What Makes a Great Video Game

By Marcos Soto

Many individuals have experienced the wonders of virtual gaming. From simple fun times, video games have become a hobby for many. Some even play video games as a job. But have you ever wondered ¨What if I made my own video game?¨ But you're lost on where to start. What to create, how to create it even. Where even to start when imagining your video game. Well this article will give steps you can take to come up with a great and compelling video game.

First, before anything, what kind of character do you wish to create? This can be a very tough question to answer. If you´re really stuck then find inspiration for your character from a Tv show or other form of media. Characters can help the consumer dive into your video game. A good character could possibly connect consumers and make them more inclined to the story.

Once you finish your character and all their traits, think about their world. Is it always night? What kind of society is present in their world? Is there inequality and norms in that world that differs or relates to ours? All these questions may seem overwhelming to answer but you can always look for inspiration like with characters. Or imagine something new entirely off of your head if you have a big imagination. An interesting world could leave consumers wanting more of your game. Really sinking them into the environment your characters live in making them inclined to play.

So now after long brainstorming you have the starting fundamentals of your world. Now think of the main antagonist, they don't just have to be a brute or a mastermind. It's up to you to decide, the antagonist could even start your game as a supporting character if you want them to. Now decide what are their motives for being the antagonist in the first place. Is it a traumatic moment that changed them or where they corrupted and so forth. What do they even  want to accomplish or achieve that goes against the rules or norms of the society? They could be ruthless or use underhanded sneaky tactics from the shadows. Can they manipulate others or do they work alone? Feel free to play around with all those options until you find an antagonist that you're happy with. An interesting antagonist can really drive the plot of the story. 

Now for the fun part, create the story with the knowledge of the antagonist, protagonist, and the world. This may be difficult at first but your story can change during the process of creating it. Try adding supporting characters that help the protagonist, antagonist, or neither. This can help with world building and the overall writing process of the story. They could be a part of groups of government, the working class, royalty, etc. Adding these extra details could flesh out the world and make consumers more invested in your game. 

Locations of the world can help drive the story like is there something in a specific location that the protagonist needs to find? This could be for introducing a villain and their interaction with the protagonist. This could be a dark and rainy setting or in a very grim tone during that story. Introduce the villain in a way that seems the most fitting in showing their personality. It can help make them pop out and become very distinguishable. Locations could also be used to create a history for your world, if that is relevant to your story. Don´t explain everything that isńt important to the story, it could make it the world more of an essay. Like ¨Oh that drink is just juice mixed with butter with pizza on it,¨ leave the consumer questioning some elements to make the scenes in your story more natural. Like instead say ¨Pass me some Clock-Work” leave them questioning what is this substance. Make the characters' dialog more realistic. People don't go into full detail in what they're eating like pizza for example. They say pizza, not dough with sauce and cheese on it.

Story is a major part of video games, but to really sell the game play needs to be interesting or captivating. Do you want your game to be an RPG, fighter, shoot-em-up, racing, party, open world, etc. Just pick the type of game that fits your story the best, like if your character loves to run around an open world game would be a choice. This adds a charm to the game and can make it a great selling point if you choose to publish it. Or pick something that is more comfortable for you to make like a 2D RPG. 

The graphics don't matter that much for a great game. For instance, look at Super Mario 64 on the N64. This game continues to get love despite being over 2 decades old. This is due to the really great platforming and world of this game. Definitely a classic considered by many. This game became so popular it got re-released so many times over the years. The ideas make a great game but the presentation is really the most important for a game. Such as characterization, are your characters fitting the traits you gave them? Do they remain in character throughout the story? Don´t overwrite a character's whole personality if they switch sides in the story. Leave little things like their interests and attitude. Also play test your game to see if it is the way you want it to be. Making sure the game is enjoyable and not impossible to beat.

In conclusion, these elements are very important to a game's overall success. Put in great effort and care into the game you created and a high chance it will become a series. Maybe loved by many who will consider it a great game. Only time will tell.