Has Fun Taken a Back Seat in Modern Games?

Mike Potts breaks down the current state of games and their respective levels of "fun". Has one of our favorite pastimes turned into more of a chore?

[Jimboms]

Yeah, I agree that the fun has been takne out of a lot of games. However, in it's place I've seen a lot of great stuff. But at the end of the day, I think I enjoy the fun games from the Nintendo days the most, the fun was there where it's not anymore.

[bennissimo]

I think that the obsessions with graphics, graphical parity, and perceived corporate shenanigans have infiltrated the development process. When the devs are worried about reviews in a climate of idiots only focusing on the game's framerate and native resolution, the innovation and gameplay they should be focusing on primarily becomes less of a priority.

[DeusEx-Machina]

State of the industry in a nutshell.

[3-4-5]

* The people making the games are just that....they are just the ones doing it, doesn't mean they are good at it.

* If only two people in the world could shoot a basketball, then one would be the best. Even if he/she wasn't that good....there would be no other competition.

* MORE FANS have good ideas for games, than actual developers.

* The people making games are like the builders who know how to lay the foundation.

You really want THAT person designing your interior as well ?

You end up with goblins and trolls over and over again....

* The video games industry REFUSES to hire Ideas people who do nothing but come up with good ideas for the developers to put into the game.

* The ones who code and what not end up wanting to come up with ideas, but those ideas are never fun to play.

It's like they don't think it through.....they are too into what " they" think is fun, and it turns out maybe only 10,000 other people thought it was fun as well, and another 200,000 were tricked into buying it because they thought it was something other than what it really was.

* I've forgotten more good ideas than half the games ever made, and I KNOW there are millions of other gamers out there just like me with GREAT ideas, that will NEVER see the light of day.

EX:
* They keep giving us a coffee maker on christmas, but this time it brews 10 cups and it's blue instead of brewing 5 cups and red.

* Nintendo is one of the few companies still focusing on the FUN aspect of games.

* All the whiners keep saying their games are for "kids", but their games are for people who want to have fun.

* Sick of these " walk here...hit A..watch this....walk there...hit B...hide behind that...shoot this...walk here...ect...."

[shocked686]

I guess it really comes down to the type of gamer that you are. I love Mario Kart as much as the next guy, but I've also been absolutely loving Dragon Age Inquisition (more so than any other game for awhile). It's a different kind of fun for sure, but any game that gives you a world to explore and has complexity beyond hack and slash really gets my attention. Witcher comes to mind. So I don't konw, comparing Dragon Age to Mario Kart a little like comparing Just Dance to Resident Evil, but I get what you're saying. Sometimes you just need that ol' Nintendo fun.

[levian]

That's a very good comparison I think. A lot of people go on about how Nintendo games are the only fun ones, and how GRITTY REALISM is so bad, boring and bland.

Well, there are different kinds of fun, not just differences in opinion between people, but one person can have fun with completely different things.

The comparison of Nintendo games to Just Dance, or Guitar Hero, DDR, or what ever else is quite apt. They have their own appeal, and are a very specific kind of fun.

Would the kind of person who *only* likes these types of games enjoy, say, Fallout? In comparison it is a much slower paced game, very grey and brown, and plays completely differently. But that doesn't mean Guitar Hero is fun and Fallout isn't. They each have their own appeal for different reasons, and both may be fun to the same person.

[jholden3249]

Agreed. I'm a HUGE Nintendo gamer, but, I also appreciate games like Dragon Age Inquisition and the like.

Beat Dragon Age Inquisition on PS4 and still had a lot to explore, even after 80 hours, but I'm a huge Fire Emblem and Monster Hunter fan, and I've been sucked into those lately. Still, Dragon Age was an excellent game.

I do think though that a good 75% of the AAA games available today are dull, uninspired and lack any form of actual fun, addicting gameplay hook. Which is why I game Nintendo cause their games are FUN. But even though it's a small percentage, AAA games are getting better and there are still a good many to choose from that are worth their salt.

[MilkMan]

Not if you are a Nintendo fan. Go get a WiiU and tell me if fun is back on the menu.

[shocked686]

I believe that's what he's talking about in the article. He loves him some Mario Kart.

[ChouDa]

I've had an Xbox One for a bit and have just recently picked up a WiiU.

I'll be honest... whenever I get home from work and am in the mood for fun... I watch porn.

BUT AFTER THAT... I always pick up the Wii U.

[choujij]

LOL.

[NukaCola]

Pure "fun" is still in many games, but the gameplay and entertainment of playing is not restricted anymore with ever advancing technology and ideas

TLOU is an example of a game that is enjoyable to play, but it's not trying to be "fun" at all. It is all about that emotional journey and the realistic ideal that this is what life is like in this reality.

Uncharted is more light hearted. Even with the stresses that come with it, I would call that a game of pure fun.

[Darth Gamer]

Agreed. I've been gaming for over 35 years and seen it all. I still enjoy playing games today as much as back then. Technology has advanced and so has the gameplay. So, what we experience and how we experience it is going to be miles apart from then to now. Just because a game is not all laughter and giggles does not make it any less "fun". Just a different experience. If we were not having "fun", why the hell would we play these damn things, right.

[levian]

This is it basically.

I play my Wii U pretty much for Smash Bros exclusively. It's fun as hell! I'll be playing with some friends and we'll usually all end up laughing our asses off when we do stupid stuff, or we'll all be super impressed when someone pulls off an awesome combo.

But I have just as much "fun" if not more with games like Fallout, or the TES games. Nobody can tell me that Dragon's Dogma, or Shadow of the Colossus aren't fun.

They all have their own appeal, and "fun" doesn't just mean you're laughing with friends. I find that is something these people who complain about games being "brown, grey, gritty, and realistic" fail to understand. I don't need bright, shiny, ultra-colourful games full of laughter to have fun. Sure, they *can* be fun, and a lot of them are. But it doesn't mean other games aren't fun either.

[jholden3249]

Maybe not all games provide fun, but they all entertain. Right?

[skeeter2275]

Yep, you here about resolution and framerate before anything else.

[The_Sage]

It's the difference between Tom and Jerry, and American Horror Story. Tom and Jerry is great (the old ones. Not that crap that came later). It's fun to watch, and you'll laugh a lot. That said, I don't always want that. Sometimes I want something with a deeper story that may even be a little upsetting to watch. Me?... I find Mario Cart to be a multiplayer only game. It can't hold my interest in single player. I need an interesting story.

[ZeroSkerbo]

This is a good comparison and is a driving decision for most of my game purchases. It's like, what am I in the mood for?

Changes with time actually. There are definitely moments where I want to be completely engrossed into a world and story, other times I want something mindless and tactile, and other times I want something that will facilitate good conversation and teamwork from friends. Its like, the seasons of gaming if you will. I'm gunna write and article about that...

[The_Sage]

I look forward to reading it.

[aerisbueller]

Sounds like this guy needs a Wii-U.

[g-nome]

Sometimes you play for fun , sometimes for the challenge . As long as you enjoy what you are doing.

[MilkMan]

I make a distinction between fun and entertaining. Some games are hugely entertaining as a completely package, say a Gears of War, a God of War as was mentioned before The Last of Us and so on, but I believe that Nintendo games have a charm and a sensibility that are more on pure fun than complete packages of entertainment value.
I mean take something like Super Smash, they have no story mode, no value other than fighting, but its such a polished and fun experience that its hardly missed.
Kirby, Mario even the Zelda games have been "light" on plot. These are NOT grand operatic adventures like say Skyrim and/or The Witcher. There light hearted and whimsical. But fun and addicting to play.
Each company plays to its strengths. Yes, there is fun to be had blowing stuff up when you play COD and Battlefield, but its not the same as when you play Captain Toad Treasure Tracker.
Its just something innocent about the fun you have with Nintendo's games.

[Ps4andxb1]

Overbloated menu systems have started to grow like cancer in the past few years.

[MPScrimshaw]

Yes, this. Absolutely.

[Roccetarius]

No. Fun has not taken a backseat if you know what you're looking for, but it has become a chore to find the quality in the trash releases.

[ChouDa]

Completely. F'n. Agree. There are SO. MANY. GAMES. Starting to think Numbers and these big boy review sites are taking me for a ride every time.

[WeAreLegion]

No. Fun is everywhere. Sunset Overdrive, infamous: Second Son, Saint's Row IV, LittleBigPlanet 3, Super Smash Bros., Forza Horizon 2, Driveclub, Far Cry 4...

Even upcoming games are focused on fun. Yoshi's Wooly World, Bloodborne, Mario Party 10, Uncharted 4, Halo 5, Cuphead, Rime, Hotline Miami 2, Zelda for Wii U, and definitely Just Cause 3.

Fun hasn't taken a back seat at all. This argument has been around for a long time.

[MPScrimshaw]

You bring up some very good examples (Although I'm not sure I'd call Halo "fun", regardless of how much I love it) but yes, games like Saint's Row and Sunset Overdrive are exactly the sort of thing we need more of.

[craig2web]

Speaking specifically to FH2 & DC, I think both of these have issues in the fun department. A few of the challenges in FH2 were overly difficult and detracted from the fun factor. Beyond the first two career levels of DC, the career events are exceedingly difficult and destroy the fun. The same can be said for a number of the main campaign missions in The Crew. They really need selectable difficulty levels in these so everyone can enjoy them without becoming overly frustrated.

[Wonderful101]

Nope, quite the opposite, at least with a Wii U.

[kartanym]

If you want fun without the corporate infiltration, look no further than the indie game market on Steam or iOS. It's a funhouse in there!

[360ICE]

Agree on Steam, but iOS!? That's where all the "click this building and come back in two hours"-games are.

There are many great games too, I suppose. It just feels weird to use that as an example.

[kartanym]

There's far more out there on iOS than just those kinds of games, don't let popularity sway you (or Candy Crush ... screw Candy Crush).

[360ICE]

@kartanym
I love Candy Crush.

You're probably right, but when I think about great games on iOS, I think about strategy games and RPGs. Or The Walking Dead and Monument Valley. Not necessarily the most fun games, but still. I'll be happy to take some pointers, though.

[360ICE]

Not really, I think. That question would have been very well put when everyone else asked it seven years ago, but with the indie scene booming and not that many story-heavy games being released this year, I think fun is back.

I also don't quite buy the idea that games that are about fun can have nothing else in them (not that the author wrote that in the article, he made the opposite point). The games I bought last year, like GTAV, Driveclub, LBP3 and Destiny, all have advanced graphics and story elements, but I would still describe them as fun. However, I also appreciate that there are games like Danganronpa and The Last of Us which seem to be more about excitement.

However, I completely reject the idea that games should be about this or that. The reason games have been compelling to me for this long, is because there's such a great variety of them, and often I find that my favorite games are not just about fun. Journey, for instance. The Walking Dead, Metal Gear Solid, the list goes on.

[MPScrimshaw]

I agree with what you are saying. I also had fun with Destiny, and will likely have fun with other current-gen games as well. I think the biggest issue I had with, in the case of the article, Dragon Age and Halo, was that complicated menus, a lack of explanation, crazy learning-curves, and straight-up broken interfaces have gotten in the way of "fun", particularly as of late.

The issue of releasing broken products (Halo MCC, ASSCREED Unity, etc) and fixing them whenever is something we never dealt with back even in the GCN era. Its lazy on the part of publishers. If its broken, don't release it until it works. Its completely unacceptable that MCC was released in the state its in.

In terms of Dragon Age, I just feel that the game does a very poor job of getting any information across, but at the same time, drowns the player in opportunity to do things they don't know how to do. I maintain that I think the "story" in Destiny is better explained than in Dragon Age, and while Destiny also has a very steep learning curve, its more forgiving to those who don't know what the hell they're doing, until they are able to learn.

Meanwhile, anyone (even my wife) can pick up Mario Kart, have a blast, and walk away feeling like they got the full experience.

[360ICE]

That's very true! And another thing to be said for Mario Kart is that is that it has couch co-op at all. This generation has been surprisingly bad at that, after the last generation was starting to pick up the pace.

[Imalwaysright]

Not when Nintendo, FromSoftware, Platinum games and Ubisoft Montpellier (Rayman Legends) are in the business of making games.

[craig2web]

Yes, I do think most developers of all games (both console and mobile) have lost sight of the fun/enjoyment factor. They tend to code a single level of difficulty in their games so the games are challenging for themselves. But they are experts at their games with hundreds or thousands of hours of gameplay experience in the game. We need selectable levels of gameplay difficulty so everyone can enjoy the games - not just the experts.

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

I think "simplicity" is a better word for the title than fun because I have fun playing Super Smash Brothers yet I also have fun playing Armoured Core, Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid. Before I am crucified, I am not saying that as an insult to the author it's just that fun is subjective and it bothers me that people believe fun doesn't exist in games that focuses on story or realism.