When you play a game, you and the game become one. The game is an extension of you. The character or ship in the game is further an extension of you. You take it personally. You identify with it.
This is where the first hurdle comes in because if a game is really sucky at giving you a sense of unity with it, then you aren't going to experience affection for it. Unity=Love. So if it does a good job of sort of getting out of its own way and letting YOU be the star in the game, then that's a good thing and that makes it playable. Otherwise it will create a sense of separation which basically is a killjoy.
Beyond the part where you identify with it and can relate to it, the game also has to provide enough freedoms that you can express yourself unencumbered and pursue your own interests. If the game keeps trying to force things on you that you really don't want, that's a turn off. If the game prevents you from doing something that you'd really like to do, that also diminishes the playability.
To be truly immersive and enjoyable a game has to basically be a reflection of the `mode of existence` that you would exist in where you feel at your best. You have to have freedom, flow, beauty, efficiency, consistency, trust, awareness, and various other `positive things`.
Above and beyond having the freedom to do what you want, if the game provides you with a certain range of things you can do, those things better be fun. The atmosphere has to be good. I think there is also a delicate design element of how you make progress - it can't resist you too much or it will overwhelm you, and it can't step back too much or it will bore you. Everyone needs a certain personal level of stimuli in order to feel excited and interested without being overwhelmed. Strike that balance, on a per player basic, and they'll be happy.
A playable game makes you feel good, gives you a sense of accomplishment and does so through giving you awareness of what you did and did not do. It should never be unfair, it should be compassionate, and encouraging, and help you to grow as a player. A good game is a good teacher.
To me games have personalities. What personality would you want a game to have in order for you to get along with it? What game personalities will you clash with? Generally speaking, if it is a well-rounded, loving, appreciative, fair, honest, decent, and generally virtuous in the way that it presents things to you and behaves toward you, you're going to probably stick with it more and enjoy it more. A playable game is one where you can be `at peace` with what has happened or happening, whilst at the same time being excited about it. If you just make the player feel anxious or frustrated or unfairly upset or unfairly attacked or shut out, etc, all that cold separation-based stuff, the game will suck.
It also helps if the game is cool and you can do cool things that you can't do in a physical human body, as this is freeing to the spirit.
This is where the first hurdle comes in because if a game is really sucky at giving you a sense of unity with it, then you aren't going to experience affection for it. Unity=Love. So if it does a good job of sort of getting out of its own way and letting YOU be the star in the game, then that's a good thing and that makes it playable. Otherwise it will create a sense of separation which basically is a killjoy.
Beyond the part where you identify with it and can relate to it, the game also has to provide enough freedoms that you can express yourself unencumbered and pursue your own interests. If the game keeps trying to force things on you that you really don't want, that's a turn off. If the game prevents you from doing something that you'd really like to do, that also diminishes the playability.
To be truly immersive and enjoyable a game has to basically be a reflection of the `mode of existence` that you would exist in where you feel at your best. You have to have freedom, flow, beauty, efficiency, consistency, trust, awareness, and various other `positive things`.
Above and beyond having the freedom to do what you want, if the game provides you with a certain range of things you can do, those things better be fun. The atmosphere has to be good. I think there is also a delicate design element of how you make progress - it can't resist you too much or it will overwhelm you, and it can't step back too much or it will bore you. Everyone needs a certain personal level of stimuli in order to feel excited and interested without being overwhelmed. Strike that balance, on a per player basic, and they'll be happy.
A playable game makes you feel good, gives you a sense of accomplishment and does so through giving you awareness of what you did and did not do. It should never be unfair, it should be compassionate, and encouraging, and help you to grow as a player. A good game is a good teacher.
To me games have personalities. What personality would you want a game to have in order for you to get along with it? What game personalities will you clash with? Generally speaking, if it is a well-rounded, loving, appreciative, fair, honest, decent, and generally virtuous in the way that it presents things to you and behaves toward you, you're going to probably stick with it more and enjoy it more. A playable game is one where you can be `at peace` with what has happened or happening, whilst at the same time being excited about it. If you just make the player feel anxious or frustrated or unfairly upset or unfairly attacked or shut out, etc, all that cold separation-based stuff, the game will suck.
It also helps if the game is cool and you can do cool things that you can't do in a physical human body, as this is freeing to the spirit.