Checkpoint: Why I Play Games Edition (Pt. 5)

And then there’s the most obvious reason why I play games: for fun.

Everything from giant explosions in a 64 player multiplayer to the tiniest acknowledgement in an iOS puzzle game, I derive amusement from all of that.

I learned to appreciate the music in games and I slowly realized that musical choices can make or break my enjoyment of a game. However, there are times when the music is the only thing they have going for it. I have, admittedly, played through those titles like Modern Warfare 2 just to listen to the soundtrack work in tandem with the gameplay.

But what makes Modern Warfare 2 a less than stellar experience and Black Ops one of my favorite Call of Duty campaigns? I wish I could detail what makes a game fun for me but I can’t. Video game designers have been trying to crack the formula for fun and if paid professionals can’t form a checklist, how can I?

It’s an innate feeling where certain decisions work well with others in one context but the exact same combination of decisions could fall apart if applied in a slightly different context.

So what have we learned from this spiel? Fun is subjective. What’s fun for you may not be fun for me.

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I’ve been playing Threes for the past couple of days. It’s absolutely brilliant. Brimming with charm and intuitive design. It’s one of my favorite iOS titles of the past couple of years.

The Witcher 2 continues to be amusing but there are signs of repetition in the quest structure. It’s just there, I see it happening but there’s also just enough flavor and context provided to allow it to work.