I hope this is not my legacy

I think the key to making a really good game these days is avoiding making the user feel like they are just wasting time, and make them think they are achieving something. I think there are clear examples of this in games like Spore and The Sims which have no specific end point, and more dubiously in the reward and achievement system which EVERY console game now seems to require. I admit to being drawn in by these silly lists of tick boxes in the past; there is something very satisfying when the magic “G” achievement box comes up on an XBox. How you do this is another question entirely.

Following my previous post about wanting to create something, I have been thinking about atmospherics and such and I’m considering making some sort of game or interactive applet thing. The thing is, I would rather it was [i]useful[/i] in some way. At the very least, I would like people to spend time playing it because they enjoy the environment it creates, rather than because they want to hit a set of arbitrary goals. I don’t mind wasting people’s time, but I want them to want to waste their time in my world, rather than tricking them into it. Obviously I’m not working with a triple A title budget, so I don’t have to appeal to the masses.

One way of doing this which I have been considering, is by involving an online community. People (myself included) waste such a long time on forums and chat because interacting with other people isn’t [i]really[/i] wasting time (even though nothing of value is gained[/i]. Second Life, a completely pointless virtual world, was very popular for exactly this reason. However i’m not sure I want to create a community based around a game, as this limits the appeal, creates a barrier for entry, and promotes completion of arbitrary goals and high scores- which I don’t care for.

I’m not sure, no conclusion, just some thoughts.