Game Fun

A Theory of Game Fun

 The first piece I looked at was a YouTube video created by the OverAnalyser which went into detail about the theory by Raph Koster which suggests that the fun of a game comes from a game that can challenge us or a game that would have many possibilities. He then goes to describe type one games which are more focused on learning and type two games which are more reflex based.

I agree with what the video was saying in terms of flow theory related to fun. You can see it in nearly every game as you progress through the game it gradually becomes more difficult over time which allows the player to improve at the controls, or mechanics in a game. I think this can be taken out of what the video was discussing and examined in other aspects of  the world to a certain extent. For a very simple example say if you were tasked with moving a heavy object from A to B but you couldn't lift it due to it being so heavy. you would start with moving and lifting something of less weight and then over time you would build up the strength to move said heavier object.

The video then covered other aspects which suggest make a game "fun" stuff like sound effects and music that could work in tandem with a good sense of control. The example that the video gave was with Doom and its mix of smooth controls, exciting music and sound effects. I think that game developers could use this to a negative effect also. Companies like EA especially with there loot boxes the use of visual and sound effects. gave the player a fake sense of fun and would encourage them to pay more money to once again get that small injection of dopamine.

Here are a couple of links that I found quite useful which cover the use of loot boxes and game fun.

https://www.pcgamer.com/behind-the-addictive-psychology-and-seductive-art-of-loot-boxes/

https://www.gamedesigning.org/gaming/game-ideas/

https://playmotiv.com/en/gamification-and-dopamine-why-games-motivate-us/