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[agj]

Some interesting points have been raised.

Paul, you're quite right, though I'm okay with the subjective opinion of the player to assess a game's fun, as I'm not looking for any sort of 'official boring game's list'. But I have to say that there are things that are indeed boring though stimulating in other ways. Like, for instance, it happens to me that some books just call me to read them, because just the act is enjoyable, and others that I read because the content is interesting, but don't find reading them to be particularly attractive. Maybe that's just the divide I personally use: a gut attraction versus a mind attraction? I do tend to associate fun with feelings.

is this an extension of "Removing fun from the designer's Lexicon" thread?

Only in the sense that I tend to think about these things, but not in any other way.

[Peevish]

The Marriage.

[r.kachowski]

Every "art game" should be listed here.

With the exception of Braid, yeah. Games that don't focus on gameplay get tedious pretty quickly imo.

"Gravity Bone" is an example of such game. And I am probably an example of person who expected wrong kind of entertainment from it.

I thought that was great, the jumping puzzles and that mechanic with the exploding birds. I think when I was running it I actually played the game more than 4 mins 33 seconds. And I enjoyed it more as a game than an avant garde stab at games design.

[Jrsquee]

Uh, guys.


Dwarf Fortress.

[Melly]

You telling me you had no fun watching your dwarves enter in deep depression and fling themselves off the highest point of the scenery, sometimes several times in a row until they finally die?

You, my good sir, have no soul.

Seriously though, I know of many games that fit in the cathegory of compelling, but not fun. Most of them have already been named, others I don't remember right now. But I believe the best term for a game that we find good but not exactly 'fun' is compelling. At least for me. Something in it basically compells us to keep playing.

[Anthony Flack]

The traveling sections of Shadow of the Colossus were both long and dull, and yet were a significant part of what made the overall experience good. Mostly good.

Also, there are lots of people who say that Okami is a good game. I can't vouch for that, but it is certainly very boring.

[Fuzz]

Transplatform! Really atmospheric and cool, and although the gameplay was rather repetitive, it was strangely entrancing and surprisingly very fun.

[Slash - Santiago Zapata]

CastlevaniaRL is good, yet boring.

Yeah, I must really rework big parts of it. Last version was released on August 12 2007

Pixal has the priority for now though

[Gainsworthy]

The traveling sections of Shadow of the Colossus were both long and dull, and yet were a significant part of what made the overall experience good. Mostly good.

Horse riding, dull? Long, yes, I'll give you that, but I thought it was fantastic. Exploring a unique landscape, letting the world sink in as it flys past you. I loved it.

Sorry to question another person's contribution again, but... well, it's interesting what some find boring.

[GregWS]

People think Endless Forest is fun. I know I wouldn't be the first to call it boring

Endless Forest creeps me out.  If the deer faces were just, you know, deer faces, then I could see why people might like that game.  But they're people faces, PEOPLE FACES! 

[Anthony Flack]

Horse riding, dull? Long, yes, I'll give you that, but I thought it was fantastic.

I enjoyed it too, but it was certainly uneventful. That's not a criticism; I thought it was a very bold move to give the game that extra space and not feel pressured into making the traveling sections more "entertaining".

Fumeto Ueda has got huge brass balls for a big studio game designer. Like Stanley Kubrick, he has enough confidence to risk slowing things right down in order to get the pacing right.