Have you ever fought a boss and at the end felt it was an awesome experience? Have you played a multiplayer game and crushed the enemy team by a slim margin? I’m sure you know that amazing feeling afterward like your life was on the line. I can guarantee these moments were fun for you; the reason why is simple.
Fun is often the process of engaging in an activity where you are challenged just enough that it feels like you’re learning or testing your skills. But you might say: “What about those mindless where I’m not learning anything? I’m still having fun with those” My answer to that, is that the fun comes not from the gameplay, but rather the meta-game. You have been presented with a problem to solve and continue to play until you solve it, even if the fun is mildly engaging. You are learning to solve the problem presented to you or you created for yourself to have fun. The news flash is that the games are a teaching tool like you wouldn’t believe.
Keys To Human Nature And Fun
I hated reading books, but I love consuming fun content. Give me a funny video on Youtube and I’ll watch the whole thing. You probably experience the same; the book is just not as engaging. And that’s where games excel, you can engage the player with immediate feedback for their actions. They can learn the problems, pattern by pattern, immediately without the associated real-life pains. Your game is at its core an experience driving fun machine, because you now have blended instant gratification, new experiences, and stories into a neat package. Three things humans love immensely in today’s world.
With that said, that gives us a basis for fun and engagement for your players. For now, focus on making interesting problems for your players through gameplay, allowing them to meet that margin where fun is.
Stay tuned, as next time we’ll go over the keys to human nature piece by piece and drill down into each component of your game to keep users engaged outside of being fun.