Topic: What kind of hero are you? What is it your dream to do, to be, to see?

[MODE_RED]

These are the kinds of questions developers should be asking gamers. My signature below eludes to this. I will be posting more on the necessity of game developers to focus on the evolution and revolution of "fun gameplay experience" through the eyes of gamers (curious, beginner all the way to hardcore gamers).

I want to get started with an observation I've made when playing most games: I FEEL RESTRICTED AND FRUSTRATED by poor controls, lack of innovation and above all else, INABILITY TO REACH THE POINT WHERE I FEEL LIKE I'M LIVING MY OWN PERSONAL DREAM. To not just feel like I'm a game character, but to feel like I AM... I AM existing in this game world. I AM experience these things. I AM making choices that have some effect or consequence in the game. Instead, most of the time I feel like I am living out the dream of the lead designer or game producer, and a poorly executed one at that.

Anyone else feel this almost subconscious frustration when playing games?

[Bill Aurion]

This is the reason I love Nintendo's games so much...I feel much less restricted in their games, and I'm able to "escape reality" in a sense while I play...But creating a game that will pull the gamer so much that they feel as if they are part of the game is very, very difficult...

So far, in my gaming history, only a certain number of titles have been able to do this perfectly for me:  the Zelda series(at least, since LttP), Tales of Symphonia(the importance of relationships with your teammates is an incredible force), and Metroid Prime(exploration is a big hitoff for me)...

Unfortunately, a game designer is not a god, and they are not psychic...But if they put their entire heart into what they are making, they are able to open themselves up to the desires of others quite nicely...Too bad most developers don't realize this...

[MODE_RED]

Thanks for your reply!

I love the Zelda series as well. I've never played Tales, but Metroid Prime is spinnin' and spinnin' and spinnin' in my GC as I type!

What sets Zelda and Metroid on a pedastel to be adored for me is FREEDOM. Allow gamers to have FREEDOM!!! Allow them to be CREATIVE, allow them to truly feel INTERACTION.

Most people buy or rent games to escape reality and just have fun. Reality gets boring. Reality gets lonely. Reality can be very restricting in allowing you to express yourself. It can be very claustrophobic. But in a well-designed videogame, you can have fun, you can be free, you can create, you can have an impact on the game world, you can go places you've never been!

I don't think it's difficult to pull the gamer in Bill, I think developers just aren't in the right mindset.

I want everyone to be IN LOVE with THEIR game experience. I want them to be GAME LOVERS not just GAME PLAYERS. Noone wants a lover with BARRIERS built up around their hearts.

Well gamers don't want games with barriers built up around THE FUN!

To do this, don't make your gamers do all the work, because then theyre just playing your games, not loving them.

The game has to love them back. People love what loves them. It's that simple. Developers have to realize that people play games to make themselves happy. How can they do that if they spend all their time trying to make the game "happy" instead?

But I digress....

Thanks again for your reply!

[KDR_11k]

Here's your C++, Here's your Blender and here's your GIMP, now get moving and make your own game, dirtbag!

Sorry, just wanted to go drill sergeant on you . Seriously, if you have a game idea, nothingbut lazyness stops you from turning it into a game. No time? You took the time to type all this, could've written code instead. No idea how? There's tutorials all over the net, ask Google.

[Cube_King]

I totally agree with your thoughts and so would many but its so much easier to state a problem than to fix it. Alot of developers get put off from all this because it's not that easy to be innovative and as long as people will buy their games, they dont care.

[KDR_11k]

BTW, making a fun game is harder than it sounds. Sure you know what fun is, but you don't know what makes it. Just because you have played games doesn't mean you are suddently capable of making a good game.

[Ian Sane]

"What sets Zelda and Metroid on a pedastel to be adored for me is FREEDOM. Allow gamers to have FREEDOM!!! Allow them to be CREATIVE, allow them to truly feel INTERACTION."

I agree completely.  I hate it when games have dumb restrictions like a tiny little hump that for whatever reason my character can't walk over.  In most games a table in a room is merely for decoration and I have to walk around it.  In Wind Waker I can climb up on the table and kick around the glasses on top of it.  That level of freedom is fantastic.  It has nothing really to do with the game but that extra level of freedom just adds to the experience.  It seperates great games from good ones.

I think that's ultimately why I have never played a Zelda clone that is even close to being on par with the Zelda series.  The clones are too restrictive.  They have the dungeon hunting aspect done right but they completely miss the freedom which is the whole point.

[Deguello]

"...a new young hero called Viewtiful Joe..."

That was the first thing that came to mind when I read that title.

Heroes are defined by their actions.  That's why I believe that Action/adventure game heroes are THE heroes in video games.  

AND Heroes are only as good as their villains are evil.  Yin-yang and whatnot.

[Draygaia]

Every game has restrictions but the good ones don't have the unneccesary ones.  I remember the first time I played Super Mario 64 and it was so magical to me  It was awesome to know that he can fly, jump higher, fight,  worry about falling, etc.  Now you have all these other platformers and its just crap.  They can't even make simple controls of moving with the joystick.

[MODE_RED]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Here's your C++, Here's your Blender and here's your GIMP, now get moving and make your own game, dirtbag!

Sorry, just wanted to go drill sergeant on you . Seriously, if you have a game idea, nothingbut lazyness stops you from turning it into a game. No time? You took the time to type all this, could've written code instead. No idea how? There's tutorials all over the net, ask Google.

WOW KDR! You're taking my post rather personally, don't ya think? If you read the newbie thread you'll see that I AM an experienced game designer. You're right, there IS a difference between knowing what is fun and making a fun game, which leads us to these two questions, which sound the same but are ultimately different:

1) What makes a fun game, and

2) What IS a fun game?

My answers for these two questions are:

1) What makes a fun game depends on the genre, the target audience, originality, controls, graphics, sound, story, gameplay mechanics, challenge, easy to get in touch with the gameplay, concept, goals, etc... We all know list could go on forever. Basically, the make up of a fun game has little to no barriers built up around the core visualized concept, which should be a concept that makes you have fun just thinking about the possibilities.

2) What a fun game IS, is whatever gamer's say it is. This is a matter of personal opinion. WHAT IS FUN? Whatever ANYONE say it is.