The Brainy Gamer: Fun Factor Catalog
Been a while since I updated, due to some travel, some visitors, and some other general busy-ness (as opposed to business). Not only have I fallen behind on updating ye olde blog, I've fallen behind on my reading too. So I've been generally catching up, and sometime during that time,was linked to the following piece, which is just fantastic:
The Brainy Gamer: Fun Factor Catalog.
If you've been following my recent posts, you already know about my Fun Factor project. I'm trying to account for the many ways games provoke us to play them. A few days ago I asked you to help me 'catalog the fun' delivered by some of your favorite games, and you came through big time. Thanks again for that.I've sorted through your responses and added some of my own. The result is below: a collection of fun factors and a list of games that exemplify them.
Check the list out, as it's pretty awesome. Definitely a great resource for reminding ourselves about the diversity of gameplay, even then of the diversity in the ways that players experience that gameplay.
Here's a couple that I'd maybe add to the list:
- Defining the Possible - The process of exploring gameplay (rather than geographic space). Encountering an enemy for the first time, and experimenting with different approaches to defeat the enemy, until the weakness is discovered.
- Adapting to Randomness - Taking lessons from one game of Civ, and applying it to the next, with a radically different map/situation. The general diversity of gameplay that comes from random generation.
- Physical Fun - While associated more with non-video gaming experiences, like sports, some of the more active video games of today provide some of that physical fun as well. DDR was the first that I could really cite, but drumming in Rock Band has worked as well.
Tags: brainy gamer, civ, ddr, fun, fun factor catalog, michael abbott, rock band, types of fun