Should a game have a point?

[papercut2008uk]

it really annoys me when i'm playing a game and someone comes up and says 'so whats the point' and i say there is none.

 

for example, if your playing something like GTAIV, you know their is a clear point to what your doing, why your playing, why your doing all these missions and there is a start and and end to the game.

 

now take something like a simulator, there is no story, there is no point, there is no ending to the game, there is no ingame story or reason as to why your doing what your doing, you dont get any kind of 'reward' or ending to the game, so what your doing is playing with no logical progression through the game.

 

your thoughts on this!?

 

 

[FiB3R]

What is the point of masturbating?

[McKay]

Sometimes yes, sometimes No. Often a game will have a very moving story which will drive me to push for objections/missions etc, The Mass Effect Story really moved me in that regard etc. Other times I'm just there for fun. One game I keep going back to is Left 4 Dead 2, sure it basically has no story-line, but it's bloody good fun getting to the end of the level, especially in Versus. Some of my friends keep asking me why I go back and play it, citing "It's just the same thing over and over again, whats the point?" 

 

I can't come up with an answer other than "I really enjoy playing it". And that's all I need.

[Albert]

it's freakin silly whenever i see 22 grown men, dressing up like battle tanks, chasing after a ball that is not round. but that's my personal opinion about what define a stupid game.

[123456789A]

it's freakin silly whenever i see 22 grown men, dressing up like battle tanks, chasing after a ball that is not round. but that's my personal opinion about what define a stupid game.

 

Is that a new MMO?

[Raa]

Is that a new MMO?

World of Tanks :P

[PsychD]

Well, a simulator do have a point. Not a point story wise unless they have added an campaign or something.But you still have goals! Some games enables you to create your own missions, if I remember correctly DCS: A-10C have a mission editor, never tried it though, so I can't say how good it is.
People play simulators because they enjoy it, they enjoy the complexity of the experience, one very small mistake and you could die.

There doesn't need to be a campaign for the game to have a point - ArmA 3 for example would easily be able to work without a campaign, the editor and modding community gives you endless possibilities. I have a mission and I'm going to complete it, it's not different from GTA, you get an assignment and you do it, then you move on to the next. But in ArmA 3 there might not be a connection between your missions as there might be in GTA. But there still are a mission to be completed each time you play it.

 

[fusi0n]

meh

 

some games I just ###### around for hours.. Like in Smugglers Run and GTA

[Shiranui]

should a game have an point?

No, it should have a point.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

The only point a game needs for me is they are fun to play.
After that, does not matter if the point is jumping somewhere, shooting something, saving someone, finding this item, or the 100's of other "reasons" developers come up with to justify their gameplay mechanics.
As long as they are fun to play, that is the point imho.
Anything in addition to that is icing on the cake... It is not necessary, but nice to have.?

[HawkMan]

it's freakin silly whenever i see 22 grown men, dressing up like battle tanks, chasing after a ball that is not round. but that's my personal opinion about what define a stupid game.

Pfft, that's nothing, in Europe we have 22 idiots running after a ball, and another two idiots trying to catch it with their face.

[Phouchg]

There is always a point - you're / we're having our own interpretation of good or otherwise preferable over many other activities time.

Even when supposedly goofing around or playing sims, there are rules, restrictions and challenges that require certain accurate input to move things along.

 

Reward must not be a medal. Reward is continuous experience.

[Orange]

Playing games, doing sport, doing anything has a point to it, everyone takes it differently. I play most games to enjoy some gaming time of my own. Some games i enjoy more, some i just pass the time.

[Xilo]

 

 

 

it really annoys me when i'm playing a game and someone comes up and says 'so whats the point' and i say there is none.

 

for example, if your playing something like GTAIV, you know their is a clear point to what your doing, why your playing, why your doing all these missions and there is a start and and end to the game.

 

now take something like a simulator, there is no story, there is no point, there is no ending to the game, there is no ingame story or reason as to why your doing what your doing, you dont get any kind of 'reward' or ending to the game, so what your doing is playing with no logical progression through the game.

 

your thoughts on this!?

GTAIV is a sandbox game. It has no point. Just like Fallout, Elder Scrolls, etc. Boring as ######.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

well, non-gamers would say all games are pointless, right?

 

in my case, i need the game to have a point, a goal, a finished story. i cant just f*ck around w/ racing games or multiplayer all the time.

 

that being said, racing games are really fun, but i dont have the patience for them.

[He's Dead Jim]

Games help us to deal with the pointlessness of our existence... ;)

[The Evil Overlord]

Yes, it should be a fun pass time

and it should take a reasonably long time to complete on a play through, not just 6 to 8 hours.

 

 

(I just wish game makers would concentrate on the multiplayer as an addon and stop releasing additional content that should have been included in the original game in the first place.)

They've got a great idea there, poorly executed.

[KiHu]

duuude, dude dude

 

 

play Journey on the PS3.

 

WIlll...Blooow..Yooouur miiindd

[Praetor]

The only point every game should have is to entertain you. And that's it. I was very entertained when i played Pong, Pac Man, Archanoid, Space Invaders and other arcade games when i was a child; Sonic, Mario, Tetris and other console games when i was a preteen; football, cars, combat, beat them' up on the consoles when i was a teen and now i like every game just as long as it can entertain me: angry birds, fruit ninja on mobile, FPS / cars, / simulators / macro economy / RTS / etc. on PC and so on... Just like a movie, a game can make you happy, sad, confusion, fear and all the emotions you can imagine; it doesn't have to had a point but it must entertain you; heck watching paint dry can be fun for some people and doesn't have a point...

[Jollibee]

As a person who have developed a game (I developed one for my thesis), it depends.

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

The Purpose or point of any game is just entertainment.

[i_was_here]

For a campaign (single-player) game, yes I would like the game to have a story and an ending. For multi-player (especially a FPS), it doesn't matter as much.

[Dick Montage]

The point is surely enjoyment?

[_dandy_]

Games are there to make money for its creators, and entertain the players.

 

Everything else is just a variation of how these two fundamental rules are applied.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

As a person who have developed a game (I developed one for my thesis), it depends.

well thought out :laugh: