Video games rely heavily on core mechanics in order to work properly and to at least be playable but a working product isn’t a measure of what makes a game successful beyond core gameplay. Sure enough you can make money from a game and that can be a measurement as to how well the game is selling but what if people only played the game once? Does that truly make it successful?
Game Mechanics
Game mechanics relate to the interactive side of the video game such as movement and abilities.
Game Features
Game features relates to the features of the game such as multiple game modes, trophies, multiplayer, crossplay, Steam Workshop support, cross-save etc…
Things that make games successful extend beyond the profits of the game and core mechanics. These can be anything from the soundtrack to the game to the art style of the game. If we take Destiny 2 as an example. Destiny 2 is an MMORPG game that allows you to have 3 characters on one account.
With each of the character slots you can have each individual role such as a Titan, Hunter and Warlock. These three characters play differently and have different skill tree’s instantly adding to the replay ability. In addition, due to long term support for the game, the game’s Armor 2.0 system allows for armor to be modded with different abilities allowing players to make different builds to suit the gameplay. These mods also include seasonal mods that are updated with each season pass released in the game.
Following on from that, the game also contains multiple game modes and different activities for teams that range from solo to up to 6 players. Solo activities can be done at any time and in terms of accomplishments in this game, they are some of the most challenging and rewarding activities, on the other hand, a Raid activity generally requires 6 players to be completed and contain complex gameplay mechanics such as puzzles and jumping challenges.
In terms of raid activities and soundtracks, players will play the Deep Stone Crypt raid purely to hear the deep stone lullaby, which is a beautifully crafted piece of music that makes the exploration of space, and the tedious jumping puzzle, seem like bliss, adding to the immersion and amazing moments in the game. At this point in time you are jumping through space, taking in the darkness and forgetting about everything else going on in the world such as saving the planet Europa from blowing up.
When it comes to PvE activities, Destiny is king in this field especially for MMORPG. Players will continue to play until they get the weapon drop they have always dreamed of or get the armor that has the highest stat rolls. Weapons come with perks that are randomly rolled and dropped from enemies or activities in the world, but sometimes the perk rolls aren’t helpful at all so players will grind the game until they get that perfect god roll.
The game also includes a PvP mode that admittedly, doesn’t really get the attention or love that it needs from the developers, but it allows players to participate in a different activity and allows the best players to compete against each other in an exclusive weekend tournament called Trials of Osiris where players are tasked with going unbeaten 7 games in a row in order to reach ‘The Lighthouse’ and reap the rewards.
So replay ability is one of the main factors of making a game successful but beyond that we’re looking at things like active player counts, the community, long term support, updates, seasonal passes, returning players or loyalty and of course, the money generated in terms of sales, cosmetics, DLC, in game currencies and whatnot.
JORDAN | GLITCH ARCADE 