Actions

The reason that games are often uninspiring and appear to be too similar to other games is due to the actions being unoriginal or derivative. Actions define what a player can do, how they control the objects in the game and how they can respond to happenings in the game.

The actions emerge as a result of what is happening during the game and the less predictable and wider in scope that the actions can be, result in a generally more playable game.

Ways in which actions can be used to increase playability:

1. Add more actions.

If your characters can only perform one action eg jump or shoot consider adding more actions to increase the variety in the game play. By adding multiple actions you increase the options available to the player, of course it is possible to overwhelm or add actions that serve little or no purpose.

2. Allow actions to apply to more objects in different ways.

If actions apply equally and the same way to all objects a game can quickly become repetitive and boring. Can the action that an object performs be used in a variety of ways? Games that focus on discovery or problem solving will particularly benefit from this approach.

3. Add more objects

Some games allow the player to control multiple objects either concurrently or by switching between them. Some game allow multiple players to work together to achieve the game’s goals, goals which are not able to be completed without cooperation. Of course, adding more objects to a game may add complexity that is not needed and will distract from the game.

4. Modify the effect of the action

When an action is performed it has some effect on other objects in the game. Modifying the effect of an action will most likely increase the interest for the player. Whether the player is notified about the variable impact of certain actions is also worth considering and assessing how this will effect the game.

Questions to ask.

How many actions can the player perform?

How many objects can the player control?

What attributes determine the playability of the game?

What are the various states of each object?

How do the effects of the various actions change during the game?