How do you play a game?

[Exentenzed]

We all play games in a different state of mind, be it just for getting out some frustration by peppering characters with bullets, dominate another person from somewhere around the globe in a intense game of strategy or to imagine yourselves as the main character in your favorite game.

Everyone has their own preferences, and since i enjoy modding games i want to know how different persons play their games, and what they are looking for in games in general. Also what ideas you have to improove that game.

I myself tend to start out every game by watching EVERY cinematic, play it on easy to keep the story as fluent as possible (Having to load because of death ruins the story for me as you mostly are ment to survive it all.)
and then afterwards move on to playing levels that i enjoyed on harder difficulties. before moving on to Multi player.

But those games that you REALY love, dont you hate it when you feel you have explored every aspect of it, but still want to play it?
I find modding a game increases its replayability by alot.

New stories, units, weapons, characters and features can all add to a game if done properly.

so again, How do you play a game? what are you looking for? your answers might help me deciding what direction to take.

Thanks for any input.

[LiNuX]

I like to start with the multiplayer and stick with the multiplayer. I used to love doing what you did, play single player, get through everything first, and then go on multiplayer, but over the years, if I can't beat a real life person, I'm not satisfied.

[BobTD]

Being a little compulsive, when it comes to many rps or single player games, I like to play an entire game unblemished with failure. =P This means if Im playing pokemon and all my pokemon faint I ussually just turn it off and come back to my last save point. Or if to much of my army dies in a war sim I have to reattempt the battle and try a new strategy.

Its just something I like to do, to always find the best aproach. Even if it means several attempts I always have to learn a perfect strategy.

It also depends on the type of game I am playing. I like playing with my friends and team work oriented type games I can really get into like L4D (I ussually play with my brother on his 360) and some popular FPS multiplayer games where really fun. Right now many of my friends are big into LOL. Scoring is somethign we pay attention to even on the same team, we are always competing for more kills, taking less damage or someth ing like that.

[ROFLBRYCE]

Multiplayer shooters I'll jump head first into the multiplayer, except for the Halo series. But mostly I'll just play a level or two here and there, on easy to rush through watching each cinematic, just can't be bothered to beat it all at once. (Got MW2 release day, havn't beaten campaign yet lol)

RPG's I run through on easy first, then if I like it a lot I'll boost the difficulty each run through.

[paecmaker]

I also play first on a quick tour for the story but on middle and sometimes hard cause I want it to be more of a challenge to and that the story is the price.

The second time (if it come to that) I often take it a little more calm, whatch the scene, see what the makers have built up and I look for the small details.

Any more times I play its often for fun, Run and gun on easy and stuff like that. In games with choices I play often many times to see the different stories.

I go to MP after Ive finished the campaign because sometimes weapons you will not encounter until late in the sp is shown in mp.

[Saph]

Personally I like a game that has flare. I hate games that're kill kill kill win win win end of story!

To be more straight forward, I like games that have side stories, a diversion from the primary objective! I cant stand games thatre like a corridor with a door in 1 end, and a sign on the other that marks the spot you win at! I like a game to be like a corridor with doors on either side! To go into as you please, each with new challenges, OR if you want to, ignore them and move on! I like games to BE like a world, where I can decide what I do, when I do it, and how I do it.
Another good thing is, as I mentioned, HOW I do it. Just having 1 ending to a game makes a game less enjoyable...cause...well...you know the ending! What point is there in reading a book you already know the ending of? Not too much! So I like a game where your actions during the game decides your ultimate ending! Maybe you die? Maybe you get the girl? Maybe you dont? Maybe your friend hates you? Maybe he loves you? Maybe you side with the villain? Maybe the villain sides with you? There's an ENDLESS amount of possibilities to add unique endings depending on your decissions!

I also like integrity and structure. A game with a broken storyline is Tetris, plain and simple! If you cant get a reason for your characters' pickle that you can RELATE to, than you cant submerge yourself in the game as well, and it feels more like a video game, and less like an experience! Do not make a game without giving CAREFUL thought to the storyline!

Progressive characters! Having the same exact character throughout the game is tedious, and makes watching the same animation continuously quite boring, lowering the experience! Be able to choose different characters! This is where Dragon Age Origins comes into play alittle! As much as I hated the game overall, the diversity of characters to choose from was simply masterful, and its 1 part of the game that actually makes it worth to talk about for me!

Quality over quantity! The amount of levels is not so important if the levels are fun, enriching, and packed with experiences, views, puzzles, action, whatever! A game with a million and 1 levels of the same thing over and over again is worse than a game with 5 where each level is quite long, has unique experiences, and intergrates itself well with the previous and next level!

Those are my opinions! All in all, I like games of freedom! Fallout, Oblivion, Fable etc. are some games that I enjoy due to their huge level of freedom!

[Exentenzed]

Thanks for all the feedback...

Now, if you wouldnt mind continuing this with me:

Imagine a game that you like. Got it? Okey, now tell me the name of the game and what you think could do that game better. =)

Edit: I will make a minor expample on a game thats easy to edit.

Black and White 2, I love building huge cities in games, however i found that 1 of the resources in the game eventually would dry up (Ore), more or less putting a limit to my city. So, i messed around with the game to make all the ore mines limitless, of course this alone would make the game WAY to easy. So... i upped the construction costs of the buildings and their building timers to compensate. Yes, i could still build whatever i wanted but mining from mines could only be done by the people in the city (oppsed to wood and ore rocks spread out which you could just pick up with your godly hand and place in the store house.) which meant that it would take time to extract the ore, + now i needed more of it and it took longer to construct the buildings.

This alone added alot to the game for me. since i could now build as much as i wanted, while keeping the difficulty relatively the same (Harder at the begging but slightly easier once established.)

[Akatosh]

First I try singleplayer and get into the story and gameplay, then I'll hop on multiplayer for a bit(if the game contains it). It really depends on the genre though.

Strategy: Campaign for a few battles, then a few AI skirmishes until I get good, finally entering the multiplayer.

Shooter: Play the campaign all the way through, then go on multiplayer.

RPG: Main quest for a few hours then I'll just goof off and go wherever.

[Ailithic]

step one:Move the lazy boy right in front of the tv(Which I also use as my monitor sometimes)

step two:NACHOS AND CHEESE + DEMON ENERGY

step three:Sit back and play


I have a simple theory

"Give me a day to learn everything, Give me a week to master it all"(In halo reach it took 4 days before I started to get overkills kill streaks and triple kills and so on after 1 and a half weeks I was carrying the team in every 3/4 game) - weops now I have to put dat in ma sig (the theory that is)

simply saying I play to complete the game to indulge in the storyline and then go online to see what other challenge's it offers other than being killed in one shot by a AI, also there is no specific way I play I just zone out and let my fingers do the walking for hours on end

[RaiDae]

hmm.... I generally always play on 'normal'. If it's to easy, it get boring really quickly. I have movies and books if I just wanna see a plotline unfold. There's a couple of games I play to relieve stress, they're always single player. I rarely play through a game more than once. I'll go back and do levels I found really challenging or want to better at or really enjoyed. But generally, i don't play the same game at a harder level. Rather try something new. (borderlands is the possible exception.)
I don't restart if i die, but I have this thing about using potions. I never use health stuff 'cos i always think "oh, I'll save it for when ireally need it". Which is... pointless...
I love co-op games. I tend to get way more into them. Way more passionate. which means I'll play them more and at harder difficulties.

I play a game for fun. The minute i stop getting enjoyment out of it (too hard/too easy/crap plotline/repetitive), I drop it. I look for decent graphics, decent plot line, excelent game play, diversity and challenge (as well as scantily clad characters ;p )