Entry Green: Week 5

Reflection:

During this week's readings, challenge was spoken about--that is--challenge in games. We got to see Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's chart on flow, where the balance of challenge and ability come into play. Stray too much to the challenge side and it becomes frustrating and even discouraging to play. Stray too much to the opposite side, where there's plenty ability but not enough challenge and you get boredom. Now this was really mind boggling for me, because seeing it so simply really pointed out something that is just factual, even to my own experiences. When I thought of the games I quit before I ever got far with them, it was due to my own frustration with the challenges presented in the game, whether because they were too difficult or maybe weren't delivered in a way that felt truly achievable. And when I thought of the games that I eventually stopped playing over time, that I did enjoy, it was because I had reached a level of skill that wasn't being met with a new level of challenge that was relative to it.

For instance, when it comes to frustration, a game that personally frustrated me was Fortnite. When I had first started up the game, I was immediately thrown into it, with no real instructions or explanations as to what was expected of me--what to do or not do, or anything of real substance. I had no idea what the controls were or any of the basic stuff I'm used to in the beginning part of a game. I was running around pretty lost and it felt like too much pressure to try and figure it all out. I become overwhelmed and frustrated and wound up quitting pretty quickly. Of course, I now have a better understanding of the game so if I were to ever try to play it again it might not seem so daunting but it was very intimidating at first. Now, I've had other instances with games, where I actually played them for awhile and left out of frustration, but this gets the point across.

As for a time where I found myself bored, I can easily think of Animal Crossing New Horizons. I have been playing AC games since the Nintendo DS, and so I am not new to the series; but, like a majority of people, when I started the game I became very engulfed in it. I am one of the "time travelers" so I would skip months, to get all the villagers I wanted, trade, all sorts of things, to the point where I had everything and everyone I already wanted, accessible to me. It was at this point I found myself with nothing more to do, which I had experienced in New Leaf as well several times. Usually, the remedy for this is come back in several months until I get bored again--but sometimes this can get so discouraging that I would go on for a few minutes, not have anything to do, and hop right off. Now it could be argued the game isn't meant to be played like this, but it is something the developers are very aware of and don't count as cheating nor do they try to prevent it. On top of this, the content is being gradually input through updates, so a lot of the gameplay, we know and love, are still being left out. Regardless, it equated to my, and many other people's, boredom or as people in the community started calling it "AC burnout".

Now, what I can take from this is, "how do I apply this information to my games?" how do I find this balance? it's so seamless, when a game does it right, that it's easy to overlook that flow is what's happening. But, when a flashlight it pointed to it, it helps me to appreciate these games a lot more as they have mastered juggling these two things. Previously, it was not something I had truly considered when thinking about my games but now that I have--it's something I realize is vital to any game as it truly makes or breaks the experience. And it's something I now have to also be mindful of, here going forward.

Experience:

This week I the game I tried out is, Genshin Impact, on the PC. This game is considered to be an Action RPG and Open World, so I already knew this was in my field of interest. Immediately, I was drawn to the art style and aesthetic of the game. The initial cutscene was delivered nicely, as they creatively let you pick between the boy or girl twin--to play as. I really enjoyed how the game throws you in, but keeps the explanations and information easily digestible. They allow you to run around and kind of figure it out a bit while also giving you the basics, as deemed necessary.

I loved pretty much every aspect of this game, as it felt familiar; being, that it has a lot of similarities to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild with the cooking features, the enemies, and even just a lot of aspects of the world. But something unique to it, is that you get several characters to reel through, so you aren't tied down to your character. I only got so far as to have Amber also join us, but I really enjoyed her gameplay as I am pretty killer with a bow and arrow.

As for the downside, the main issue I had with the game, was that you dont get to change any of the controls. I was originally playing with the mouse, but I wound up switching to my controller because I could agree with those preset controls a lot more easily. However, all in all, this game is truly inspiring for me, as it gave me a unique angle on things I already love to see in games. Particularly, the multiple characters you gain on your team. Seeing the way they decided to execute this, is really interesting to me, as I hadn't really considered it myself, for my own games. Since I love real-time fighting but also enjoy singleplayer, team fighting (with the characters), this is just amazing. Of course, though, when I get to a higher level I do plan to play with my friend and see how co-op works in this game as well.