Games do not have to entertain
We continue to publish translations of articles on game development in our blog of the program " Management of game projects ." This time, an article from Hamasutra from Stanislav Kostyuk with analysis of the mechanic of the game “This War of Mine”.
I recently played in This War of Mine , and decided to write an article analyzing the game in the context of mechanics. But before that, I decided to find out on the Internet whether the topic was not already disclosed, and found an excellent post on this topic from the lead designer of the game. However, reading reviews and discussions of the game, I wanted to discuss a more general problem, which I often touch when communicating with other developers, and I consider it very important. You need to stop demanding entertainment from video games.
')
Let's not discuss the fact that nobody really knows what the appeal of games is about. Evidence of this is the endless debate between developers about what “entertainment” is, how to achieve it, and what makes games “fun”. I also want to note that in entertainment there is nothing bad and there is nothing terrible in striving for it. However, this desire is very limited and it is too popular. I even think that we have convinced ourselves and the players that the difference between good and bad games lies in the level of entertainment.
In This War of Mine there was a rather long period of time when I could not get into most of the zones, battles were fought in them, and new zones did not open. In all accessible zones I have already collected everything that was possible, except one. In it was an elderly couple and their son who protected them. So I tried as long as possible not to rob them ... but the supplies ran out, and my characters began to starve. So I broke into that house and stole all the food. Later, when I needed resources again, this house was still the only available one. I broke into him again, but I could not go unnoticed, so I had to kill my son, otherwise he would have shot my character with a shotgun. And while the parents were crying over the body of their son, I searched the house and brought everything I needed. After this event, the character, and I myself were deeply depressed.
I experienced anything but “fun.” It was despair, sadness and guilt. Other players also felt the same (and I must say that these feelings are completely different from those that you experience in other survival games). However, the players began to tear apart the contradictions. This war of mine is considered a good game. But since she is not always “merry,” people in discussions started juggling with terms, proving that This War of Mine is “merry,” or, as someone wrote, “merry, but in its own way.” The game is good, people like it, and good games entertain - it means that This War of Mine should be "fun", right?
But the fact is that we are attracted to games like This War of Mine, not because they are “funny in their own way” - they immerse us in their own atmosphere and capture them. It is for this reason that we also play “fun” games. So these should be the game: exciting . Honestly, this is also a rather vague term, but unlike “fun” or “entertainment,” it does not tie us to a specific spectrum of emotions, but speaks more about the degree of player involvement.
Once the developer of This War of Mine was asked a question: is he afraid of the failure of the game if people do not consider it “fun”. It's amazing that we still live at a time when such questions and doubts are considered relevant. Yes, This War of Mine certainly could have failed simply because there was no “fun” in it. Fortunately, people liked the game.
More precisely, the majority. There are still arguments that this War of Mine is a bad game, because it does not entertain. Then those who liked it begin to explain why and what it is “fun” ... There are other games, some of them are trying to do something interesting and innovative, not fitting into the traditional "fun", because of which people can find them bad. There are games with mechanics, usually considered "fun", but elements of which differ from traditional ones. Even if they reinforce the sensations of the game, the players start arguing whether these elements can be considered “good”. There are game series that have lost their uniqueness and innovation due to the fact that the developers of sequels were forced to adhere to "entertainment" to increase popularity.
We want games to reach the same level of adoption as movies, books and music ... but in these areas of art they never required mandatory "entertainment". They evoke different emotions, and at the same time people accept them. And if they do not have to entertain, then why do we demand this from games?
We, the developers, need to try to shift the paradigm from "Games should entertain" to "Games should be exciting." We need to retrain not only the players, but also themselves. Many developers with whom I spoke, agree with my point of view ... But there are also those whom this idea baffled and they considered it to be complete nonsense.
Therefore, it will not be easy, and we need more games like This War of Mine, not “entertaining” in the traditional sense, but exciting players' attention (this does not mean that they should be grim and depressive, just different). And when the paradigm changes, a full range of emotions and feelings will open up for research and experimentation in games: regret, hope, nostalgia, contemplation, lust, sexuality, and many others. Developers will no longer be afraid that their games will not be accepted due to the lack of "fun". There are people who are interested in how different games can be, but due to the well-established perception of games, they are limited by the scope and size of the audience.
Let's work on getting rid of the shackles and expanding horizons. Let the medium of communication that we all love will not be limited to categories. Stop making games entertaining, they have to capture.
On this beautiful note, the article ends, and I personally personally invite all enthusiastic people to make exciting games to meet at our one-day game play conference this Saturday at VSBI and to communicate there in thematic environment. Free add yourself to the lists of entry here .
Stanislav Costiuc: "Games do not have to entertain"
Link to the original.I recently played in This War of Mine , and decided to write an article analyzing the game in the context of mechanics. But before that, I decided to find out on the Internet whether the topic was not already disclosed, and found an excellent post on this topic from the lead designer of the game. However, reading reviews and discussions of the game, I wanted to discuss a more general problem, which I often touch when communicating with other developers, and I consider it very important. You need to stop demanding entertainment from video games.
')
Let's not discuss the fact that nobody really knows what the appeal of games is about. Evidence of this is the endless debate between developers about what “entertainment” is, how to achieve it, and what makes games “fun”. I also want to note that in entertainment there is nothing bad and there is nothing terrible in striving for it. However, this desire is very limited and it is too popular. I even think that we have convinced ourselves and the players that the difference between good and bad games lies in the level of entertainment.
In This War of Mine there was a rather long period of time when I could not get into most of the zones, battles were fought in them, and new zones did not open. In all accessible zones I have already collected everything that was possible, except one. In it was an elderly couple and their son who protected them. So I tried as long as possible not to rob them ... but the supplies ran out, and my characters began to starve. So I broke into that house and stole all the food. Later, when I needed resources again, this house was still the only available one. I broke into him again, but I could not go unnoticed, so I had to kill my son, otherwise he would have shot my character with a shotgun. And while the parents were crying over the body of their son, I searched the house and brought everything I needed. After this event, the character, and I myself were deeply depressed.
I experienced anything but “fun.” It was despair, sadness and guilt. Other players also felt the same (and I must say that these feelings are completely different from those that you experience in other survival games). However, the players began to tear apart the contradictions. This war of mine is considered a good game. But since she is not always “merry,” people in discussions started juggling with terms, proving that This War of Mine is “merry,” or, as someone wrote, “merry, but in its own way.” The game is good, people like it, and good games entertain - it means that This War of Mine should be "fun", right?
But the fact is that we are attracted to games like This War of Mine, not because they are “funny in their own way” - they immerse us in their own atmosphere and capture them. It is for this reason that we also play “fun” games. So these should be the game: exciting . Honestly, this is also a rather vague term, but unlike “fun” or “entertainment,” it does not tie us to a specific spectrum of emotions, but speaks more about the degree of player involvement.
Once the developer of This War of Mine was asked a question: is he afraid of the failure of the game if people do not consider it “fun”. It's amazing that we still live at a time when such questions and doubts are considered relevant. Yes, This War of Mine certainly could have failed simply because there was no “fun” in it. Fortunately, people liked the game.
More precisely, the majority. There are still arguments that this War of Mine is a bad game, because it does not entertain. Then those who liked it begin to explain why and what it is “fun” ... There are other games, some of them are trying to do something interesting and innovative, not fitting into the traditional "fun", because of which people can find them bad. There are games with mechanics, usually considered "fun", but elements of which differ from traditional ones. Even if they reinforce the sensations of the game, the players start arguing whether these elements can be considered “good”. There are game series that have lost their uniqueness and innovation due to the fact that the developers of sequels were forced to adhere to "entertainment" to increase popularity.
We want games to reach the same level of adoption as movies, books and music ... but in these areas of art they never required mandatory "entertainment". They evoke different emotions, and at the same time people accept them. And if they do not have to entertain, then why do we demand this from games?
We, the developers, need to try to shift the paradigm from "Games should entertain" to "Games should be exciting." We need to retrain not only the players, but also themselves. Many developers with whom I spoke, agree with my point of view ... But there are also those whom this idea baffled and they considered it to be complete nonsense.
Therefore, it will not be easy, and we need more games like This War of Mine, not “entertaining” in the traditional sense, but exciting players' attention (this does not mean that they should be grim and depressive, just different). And when the paradigm changes, a full range of emotions and feelings will open up for research and experimentation in games: regret, hope, nostalgia, contemplation, lust, sexuality, and many others. Developers will no longer be afraid that their games will not be accepted due to the lack of "fun". There are people who are interested in how different games can be, but due to the well-established perception of games, they are limited by the scope and size of the audience.
Let's work on getting rid of the shackles and expanding horizons. Let the medium of communication that we all love will not be limited to categories. Stop making games entertaining, they have to capture.
On this beautiful note, the article ends, and I personally personally invite all enthusiastic people to make exciting games to meet at our one-day game play conference this Saturday at VSBI and to communicate there in thematic environment. Free add yourself to the lists of entry here .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/321460/
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