1. FUN- for me if a game isn't fun then it grows overly repetitive and nobody wants to play a game like that. To have fun is to be able to play this game and even after you come back to it makes you feel great.
2. Narrative- I read a lot of books so as you might expect I care about story more then the game play most of the time. But, for me if a game doesn't have a great story for me to experience while I play I lose interest very quickly. Some of my favorite narrative based games are Destiny (Bungie, 2014) and the Bioshock franchise (2K, 2007).
3. Simulation- I agree that a game has to have this because for me a game is not a game if it doesn't make you feel like you are part of the story, and plays with your feelings to make it feel more realistic. That is why a game needs this feature.
4. Space- I agree that a game needs to experiment with space in the environment. The game that I think does this the best is the Halo Trilogy (Bungie, 2001). In the game you play on a ring that has the same gravity as earth but it you look up you can see water in the sky and the gravity of the ring is holding you in place. This is why a game needs to have this feature.
5. Time- For me a game has to have a sense of time, and how long it takes to complete it. The game that does this the best is Assassins Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft, 2018) because in the game you have a day and night cycle in game that makes it feel that time is passing in game and it is one of the greatest features that game has.
6. Interactivity- In my opinion a game should make you feel that you are in control of the story and any decisions you make has consequences at the end of the game. That is what truly includes you in the story while playing the game. A example of a game that does this perfectly is Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015).
7. Re-playability - to me a game has to have this feature because a good game gives you the sense of nostalgia when you go back and play it many years later. Also what this means is that you can do the same activities in a game over and over again and they never feel repetitive/boring. A game that does this perfectly for me is Pokémon Platinum (Nintendo, 2009).
8. Rules- a game needs a set of rules to govern them or else the game turns into chaos for anyone who plays it. In my experience rules sets the guidelines of the game world so you as a player can't do whatever you want in the game. This is why this is a big feature a game needs to have.
9. Mechanics- a game needs to have a a central mechanic that the game world is based on in order to function.
10. Aesthetics- for me a game needs to have a beautiful environment/ style that can keep you hooked and playing just for the beauty for hours. That is why this feature is important to me.
That is my list that I derived from my personal experience of playing games since i was a kid, and being a critic of games as well.
Real World Inspiration
If I were to incorporate some thing from my life and turn it into a game, I would design a game
about playing golf and the struggle of becoming better at the sport. I would make it like a PGA
game but instead of choosing pro golfer you play as someone who wants to make it in the
pro golf league. But, you are someone who has never touched a club before. So, in order to
become better you have to train up your person in game. I would make improving your
character be in the style of a skill tree and every time you play in a tournament you gat a skill
point to improve your character in becoming a better golfer. The reason I would do it this way
is because it would make the game more interactive and have a great central mechanic to fall
back on. Also, I would add a narrative and motivation behind why your player is doing this
and what they want in return from all the training they have to do.
