University Chronicle: Going back to the gaming basics
Dec 3, 2009 Game Column, Journalism, University Chronicle
Disclaimer: Originally published on the St. Cloud State University campus paper, the University Chronicle on the Nov. 2 2009 issue. Written by Jun-Kai Teoh, Managing Online Editor.
This article may not be reproduced in any form, including online or print media, without first and foremost contacting the University Chronicle.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. That was an advice that William Zinsser gave in his book “On Writing Well.” Valve took the same approach to the zombie-horror survival genre and the result of it was “Left 4 Dead,” a game that took the masses by pleasant surprise.
The game became an unbelievable success. Critics raved all about it, gamers loved every inch of it, and their developers swam in praise and adulation.
“Left 4 Dead” was a success not because it tried to combine different genres together, or that it had a really beautiful graphics engine, or that it had “87 bazillion guns.” It was successful because it’s formula and concept was really simple.
Gamers didn’t need twitch-reflex gaming skills with that game, all that was needed was to aim in the general direction of those swarming zombies and just button mash away.
Players didn’t have to familiarize themselves with the weapons, because they were straightforward enough.
A combat rifle shoots fast, a shotgun sends bodies flying and the sniper pierces bodies; everything was simple and the pace of the game was frantically fast.
Zombies were plentiful and they came in hordes.
They came in such big numbers with a few “Special Infected” that whenever they appeared it would typically result in a shout-scream test. Passionate gamers shouting for help, screaming in frustration, giggling in pleasure and laughing in glee.
Teamwork, something many people these days know nothing about, is vital in “Left 4 Dead.”
It’s practically impossible, save for cheating, for a solo player to get through any one of the campaigns while leaving his/her teammates behind.
It’s a game where everything was made simple, broken down to the basics.
This was what made “Left 4 Dead” so unbelievably successful. A deep and emotional storyline was unnecessary because it didn’t have any real storyline to begin with at all.
The whole game involved selecting a gun and reaching the next checkpoint.
The concept is simple, the game play is exhilarating.
The player is seemingly thrown into the final scenes of George Romero’s “Land of the Dead,” where all he or she has to do is shoot everything to make it out alive.
Game developers should take note from Valve’s “Left 4 Dead.” Simple can sometimes be a lot better than the recent slew of convoluted complicating games.
Spectacular graphics and realistic physics isn’t going to win over simple reward management, because that’s what games are all about.
Reward management involves tempting the player with a challenge that he or she might lose and put a nice reward at the end of it.
It’s like the ‘give the dog a bone’ concept.
Games should still have depth; they should still try to break into new grounds.
But developers have to remember what makes games fun, which is sadly something more and more developers are forgetting.
Every new feature or function or setting should further enhance the “challenge-reward” system, and not hinder it.
Borderlands by Gearbox did a great job in simplifying their game.
It’s a simple cooperative multi-player shooter mode that just emphasizes on teamwork and a lot of shooting.
The storyline is more of a sidebar in this game. Players are occupied with getting their hands on some randomly generated “uber-powerful” shotgun than they were about who stole what from where.
Borderlands has a mood and feel that is completely different from “Left 4 Dead,” but the idea of simplifying the game to a “challenge-reward” idea worked splendidly with it as well.
But game developers often forget what makes a game fun.
In fact, Valve might have forgotten a little of it with their sequel to their first zombie-horror survival masterpiece called “Left 4 Dead.”
Valve will be releasing the sequel to “Left 4 Dead” on November 17.
They did however give over-enthusiastic pre-ordering gamers early access to their demo though.
The demo of “Left 4 Dead: 2” is fun, no doubt, but while Valve seemed to have done an even better job with the frantic pace and feel of the game, and how it takes place during the day instead of the night, the creators got a little too carried away with the weapons.
There are far too many weapons in “Left 4 Dead” sequel.
The inclusion of new melee weapons was a great idea, it’ll add a twist to the game, but Valve got carried away and added a plethora of melee weapons instead of a few select distinctly different weapons.
What makes it horrible is that they function almost all in the same way save for the chainsaw and machete.
The pan, police baton and the guitar (yeah, you can “thwack” the head of a zombie with a red electric guitar) all work about the same. They look different, but have the same range.
Their new rifles and shotguns also add to the confusion.
Valve seemingly forgot the formula they had that made their game successful.
Their new weapons are just going to confuse and slow down the pace of the game as players stand and ponder the weapons.
Game developers should take heed and remember to “simplify,” just as long as they don’t return to the days of Pong.
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