What makes you want to play?

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Piyo

Guest
(unsure if posted in right thread ^^'')

What makes you want to play a game?
Not as in to have fun or relax, but why you chose this particular game out of millions of others.

What elements such as story-telling, game mechanics, graphics, music, or the like appeal to you attention?

For me, I always become bored of the repetitiveness and predictability of most generic games and drop said chosen games after an hour or two. While not all games are repetitive, a handful of games have amazingly fun mechanics and stunning art, I find most games having an absence of a 'purpose'.
So, I look for the ones with good plotlines, favorable characters, and diverse enemies.
 
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Nux

GameMaker Staff
GameMaker Dev.
I believe game mechanics is the main thing that makes me play a game; a simple game disguised as a fun game by using art and story (cough Undertale), isn't as interesting as a game with bad graphics but solid and fun mechanics. For example: LIMBO, assets are beautiful, the puzzles are mediocre, and the game kinda just plays itself. Alternatively, Defy Gravity has really disgusting graphics, but the game is fun to play.
 
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Piyo

Guest
I believe game mechanics is the main thing that makes me play a game; a simple game disguised as a fun game by using art and story (cough Undertale), isn't as interesting as a game with bad graphics but solid and fun mechanics. For example: LIMBO, assets are beautiful, the puzzles are mediocre, and the game kinda just plays itself. Alternatively, Defy Gravity has really disgusting graphics, but the game is fun to play.
Yes, even if a game has amazing artwork, it would be just a drawing if its mechanics don't match its art. Since, after all, game mechanics essentially define the game while graphics is a method to introduce it.
(However, I do crave for delicious game art/concepts >w< )
 
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Quailfail

Guest
While there are exceptions, most of the time for me it's the atmosphere/writing. I'm constantly willing to tolerate poor mechanics for it but rarely can I keep playing a game based on good gameplay alone. Something about the world I need to feel invested in to continue.
 

Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
  • The gameplay must look fun and responsive. If the devs can't find any fun jumping or combat for the trailer, it's a sign the game doesn't have any. I usually watch LPs and stuff first as well too to make sure the gameplay also looks fun unedited, aka as you'll actually experience it.
  • The tutorial must be short and actually end, dump the exposition on me once I get to have a bit of fun and actually start CARING about the world.
  • Preferably there should be enough stuff to do in the game that I know I can play it for weeks (a few hours per day-ish) without running out.
  • The gameplay should have enough depth that you can play the game again in another way than you did the first time, and have a completely different experience. You'd normally think something like epic RPGs for this, but even the modern Mario games fits (once you're comfortable with levels and physics, you can just run through everything never letting go of the B button or the right directional button). Having risk-vs-reward in all mechanics helps with that.
  • 16-bit/HighBit pixel-art and cute anime waifus helps a bit as well, I guess, but it's not exactly my top priority.
 
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Piyo

Guest
While there are exceptions, most of the time for me it's the atmosphere/writing. I'm constantly willing to tolerate poor mechanics for it but rarely can I keep playing a game based on good gameplay alone. Something about the world I need to feel invested in to continue.
True! I'm a book fanatic so I'll likely get swept up with the world building itself and not care about the rest as much.
 
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Blazing

Guest
I like playing games that follow a phrase I saw once on an old Othello board game. "It takes minutes to learn...but a lifetime to master."

Usually this means it follows a lot of conventions to keep the initial learning curve easy, but there is enough creativity in the design that it is challenging and fun to try different strategies.

A straightforward game with an unconventional premise, long play time, and beautiful graphics is what will draw me in. Depth of story/world and gameplay, convenience (I can easily play in short spurts), and overall replayability will be what keeps me playing.
 

Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
I like playing games that follow a phrase I saw once on an old Othello board game. "It takes minutes to learn...but a lifetime to master."

Usually this means it follows a lot of conventions to keep the initial learning curve easy, but there is enough creativity in the design that it is challenging and fun to try different strategies.
I wouldn't say "having creative mechanics" equals "having deep mechanics", tbh... games that are "easy to learn but hard to master" generally has more than one way to play, with easier ways to play being less rewarding in high-level play. And that itself is kinda broad and something I could talk for days about. Some examples on depth like this to try to make it more concrete and less abstract:
  • Mages generally has both a power, versatility and range advantage over melee units, but have lower HP and defenses. Playing as a mage forces you to time your dodges/heals better to minimize damage, as well as managing supplies like MP and magical catalysts while melee units only need to keep track of a sword and a shield.
  • Running makes your jumps higher (and cover more horizontal ground as well because of your momentum) in Mario games, letting you dodge enemies and obstacles more easily than if you were walking or standing still. However, moving faster means you have less time to REACT to said obstacles and enemies.
  • Many fighting games has high, low and neutral blocking: high blocks and low blocks perfectly block the corresponding type of attack but lets the other type unmitigated, while neutral block blocks both but let more damage through (or some other bad effect). It's still better to block than taking full damage, so new and intermediate players can do this, but players that can read their enemies' combos and use directional blocks properly has a much better advantage even though they take a higher risk in case they mess up.
 
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Chatterb0x

Guest
Real talk: I'm not much of a gamer but I love to create!
My browsing doesn't wander far from Google Play. Say what you want about Ketchapp Games, they've mastered the 1-touch formula.
I have spent more time playing 'Stack' and 'Hop' than any console game recently.
 
G

Guest User

Guest
i think i have a really odd taste in "immersive hardcore survival roleplaying by myself in singleplayer games". i tend to ignore things like story, and just do my own thing. having a huge variety of options is necessary to prevent me from getting bored.

being able to mod things is also incredibly useful to keeping my attention, as i really enjoy making mods. it allows me to fix things i don't like (like the horrendous equipment selection in Dwarf Fortress) and tailor it to my preference.
 
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Storyteller

Guest
im currently playing FF5 for the GBA. Ive played this game a dozen times and never beaten it, I get busy or move computers or whatever.
I play it because it has an interesting story, or did at the time and because it has a fairly complex set of options for gameplay.

I loved metal gear solid, I do not really like MG:revengeance, its too action oriented. It lacks nuance.

so, intellectual depth without being mentally fatiguing, decent graphics, interesting story and setting, responsive and consistent game controls.
 
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Somber Dawn Studios

Guest
It really depends on my mood. I used to be the type to play one single game into the ground until I was the best I could be. But in the past few years I've gotten busy and drifted to more of a casual gamer. I dig the Telltale style games. You can get into a story but a chapter doesn't take up a whole lot of time.
 
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ajan-ko

Guest
There is so many aspects I can think of
1. Control
2. Progression
3. Depth
4. Cooperation or Competition
5. Immersion, or adrenaline rush.
6. Content
7. Puzzle.
8. Humor.

For example casual clicker or idle game or most likely filled with progression based game.

Mobile casual game most likely mixed between puzzle, adrenaline, humor and progression.

Harvest Moon probably filled with immersion, progression, and content.

I heard that when people gamble they released adrenaline, and the fact that you release more adrenaline when you put 4 same icon line up, rather winning the jackpot.

For me it's more dexterity with plan based game, dark souls, monster hunter, fighting game, megaman.

But when I bored, I'm gonna play some easy game with good immersion, and good mental game. Probably some RPG that more focused on challenge and combat rather storyline.

Storyline isn't my thing, except where I can murder some annoying NPC.
 
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Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
im currently playing FF5 for the GBA. Ive played this game a dozen times and never beaten it, I get busy or move computers or whatever.
I play it because it has an interesting story, or did at the time and because it has a fairly complex set of options for gameplay.

I loved metal gear solid, I do not really like MG:revengeance, its too action oriented. It lacks nuance.

so, intellectual depth without being mentally fatiguing, decent graphics, interesting story and setting, responsive and consistent game controls.
FF5 is one of my favorites as well, purely because of the gameplay system. For those who haven't played it: there's a job system, levelling up in a job unlocks various passive and active abilities, you can combine them any way you want for synergy effects. I like this system because it ties together so many things that are considered good game design.
  • You feel like you progress because you're always unlocking new stuff.
  • You feel clever because you discover synergies and you can make the game much easier and less grindy if you experiment with ability combinations.
  • You can play the game in multiple ways depending on what you like to do.

Also worth checking out: Bravely Default, which basically is the same thing as FF5 (and made by Square Enix) but with 3D graphics and even more combinatorial explosion.
 
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Quailfail

Guest
As if I needed to confirm my tastes! I love monster raisers, time travel, dinosaurs. . . Fossil Fighter Frontier's characters and plot is so terrible I can not enjoy the interesting attempts at the different fighting mechanics and unique monster collection (how well you clean fossils = strength of dinosaur). It actually hurts for me to play. The art is super shounen (which I'm neutral to) with good character designs but it doesn't matter because the writing behind them is so bland. I could care less for this world, I can't play it any more.

I recently picked up FF5 and 6 so I'm excited to finally get to play them. I've heard many compliments of how FF6 structured it's story and I loved the job system in Bravely Default so it will be cool to see it's ancestry in FF5. (or is there an older game that started experimenting with that kind of job structure?)
 

Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
(or is there an older game that started experimenting with that kind of job structure?)
Yes, Final Fantasy III (J). It never got released in the west but there's a fan translation mod, if you're not in the mood to dig it up yourself and/or want a place to start looking for it ProJared is currently doing a Let's Play series of it. I'm not sure if the same combine-abilities-as-you-see-fit system exists in FF3 or if changing jobs-and-thus-the-abilities-associated-with-your-job was enough of a main schtick, but I'm pretty sure it's the latter considering the NES' system limitations.
 
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Quailfail

Guest
Thank you for the fast answer, Yal! It's sad to think that after all of these years only three games have explored that kind of job mechanic.
 
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Storyteller

Guest
i have a whole job system developed for a FF5/ff3 type game. I'll post it sometime

to go back to OP and answer again...
an interesting world
a compelling story
responsive gameplay,
and a lot of 'player agency'... having the choices you make matter.
 
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