i.e How do you make games where the second to second gameplay is lots of fun? Do you think that more and more modern games are getting away from the second by second fun of gameplay and focus on ''key points'' ie. winning the level, getting to the the next plot point.

Make your game fast, unpredictable and let the player feel that his smallest choices are important.

There''s so many ways to make a game.

* Make the player part of an exciting story
* Use psychology to force the player into the role of the main character (the opening of Half-life was a good example)
* Make an addicting complete-the-level-and-move-on brain numbing experience.

Computers can do SO MUCH nowadays, the possibilities are wide open. I expect eventually someone will make a game made up entirely of abstract images in an alternate dimension. It can really go anywhere.

What makes the game fun? Well, if people enjoy it, it''s fun. I guess.

... But LIFE is fast and unpredictable and my smallest choices ARE important...

are you saying I''m living the best game I will ever play?

But games are part of life. So life is part of a game? Wait a minute, that''s not right... and if we get the right job, it will feel like play. But all work and no play makes you dull, does play for work make you irresponsible? Wait a minute...

Oh for crying out loud, screw this, I''m going to watch Rescuers Down Under again.

LOL @ wave rider


...

"are you saying I''m living the best game I will ever play? "

Absolutely, the sooner you realise this the sooner you can start enjoying yourself

Could you give some examples? As far as I know, the meat of play is the second to second stuff in most games. When its not, we say the game drags or is slow, because we''re not enjoying whatever process that''s necessary to get to the point of fun.



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Just waiting for the mothership...

Well I hate to being up a sega dreamcast game since so few people seem to have one but if you ever played it Skies of Arcadia is a nice example.Skies of Arcadia has this weird form of game play.You have long streaches of action followed by settling down period followed by more action. For example.

You have one part in the game where you have just beaten the admiral Alfonso.Valua decides to pay back the air pirates by a surprise attack.They attack the air pirates and taken them prisoner.You have to mount their rescue.

Alright once you get to Valua you have to go through the sewer system fighting the creatures that live there.Then you have to fight the executioner and his 2 aids.You rescue your shipmates then but Fina is not with them so you have to hop on a train beat a whole train full of Valua thugs and to top it all off still have to escape Valua through a aerial dogfight with one of their flagships before the fortress door closes Phew...

After that though you get this long period where things calm down .Mostly used for character and story development.But surprisingly you''re not bored at all.You''re very entertained in fact from all the other things you have to do when you''re not fighting for your life.Like finding discoveries and new lands,suping up your ship the Little Jack and other things like that.So what you''re asking about can be done.I would guess it just takes a lot of ingenuity to find the right balance.

The road to hell is paved in good intentions