Replayability, what can it do for a game?

Babbling at the Counter #01 – Video Games

Replayability, what can it do for a game?

I'm a big fan of replayability in my games and you are going to be seeing a lot of short but replayable games in here, so let's talk about it for a bit, shall we?

I grew up playing NES, so most of the games I had access to were either too short or an arcade-like game that didn't had a proper ending. But then I made a big jump, directly to PS1, and started playing those long, long, long games where you had to save between sessions because your mom made you turn the console off. And I never really liked them.

Flashforward to the present, with nifty browser games and fan made gems like the ones stored in the Warehouse, and I'm happy again. The question is, why?

Well, first, I’m a totally casual gamer. Most days I just play a round or two (five to fifteen minutes) of some simple game to rest for a bit after studying. I don’t really have the time to master a competitive game or to spend fifty hours on an RPG where I won’t remember the story from save point to save point.

But also the problem, and the real point of this article, is that I don’t see those as “games”, at least strictly speaking. I read once about modern gaming (http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-6-most-ominous-trends-in-video-games/), and the writer made a distinction between concepts like “electronic sports” and “interactive movie”, saying they are not all the same.

When I play, I like simple controls and lots of unique things to interact with. In most RPG (digital, not pen and paper) I feel like I’m just a passive observer, like in a movie. And that’s great for movies, but if I had to press a button every time Brad Pitt spoke a line in World War Z, I would have left the cinema.

In the Warehouse, most of the games will be like “Solitaire”, a simple game that you can play by yourself to pass the time. But thanks to modern technology, games today are much more. We have randomized content, from levels to items to game events. Internet and simple software allow more people to design their own games without executive meddling and to distribute it for free. You can play a lot of completely different games, see a lot of different concepts, and then play and replay the ones you liked.

So, go forth and enjoy this golden age of casual gaming. Send your friends some links to free games. Post feedback on some game designer’s page, even if it’s only “Nice game!”, they’ll appreciate it. Donate if you really enjoyed the product. Create your own free content. Let’s help this culture spread and expand!

- The Storeman

Note: Most of the ideas here were inspired by a series of quotes about video game design found here External Link: http://www.randomterrain.com/game-design.html. If you are interested in further reading, check it out.