Week Eleven - Wheel Spin, Slide, And Usually Crash In A Spectacular Way

“Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems”

That line made me laugh, it’s from the wiki page, and basically is saying gameplay is absolutely everything in the game, which I guess is true, so now I’m meant to write a blog about it, hmm this could be head scratcher.

Okay normally the best way to describe a word/phrase is to switch it round, so…play game, yeah playing games, that’s basically what gameplay is, when you play the games, as tempting as it is to leave this post at that, I think I better expand slightly.

I’m going to start with the Wii, and by which I mean how we interact with games. This is something that has changed for this generation of gaming, how we interact with the games. Forgetting graphics and all that for the moment, how you interact with a game is essentially one the fundamentals, even when games started, the controller has been a key part (of which I managed to write a whole post on), and with this new invention of motion sensors gives a new dynamic to games. And something I think most people forget when trying to categories these words, is the fun in the game, that’s what they were essentially made for, entertainment, to take a break and just enjoy yourself, and as far as I can tell the Wii does this brilliantly.

I feel now as if I could write a post on how games are meant to be fun, and I might one day… but for the moment I’m just going say games are meant to be fun, just good damn that you enjoy. Okay now that’s done next point.

Now I know gaming mechanics is different to gameplay, well I think anyway, but the games engines affects the gameplay. To but it black and white, a racing game needs good technology so that it feels like a your driving a car, feel the car over-steer, wheel spin, slide, and usually crash in a spectacular way, and a first person shooter needs you to feel like you are shooting a gun and moving around a half blown up building, and a simulation game should simulate something (playing a guitar).

I think when the term gameplay is used, imminently people think of computer/video games, but it can easily be applied to any type of game, the gameplay of a board game, games such as snooker and darts, even at a stretch to Olympic Games.

Okay now my brains starting to hurt because gameplay is a truly huge word and I think I’ll finish this post with how I started it, but this time I hope it has more meaning.

“Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems”