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Gathering data about the users that play your video game can be very enlightenin

ID: 3905453 • Letter: G

Question

Gathering data about the users that play your video game can be very enlightening. It can give you information about their gender, age, type of employment, and much more. By gathering this information, the programmer can develop a game that will attract different kind of users to broaden the user base, or he/she can use the information to specify the needs of a group that already enjoys the game. Research the population that plays different genres and identify what makes one game more playable than another.

Explanation / Answer

Q1) Research the population that plays different genres and identify what makes one game more playable than another.

One of the best examples is Super Mario 64, a game that will always be fun to play thanks to its excellent controls that give you complete control over Mario’s moveset.

An Interesting Theme & Visual Style - Although every game designer knows that nailing down the gameplay is more important than good visuals, that doesn’t mean how the game looks isn’t important. Since graphics are what the player is seeing the entire time, developers need to make sure they match the world as well as style of the gameplay. Eg:- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a great example since it boasts gorgeous visuals that make its vibrant ocean world unlike any other.

Excellent Sound & Music - As any video game sound designer knows, a game’s audio is incredibly important. Video games need sound effects to make the virtual characters and world feel more aliveand realistic. At the same time, the game’s soundtrack also plays a big part in evoking emotion from the player and heightening the experience. Eg:- Gears of War is a game that’s always had good sound design.

Captivating Worlds - Unlike other forms of entertainment like film and television, games are interactive and thus have worlds that can be explored. Of course, people will only want to check out everything your world has to offer if there are things that catch their attention. This can be anything from cool settings and quests to rewards and challenges around every corner. Eg:- 2015’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did just that by providing a world that felt alive and worth exploring.

Fun Gameplay - Gameplay is arguably the most important aspect about a game. You can have breathtaking graphics and an enthralling storyline, but if the main game mechanics the player will be performing aren’t fun, your project may as well have been a movie. There are plenty of thoughts and ideas online that every game designer should check out on the subject of what makes gameplay fun. Eg:- What better example than Tetris, a game that has mesmerized players for decades now with its “easy to learn, hard to master” gameplay.

Memorable Characters - Whether your game is heavy on narrative or not, you want to have characters that are not boring and forgettable. This means designing characters that are visually interesting, well-written, and that the player can relate to. Most storytellers would even argue that its the characters, not plot or setting, that separates a good story from a great one. Eg:- While there are plenty of great examples, we couldn’t help but go with Chrono Trigger. It’s hard to forget this masterpiece’s colorful cast of characters that include a red-haired boy, robot, humanoid frog, cave girl, dark wizard, and more.

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