Comment This comment lost in the noise... (Score 1) 778
There is this entire article that says the big thing missing in games is creativity. Well, maybe true but creativity is just part of a good or a bad game. Games, like film, books, and any other type of entertainment have elements. For films it is things like direction, acting, editing, plot, script, etc. For games it is interface, story, graphics, sound, etc. Everyone has their own opinions about these elements. Creativity is just one element and it will not determine, for most people, if a game is successful.
For example, I don't think there has been a game about doing dishes. It could be an action, adventure, or role-playing game. You could go up in levels for scouring, drying and polishing. You could get docked for pruned hands. It is creative, but would it be fun? Maybe... if you could get all the other elements right.
I think the successful games get most of the elements right and that is what makes them successful. It is true that there are a lot of copycat games but some of them perfect an original idea and get more of the elements in place. Total Annihilation was a game like this. You could say that it was a copy of any of the previous RTS games but it did everything very well.
I think the article at Avault was just grousing about the lack of games in the author's favorite genre, adventure games. That is OK but I do not miss those games at all. They held little for me in terms of entertainment. To me it was just "keep clicking until you find the path that doesn't kill you". Sure you could make an educated guess now and then but I found them boring.
I think there will always be creative games... there is always a new idea out there. But I don't think that one factor alone will make a great game. Right now my favorite game is not particularly original, it is just well done. That's is good enough for me.
For example, I don't think there has been a game about doing dishes. It could be an action, adventure, or role-playing game. You could go up in levels for scouring, drying and polishing. You could get docked for pruned hands. It is creative, but would it be fun? Maybe... if you could get all the other elements right.
I think the successful games get most of the elements right and that is what makes them successful. It is true that there are a lot of copycat games but some of them perfect an original idea and get more of the elements in place. Total Annihilation was a game like this. You could say that it was a copy of any of the previous RTS games but it did everything very well.
I think the article at Avault was just grousing about the lack of games in the author's favorite genre, adventure games. That is OK but I do not miss those games at all. They held little for me in terms of entertainment. To me it was just "keep clicking until you find the path that doesn't kill you". Sure you could make an educated guess now and then but I found them boring.
I think there will always be creative games... there is always a new idea out there. But I don't think that one factor alone will make a great game. Right now my favorite game is not particularly original, it is just well done. That's is good enough for me.
