Mandemon wrote:It's work vs. rewards.
This is where we come to our fundamental divide. When I play a game, I do not want it to feature "work". Can't put it any simpler than that.
Now if a game
must contain "work", then yes, that work should be rewarded. No game is 100% thrills; there are bound to be some dead spots where you need to do something to get back to the fun.
These elements should be designed out as much as possible.To me, the critical thing in every game is the magical ratio of
fun per time, laughs per minute, smiles per hour, fist pumps per second, whatever you want to call it. Any game with a high FPT is one I will keep playing; a low FPT and I just won't be jazzed to double click that icon when I come home from work. I'll play something else instead - it's the most basic behavioral science. That's why I stopped playing MMOs - typically they are designed to keep you subscribed as long as possible, so they pad out your play with traveling from place to place and other "time sinks", not realizing that this sends FPT plummeting.
The phrase I've always heard isn't "work vs. reward"; it's "
risk vs. reward". To me, that's a much more exciting design premise. At the risk of repeating myself, sifting through trash cans and lockers is not risky, challenging, or fun in any way. It's just work.
I just like my "garbage", it makes game world feel more lively. Containers, useless stuff... I want to see world for what it is, not filtered trough "This is a game."
I respect that, and at this point I'm not trying to change your mind. I think we've had a good chat here - seems like it's pretty much run its course, but thanks for the conversation.
Me, I prefer a game with less chaff and more wheat.
