Designers think differently and put differing priorities on the various elements we've discussed thus far. Some elements are harder to effect than others. Certain pieces of the puzzle elude game creators and others just don't matter to them. It's a rare designer (or group of designers) that actively looks to (or succeeds in) include all the parts and makes it an effortless and sucessful design for us to enjoy.
What makes a game great?
I've heard SinSynn talk about games he thinks are great- Chess, or Go, for example.
To be completely fair, I'll look at these games and examine them, using the elements discussed in the series to determine if they have all the factors of an excellent game. I'll mention some other games for comparison, as well.
First I'll discuss Chess and Go, since they are so similar. The pillars were ART, MECHANICS, TONE, EMOTIONAL CONNECTION and PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER.
Art as we defined it is supposed to resonate something intellectual or emotional- something that just "pulls" at us. When you think of Chess, or Go; do you immediately have an emotional response, something that touches your senses?
I'll have to say no- at least not for me. It takes something of a stretch or concentrated effort to bring any kind of artistic bent to these games. Here's a prime example:
Yeah, this is cool and all- but it's not the first thing that pops into our minds when we think "Chess". Chess is ultimately about kings and rooks and pawns, no matter how we dress it up.
Mechanics offer the action, structure, and balance for a game. Given what we know about Chess and Go, do these games have good mechanics?
I'll go with a definitive YES here. These games are essentially perfect; mechanically. Their rules, structure, action and balance are so well matched that very little can detract from them. Each player gets the same "army", with the same rules; there's no "+1" buffs or army imbalances. There's no "list building" or "Tier 1"- just people facing off against each other for a battle over skill.
Do GO and Chess offer a strong TONE? When I talked about tone, I brought out that the essence of tone is an expression of mood or emotion to make a game different from the rest. Chess and Go are pretty clinical; very little emotion or mood comes across with these games. There's not a lot in that regard to set them apart from any other game; but there's something indelible about them. These games are the gold standard by which other games are measured; many other games attempt to emulate or replicate their essence. I'll give these a strong "It depends". If we look at them solely on their own merits, then probably not. However, if we consider them in context, then yes, the TONE of these games is incomparable.
The EMOTIONAL CONNECTION of games was up for discussion. Whether Go and Chess have that essential connection, that spark, and that rush- that's the question. If you were to ask me, I would sorely disappoint you. These games are flat, uninteresting, and do not captivate my emotion in any way. Asking someone else might get a different response. Asking SinSynn how he feels about Go will probably get a genuinely excited, passionate and in-depth response. So again, the answer to EMOTIONAL CONNECTION is: it depends. Our independent histories and starting points will determine whether we respond to these games.
The last element then is PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. How well Chess and Go blend all of those pieces together for an ultimate game experience is the final point to consider. Tallying up the previous elements gives us a 'medium' result.
Finding games that hit YES or highest marks on all fronts isn't easy. As a game store owner, I've seen two games that I would say are "close" to perfect. These games are proven sellers and are unparalleled in their attention to what makes gamers happy. I'll show, then tell.
Magic: the Gathering is a whole package in my opinion. There are definitely detractors; this game has hit a strong nerve. Every element of this game has had some criticism at some point or another. But in my view, this game has it all- Incredible art, mechanics so good other games copied the rules, fabulous tone, and emotional connection so deep that even people that don't play the game feel it. Not many other game garners intense reaction such as "I hate that game" even among people that don't play.
Dungeons and Dragons is another "total package". This game hits all the marks. It also has its detractors, but the fact remains that the art is incredibly iconic, the mechanics are striking, the tone of the game reaches from serious to silly but still makes an impact, and as seen last week; there are few other games that make such an indelible emotional impact. The combination of all these factors in one game make it a true classic.
While there are plenty of other great sellers, these two are the easiest examples of games with "almost everything". Certain prominent games have been left off the list; perhaps because they don't have all the elements we discussed, or because they only appeal to certain groups of gamers, or maybe because I don't like them.
My point in this series was to talk about the various elements of game design and see if there are ways to learn from them and design even better games. Instead of hearing "that games sucks", it would be really cool to hear "this game is awesome!" and see more games being developed and sold. Taking each piece apart, looking at what makes each component important and how we react to them is a critical part of developing new games.
I'll be sharing some cool "out takes" from this series over on my blog very soon, but first I want to wrap up. Thanks for joining me on this exploratory adventure. Feel free to chime in- do you agree, disagree, have something to add; I want to hear.
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