Skip to Content
 

Designing for Fun and the value of Satisfaction

5 replies [Last post]
GamesPrecipice
GamesPrecipice's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/19/2013

This month I'm writing about some ideas that can lead to "fun" in games. Of course this leads to the difficulties of developing a clear and universal definition for a subjective concept; What you find fun and what I find fun can be very different things.

I think there is value in starting in a different area of gratification in games that might be easier to find some semblance of agreement: Satisfaction.

I started with 10 ideas, mechanics and emotions I think encompass much of the Satisfaction we find in games including a sense of accomplishment, teamwork and the ability to break rules and feel powerful in games.

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/satisfaction/

What do you consider Satisfying and what do you consider Fun? Or is it worth making a distinction between the two at all? Comments and criticism are always appreciated.

questccg
questccg's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/16/2011
I guess...

From the get-go I figure it's a good idea to understand HOW players will try to play your game... And obviously develop the game around this.

Why? Because if your game is going to have "take-that" cards that disrupt the normal way of play - well you should expect players to go in that direction and play a more "cut-throat" style of game play. Especially if the game has player elimination. You know somebody is going to lose and only one player will win.

So understanding that only "one" player will be victorious makes it that two or three players will lose the game. How do you give them "satisfaction" when they LOSE the game? Well I guess my response is to create an atmosphere where players get the chance to respond with their own "take-that" actions... You may not have won, but you will remember where you dealt some "serious damage" or "cut down your opponent".

The other aspect is finding a way to "balance" being the leader and having everyone "gang-up" on you... Since the game can be cooperative, players may decide to all play against the player who is leading the game. Again more "cut-throat" style of play.

If you understand that the game will be a "take-that", "cut-throat" game in where the focus will be "space battles" well then EMBRACE that and design the game to be ALL about that...

Obviously this is just an EXAMPLE. I think some games lead to a style of play and you should be aware how players will play the game. This IMHO is what leads to the most satisfaction!

Dagar
Offline
Joined: 01/23/2015
For myself, I take the

For myself, I take the greatest pleasure probably from setting up a plan, having some unforeseen obstacles on the way of executing it, resolving them on the fly and bringing the prize home, so to say. I read the first half of your blog, scrolling over the rest of it. If you want to categorize my sense of pleasure from a game, it probably is #10: The perfect move.

Narrowly beating a cooperative game against the odds can be similarly satisfying.

For me, there has to be a small enough luck factor in a game so that you can plan your moves over several turns, but not so little that nothing surprising happens. Whether these surprises come from the game or from other players trying to mess with your plan does not really matter to me, I think.
Nevertheless, it is a thin red line between too little challenge and too grave or many unforeseeable events.

GamesPrecipice
GamesPrecipice's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/19/2013
Avoiding Dissatisfaction

We followed up our initial look at the idea of Satisfaction in games with some of the categorical issues that can remove from the player experience.

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/dissatisfaction/

What things do games ask you to do that can be frustrating to players?

The Professor
The Professor's picture
Offline
Joined: 10/25/2014
Long-time reader, first time responder

GP,

I've subscribed to Games Precipice for the past several months, and want to thank you for a series of well-written and cogent articles on the science and psychology of game play/design/development. Additionally, I've passed these articles onto my play-testers as primers on the language and vernacular of the gaming industry.

To your question, however, while you've definitely identified those areas which prove devastatingly frustrating (player elimination, downtime, etc.), I would also offer two additional items: overly complex rules and excessively long game time.

Regarding overly complex rules, please understand that I come to the board game community as a developer/designer with more than 20 years playing 'hex-and-counter' war games, where complexity is the order of the day. However, there are games even in that genre which I would describe as overly complex, which makes the game unplayable. One key to determining if the game is overly complex...are you having to refer to the rules again and again and again. I want to be perfectly clear that complexity, through variance, tracking/accounting various resources, etc add a veneer of complexity, when taken in its aggregate can be a lot of fun (leading to satisfaction). Only when you feel that the game is work should one consider reducing some of the onerous rules from the game...take out that which isn't required for play or more precisely...when designing, pay attention more to the things your play-testers tell you is a chore and remove it.

As to excessively long playing times, while the industry turned a corner back in the late 90s with a flood of Eurogames and the U.S. response to them, one must remain mindful that fewer and fewer gamers have the luxury of sitting down at the game table for hours on end. I'll use two FFG games to illustrate my point. Arkham Horror is, in my opinion, a great co-op game, which can take a few hours depending on your knowledge/mastery of the game. I have a friend who play-tests for them and she can finish a game in less than hour. It's a game which has some complexity and a fairly significant time commitment. The other game, a sweeping space opus, Twilight Imperium, makes no apologies for its size and length of play. The problem is, as quite a few of you will confess, TI rarely hits the table because of its design. Thus, we've seen a few 4X games hit the market in recent years (Eclipse, Omega Centauri, etc.) which attempt to capture the flavor of a wide arc narrative in just a few hours.

Again, I greatly appreciate your articles...keep 'em coming!

Cheers,
Joe

GamesPrecipice
GamesPrecipice's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/19/2013
Really great points Joe! I'm

Really great points Joe! I'm glad we have your expertise on here!

Syndicate content


forum | by Dr. Radut