• Hey Guest! Ever feel like entering a Game Jam, but the time limit is always too much pressure? We get it... You lead a hectic life and dedicating 3 whole days to make a game just doesn't work for you! So, why not enter the GMC SLOW JAM? Take your time! Kick back and make your game over 4 months! Interested? Then just click here!

Online survey about games

lolslayer

Member
Hello everybody!

For a school project, me and a friend of mine will research the aspects of what makes a fun video game, and when the research is finished, we'll actually create a game based on our conclusions.

The first fase of our research is to ask people what aspects of video games they like most.

Please take in mind: The answers to each question vary per game, of course, one answer doesn't work out well for all games in the world. So please answer what aspects you prefer with games when choosing what game to play, and not what aspects all video games in the world should have.

Link to the survey:
https://surveyplanet.com/57a0fec182024cac2d7a94c4

Many thanks in advance, Lolslayer.
 
Last edited:
2

2Create

Guest
@lolslayer
I have some gripes with your survey, so I put some of my thoughts below.


"Is the game’s difficulty supposed to change, in your opinion?"
I found the answers here inadequate to describe how I feel about this. I don't want difficulty to change either quickly or slowly. Those terms are pretty much meaningless. I want difficulty to change, but the manner in which it should is completely different for each and every game. For example, an open-world game might benefit from locations being more difficult, while in a simulation game difficulty might scale with playtime.

"Opinion on objectives/missions?"
I assume you're talking about ADDITIONAL objectives here. A game without objectives is literally not a game. Sim City is a toy, not a game, because it has no objectives. The wording of the question is unclear.
Also, there's not a "No preference" option here. The closest thing is saying that you want "an option to play without them" which is a silly concept on its own, so I just picked option 3.

"What dimension do you like best?"
Once again, there is no "no preference" option here. I feel different ways about different genres when it comes to this, and even individual games might arguably need a different approach to this than the rest of their genre. I would hate to play 3D Mario, and I would equally hate to play 2D Need For Speed. I want what's appropriate for the game here. I'm only picking 2D because I'm a bit of a retro fan and there's no other option.

"If there is a story, how should it be presented?"
This question is massively unclear and does not at all mean anything in relation to dialogue. I could throw together a game with no story but tons of dialogue, for example. Does this only relate to dialogue directly communicating the story? If so, I'd prefer no dialogue, because in that case they'd just be infodumps which is no fun to sit through. I'd much rather find pieces of lore in the world, or get small pieces of the puzzle through talking with NPC's. That's why I'm picking without dialogue here.

"What are your favourite genres of game?"
Casual is not a genre, it describes a manner of play and is even used as a demographic. Similarly, things like Fantasy and Sci-Fi are FICTION genres, not GAME genres. The only thing on the list that even remotely qualifies as a game genre is puzzle.

"What state of the world do you prefer to play in?"
Yay! The first question with a "no preference", although poorly phrased. (What info do you get from "No idea"? You only want people who have an idea of what they want to take the survey, right?!)
But again, the listed options are too sparse. I don't like a world in a perfect state of order. I also don't like a world in a state of chaos. What I find really appealing as a player is when it teeters on the edge of both and as a player it's your task to put things into balance again. This is at the core of the player's goal in many great and classic games.

"How do you like to be involved in the game?"
What does this question even mean? Do you mean what about the game is inherently fun to me as the player? In that case, both. Why is there not an option for both?

"What is your opinion on beta versions of a game?"
The listed answers are once again grossly inadequate and even the "No preference" option comes with the assertion that you never play Beta games! What?!
Simply put, my answer to this is that an Alpha/Beta version is great, but only if it's the type of game that benefits from being released in an unfinished state. I find that the kinds of games that benefit usually heavily emphasise on community involvement, creativity and exploration of the game's growing scope. Being released while still in beta can greatly hurt competitive and puzzle or story driven games, for one. However, not being released in beta hurts the entire indie scene and many games that capitalise on community involvement.

"How do you like to be updated about news about a game?"
I don't give a damn about news updates. I answered the question as if this is about game updates.

"How much do you want to know about a game before buying it?"
I don't want to know everything there is to know. I also don't want the amount of info that's available to be small. The former means that every spoiler in the game is already known before you buy it which is an EXTREME turn-off. I want to explore and experience the game myself. However, I do want to know enough about it to know it's suitable for me. Just the tiniest amount of info isn't enough for me. I usually buy games on personal recommendations from people who know my taste in games because of this. This is also a reason why I like demos as much as I do. A demo is hand-tailored to show off what the game will be like without exposing plot points that would ruin the experience for you. I guess my answer is closest to the "small amount of info" here, but I really wanted to share my thoughts in a more detailed way.

"What is your opinion on payment (if applicable)?"
I mainly just want to pay once and be done with it, but I can't skip past this, because this sounds as if you have only done the most basic research on payment methods. There are many ways for companies to earn money from games, and I have opinions on all of them. I don't mind paying for DLC. I also don't mind paying for a premium subscription if the game is otherwise free. I don't even mind mircotransactions for cosmetics or a boost in what I can earn in XP or loot. I don't mind ads either in many cases. However, I do have requirements for each of those things. They shouldn't be slapped onto the game as an afterthought either. They should feel part of the game. If you want detailed thoughts on this, give me a few examples of how payment is handled and I'll gladly let you know what I think about it.

"Is a community necessary?"
Yes, but it bugs me to no extent that this question literally does not take no for an answer. What's the point of a question if the only answer you can give is yes?
 
Top