The Triumph of Simple Games

While remaining an avid fan of video games and a self proclaimed student of conceptual video game design. I have found that in many ways, games have come full circle. Old Arcade and NES games were often built upon very simplistic concepts, this owing both to technological constraints and the need to connect to audiences who could not be expected to perform the complex maneuvers required by most modern games. The advent of the I-pad, I-phone, and mobile gaming has opened up the gaming world to a mixed audience of seasoned gamers and total amateurs alike. Because of the diversity of these audiences, it is apparent that now more than ever, successful games need to be both intuitive and simple. The allure of these elements is in their ability to provide instant entertainment and allow the player to intuitively sense the games objective.

The game Angry Birds has become a ubiquitous tool of entertainment both among adults and children alike. Its great success can be attributed to the utter simplicity of its design. Give anyone this game for the first time and within ten seconds they will be able to ascertain that the goal is to slingshot the birds so that they knock over the structure that contains the pigs. The only game mechanic the player controls is in adjusting the strength and trajectory of their “angry bird”, and the only goal is to knock down the structure.

In analyzing this game I have begun to see the merits of severely limiting the scope of games, in favor of the focus on establishing a clear player goal combined with a pleasurable game mechanic. The thrill of these games is akin to bouncing quarters into a cup, they lack the depth and complexity of modern console games, but they deliver a simple pleasure without any confusion and without the need for any special training.

Based on these principles I have gotten to thinking of a multitude of extremely simplistic games. The difficulty often comes in reigning in ones imagination and ridding the games concept of any extra complication. A few examples of these conceptual creations will make an appearance on this site shortly, following my upcoming duel with the technical difficulties of web design. Stay tuned