What's most important in a good game?

I disagree.

If a game looks memorable it will catch people's attention. Example: Minecraft.

Having sexy HD graphics can be memorable. But it doesn't have to be HD.

Also, I agree that gameplay is more important than graphics.

 

Again though, I don't think graphics necessarily means the game has to be HD and awesome.

That's certainly one way to do it of course, example: Battlefield 3.

But other games experience success and have people remember their graphics for other reasons, example: Minecraft.

Or you could just go with something unconventional that will become a known attribute for your game, example: Borderlands.

All of those games experience success and are known just as much for graphics as they are for gameplay, but all of their graphics have something noteworthy and different to them.

Too often I think we as gamers clump the term "graphics" and "quality" together. Graphics don't need to be good quality in order to become well known.

 

The most important part of a good game? Having many games inside it.

Gameplay is one game, the part where you go out and smack around the monsters. That's cool.

Character creation is another game inside the game. Diablo 2, World of Warcraft, Borderlands, Champions Online, all good examples of games where building your character is a game in itself. City of Heroes, DC Universe Online, Team Fortress 2, all good examples of games where dressing up your character is a game.

World building is a game, too. Finding out about the game world, discovering secrets, exploring. World of Warcraft is great for this. Especially powerful when your character can join factions in the game world and be treated as such. Fallout series, Elder Scrolls series, especially Skyrim.

Challenges. Can players handicap themselves to make the game harder, or get through a part in a weird and novel way? Can players figure out how to sequence break without breaking the game? Can the player change how they play the game and still make it through? Original Diablo was good with this, cursed gear could destroy a character's stats, challenging the player to work for his victory. Diablo 2 introduced Hardcore mode, where death was forever.

Socializing. Can you bring other people into the game? Can you show off your achievements? MMOs are great about this. Single player games, maybe not so much. Some games let you take pictures or movies inside the game and share them around.

These are games inside the game that transform ordinary games into classics that last forever.

That's what I think is important in games.

 

When I think of socializing in a game, I think of like in-game lobby chat.

 

MMOs do have that social thing down solid. Lemme tell you a story.

Back in day, I played World of Warcraft with a really great guild. Fun people, available, everyone knew their stuff. Then, I look over, and see all these other games. Good games, lots of other good games. But you know what? If I went and played those games, I'd be playing all alone. Nothing I did in those games would matter. No one would know. No one would share the experience.

Gaming alone is a terrible, sad thing.

So I kept playing Warcraft instead.

Social gaming. It's got hooks.

 

Hm well I guess my whole playstation->ps3 gaming I'm a loner.

Honestly I prefer games without other humans in them where they are just pure snobs all the time and have nothing nice to say. Idk, let's just say sometimes I wish RuneScape had an instanced world. The whole world all to yourself!

I personally have my own 'achievements' in games whether or not the games have achievements. Example from a ps2 game - Ratchet: Deadlocked. Amazing game. I maxed out all the weapons and on the ps2 there were no achievements. PS3/360 introduced this system. I have many ps2/gamecube/360/gameboy games....ooh gameboy. How about pokemon?


Yes pokemon to go off on a tangent this would probably be a perfect example. People play this for self joy. It might be a nice little conversation piece with other gamers from time to time (For myself I have completely maxed out the pokedex on Pokemon Sapphire legitimately) but it might not mean much to others really. Fire pokemon ftw.


*thinks about another game* well I couldn't imagine skyrim as an mmo. far too advanced graphics and would require 16 quad 4 processors or something XD?


So really gaming alone is not sad or terrible. The human element is out of the problem not including yourself. But you can get mad over a game I guess. Then you take a break and try out another one . But there is nobody nagging you to do this or that in the game or someone trying to follow you because they are a 'noob' and don't know what to do then they die.

The point I'm really trying to break is....humans (more specifically teenaged americans) in mmos typically want to make you depressed/mad/angry/troll you. They want to see you react, see you in the dumps and they get enjoyment from that.

*scratching head* meh I usually don't find myself in this situation unless a group of people are TRYING to make me mad. But there are plenty of rage videos and freakouts of people who get really pissed over a video game with other people involved. Because it isn't the computer that is killing you/taunting you on an MMO, it is the other player. (Okay, unless an NPC kills you sure. But I'm talking about other people)

 

Sure trolls and griefers are out there. Heck, I used to play EVE Online, which is nothing but trolling and griefing. Flew with Goonswarm. I know from griefing.

That's okay, though, because cool people also play those games. The trick is to find the cool people and surround yourself with them. A thick, insulating jacket of cool people protects you from the corrosive environment of the game's social landscape. Meeting up and hanging out with cool people gives you a great reason to keep logging in.

Once you've got a wall of coolness between you and the diseased hordes, then you can point and laugh at the rabble instead of worrying about them.

 

Eh as cartman said to Kyle in south park "Kyle this is the way the world works. If you wanna find the quality friends, you gotta wade through all the dicks first."

Sometimes I'd rather not wade though and just get on with the game =p. What's worse is when someone or some bot is just sitting in your path and you need to go there but they keep killing you or luring monsters near you so you can't continue.

 

I've stated my opinion many times, but if I want to play a game, I am looking for gameplay, not graphics. Many of my favorite games are ASCII or unicode and lack any graphics at all, except for letters, but that's all I really need!

 

Oh, those sorts. Yeah, they're annoying, but the best way to deal with them is to call in your guild and drop 20 people on the ground to wipe them out. Or all petition a GM to deal with it. Guilds have their advantages.

 

True enough. A game only needs the graphics it needs. Good gameplay is the thing, graphics are just frosting on the cake.

 

It's very true, that social thing. Hard to leave a game when all your friends are playing it, hard to avoid a game when all your friends are dragging you into joining them.

The part where people get married for reals after meeting in a game is just a sign of the times. Warcraft widows are one thing, but we're seeing the start of a literal gaming generation.

Generation MMO?