Game Fun

  "Natural Funativity" is an article by Noah Falstein where he explores the reasons why we find games fun. Falstein's previous boss, Steve Arnold, began working in the games industry after years as a child psychologist. He understood the minds of the target audience for games, and would often ask, "What is the Funativity Quotient?" This question implied that fun could be "categorized, defined, perhaps even measured."

  Games are a specialised form of play, and play is an activity that all species use to practice survival skills. It is an instinct. Education and entertainment are very closely linked, and even when it isn't obviously apparent, often times entertainment is, at the same time, educational. We see this in children - a lot of their play involves imitating adults and the tasks that they do. Play can keep skills sharp in a safe, controlled and relaxed environment.

  Physical, Social and Mental fun are all parts or what makes games enjoyable. Games such as Dance Dance Revolution, or the more modern Just Dance are physically active games. The player gets enjoyment out of trying to replicate the commands on screen, and gets a sense of achievement when they do this well. Social fun comes not just from playing games with friends, but from games like The Sims, where the player gets to observe and manipulate social interactions. Mental fun can come from any game with a challenge. Falstein uses Tetris and Zork as examples. Trying to find the correct paths in the text based adventure game can be tricky, and the player must visualise the game world using only the descriptions given.

  Another article by Richard Bartle goes into detail about action versus interaction play styles, as well as world oriented versus player oriented. He divides players into four categories: Achievers, Explorers, Socialisers, and Killers.

• Achievers

• Achievers are doers. Their purpose is to master the game, and they take pride in their status in the game, and how short a time they took to hone their skills. They take action in the world.

• Explorers

• Explorers want to be surprised by the game. They will seek out new areas to visit, hoping to find unique aspects of the game. They are content with their vast knowledge of the games finer points, and interact with the world.

• Socialisers

• Socialisers like to interact with other players. They talk to other players and find the characters of the game most compelling. They have many friends and contacts. 

• Killers

• Killers like to take action on other players. They are typically dominating, and like to do things that affect other players in the game, taking pride in the reputation that comes with it.

   It is helpful to get an insight into the kinds of players there are, and the elements that they find fun. If I can bring some of these aspects into my game, I can appeal to a wider range of players.