So, today I was told that if I win the platinum trophy in the game Eskimo, a game I have never seen before, I would be able to get my name and avatar as the trophy. This was an offer I could at least take a shot at. Who doesn’t like their name permanently as an earnable trophy.
This game is pretty simple, the player is to push letter keys that appear in the upper right hand corner of the game. The graphics are pretty well done, but there really is not much gameplay. When the player hits the wrong key, or does not hit the right key in the time that is allowed, the characters on a boat on the screen fight and get closer to a giant wave chasing them. Once the wave gets too close, the boat and the people on it are destroyed. Now the question is, why did I play this game for over an hour?
You see, like many other people, I enjoy the high scores that are publically on gamejolt for some games that implement them. I want to be in the top 3, where my name can be listed for anyone to see. I got top three on my third time playing the game, so why did I keep playing? Well, the prize. The idea of having a little trophy that would have my name on it, made me want it. I was thinking it would be cool for others to go to that game and see the trophy with my name on it, and think “wow, I wish I had a trophy.” But, in reality, it’s just a trophy.
This brings me back to the famous Flappy Bird game. This game was so hard that having a high score was considered cool. People wanted to beat their friends high score in this nearly impossible game, so that they could show it off. This game is another example of a game with tons of replay value but yet not much story or real game to it.
This does not mean that simple games that pull on the competitive strings in my heart are bad or less of games than big games with stories, but sometimes that little bit of competition or that goal to get something, can really drive someone. Just like the steam achievements, it gives the player a reason to play the same thing over and over, to try and get a small trophy.
With this in mind, I am sort of curious of the people making games for the #indiesvspewdiepie jam will be making some game that is short, but competitive in the short amount of time, or if they will go for a full story. Short games are addicting, and in that way fun, but sometimes they are a bit repetitive to watch. The idea of having a game made in a short amount of time that is fun to play and fun to watch, is kind of a hard goal to have. Let me know what kind of game you are making or hoping to record, as well as your thoughts. You should also check out the game Eskimo, they are updating the game a bit to play with the difficulty. Try and beat my highscore ;)
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