The
value of game experience or, what I like to refer to as
Experiential Value, is a quality that is more-so the product of intuition discovered through play than an idea concocted by intellect.
What this means is, we do not truly discover the essence of our games until we play them. It also means, that those who rely too entirely on their "brilliant" ideas and plans, may never discover the true essence of their game.
Perhaps never discovering the true essence of your game isn't a completely bad thing, but a game with a clearly defined essence tends to also translate into greater sense of experiential value. In other words, to KNOW the fun of your game, not guess it.
For instance, consider the first early demos of Minecraft released back in 2010. It is unclear to me whether or not there was a plan for what the strange, block-based game engine would eventually become, but it became a wide-spread,novel experience unlike any game created in the last 10 years.
Why? How? From an intellectual standpoint it appears as though they just got lucky.
I'm sure anyone who is more intricately informed of Notch's process in designing the game could argue the details, but that eludes the point I'm trying to make. Imagine if you were the one who created that boxy, barren, over-saturated, abomination that was the original Minecraft prototype. Would you have added zombies? What would have prompted you to do so? Perhaps playing the game a bit after implementing an obvious night/day cycle to match your endless expanse of grassland triggered a nagging sensation; an urge of imagination lead on by the
budding experience. It is your drive to become a player in that experiences that causes you to program and create that zombie.
Iterative development is one of the best practices for would-be designers to discover their game the way an archeologist discovers hidden artifacts. But, it is the ability to step away from your ideas, plans, and preconceptions and simply BE in the experience of your game that may lend you another valuable piece of that elusive experiential value born from the essence of your game.
-------------------
Sorry if this is a bit shallow, but I'm kind of tired of proofreading and revising this for discussion.
So I'm just going to cut off here for you guys to comment.
What is your personal understanding of game experience?Have you ever discovered a facet of play so fun and revolutionary that it completely derailed your current project?
How did you manage your game afterward?Have at it, peeps.