Making Games Fun
Sooo, we know we want to make a game. But if the game isn’t any fun to play, or its too hard/easy to play, or to hard to learn then we find ourselves back at square one. How do we balance out what we want to accomplish in a way that’s entertaining and holds our interest?
The secret is that any game can be fun. How many times have you played a game that had a lot of potential but it lacked story line, or character development, or it had too much fighting, too much blood and guts (or not enough!) or was too hard to control…. This is the reason people stop playing a game, this is the reason we don’t think its fun.
The best way to make a fun game is to think about all the games you’ve ever played. Especially the ones you didn’t like. Why didn’t you like them? The answer to this question will be different for everyone, but that leaves a happy medium somewhere out there. If you thought a game was too cutesy, then it needs different graphics. If the game had too much fighting in it maybe it would benefit from a story line, or smaller missions and objectives, or little puzzle games. If you think about it, all the games that you LIKE are fun. They’re fun because they have a good balance of everything you like in a game. You may like being able to play an entire game in only a few minutes, or spending weeks getting to the big boss that’s terrorizing the town.
So the secret is to make a game fun is that has similar features and concepts of games you LIKE to play and none of the features or concepts you DON’T LIKE in games you DON’T play — but doesn’t copy those game. This is a lot harder then it sounds but originality is one of the biggest selling points in a new game, a game that sets new trends for the gaming industry. To make a fun game, take what you like, and leave out what you don’t like, and make it original; this will put you on a path to success.
Okay, I now Know how to make a game fun, but how do i MAKE a game?
Click on the Pits of Doom link at the top of the blog. That has 8 lessons working towards completion of making your own php/mysql game.