Most Important thing in a game?

Hey, look a dead horse. Grab your pitchforks and bats lets beat the shit out of it.

I'm going to have to go with gameplay on this one, though every one of these are more or less essential. while I love great stories, characters, and worlds, games are, at their core, meant to be played, and flawed gameplay will yield a flawed game. While a story or characters can be bland or broken, the gameplay of the game itself can often times keep a game afloat, where, even if you could build great characters, you wouldn't be able to properly show them without that fundamental building block of innovation and interest in your mechanics and systems. A great example of the power of gameplay is the classic PONG. There is no story in pong and there is, more or less, no world, yet people still enjoyed it as a great gameplay experience despite these absences. While you could argue that since PONG was one of the first real games to exist and therefor would have been interesting regardless, a boring game is a boring games, regardless of ones time period, and players even then would have lost interest if there wasn't a reliable source of enjoyment to hold their attention. While story and other aspects are certainly important in any game, it is important to remember the fundamental elements on which these stories are presented, as well as the necessity of good systems in games

Well, I still rate fallout 3 as the greatest game of all time.

But it's hard to isolate which category the game excelled the most in.

I think it's just he way it all fits in together.

I like games with compelling story and good options for character development. And I agree that gameplay may be the most important thing, but it's not enough for really good game. The fun from it won't last long and only some sort of evolution within the game can keep me attached to it.

nothing is needed if there is a good story..for example Mario proves that graphics is not everything in a game..

1 gameplay 2 story 3 graphics 4 atmosphere for me

Mario doesn't have a story :3

I play games for fun...I'm quite sure most people are the same lol

Gameplay. Makes or breaks the game.

i personally don't care about the graphics as long as the concept is good

Most subconsciously value presentation over anything else without being aware of it, but they will say they value Gameplay the most because it reads better on an internet forum to convince both themselves and others of their legitimacy as a gamer.

@illmatic87:

Or because it's true...... and it makes sense.

I think gameplay and story are the important things in a game.

To have beautiful hand drawn graphics, be heartfelt, and to express love for all.

hear hear! I support this message!

Gamepaly,

Story &

Graphics...

1. Gameplay

2. Graphics

3. Story

What's that suppose to mean?

Gameplay.

Gameplay of course.

Story and gameplay are up there for the same spot equally as important.

Wow, such a hard choice! I'm big on story but I'll admit that I've played plenty of games with out one and enjoyed the crap out of them! I'm also loving how low the votes for graphics are on this pole. 8-bit graphics are back baby! Deal with it!

I'm just enjoying the current generation of gaming I'm in where indie games are booming and the triple A's are trying to keep up! :D

@TJDMHEM: @ribstaylor1:

Gameplay is important because thats what makes a game, y'know......... a game

Story is equally important because........... ?

@Lulu_Lulu: it gives the gameplay some context and makes it easier to feel like you're accomplishing something.

@mastermetal777:

That only explains why it's important..... I still don't get how it is Equally important as gameplay ?

Samething with Graphics and Sound and Music and all that stuff.... they're all important...... but not as equally as gameplay.......

@Lulu_Lulu: because many people love being a part of a story, especially a well-made one

@mastermetal777:

So its important because they like it ?

Theres no actual objective reason why its important ?

@Lulu_Lulu: Why are you looking for an objective reason? Almost every game has a story, though half of them are excuse plots. It gives people a sense of importance so that they keep playing the game longer. And plus, stories are a part of our society, and games give you the opportunity to live your favorite stories instead of just watching or reading. Becoming an active participant instead of a passive watcher. It might take a while to completely perfect it, but video game stories are only getting better.

@mastermetal777:

I'm looking for an objective reason because Gameplay has one....... if one is going to say Story is Equally important then shouldn't that have one too ? I mean if I told you meat is as equally important to a Salad as Vegetables then you would want to know how that works because you can't have a salad made exclusively made of meat..... like you can a salad made exclusively made of Vegies.....

Under those circumstances stances Vegies are objectively more important to salad then meat is.

@Lulu_Lulu: your salad metaphor doesn't work because that's subjective. Salad doesn't need veggies to be considered a salad, and some games don't need a story to be considered great. But for a lot of people, it is important to have a story with a game because it allows them to feel even more accomplished. That doesn't make it wrong, it's just their choice. You can continue searching for games that forsake story altogether. Plenty of those out there. Just don't go saying that story isn't important when there are people that will say otherwise. Guess what: you're both right, and you both can coexist and function in peace as long as you aren't arrogant about thinking that you're right no matter what. Oh, wait, never mind. it's too late for you in that department.

@mastermetal777: @mastermetal777:

I'm sorry I don't follow.... how is Salad Subjective ?

And where did I say Story isn't important ?

@Lulu_Lulu: If you'd actually read what I said, I was referring to what makes up a salad, not the food itself. READ!

And I'm sorry if I get that impression by all of your rantings regarding stories in video games. You're terrible at speaking your opinion and being direct. And whenever someone gives you a fair argument, you immediately play dumb and pretend you don't know what they're talking about.

@mastermetal777:

Yeah you never said wrote anything like that. .... I read just fine.

And the very first thing I clarified when engaging this discussion with you was the difference between something being important and something being equally important. if there's any part if that you don't understand then please.... just say so..... I would be happy to explain the best I can....... ir would you prefer I just do what you do and accuse you of not reading something properly ?

Without gameplay, they wouldn't be video games.

@Lulu_Lulu: If someone wants to say that a story is equally important in a game as the gameplay, they are more than welcome to do so. But to say story is objectively not welcome in a game is very narrow-minded. That's like saying story is the single most important part of a film when it isn't (Fantasia, The Tree of Life, anything made by David Lynch all call BS on that notion). A story enhances something and transcends any work further than its limits because stories - well-written ones anyways - are timeless. How do you tell a story? Any way you want. You can tell a story by acting it out (Theater), writing it out (books), etc. Video games allow you to influence the story, to build the narrative as it goes a long. Are games released with the story finished? Some, but then there are games like RPGs or binary choice games like Infamous or Red Dead Redemption, which give you choices in narrative and influence what kind of gameplay you'll be running into, mostly enemies you fight, abilities you unlock, how NPCs react to you thus changing your rewards, etc. Narrative can drive the gameplay, giving you options on how to play instead of guiding you through a singular path of how the director wants you to play. So yeah, story does have importance in a game, as it gives you more gameplay options while giving them context. To have two choices in a game without context then becomes a matter of which makes the game easier, and is thus far less compelling than having to choose between going to save hostages while letting the villain go and giving you several rewards from one of the hostages who happens to be important, or defeating the villain knowing the hostages will die before you can free them and knowing that even with that sacrifice, the villain won't be hurting anyone anymore and being given the standard reward (as one example).

@mastermetal777:

Sigh..... where did I say that story is not objectively or even subjectively not welcome in a game ? Why do I have to keep doing this with you ?

"story does have importance in a game, as it gives you more gameplay options while giving them context."

That doesn't make sense....... well the last part does but in those examples you've given its not the story that gives you more gameplay options..... its the gameplay options that give you more gameplay options.... eliminate the story from Infamous doesn't elimatinate the choice of which enemies you can fight....... all It does is eliminate the context for the choices of why one might want to fight a different set of enemies....... essentially the choice would be.... "do you want to fight these guys or these guys"....... why ? "No reason... its just a choice"

@Lulu_Lulu: I don't know, because you demonize any game that emphasizes story and gameplay at the same time, when you're hellbent on "all gameplay all the time" in everything you say? Just a thought: if you're going to make one claim, don't have thousands of post claiming the opposite of what you're currently saying. That makes you a hypocrite.

Infamous doesn't really have a choice in the enemies you fight, since you're always fighting a certain faction for each of the zones you enter. The choices come down to which morality you choose and which powers you gain in the process. It's choice from both a gameplay and narrative perspective, and the abilities make sense with the morality you choose. It's never objective, it all depends on someone's play style and personal morals. Your gameplay options become null and void when, without context, you give players a choice, and one of those choices is objectively better for completing the game, thus making it shallow and boring aside from a challenge run that becomes frustrating rather than gratifying. Giving a narrative reason why you'd make a gameplay choice allows people to experiment with the same core gameplay with only a few minor differences and still feel like they're accomplishing something that they feel is the correct choice.

And as for gameplay, that's subjective as well. Some people hate first-person shooters, others don't like RPGs, and others hate RTS games. That's fine, but there's always something for those people. But what really matter is the core mechanics, not the other ancillary features, and when it comes to that, it just depends on the game and what people like. You can't please everyone. And even the most well made games have their haters simply because they don't like the particular mechanics used in it. Like me with Half-Life 2. The combat in that game feels average because the guns have little to no weight on them, and the aggressive linearity of the game design hinders the enemy AI's highly capable AI and reduces them to pathetic, easy to kill targets that offer little challenge outside of the larger set-piece moments that are few and far between. And yet that game is considered the holy grail of game design to a lot of people. You see what I'm getting at?

@mastermetal777:

I don't do that....... and even if I did if I do say the exact opposite then thats the specific argument you should be addressing...... as thats whats being discussed at the time...... unless you are incapable of compartmentalising..... anyway:

"Your gameplay options become null and void when, without context, you give players a choice, and one of those choices is objectively better for completing the game, thus making it shallow and boring aside from a challenge run that becomes frustrating rather than gratifying."

And now you know how I feel most of the time.....

Anyway it seems like you understand...... but we're arguing about different things...... yours all about how people perceive a game...... and mine is about how a game actually is.

Theres a big difference between whats important to a game and whats important to ones enjoyment of game..... TC asked about the former..... so what actually is important to a game regardless of whether or not somebody likes it or not ?

oh and I have no idea whats going on in the entire last paragraph of your post....... I made no comments even remotely close to anything in there...... so no I don't see what you're getting at.

Gameplay, of course.

@undefined: For the 14% that said graphics, you suck!

@rasterror:

thats not very nice....

@Lulu_Lulu: "what a game is" varies from person to person. To ignore that is as useless as this entire conversation. Nobody sees a game for just their content and mechanics. It's how it all comes together that matters most. Gameplay makes a game what it is, but it covers more variables than you're willing to admit. People experience things, and they don't experience them in a vacuum. And ignoring that is, again, narrow minded

@mastermetal777:

and those people might be wrong..... too ignore that is equally useless. And everything varies from person to person..... but as long they are all more or less on the same page then theres something to Work with.....

And its broad minded to just say something is important in a game just because people like it...... its perfectly fine to say it is if the topic was about the perception and or enjoyment of a game...... but that isn't what was asked........ nor was that ever my argument...... Come to think of it.... you haven't actually addressed my original point..... How is story equally important to gameplay ?

Interesting that the feel of the game didn't make it into the poll. How the game feels is the deciding factor, every single time. If the game feels like shit, there's a 60% chance I'm not going to go through with it simply based on that unless I'm specifically there for something else from the outset. Blizzard nails this every time. Flinging bouncy cards around in Hearthstone is fun and feels great when you can quickly pull off a bunch of moves and know exactly what happened. StarCraft 2 is one of the tightest feeling RTS I've ever played, and the only one where I've ever felt real control over control groups and quick decisions. The nebulous idea of 'game feel' is vital for me.

@wannabesbb: you know that's true. Game feel is pretty damn important too. There's a certain satisfaction that comes from a game with the right sound effects, animations, character models, etc. They all come together to make a good game even better. Some call that atmosphere, but it all creates a terrific experience in the game that people end up remembering.

@Lulu_Lulu: Sorry for being honest. What's a pretty if it sucks? I just got DriveClub and figured I'd try it out again. The game is absolutely gorgeous. the way the water puddles, the way the snow blinds you, so many effects are spectacular. Does it make it a good game? Absolutely not! This game is as bland as a 1998 tan Toyota Camry. The game still sucks no matter pretty it is.

@rasterror:

Well yeah obviously..... but.......dem graphics.

Also I thought story would be above 50 percent atleast.

@Lulu_Lulu: second place is still second place. And it's close enough to 50%

But that goes under the different things. If the games doesn't play well, it's not going to make you feel good about it. Same goes for the story and the rest of the options

Gameplay but the internet disagrees with it.

Gameplay. No other words necessary to discuss. This is the fundamental aspect of the game that needs to be top notch. The other things will follow