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Computer games first became very popular in the 1980s. No doubt you or
your parents have played some of the older games such as Pacman or Tetris.
Spend a short time playing some of the 'classics' at
http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/games.shtml
Why did some games, such as Pacman, become so popular while others
disappeared without trace? What is it about them that makes people still
want to play them?
Before we can work out what makes a computer game good, we need to decide what a computer game is.
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Use Think, Ink Pair, Share to come up with your own paragraph
describing what a computer game is.
To help you decide, start thinking about things that are not games.
- A movie is not a game. Why not?
- A story is not a game. Why not?
- A toy is not a game. Why not?
- A drawing is not a game. Why not?
- A puzzle is not a game. (Although games often contain puzzles.)
Why not?
Write your definition into your journal and then share it with others.
Here are some words that you might like to include in your paragraph: software
program, players, decisions, control, objects, resources, goals, challenges... |
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Now that you have decided what a computer game is, we need to look at what makes
a game good or bad. You might like to start by thinking about the
games from the 1980s that are still successful. Even though they have very
old looking graphics and sound quality is poor, people still like to play them.
What is it that makes them special? In a group, or with your whole class, divide a large sheet of paper or a
whiteboard into two sections. Label one side 'Good' and the other 'Bad'.
Write down as many points as you can for each side on what things make a game
good or bad to play.
Here are some words you might like to include in your points: failure, success, rewards,
control, goals, balance, decisions, achieve, players, flow, challenges, story,
immersed, characters, sounds, effects
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Adapted from notes by Mark Overmaars.
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