01-04-2013, 09:32 AM
I was also thinking that there are two ways to play a game:
* "Just have fun." There's not much to talk about but it's still a fun game you can sit down and enjoy playing. I would say that almost every console and the majority of single player games are like this. People loved Skyrim but it didn't generate a lot of chatter. Everyone loves Halo but what do you talk about? Gameplay is straightforward and fun. I'm sure there are a lot of people who play EVE and Battleground Europe like this too. They don't read forums, they don't really chat much about it, they just play for fun.
* Deeper gameplay. You're looking at maps, making plans of attack, thinking about contingencies, analyzing the stats and figuring out long term plans. This is where you can get a lot of chatter. Of course, the game has to support this by HAVING "deeper gameplay". Most console games don't. Planetside (1&2) don't. EVE does, if you choose to get into that aspect of it, as does POTBS.
It's hard to say that the second is a better way to play games than the first, but I think if you don't have the "deeper gamelay" then it's going to be hard to go long term. Everyone loved Skyrim. For about 1-2 months. Then you were done and that was that. Everyone loves console games. For about 1-2 months. Then you're onto the next game. I think if you want a game that can go for 2 years, you need a game that people can sit down and "just have fun" but additionally it needs some deeper strategic element that can help the "just fun" part from becoming routine.
* "Just have fun." There's not much to talk about but it's still a fun game you can sit down and enjoy playing. I would say that almost every console and the majority of single player games are like this. People loved Skyrim but it didn't generate a lot of chatter. Everyone loves Halo but what do you talk about? Gameplay is straightforward and fun. I'm sure there are a lot of people who play EVE and Battleground Europe like this too. They don't read forums, they don't really chat much about it, they just play for fun.
* Deeper gameplay. You're looking at maps, making plans of attack, thinking about contingencies, analyzing the stats and figuring out long term plans. This is where you can get a lot of chatter. Of course, the game has to support this by HAVING "deeper gameplay". Most console games don't. Planetside (1&2) don't. EVE does, if you choose to get into that aspect of it, as does POTBS.
It's hard to say that the second is a better way to play games than the first, but I think if you don't have the "deeper gamelay" then it's going to be hard to go long term. Everyone loved Skyrim. For about 1-2 months. Then you were done and that was that. Everyone loves console games. For about 1-2 months. Then you're onto the next game. I think if you want a game that can go for 2 years, you need a game that people can sit down and "just have fun" but additionally it needs some deeper strategic element that can help the "just fun" part from becoming routine.