The top 5 features of a Game
by Ryan Lessard · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 06/27/2001 (8:48 am) · 27 replies
What , in all your opinions, are the top five (or more if you can think of any)most important features of a game?
About the author
#22
1. Plot: A game needs to have either a plausible plot(Deus Ex) or something where one can suspend disbelief(I think "Blade" would make a great game based on this 2nd criteria)
2. Pace: A game needs to move along. If a game drags at any point there's a good chance that the game will be put aside. Perhaps for good.
3. Fluff(Background Music, etc): Hey if a game is like a movie, this stuff can "break a tie" between two games.
And some other factors:
1. Challenge: I want a game that has me thinking and planning(MGS is one example of this need to at times rely on the brain as opposed to the trigger finger)
2. UI: Either have a "Pick up and play" capablity or have training modes.
03/28/2002 (5:38 am)
To me since many games today are taking on the flair of movies; the criteria I use for movies may work well for games as well. 1. Plot: A game needs to have either a plausible plot(Deus Ex) or something where one can suspend disbelief(I think "Blade" would make a great game based on this 2nd criteria)
2. Pace: A game needs to move along. If a game drags at any point there's a good chance that the game will be put aside. Perhaps for good.
3. Fluff(Background Music, etc): Hey if a game is like a movie, this stuff can "break a tie" between two games.
And some other factors:
1. Challenge: I want a game that has me thinking and planning(MGS is one example of this need to at times rely on the brain as opposed to the trigger finger)
2. UI: Either have a "Pick up and play" capablity or have training modes.
#23
1) Fun to play
2) Fun to tell people about
3) Fun to learn to play
4) Fun to install (or at least not a hassle)
5) Fun to buy (or at least not a hassle)
04/07/2002 (8:14 pm)
Top five hmmm...1) Fun to play
2) Fun to tell people about
3) Fun to learn to play
4) Fun to install (or at least not a hassle)
5) Fun to buy (or at least not a hassle)
#24
2. pacing. if youre game lacks balance in pacing, you lose points.
3. depth. as in, a variety of areas, characters, encounters, whatever.
4. progression. a player should learn new things at every turn. if you dont have to learn new things, games get boring. this can be puzzles, or gametypes, or games within the game, whatever.
5. theme, or voice. the story told, as simple or complex as it may be, should have a 'voice', like good writing. that is, after completing the game we should have a good idea what the designers wanted to 'say' with the game. not necessarily with words, it could be with imagery, gameplay, or all of these and more. it doesnt need to be profound, just clear.
there are more but you said just five.
04/07/2002 (8:29 pm)
1. immersion. being there, a hard to pin down category. i think shooting for visceral gameplay is important, and yes, a lot of it is graphics. but graphics as in beauty more than graphics as in bleeding edge. rune is a good example for me. 2. pacing. if youre game lacks balance in pacing, you lose points.
3. depth. as in, a variety of areas, characters, encounters, whatever.
4. progression. a player should learn new things at every turn. if you dont have to learn new things, games get boring. this can be puzzles, or gametypes, or games within the game, whatever.
5. theme, or voice. the story told, as simple or complex as it may be, should have a 'voice', like good writing. that is, after completing the game we should have a good idea what the designers wanted to 'say' with the game. not necessarily with words, it could be with imagery, gameplay, or all of these and more. it doesnt need to be profound, just clear.
there are more but you said just five.
#25
2 Performance (looking good and sounding good at 3fps, kind of defeats item #1, don't you think?)
3 Graphics and Sound (although these are looked at as key items, think about how many films you've seen that look stunning, but have no story)
07/30/2002 (11:44 am)
1 Gameplay (this includes UI and storyline/plot)2 Performance (looking good and sounding good at 3fps, kind of defeats item #1, don't you think?)
3 Graphics and Sound (although these are looked at as key items, think about how many films you've seen that look stunning, but have no story)
#26
1.)Netcode, and anything that has to do with online play such as gameserver browsers, filters etc.
2.)Gamephysics, like getting stuck halfway into walls etc, i hate that, UT2k3 is probably the best in this area so far.
3.)Detail/Graphics
4.)Models/Skins/Textures, i hate it when games have either crappy looking modesl and good textures, or good modesl and bad textures.
5.)UI, HUD, Menus whatever, they are important but not the most.
Some other things i think games should all have, but arnt in the top 5, Good chat stuff.. i hate games that have crappy in game chats, Lotsa Voice stuff with variety, Sounds for everything, Ladders Doors and all that stuff breakables etc, and some more, basically the whole game :D
10/21/2002 (9:56 pm)
Well im all about MP, sp is for consoles imho.1.)Netcode, and anything that has to do with online play such as gameserver browsers, filters etc.
2.)Gamephysics, like getting stuck halfway into walls etc, i hate that, UT2k3 is probably the best in this area so far.
3.)Detail/Graphics
4.)Models/Skins/Textures, i hate it when games have either crappy looking modesl and good textures, or good modesl and bad textures.
5.)UI, HUD, Menus whatever, they are important but not the most.
Some other things i think games should all have, but arnt in the top 5, Good chat stuff.. i hate games that have crappy in game chats, Lotsa Voice stuff with variety, Sounds for everything, Ladders Doors and all that stuff breakables etc, and some more, basically the whole game :D
#27
everything else is in addition to game play.
Take games like Risk, I LOVE Risk.
All the graphics and sounds and other fluff enhancements they added to the computer version are things you can completely turn off and it does not detract from the game at all.
The main reason I play the computer version is I don't have a real person to play with 99% of the time and there are no little pieces to lose. Same goes with all the other classic board games, my wife and play Monopoly, Scrabble, and Life on the Computer, GameBoy or PS/PS2 because it is more fun not having to fool with setup and teardown of the game, and you get free management of gamestate such as bankers duties and other freebies.
But convience is the only thing the computer adds to most of these games. The PS version of Life has an extended board about 5 time bigger than the regular one and it has more GAMEPLAY options that are big plusses.
So I have to say, something that plays well is all that "old school" gamers really concern themselves with. Graphics and sounds can always be addressed in a patch or the next version!
10/22/2002 (10:34 am)
the only thing that matters is gameplay.everything else is in addition to game play.
Take games like Risk, I LOVE Risk.
All the graphics and sounds and other fluff enhancements they added to the computer version are things you can completely turn off and it does not detract from the game at all.
The main reason I play the computer version is I don't have a real person to play with 99% of the time and there are no little pieces to lose. Same goes with all the other classic board games, my wife and play Monopoly, Scrabble, and Life on the Computer, GameBoy or PS/PS2 because it is more fun not having to fool with setup and teardown of the game, and you get free management of gamestate such as bankers duties and other freebies.
But convience is the only thing the computer adds to most of these games. The PS version of Life has an extended board about 5 time bigger than the regular one and it has more GAMEPLAY options that are big plusses.
So I have to say, something that plays well is all that "old school" gamers really concern themselves with. Graphics and sounds can always be addressed in a patch or the next version!
Torque Owner Shayne Guiliano
I'm gonna throw some ideas out there that maybe might get some reaction. You are all right, but you still are not looking in the right place. All these things you said, we all agree on, graphics, AI, etc. etc. yes, yes, but we all know that. But these are things that are essential, not the things that make a game special. You are looking too much at the technology and not enough at the art. I know I sound like an ass, but I just say it so you'll try to prove me wrong and hopefully prove me right. Anyways, I diverge, I think that the things that make a video game beautiful are the following in no specific order.
Pace and Impact- This is an essential part of art in any forum be it writing, movies, or even painting, and it seems to play a very important role in the video game world. This is what we can use to mold the mind or the gamer during the journey we intend to take him or her on. Movies are the best way to understand pace of image and sound.(Also ties into the next one.)
Reward-This is something that we like to use in our discussions of video games like it is unique to video games or something. That’s absurd. Who didn’t feel like flying after watching Hook or starting a revolution after watching Fight Club. That is real reward, when you get taken on a journey that invokes an emotional response. A floating health pack is an obvious form of reward that really creates little emotional response in a player. The reward that we should really be focusing on is the emotional response. This means making them cry, making them laugh, making them pensive, making them mad. This is reward that can only be effected by the depth of the art.
Characterization-Where the hell is the characterization in this industry? Why can’t someone other than Kojima or Miyamoto get this right, and they are still playing in the fantasy world. There is a growing population of adults who are ready and willing to play a game with mature content.(Not GTA3 goofy mature, but real adultery, real violence, sex, betrayal, loss of life, gore, adult humor, etc.) Anyways, even in the fantasy world characterization is not done very well or at least immaturely. This is the concept most misunderstood by designers. I think it’s because they are doing their designing cooped up in a room with one window when they should be out discovering life, traveling the world, attempting to understand the beauties of the world and the beauties of being human.
Perspective-This has a few meanings. You all think of it as 3rd and 1st person, I think or it as much more. Where is the camera? What is on screen? What are you seeing? How does it look to you, good or evil? Can we have sympathy for the bad guy without him getting cheesy? Why can’t we ever see the front of our character? Why are there no close up cuts during gameplay? The camera is really all we have to build drama (and sound) so why not use it with the proven techniques of video drama. And then, what is the philosophical perspective, psychological and social perspectives? These are all ideas that tend to fall through the cracks. We are too busy trying to show off how many polygons we are pushing to realize the polygons that add most to the story or game. Framing and color thematics also fall under this category. Color is a powerful tool.
Finally…Balance-The one thing in the universe that all life seeks. Is it too easy, too hard, just right? Are the colors balanced, the story, the characters. Balance can make up for a lot because we feel comfortable when things are balanced. Balance is the language of the Universe.
These are all abstract ideas that I have yet to get a full grip on. I study them all day in the back of my head trying to understand what makes us tick. I do know that these ideas are more than enough guidance for my creative method and that they could be for anyone who took them serious. Anyways, I’m done being serious. Let me know what you think.