Don t Interrupt Gameplay

Don't Interrupt Gameplay

Television writers live in fear of the commercial break. That's when a viewer is most likely to flip channels and see what's playing on a competitive network.

Many games have breaks in them. It's almost inevitable in games with sequential missions. Often it's because new assets need to load.

If at all possible, create the illusion of the game being ongoing, with no interruption. For instance, in Grand Theft Auto III, an area of blue light indicates where you need to go to receive your next mission. This device accomplishes many things simultaneously. When you play the game:

  • You stay within the urban world of the game.

  • You need to actively go and "get" a mission; it doesn't come to you. Thus, you don't become passive to get your mission briefing. Sure, you're passive as it's being explained to you, but the fact that you had to seek out the briefing gives the feeling that you've never left the game.[1]

    [1] Unfortunately, if you fail in the mission, you can't skip those cinematics. You must see them again in order to redo the mission.

Empire, Morrowind, and The Sims are examples of other types of games that keep the flow going. Online games like Everquest fall into this category as well.

Game designers will continue to pioneer ways to create the feeling of continuous game-flow.

Another way to say, "Don't interrupt the game" is to say, "Always give the player something to do."



Creating Emotion in Games. The Craft and Art of Emotioneering
Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering
ISBN: 1592730078
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 394

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