The Future of Games: Richie Remix.
Cunzys post a hard act to follow but I am gonna blindly try.
Much of what Cunzy was saying is true the "pick up and play" games are a lot of fun, but of course there are all sorts of games out there. Of course there would have be some way of defining games which is something I have been working on for a long time, and by "defining games" I don't mean RTS, FPS, RPG etc… because I believe that there is a deeper element to video games, of which I call the "Gaming Core" (copyright Richie 2006). Basically these can be divided into Good games and crap games, However for now let's have a basic look at how far I have got:
Emotional core:
Games with the epic story lines, rich plot and evoke a strong emotional response. Which is of course what draws you in and makes you want more…
E.g. Silent Hills, Final Fantasy Series.
Skills core:
This is development of in-game skills such as timing, combos, and special moves. Inherent of beat-em-ups or racing/sports games.
E.g. Tekken, Need for Speed.
Adventure core:
Discovering of areas, secrets. Wandering for the hell of it…
E.g. Zelda Games, Mario 64/ Sunshine, Shadow of the Colossus.
Collection Core:
This is a tough one, by collecting I mean collecting a set or completing a selection of items, through whatever means.
E.g. Pokemon, Diablo 2, FFVIII (card game).
Achievement core:
This is the feeling of achievement not just for you but your character/alt by whatever means making your character better or "overpowered" in some way.
E.g. Replay modes with unlocked infinite weapons, choose your game.
Puzzle Core:
Solving of puzzles Riddles, or using strategies/tactics.
E.g. Tetris, Starcraft's, Zeldas.
Luck/Persistence Core:
A game which will allow the player to win if they get lucky after constantly trying something over and over, often with button mashing.
E.g. Pokemon, any "card" game
The Tie-In core:
A game based on familiar setting, either based on a movie, TV series or a previous Franchise, Often notoriously bad, however if the developers have time to work on the title, or if the franchise can be translated well, garnished with the other cores, these can be good.
E.g Star wars Titles, any Sequel.
That's the main cores (for now), I just need to have a long hard… think about what the right balance is to create a "Good game" or at least a game that has a soul, unlike the yearly re-hashes of the same game, made slightly prettier (thanks EA).
Nice! With your defined cores you can see why some games are so successful because they have a broad appeal across your defined cores.
ReplyDeleteFor example, GTA ticks a number of those boxes.
DDR appeals to the skills and acheivement core.
I think you may have to include a Social Core for games that are best played in a social environment such as Mario Party, Buzz!, Wario Ware Inc., Eyetoy games etc.
I would also like to include a 'god core', because it sounds cool, and to include those strategy games where you control lots of people, from populous through command and concor to something like Rome, or Black and White, the Sims.
ReplyDelete