Feeding Addiction
So after pondering how evil Diablo2 is and how there are other games out there that
tend to "take over the life" of people I decided to ask you guys a question.
What do you feel are the properties of a game that cause it to be addictive? What are some
of the "big hooks" in gameplay that make a game something that keeps people
coming back. I'm not talking about vague ideas like "replayability" but
specifics.. Here's a few off the top of my head. Obviously a game doesnt have to have all
of these to be addictive but I think most of the games out there like EverQuest,
Counter-Strike (article) , Diablo2 etc share some
of these attributes.
255 Comments
- Reward system. (Through exp points, character attributes, etc)
- Large scale jumps in tempo and penalties/rewards. Big "swings"
- Customization options of your character(s).
- Coveted items/weapons that are difficult to find.
- Online multiplayer capable
There are tons and tons of other things too. But then there is StarCraft out in Korea. Any clues on exactly what is so addictive about that game in particular? I heard somewhere that like 75% of people ages 18-30 in Korea are familiar with the game. Nuts! What do you think? Does this bother you?
It's all about that squirt of chemicals in your head when something unexpected or exciting happens. When humans get excited and overjoyed, it causes chemicals to be released that give us that "rush" when something cool happens.
The reason we play games like Diablo2, Quake, and other interactive games is we want to get that squirt. Good games give you that squirt at decent intervals. Too many exciting moments and it becames boring and no more squrits happen.
Diablo2 is extremely exciting because its designed so well. There's the squirt when you defeat a hard boss, the squirt when that fanatasic item finally drops. It's pacing is fantastic as well as its a game you can sit down, play for an hour or two and enjoy yourself quite a bit.
Quake games gives you a different sort of joy. You die, get owned repeatedly, but then there's that moment when you pull of three direct shots in a row, or end up winning the map. Major squirts happen than and you play repeatedly to get the same feeling again.
For me, there have been four central games to my life. Defender, Street Fighter II (and the many sequels), Quake and Diablo2. These games are ones I devoted enourmous time to because they providing the perfect avenue for me to get that squirt of chemicals at the correct intervals to make me happy.
What's next? We'll see.
/// Zoid.
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