QUOTE(Blinzler @ Jul 15 2007, 01:32 PM)
Time for a completely useless ranting rating game again. Please rate the following point on a scale from 1 to 5 based on your personal opinion.
What's important to you in a game and how much so?
a. Graphics
b. Mechanics
c. Story
d. Humor
e. Reality
f. Artificial Intelligence
g. Freedom to go your own way
h. bonus features for fans - e.g. hidden stuff, easter eggs etc.
i. overall Feel/ Fun-factor
j. Multiplayer
k. Modability & Ease of modding
l. Support from the developer (regarding patches, new features, add-ons)
Short version: it depends on the game. If I'm getting an RPG, I demand a strong mechanics, freedom/agency, and a good story (which probably includes good humor, depending on the themes and setting). Different styles of game call upon other elements more - more abstract, arty games may have less of a concrete story, but focus much more on a fantastic play experience (like Rez).
Personally, I'd use different metrics for breaking down a game's elements. Here's a set off the top of my head:
1) Aesthetic:
a) Graphics (visuals, art style, etc)
b ) Motion (animation, camerawork, movement)
c) Sound & Music (incidental audio and score)
d) Presentation (how well are these elements combined in a unified style)
2) Experience:
e) Controls (ease and intuitivity of controls and UI or information feedback)
f) Pacing (how active is the game - liesurely and relaxed or fast-paced and frenetic or periods of each?)
g) Mechanics (how mechanically sound are the mechanics? can you easily "game" the system?)
h) Durability (How long before the basic gameplay experience begins to bore a player? How flexible is it, to allow for changes to keep a player's interest? How much replay value does the basic experience offer?)
3) Narrative:
i) Story (the overall story, setting, and characters)
j) Personality (the attitude and memorably individual style of the game's narrative. This can include humor, writing voice, and so forth)
k) Agency (how much freedom does the player have to change the game's outcome? Linear or freeform? How much freedom to make their own character?)
l) Longevity (How memorable and personally relevant is the game's narrative? Will you remember and cherish the characters, or will you just remember it as a blur?)
4) Community:
m) Multiplayer (Can you play with other people. How much interaction can you have with them?)
n) Fan Agency (Can fans be involved in further development of the game, either through updates, mods, or otherwise?)
o) Fan Support (How well does the company follow up on supporting the game and its fans with further updates, bug-fixes, patches, and so forth?)
p) Bonus Material (What sort of bonuses, hidden items, or other rewards are there for people who are die-hard about exploring the game?)
Notes:
I broke this set of metrics down to four categories, which are generally more or less relevant to different styles of games - RPGs obviously care very much about Narrative and Experience, standard shooters care about Aesthetics and Experience, MMOs generally focus on Community, and so forth.
Personally, I care most about all of the Narrative category, along with 2g (Mechanics), 1d (Presentation), and 4p (Bonus Material).
Anyway, that was a fun little mental exercise for the morning. Now, back to working on that Narrative category!
