i'm looking for some serious opinions here, so please don't just make obvious, matter-of-fact posts.
it's maybe a bit philosophical, but i'm trying to find out where the obstacles in games come from, and why they are in, literally, every game i play. perhaps wii music or wii fit are exceptions to the rule, but most (if not all) games have them.
i define obstacles as any barrier to progress; a restriction or limitation that becomes necessary or desirable to overcome.
my thinking at the moment goes something like this...
a restriction or a limitation creates a mental or physical challange for the player. in overcoming the challange, there is some kind of resolution to the problem and this suggests a 'purpose' or a cause to play. not only this, but resolution is satisfying and fun in some kind of capacity.
do you gain enjoyment from beating an obstacle? i was playing halo and beat this big alien and it was enjoyable; there was an empty, clear space and no more threat. i wanted to find more threats to put myself in danger, so i could gain that satisfaction again.
however, defeating the alien to make it dissapear is still kind of abstract isn't it? am i doing it because it is the purpose of the game, or because i enjoy solving problems? in all video games there is a constant focus on returning visible objects back into the invisible. does this relate to the binary mechanics of the digital medium (zeros and ones)?
i think katamari damacy is possibly the only game i've played where all the objects on screen don't dissapear, but are amalgamated and you can see them all.
katamari is an interesting case, because i love it but it's one of my least-played games. do i play it less because it has no obstacles? do i pay no attention to wii music because it has no obstacles? while katamari doesn't really have that many obstacles, there are time and space limitations, and clear goals. bumping into stuff also slows you down.
what is also interesting is that in interviews, the creator of katamari said he didn't want time limits or space limits (the blocked off areas). is a game not a game if it doesn't have these obstacles or limits?
just_nonplussed
See As We Progress there are still barriers every games has a barrer like swimming in deus ex is a barear sorta, they are there to challenge us and give us real life possible challenges in a new way...
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