Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
What makes games fun
We desire to end this chapter with a section about a very popular theory of what fun
is, and what makes games fun, by XeoDesign: a research firm founded by Nicole Laz-
zaro that helps organizations increase player engagement in their products by elimin-
ating barriers to having fun.
Ms. Lazzaro is a world-renowned researcher in
Player Experience
(
PX
) who has
been acknowledged as one of the top women working in high tech and one of the top
20 women in video games.
The following description is a breakdown of Xeo/Nicole's examination of what is fun
in games. These are purely emotional responses that arise from specific game situ-
ations rather than from storyline.
This section is meant as a starting point for your research on the many theories on
the subject.
The four keys to fun - the game mechanics that
drive play
Lazzaro's theory is based around four types of fun, as different people play games for
different reasons. Some people search for a challenge to test their skills, some people
search for progression for the sake of having something growing in their hands, while
others play games to spend time with friends.
In the following sections we will examine each category of fun described by Lazzaro's
theory.
Hard fun - emotions from meaningful challenges, strategies,
and puzzles
For many players overcoming obstacles is the reason why they play. Hard fun creates
emotion by structuring experience towards the pursuit of a goal. The challenge fo-
cuses attention and rewards progress to create emotions, such as frustration and
Fiero (an Italian word for personal triumph). It inspires creativity in the development
and application of strategies. It rewards the player with feedback on progress and
