Upcoming Talk: What Makes Games Fun?

[The Pezman]

http://www.meetup.com/gaming/calendar/15074895/

On November 2nd I will be headlining the New York Gaming Meetup, speaking about what makes games fun to play. This will be especially useful for educators and nonprofits, who recognize the power of gaming, but aren't very well immersed in the culture. By the same token, the other speaker will be Alan Gershenfeld, who I worked with for a while. He will speak about games with a social/educational message, and that will be good for gaming people who haven't previously worked on games of that type.

I will be setting up a Livestream account so that people can watch remotely (and tweet in comments too, if they like), and I will edit this post with that information when I know what it is. I've spoken with Save Point, who will broadcast the talk on their projector. I also hope for the MAGFest crew to pimp it out. It would be great if you guys tuned in - I think there will be a lot to learn.

The Livestream URL is www.livestream.com/thepezman. The festivities start tonight, November 2nd, at 7 PM.

[Jonnas]

Oh boy, where to start...?

Accessibility is important. Games that you can just pick up and play (and by extension, games where you can easily let a friend join in) are seen as fun by a wide variety of people. Wii Sports, DDR, most 2D platformers, fighting games with flashy button-mashing, arcade shoot'em ups and party games all qualify for this.

A simple concept, along with simple or intuitive controls can go a long way in terms of popularity. This is usually hard to accomplish (while maintaining the game original and fresh, that is), and is downright impossible for certain genres.

Speaking of which, there are those gamers with more "niche" tastes, of course. These include (but are not limited to): micromanaging stats/classes/equipment, solving complex puzzles, exploring the intricacies of a competitive game, exploring a vast world, or even just enjoying a long, compelling story.

Considering most of these involve complex tasks which require commitment, their accessibility is greatly reduced. Most who enjoy these games, however, will tell you that the most fun comes from the journey: exploring the game's content and possibilities is where they find their enjoyment.

I could go into a bit more detail about what makes each genre fun, but it's getting late, here. I'll post more later.

[DarkeSword]

Oh boy, where to start...?

Accessibility is important. Games that you can just pick up and play (and by extension, games where you can easily let a friend join in) are seen as fun by a wide variety of people. Wii Sports, DDR, most 2D platformers, fighting games with flashy button-mashing, arcade shoot'em ups and party games all qualify for this.

A simple concept, along with simple or intuitive controls can go a long way in terms of popularity. This is usually hard to accomplish (while maintaining the game original and fresh, that is), and is downright impossible for certain genres.

Speaking of which, there are those gamers with more "niche" tastes, of course. These include (but are not limited to): micromanaging stats/classes/equipment, solving complex puzzles, exploring the intricacies of a competitive game, exploring a vast world, or even just enjoying a long, compelling story.

Considering most of these involve complex tasks which require commitment, their accessibility is greatly reduced. Most who enjoy these games, however, will tell you that the most fun comes from the journey: exploring the game's content and possibilities is where they find their enjoyment.

I could go into a bit more detail about what makes each genre fun, but it's getting late, here. I'll post more later.

Um, you know he's not actually asking what makes games fun, right? He's informing us about a presentation he'll be making entitled "What Makes Games Fun?"

[Jonnas]

Um, you know he's not actually asking what makes games fun, right? He's informing us about a presentation he'll be making entitled "What Makes Games Fun?"

Oh boy Like I said, it was late.

[The Pezman]

Details updated. Livestream URL added.