Simple Games

Reposted from my HermitWorks Entertainment

I feel that there exists a barrier of entry to games these days. Many PC games seem almost more effort than they're worth just to get to the point where you're actually at the game part, even the so-called 'Casual' ones. They need to be better than that. They need to become simpler. They need to not be a hassle. Today I'm going to share my thoughts on the matter.

Everyone is trying to grab 'Casual Gamers'. They're an elusive breed of gamer, commonly found around the Popcap website, and can be seen once in awhile playing Solitaire in the wild to pass the time. Why is everyone trying to nab them? Because they're probably the biggest gaming audience out there. Why are few succeeding? Because they're difficult to please.

PC gaming is hard. You have to install things. You have to swap discs. Type in long CD keys. Update drivers. Upgrade components. Do you have the right version of Direct X installed? Reboot, then. No, reboot again. In some cases, you have to install restrictive software that runs in the background to make sure you're not a criminal. Innocent until proven guilty is not a term you hear in this domain.

Console gaming, on the other hand, is getting easier and easier every day. Every next generation console has an online play feature that takes the pain out of trying to find other players. No installing, no configuring, no CD keys, no draconian security measures - you just pop in a disc and ride on into the night, as it were. The controls are simple - and they can be illustrated easily since you can be assured that every controller people use will look the same.

This is perfect, since 'Casual Gamers' have a very low tolerance for annoyance. Installing stuff isn't fun. Downloading a huge file isn't any way to get people interested in your game. Configuring my controls? I just want to play, can't you see? I thought the whole reason we're playing on computers is because we don't have to take the hour and a half it takes to set up the board and argue over house rules for a riveting game of Monopoly.

And then in the category of the game play itself, traditional PC Games tend to be an order of magnitude more complex than console games. To be fair, this is why some people prefer PC titles, but 'Casual Gamers' aren't really the type to spend an hour in a tutorial mission. And add unintuitive game elements... just because regular gamers have been indoctrinated with quite literally twenty years of typical gaming conventions doesn't mean that 'Casual Gamers' know that you should rocket jump up to that ledge in order to take out that robot sniper. Or even how to.

Yes, console games seem like the obvious choice if you want to nab 'Casual Gamers'.

But problem with console gaming is that people aren't sitting in front of a console all the time. People ARE sitting in front of their computers all the time, whether it's for work or to keep in touch with their myriads of friends via messaging services. It's a wonder that PC gaming is still so unrefined in the face of this. So how do you grab those people who are on their computers anyway, but tend to avoid most PC games because they're annoyingly complex?

Keep it simple, stupid.

Stop making them download installers. Don't even require them to install anything at all. Skip that 'CONFIGURE THINE CONTROLS NOW, AVATAR!' screen and design your title so they don't even have to. If the game isn't something that you can pick up and play within a couple minutes, it probably shouldn't be considered 'Casual'.

What about depth?

Games can be simple and accomplish all the above stated goals, and yet still have depth. The trick is letting players move at their own pace. Bejeweled is an excellent example of this. It's a fairly simple game - just match up the colors of gems by swapping a couple around at a time. Pretty easy. A new player can whip through a handful of rounds in a few minutes, and get the flow of the game easily. But as they continue to play, they realize that they should be strategically picking certain colors in certain areas to maximize points. They slowly, at their own pace, move themselves into the deeper complexity of the game. They start timing things, aiming for bonuses, etc. etc.. This is excellent, because now you have a veteran player that's addicted to your game, and all they had to do was click on a few links to start playing.



Puzzle games have it a little easier, sure. Let's talk about a console title that accomplishes the same. Super Smash Bros. is a great game full of color and action, yet at the same time it's supremely simple. Someone new to this title can literally play it with a joystick and a single attack button. As they play, they realize more and more the importance of jumping, ducking, dodging, and blocking. These skills are not required by the player immediately after starting the game, but they evolve on their own. Eventually they begin to grasp the importance of items, and how they come into play in versus matches, and so on. I use Super Smash Bros. here as an example because while it starts off as a simple, casual game it's still got enough depth to be played at tournament levels around the world.

Those are two titles that I feel exemplify the whole 'Casual Game' market. Easy to pick up and play, easy to learn, almost no time wasted configuring or installing anything.

Too Long, Didn't Read

Everyone enjoys a good summary. If you want to have a 'Casual Game', it should be simple. Minimal effort on the part of the user when it comes to setting up. Intuitive in every way possible. Optionally, it should have a depth to it that isn't forced upon the player immediately.

Traditionally this is much easier to do on consoles and with simple flash games. Larger games have problems with this. There's a trick involved to making it work, and Space Trader is going to show you how very soon.

Regards, Daigle