[MUD-Dev] realistic combat vs enjoyable combat

[Rayzam]

olag at ifi.uio.no wrote:
> darkwolf at neo.rr.com:

>> Hardly anyone is acutally part of the "average"... most are above
>> or below but we as a asociety design things to cater to the
>> middle ground.

> I don't know. Lots of people run marathons. I think one has to
> take a pretty big view on these things. Frequency, pacing,
> challenge, feedback, the grand finale (catharsis), and more...

> In my view the problems with game design is that the experience is
> often too tightly controlled and limited by the designer. That's a
> receipe for predictable boredom. If something is truly immersive
> (in the sense worshipped by flow-enthusiasts) time shouldn't be an
> issue as you don't keep track of time very well when you are in
> the flow state...

> People who love to perform music can do it for hours, until
> fatigue sets in.

I wonder how much of the above, the enjoyment of running for hours,
or playing music for hours, which is (at least partly) due to
physiology, can be recreated by a game? That is, running gets
endorphins going. Music playing activates the serotonin system.

Can games get endorphins going?

Repetitive actions also activate the serotonin system, which makes
time pass. Ever get bored and pencil tap, or finger drum? Those
actions provide a feedback loop to mitigate the boringness and make
time pass. Repetitive combat at least would seem to fulfill that
roll.

    rayzam
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