Failure: A Valid Game Mechanic

[Morreion]

Failure: A valid game mechanic (The Last Bastion)

The truly engrossing and entertaining games still get it…that games are more satisfying and last longer when they are challenging. Failure is an integral part of that. The player has to compete against the game, has to be defeated and grow in some way in order to find success. Those are the ones that stick with us. Half-Life 2 was a great example for me. I found that feeling again of not being instantly able to do anything and everything I wanted, but actually having to pit myself against the game, figure things out, and struggle. It was so satisfying, it almost makes me cry when I log back into WoW.

What changed in the MMORPG genre? Why did developers decide that in this type of game, as opposed to all others, people should succeed at everything all the time? In the modern MMORPG, every single thing…from the UI, to the NPCs, to the layout of the cities, to the verbose text outputs for combat damage…is designed to make things easier and quicker for the player. Compare this to any number of classic games, something like Donkey Kong, where the developers spent all their time trying to make the experience more difficult and more challenging. Personally, I can’t understand the reasoning for the change.

Is the idea that new players can’t handle a learning curve? Is the idea that without instant and constant gratification, players will leave? This also isn’t held up by the evidence. In video games since the dawn of the industry, the most challenging and clever and difficult games always seem to become the most addictive.

I think the idea of keeping the player involved and playing through a constant flow of rewards and ease of play is bad on many levels (no pun intended). You not only take away the satisfaction and enjoyment of overcoming something significant, but the whole design has to change to support instant gratification. How many more items and quests have to be developed when the idea is to constantly reward the player? Items become generic and common, and their value is so diminished that they’re hardly a reward at all. Players quickly become numb with all the money and gear and experience being tossed at them. Things much more quickly become “boring” and monotonous. It must be a constant and ever-expanding battle for developers to keep up with the needs of an ever more greedy player base.

An excellent essay. I agree 100%. Games that are too easy end up being boring and easy to leave.

[Regolyth]

I agree as well. There are systems that are too hard, and punish the player needlessly (DAoC crafting comes to mind - way too hard to skill up). Then again there are systems that are too easy. These are usually the death penalties in most games. Also the lack of risk when doing something dangerous.

Having your items left on your corpse when you die might sound extreme and harsh, which was UO's method, but it certainly added the risk factor when adventuring where dragons lie. Not only that, but the dragons could take one of your items from your corpse. So if you got your body back, you still had to kill the dragon and get your item back. It could have just been bandages, it could have been your mace of vanquishing (which would make an excellent prize to someone who killed your dragon before you did).

[Loendal]

Games have been dumbed down, it's that simple. Players can and will leave if they can't figure something out, which only goes to show how simple minded gamers have become. If they aren't spoon fed, they cry "this game sucks!".

Without risk, the reward is pitiful.

[Regolyth]

I think it's the type of gamer in today's world, versus the gamers of old. It's kind of what I call a "true gamer." A true gamer would be one that plays a game for what it is, even if it may be a bit hard. These types usually have been playing games for a while (on old PCs or even back on NES and SNES). Most true gamers tend to be 25+, but of course there are younger true gamers as well. True gamers are the type that don't need instant gratification, and generally delight in difficultly because of the feeling of accomplishment when they're done.

Today's gamers need that instant gratification; they need games to be easy so they can feel like they get somewhere. However this is a catch 22 for them, as they get bored of the game fairly quickly because of it's ease of play. However if the game is too hard, they'll just quit, and like Loendal said, cry that the game sucks.

I think that these people aren't true gamers. They just play a certain game because it's popular; the thing to do. Not to get too deep and psychological here, but I think it has to do with the environment that kids are raised in today, and parenting.

[Morreion]

I think you're on to something there, Regolyth. I feel that the average short attention span is very evident in many new gamers today.