Hello, hello! It’s already the second day of the week, but I feel like talking about something fun. And for me, what’s more fun than video games? Well, I’m sure there are other things, but that’s a topic that came up when I asked my friend to help me choose a topic for today, and it sure as well is hard to get more fun than that for me!
I’ve always enjoyed video games. I played them a lot when I was in elementary school, often with the neighbor boys or my cousins. I remember my Sega Genesis quite easily, and I’m sure I put many hours into Sonic games way back then. But while a simple game was all I needed as a child, my growth in years has also changed my point of view about what makes a game fun for my tastes. And for me, I think what really impacted that is when I gained my love for writing.
You see, I consider the most vital thing to a good game the story. I want compelling characters, interesting plot twists, and just a general story I can really immerse myself in. This goes just as much for pretty much any game genre nowadays. I can’t handle playing bullet hells, but one with a good story at least doesn’t feel like a bad thing to try for me. Sure, I mostly prefer RPGs, but simulation games with a storyline adds to the fun when I’m building a town. Or, at the very least, features that make the town feel more real.
It’s because of my love for stories that I tend towards certain creators and franchises when it comes to games. On android, I’m particularly a fan of Kairosoft simulation games (I especially love Oh Edo! Towns and Pocket Academy). They have a wide variety of simulators, where you can build anything from a school to a water park. They usually include some form of quests or character engagement and such in these games.
Also for android, my favorite RPG maker is definitely Kemco. My dad got me one of their games when there was a sale years back, and I’ve been obsessed with their games ever since. Though the stories all have the same main theme, they vary in how the concept is used, and there’s a variety of settings that just makes it hard for me to get bored of them. My very first game by them was Symphony of the Origin, which includes both fantasy and robotic characters.
Finally, I love the Rune Factory and Harvest Moon series, many of which have had wonderful storylines. Some were certainly better than others, but seriously… Rune Factory 3 you get to turn into a Wooly, and in Harvest Moon: Magical Melody, your daily tasks can lead to helping undo the petrification of the Harvest Goddess! How is that not at all interesting?
Of course, a good game needs more than just a good story and characters. I am very particular in the systems a game has and how easy it is to work with. For example, Harvest Moon: A Tale of Two Towns was interesting because it had a feature to let you move between the two towns in the game, and each of them has unique features to them and focus. I preferred Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life over it’s predecessor, A Wonderful Life, because you could actually ship your fruits and veggies, not just the produce from your livestock. In Rune Factory, you have to tame monsters to become your livestock. That’s just a few examples. I could probably give you an endless list with Harvest Moon alone!
As someone who is trying to learn game development using a variety of tools, I often have to think about what makes a game good to me, so that I can try to implement those things into my projects. But what makes a good game varies from person to person, I know- some people focus heavily on the music (which especially makes sense to me with Eternal Sonata). Others are very keen on the graphics. Video games are amazingly personal as a subject, I think- and that’s why my projects are so personal and important to me, even if I’m working extremely slowly on them.
Now that I’ve given you my two cents, why not give me yours? Tell me what you think is most important in a game, or tell me the things in games you didn’t like that made you turn off from them. What sort of games do you play in general, if any? I want to know more about you, and know more for my craft, so please comment and tell me just about anything related to video games and you! I look forward to it!