We play video games because their ultimately a blast to play! There is so much fun in entering a reality other than our own, become another person with often superior qualities to our own. But why are they fun to play?
In this post I will be looking specifically at Pac-Man!
To make a successful video game it needs some hooks to keep the gamer playing as well as aporias and epiphanies.
Aporias are certain things programmed into the game to make it challenging, in an essay by Kristine Jørgensen published online she defines it as,
"a localisable problem in a computer game that must be overcome by some uncertain actions. In this thesis the term implies any problem in a game that the player needs to comprehend and solve by a combination of actions."
These are often paired with the actions that overcome them - called Epiphanies. It is this that creates a sense of accomplishment along with different types of gaming hooks which will be explained later on.
So, what makes Pac-Man so fun to play?
Well, if you haven't played it before have a go!
See, did you have fun? But why?
One of the first reasons why it is fun to play is the rules, they are simple to understand and make it a game full of excitement:
- Pac-Man (you) has to get all the Pills around the board - Power Pills can be used to capture the Ghosts sending them back to the middle of the board - Pac-Man has to avoid the Ghosts - You move Pac-Man with the arrow keys
Another reason why the little yellow fella' is fun to play is something called the Magic Circle, this idea was created by a historian Johan Huizinga in his book 'Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture' in it he lists multiple "play-grounds" where games are played - the Magic Circle as one of them. Huizinga's concept was later applied to Digital Games by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman in 'Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals', in this they both agree that although Huizinga's term is a single play-ground it is used as shorthand for a fictional and temporary world created when a game begins.
The players involved within the game are within its Magic Circle, in a board game for example, the Magic Circle here would be the room it was played. In Pac-Man it is slightly different, today you can play Pac-Man on your computer so the Magic Circle is smaller compared to a board game, it is just you and the computer. This kind of circle magnifies the immersion levels considerably because there are no distractions. This kind of game, being a one player hosts Tactical Immersion - where you the player enters 'the zone', you stare at the screen and don't really think about the button presses on the keyboard.
Within the circle of a board game you as players agree to an almost invisible contract to how the game plays, but as soon as you leave the room you leave the Magic Circle. In the past Pac-Man was a phenomenon in the arcades. Tonnes of kids would flock to these machines and play and play and play trying to get #1 on the scoreboards. The Magic Circle here is much more social compared to the one on the computer, it is almost like a board game's although it is still a one player game others watching can become immersed. I mentioned the competitive element to Pac-Man, this is another and a large one to why the game is so competitive.
Both online today and back in the arcades getting the high scores means everything, and because Pac-Man is such a quick game if you loose then you can retry almost instantly - there are no loading screens! This kind of play is a specific gameplay hook. There are specific things within a game that keeps the gamer playing:
- Action Hooks- These allow the character to be moved by the player providing interaction between the two, almost like an extension to yourself often with special/signature moves.
-Resource Hooks- These provide a resource system in the game i.e. health or ammo. It adds another layer into how the game functions because the player has to go looking for them when they run low. This makes the game, again, more involving.
-Tactical/Strategic Hooks- These are typical in RPG's (Role Playing Games) as they allow choice, for example, weapon choice, powers in level growth and discussed in previous posts, every play through of an RGP can be different because of these hooks. Another example is in driving games, the player may choose to draft behind other players to gain a speed advantage. Again, these are not all essential but may provide tactical advantages over other players.
-Time Hooks- These kinds of hooks are involving the player with events to come in the future. Waiting to spawn on Call of Duty or waiting for a weapon to appear is another. They allow the player to think ahead and plan their strategy. A basic time hook is a simple timer, when it reaches zero it is game over. This is such a powerful tool in playing games, especially ones that involve tactical immersion i.e. Pac-Man or Tetris. The player will then try and beat their score and rise the ranks to be the best.
With hooks looked at, the most applicable to Pac-Man are Time Hooks and Action Hooks.
Mentioned before, Aporia and Epiphanies. In Pac-Man the in-game problems (the aporias) are the pesky ghosts and to an extent, the walls and the actual control mechanics. The controls are unique in that you must press a direction before Pac-Man gets there. This emphasises the tactical side and increases the immersion. Mirrored to this, the epiphany is getting the power pills and capturing the ghosts. Mastering the controls and the navigation through the maze is another. Getting used to the controls in any game is essential but some can be very difficult to grasp. Games like this are fighting games such as Tekken and the newly released Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Within these games are very complex moves and combos, these are the aporias but mastering them and pulling them off in an online match are the epiphanies. Click here to see this frantic gameplay in action.
Few! So, there you have it...that is why Pac-Man is sooo fun to play!
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