Blog Post #1: I'm Really Bad at Making Lists... (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Introduction

Hi Professor Heagney! I’m so excited to have you as a professor again this semester! For this blog post, I will be sharing my personal list of “Point of Design Theory,” and explaining why each one made the cut.

My Super Awesome and Thought Out List of “What Makes a Game?”

1. Evokes emotion

I think games need to make the player feel something. This doesn’t necessarily mean games bring happiness/serotonin--in fact, I disagree with the statement that “games are supposed to be fun.” Games like This War of Mine (11 bit studios, 2014), Emily is Away (Seeley, 2015), and Coming Out Simulator (Case, 2014) aren’t intended to be “fun” or make the player smile; each game is meant to evoke emotion and make the player think deeply about its message. For example, This War of Mine’s intention is to make the player feel crushed and heartbroken because of its moral depths (Phillips, 2020); Coming Out Simulator shows the player the tough and crushing reality that LGBTQ+ kids face of not being accepted by homophobic parents (Zach, 2019). 

2. Interactivity

A game, by definition, must be interactive. Without an interactive aspect, a game would be no different than watching a movie or TV show.  A game must allow you, the player, to make at least one choice that affects an outcome of some sort (Extra Credits YT, 2013). For example, in games like League of Legends (Riot Games, 2009) or Valorant (Riot Games, 2020), it comes down to thousands of different choices in game that can determine a win or loss. Even simpler games like Monster Prom (Beautiful Glitch, 2018) have some form of a choice where you can pick which location you go to, and how you respond to bachelors/bachelorettes.

3. Mechanics

Mechanics are important to include in a game because they provide a construct of methods or rules designed for the player to interact with (Lake House Media, 2020). Without mechanics, there would be no interactivity in a game, and it would also become incredibly boring. An extremely cool and unique mechanic is the plug-in chips from Nier: Automata (Square Enix, 2017) that boost defense, speed, attack power, etc. as well as changes your games HUD (map, health bar, damage numbers, etc).

4. Goal

A goal or objective is needed for a game to be a game. This is not to be confused with a win/loss state, as they are two different things; games like Minecraft (Mojang Studios, 2009) and Pokemon (Nintendo) have goals, but no W/L states. The goal is the object of the player’s effort, and every game has a (or multiple!) goal, no matter how simple or complex the game is. The goal of mancala is to have more stones than the opponent; the goal of Kingdom Hearts (Square Enix) is to seal keyholes restore peace to every realm (Delong, 2017). 

5. Ruleset

Every playable game has a ruleset that must be followed to play a game. Otherwise, it just turns into Calvinball, a “game” with no rules and every rule (Watterson, 1985). With no rules that the player is required to follow, a game will quickly fall apart.

6. Narrative/lore

I’m personally a huge sucker for any lore or story in a game. It makes the characters and the world feel more 3-dimensional and realistic. It gives a player the possibility of relating to the characters and empathizing with them. For example, Life is Strange (Square Enix, 2015) has an exceptional way of connecting its characters and world to players (Hajnosz, 2018), which is part of what makes the game so damn good. Even League of Legends (Riot Games, 2009), which does not primarily focus on lore in the game itself, has a lot of rich narrative storytelling behind the scenes.

7. Aesthetic

        A game must have a certain ‘aesthetic’ or design that makes it stand out from other games. If a game had 20 different art styles applied to it, the game would be a huge eyesore and would turn many players away from it from the start. Don’t Starve Together (Klei, 2014) is an excellent example of a consistent aesthetic that accurately displays the tone of the game (Kurtblancaflor, 2016).