[MUD-Dev2] [DESIGN] Rewards

[Sean Howard]

"cruise" <cruise at casual-tempest.net> wrote:
> Just to clarify - when I ask, "Why do people play games?" I'm not
> expecting a singular answer. There should be many answers to that
> question, all valid and useful.
>
> Then, armed with the selection, you could choose which to support in a
> particular game - not only does this minimise problems of differing
> agendas, but hopefully means the theme and gameplay matches the
> motivations and personality of the players.

But that's just it. You won't minimize anything, because even one person
will have different reasons for playing games depending on the game.
That's because games aren't just one thing.

For instance, I play games usually for the single reason of curiosity. I
see something interesting or unusual, and I want to see how it works. I
want to take it apart and put it back together again. And I want to
incorporate this new knowledge into a grander understanding of videogames.
But that's not exclusive to videogames. It applies to lots of stuff.
Programming, serials, language, philosophy, religion, people, whatever.
That's my nature, and it's a bit ADD, but hey, I keep myself occupied.

But I don't just play videogames for that purpose. When I play games for
that reason, I don't tend to play them very long. You can learn everything
you need to know about a videogame - EVERYTHING - within the first couple
hours. But some games I finish.

I like to solve problems. I like games like Lode Runner, Commandos, or
Deus Ex especially. Puzzle games that specifically rely on combining tools
and environment to overcome obstacles. I also tend to like tactical games,
like Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics, but not 4X games like Civilization
or what not.

I like sandbox games (and MMORPGs). This is purely enjoyment. There's no
deeper meaning here. I like to have the freedom of a dozen different
things to do and being able to decide when I want to do it. This is
probably ADD related too, but I love the fact that I don't have to stay on
task. But if a sandbox is too tightly restrained (like many MMORPGs these
days), then I feel smothered.

Also for enjoyment, I tend to like a good story and good characters. It's
not frequent in gaming, and usually, you have to jump through hoops to
hear it so that's a turn off. But I've found the LucasArts adventures,
Phoenix Wright, and some RPGs like Planescape Torment to be amazing.

I like to be scared. I find games like Silent Hill to be extremely linear,
have generic stories, absurd characters, and boring gameplay. But I like
being creeped out. One of my favorite moments in gaming is the mirror room
from Silent Hill 3. And the Fatal Frame games are actually too scary for
me to play through, so naturally, I buy them all.

I have friends. We like to have fun together. We'll play crappy games if
we can have fun, together, with them. Goldeneye was a great game, but it
was because we were together in the same room playing it. That experience
wouldn't have been so valuable to me if it were with strangers or online.

And, of course, sometimes, I just like a good old fashioned adrenaline
rush. Driving really fast. Pulling off split second combos. Nailing a
headshot from across the room. Dominating the score rankings. I like to
watch Frank West, combat photographer, cutting a zombie into two with a
battle axe.

There. Off the top of my head, I've listed a half dozen reasons that I,
and I alone, play games. If you ask everyone why they play games, you
probably get just as many reasons, or more. They might not have been as
deliberately separated and qualified as I have mine. You may be given five
things all jumbled together because the person you've asked has never
really sat down to think about it.

But that also illustrates a point. These aren't separate things here. I
mean, they are separate reasons, and individually have been responsible
for why I play games. But they also work together. I like sandbox games
where I can have fun with my friends while solving problems by combining
tools and environment in ingenious ways. What's more, though they can be
separated and specialized (Phoenix Wright is nothing but story) and still
be enjoyable, most games - especially sandbox games - have a very diverse
concept of gameplay. It is possible to create a sandbox game I don't like,
because it focuses on gameplay I find offensive or boring.

So, knowing WHY we play games won't deliver what you think it will. It
might give you insight into a single person's mind, but collectively, it
will become little more than white noise. There's too many reasons. It's
like asking why somebody reads a book. Everybody has there own different
combination of reasons, and even if you nail one, you could just as easily
offend another one, rendering their enjoyment null and void.

Making a better sandbox, a better mmorpg, doesn't come from being smarter
about exclusion. It comes from being inclusive. Give players the freedom
to play for their reasons, not yours. Thomas Jefferson once said "I would
rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to
those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson was a good
designer.

-- 
Sean Howard