "partners" should be second-nature. It should be a true union. A loving give-and-take relationship with the right amounts of challenge and reward.
Topic: BUILDING THE LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN GAME AND GAMER (Read 2531 times)
