What makes a good game?
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Posted on Sept. 12, 2015, 11 a.m. by kameenook
We've all played games before in our life, be it MTG, monopoly, or rock-paper-scissors.
What makes a "good" game? What makes YOU want to play the game again?
Note I am doing this for a paper/pet project, so any and all opinions are welcome and appreciated.
The best games that I have been a part of included a group of people with common expectations for everything from humor vs seriousness to level of competition.
I am lucky enough to be easily amused and enjoy a wide range of expectations / play-styles. I try to quickly modulate my own play-styles / expectations to the group. So if I am facing an edh player for the first time, I will do a quick interview to estimate what kind of game to try to match them to.
I do have a Gaming personality, of course. I tend to be silly and trash talk a little / lightly mess with people. In table top rpgs, I have literally been accused of having too much fun. When I first started playing, I was attracted to the absurd like fairu or dragon player characters.
I love norin, chaosy decks, and counterspell poker face wars.
However, I have the most fun when others are also enjoying the game, so I modulate and adapt. I can be serious and bring some competition. However, I don't quite attain to the highest levels of competitiveness since that requires a steady practice and commitment.
September 12, 2015 11:51 a.m.
TheLivingCME says... #4
For me, the best games are the close ones, but fair (you know, when someone wins out of nowhere by pure luck, that becomes annoying); basically, the grindy matches, where you're really testing your skills against your opponent's.
For this reason, of course, the decks I like are the more interactive ones, that create a constantly changing scenario.
Besides, the ideal environment imho is a healthy one: being too cocky or making jokes repeatedly on the losing part can really ruin a game, so I try myself to always be polite. Not dead serious, of course, it's a game after all, but polite.
September 12, 2015 12:45 p.m.
A good game, to me, is one that is different each time you play. EDH fits me perfectly as it's near impossible to recreate the same two matches. A 1% chance of drawing any one card is an interesting game of chance, with endless possibilities. Each deck I build is different from the last.
When I played Skyrim through the 1st time, I played as a destruction Mage. The next time through I had a one-handed-swords warrior. This time I'm using a bow and arrow. Plus I'll play the 4 different stories in different orders each time, just to make sure I don't get bored.
Games where you can choose your path is fun. I hate playing the same route over and over. Like in Diablo; you basically have a pre-planned route that you stick to. It gets boring. At least they have different characters with different abilities etc.
When I play Little Big Planet with the fiance I love building different characters. In Need For Speed I liked the versions you could customize your whip.
Even in real life, I hate going to the same swim spot each time. I don't want to play the same softball teams each time. Or bike/hike the same routes. It's good to mix it up, then when you go back again later it's refreshing and fulfilling since you didn't beat it into the ground.
I hope that all makes sense.
Good luck with the project!
September 12, 2015 1:52 p.m.
There are two different questions here and I think you might want to edit you original post for clarity.
Do you mean:
A) When you play a match of something what makes it enjoyable? Ie. the length of the match, the friendliness of the opponent etc.
OR
B) When you play a game what makes you enjoy the game in general? Ie. the strategy involved, the co-operation with other players, collecting cards that make the game, etc.
September 12, 2015 2:55 p.m.
Good call ChiefBell!
I think the games with high replayability are the ones that consistently involve a wide range of meaningful player choices.
Games with less player choice seem to rely on continuously generating new content to keep people coming back. I think this also works.
I think the most replayable games have sandbox elements that allow player actions to generate more and more choices.
The choices have to be meaningful. For example, if one option is always strictly better than the others then it stops being a choice at the same level.
I think there are other factors that make a game good besides replayability. This includes good game mechanics, good balance between players, opportunities for self expression, and having an attractive design.
September 12, 2015 3:10 p.m.
This sort of transformed into the best MTG matches, but I'm guessing you meant specific games that we enjoy. A good game, like others have said, needs some replay-ability and personalized strategy. Meaning that I don't want it to go exactly the same way every time I play, and I want to stretch my own strategic knowledge, while putting my own flair on it. An really most of the best games aside from basic card games allow for some kind of role playing. An escape from reality where we can pretend we are the all powerful sorcerer or the millionaire mogul or the brave adventurer.
As for Magic specifically, I usually let people friendly mulligan until they are happy with their hand, aside from competitive play, because I would rather my deck go against theirs when they are functioning at their best. If I just trash you and you can't even hit land drops, I'm not having fun even if I win. And for the love of god don't be a sore loser or a sore winner.
rorofat says... #2
A game close enough that it was either a challenge to win, or that almost there feeling if I'm on the loosing side. I also like interesting games where I see new synergies or combos that I've never played against before.
I also like playing games where I make the people across from me facepalm...
September 12, 2015 11:23 a.m.