Good post. One other thing that should be said has to do with the /why/. Why do we design many games like this? There are some obvious reasons: it’s easier, it’s fun, it plays on our natural reward mechanisms, etc. A perhaps less obvious one: it reflects the world as many /wish it could be/. Straightforward; full of definite, predefined goals; having well known, well understood challenges; having predictable rewards that are trivial to compare to others; having a very linear path for “progression” (via leveling up, attribute increases, etc.) A world with a WHOLE lot less variables.
If you’re not aware of Jane McGonigal you might be interested in her works. Her basic position is that games are better than reality, mostly because they have a far superior feedback system. She tries to apply game design to the real world to stimulate people’s problem solving.
Good post. One other thing that should be said has to do with the /why/. Why do we design many games like this? There are some obvious reasons: it’s easier, it’s fun, it plays on our natural reward mechanisms, etc. A perhaps less obvious one: it reflects the world as many /wish it could be/. Straightforward; full of definite, predefined goals; having well known, well understood challenges; having predictable rewards that are trivial to compare to others; having a very linear path for “progression” (via leveling up, attribute increases, etc.) A world with a WHOLE lot less variables.
If you’re not aware of Jane McGonigal you might be interested in her works. Her basic position is that games are better than reality, mostly because they have a far superior feedback system. She tries to apply game design to the real world to stimulate people’s problem solving.