Week 2: What Do I Enjoy in Video Games

This week we did not have class, however that does not mean that I didn't learn anything. As the semester goes on and our company figures out what games to make, one aspect of creating our games will be why should people play our games. I started to think about the games that I play(ed) and what it is exactly that makes me play them? What qualities do these games have that maybe some other games do not have? I don't actually play a lot of games; I play at most 3-4 games regularly. Some people may believe that is a lot, but I don't think so.

Now I'm pretty biased in the games I play. I play mostly Blizzard games: WoW, Diablo 3, Hearthstone, and just recently I started playing a little bit of Starcraft 2. I also play a lot of League of Legends by Riot Games. I learned that the main reason I play these games are the for the interactions they bring to the user. For instance, being able to do quests and/or fight against other people in the game is something I enjoy doing. I've met a surprisingly amount of people over the years just through WoW for example. Knowing that there's a large community within the game and outside the game makes the game more enjoyable. (Yes, I do realize the picture below is of old content, but I think it gets the point across of the ability to bring in a lot of people and the sense of community a game can have.)

Another reason I like games is the storyline. If a game has a good storyline, chances are I will continue to play it or go back and play it even if the game may be out of date. Another WoW example is about the older content. When I level up a character, there are certain quests that'll I intentionally repeat because I enjoy the story behind it. Diablo is another example, I enjoy the story and how I am able to immerse myself into the game. For instance, one aspect of League of Legends I like is their lore even though it may not be at the level of WoW or Diablo. Reading a champion's lore and knowing why they like/dislike other champions really helps me get into the game and enjoy it even more.

So why do I like the games I play? I like them because of the community and the interactions I can have within it. I also enjoy games for their stories and I think, personally, that is what I look for in a game.