What makes a good game?

[Torrasque]

Originally, I had a big long post going into detail of each of the things I am about to ask you, but decided to cut down on length because even I was skimming through it.

Very simple question with what I am hoping, should be a simple answer.
No idea what I am talking about? Well here are some examples:

A good game is fun to play
A good game does things that no other game has done before
A good game does things that others games have done before, but better
A good game is immersive
A good game is challenging

Feel free to pick one of those as your answer, make up your answer, rank those 1-5, take the middle path and say "all of these are important!", do whatever you like I am not picky. I would just like to know what you think makes a good game.

If your answer is "a good game is realistic", then I hope you brought your flame shield.

Edit: to make things easier to read, please make your post in the format:
<quote=Torrasque>A good game is ~your answer here~

~Rest of your post here~
Not required, but it would be nice of you

 

[Torrasque]

A good game is fun

Video games are meant to be enjoyable. I don't think there is anyone that plays a game and doesn't get some enjoyment out of it, that would be like skydiving and being bored, it just wouldn't make sense.
Sure, there are people that play games professionally (I just watched a whole weekend of that) and others that play it to be better than their friends, or others for progression or that thing that they do every tuesday, but all of these people are having fun.
I think when a game stops being fun, or when someone can be having more fun by playing a different game, then that game has failed in what it was designed for: fun.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

A good game can be many things.

I wouldn't call Journey more fun than Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, but I love both games.

A good game is fun and/or immersive.

That's about it really.

 

[TKretts3]

A good game is one that has a solid blending of everything.
It should be challenging, yet fun and fair. It should be have an immersive setting, yet good story and gameplay. It doesn't have to be completely "original" just creative: you can do things that have been done before as long as you do them well (Avatar), or have a different take on things (Aliens). A good game shouldn't just focus only on one feature, but rather needs to focus on all of them.

 

[AndrewF022]

A good game is fun to play.

Thats it really, if it isn't fun to play, it isn't good. Although I have this sneaking suspicion that somebody will quote me and write an essay about how games are more than just about the fun gameplay. I can't stop you, but I've heard it all before.

 

[Torrasque]

A good game is fun to play.

Thats it really, if it isn't fun to play, it isn't good. Although I have this sneaking suspicion that somebody will quote me and write an essay about how games are more than just about the fun gameplay. I can't stop you, but I've heard it all before.

Don't worry bro, since I am of the same school of thought, I got your back. Those artsy fartsy types that demand that Luigi's Mansion be seen in the same light as Twelfth Night shall RUE THE DAY!!!

 

[Zhukov]

If I want to keep playing it and want to want to keep playing it, then it's a good game.

 

[Oskuro]

A game whose price point I don't eventually regret paying.

 

[TrevHead]

A good game is fun to play.

Thats it really, if it isn't fun to play, it isn't good. Although I have this sneaking suspicion that somebody will quote me and write an essay about how games are more than just about the fun gameplay. I can't stop you, but I've heard it all before.

Spot on thats why I don't think of games with monetisation like Diablo 3 as good games. Where the devs have made it so playing isn't as fun as it should be so they open their wallets

 

[aattss]

A good game is dynamic, such that stuff happens around you. It makes the world more alive, and no longer exactly centered around you.

 

[jbm1986]

A good game:
-is unique and fun
-is immerse and entertaining
-has fluid gameplay
-is easy to pick up, hard to put down
-has good graphics(not really required but it helps)
-good story
-good music
-interesting characters
-balanced (difficulty)
-equal single/multiplayer (does not favor one over the other as a selling point)

 

[Erana]

A good game makes me feel better for having played it.

I mean, addicting games are nice and all, but in the long run, its not really worth playing if I come out feeling like I wasted my time. Make it have meaningful characters, acknowledge my accomplishments, or at the very least, gear your multiplayer and do what you can to make your community a bunch of positive people who are just as interested in others having fun as well.

 

[Yopaz]

Well, I can do a simplistic approach here and say that a game has to be fun, but I feel like that's too broad.

A good game has to be enjoyable and satisfactory. Like take a game like Ninja Gaiden 2. I like the combat and the challenge it presents, but I don't feel like the story is really relevant to... anything. I think the game is fun, but not always enjoyable. I remember fighting the final boss and having a really hard time winning. I didn't think it was that fun at the time, but I did enjoy the struggle. Then I used slightly different tactics and managed to beat it without taking damage and holy crap did I feel satisfaction or what?

In short a good game has to be fun or enjoyable. How they accomplish this can be different, but it all boils down to having fun.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Easy to learn, difficult to master.

 

[Vivi22]

That's an easy question to answer. It's time, money, and effort. As long as you have those 3 things, the game will be liked.

Like old NES games.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to him. He made the same argument in his own thread on this very subject and when he finally listed a game he thought was good none of the reasons involved gameplay at all. Hell, he actually believes Capcom cares about it's customers.

On topic though, a game needs some certain level of polish (basically there aren't any glaring glitches, graphical issues, control problems, etc. which will get in the way of enjoying the game) and a wide variety or large number of meaningful choices. As in the choices you make throughout the game affect how you progress (it seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many games saddle you with choices that don't matter at all). When you look at a game at a high level and it has those things you're probably onto something special.

 

[shrekfan246]

That's an easy question to answer. It's time, money, and effort. As long as you have those 3 things, the game will be liked.

Like old NES games.

Uh oh... are we already opening another can of Karutomaru? His last thread just got locked earlier today.

OT: A good game is engaging.

Now, "fun" could be used in place of "engaging", but I typically associate "fun" with happy, cheerful, or joyous emotions. I cannot honestly say I was "having fun" while playing Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but in a way I was definitely enjoying my time spent with it. It's a pretty pedantic distinction to make, but it's one that I choose to make. I wouldn't call Silent Hill 2 a "fun" game, but I would call it a "good" game.

 

[Theminimanx]

A good game can engage a player. Whether the game does that by having an interesting story, being extremely scary or just having fun gameplay is unimportant.

EDIT: Damn ninja. ^

 

[Kroxile]

A good game is engaging and fun

I prefer a game I can immerse myself in for hours and hours without realizing how much time has actually passed.

To me, this requires good story, lots of things to do, and good enough gameplay so that doing all of these things doesn't feel like a chore but rather something I WANT to do.

Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas achieve this perfectly and I would label them both as perfect games if they didn't have so many bugs and eventually run out of content

 

[octafish]

I'll go against the grain and say a good game doesn't have to be fun, but it does have to be engaging. I don't know if Planescape Torment is a "fun" game to play, but I can sit and play that for hours. Bioshock for example is extremely disappointing as a shooter yet everyone raves about it? Why? It isn't terribly fun is it?

Let's just say, I don't know much about games but I know what I hate.

 

[wintercoat]

A good game is engaging.

That right there pretty much encompasses everything you said, all at once, one at a time, and any combination between. Broad spectrum descriptors are the best descriptors.