DISCUSSION

What Makes a Game Fun?

How can I retain user engagement in video games?

The 4 principles we should guide when comparing two game ideas and which one is funnier to play are:

  • Does the game offer good immersion?
  • Is the process of getting good enjoyable?
  • Is the process of in-game progression enjoyable?
  • Is the problem solving part of it enjoyable?

What makes a video game fun?

Quote from Dr. Przybylski on immersion:

“A game can be more fun when you get the chance to act and be like your ideal self:

  • The attraction to playing videogames and what makes them fun is that it gives people the chance to think about a role they would ideally like to take and then get a chance to play that role.”

What are the main features that are fun in video games?

Quote from Philipp Lange:

  • “Primarily, I enjoy the process of “gitting gud”. Consequently, I play a variety of action-y games with simple mechanics, with a medium-to-high difficulty curve: Monster Hunter, Souls games, Hollow Knight, fighting games likes Street Fighter or Guilty Gear.

  • “Secondarily, I enjoy in-game progression. There is a ton of different genres that cater to this. Classic JRPGs, Harvest Moon-style games (oh my god Rune Factory ate so much of my life), Metroidvanias (Hollow Knight again). I prefer tangible upgrades (that moment when you obtain a new movement upgrade in a metroidvania, for example) to numbers increasing, though the latter works eerily well regardless.”

  • “Finally, I enjoy solving problems. It’s why I am a programmer, and again there’s a variety of genres that cater to this. A favourite are “Zachlikes” — puzzle games that give you an open problem, and a toolkit to build your own solution. Prime examples are SpaceChem and SHENZHEN I/O.”