A Hundred Restarts, the Same Undying Passion
"That's right, we can put a small audio chip in the cassette tape, which only needs to loop this simple section."
Lin Lixin nodded, and as he spoke, he began to play the impromptu tune he had just composed.
By this time, Kojima had fully understood what Lin Lixin was planning to do and had guessed the tone of the game.
"Is it a casual game?"
Unlike games like Rock N' Roll Racing, which require focus on driving and intense combat, casual games require things that are the complete opposite in many ways.
For example, games like Rock N' Roll Racing often force players to complete a tense and exciting match in just a few minutes.
But a casual game needs to keep players playing until dawn without them even realizing it.
If you cram an entire heavy metal album into a single track like "Rock N' Roll Racing," then forget about keeping players up all night; the best metal fans would be those who can endure half an hour without getting a headache.
The more varied the background music (BGM) and the more catchy and memorable it becomes, the more likely it is to quickly become tiresome after countless repetitions.
The goal is to make players unconsciously ignore the presence of music, allowing their subconscious to process this information that has been deliberately downplayed by the designers.
In this way, the freed-up mental energy can be focused on the operation itself.
Of course, the same applies to processors; processors that don't need to handle complex music logic can allocate as much performance as possible to games.
And focusing on the operational aspect----
It is an important component of "flow".
"Flow, a concept proposed by psychologist Harry Csikszentmihalyi, needs no further explanation from me."
Lin Lixin wrote the word "Flow" on the whiteboard.
Video games are arguably inextricably linked to psychology.
It's similar to Skinner's superstitious pigeon theory, which was recently tested in the Sims.
The application of flow theory lies in enabling players to enter a state where they forget about time and are completely immersed in the game.
"Nintendo is the expert in this field."
Although Nintendo is now a competitor of Gamenova, it must be admitted that Nintendo is really good at this.
The level design in Super Mario is a very typical example of flow design.
Harry believes that flow has eight main characteristics.
Firstly, people are faced with a achievable task.
This is reflected in the levels of Super Mario, and in the true core of Super Mario's design philosophy, which is to move to the right.
We know there is a beginning, and we know there is an end.
The clear objective is there, waiting for the player to complete it.
And in Hill Climb Racing, it's exactly the same.
The game even thoughtfully provides a real-time progress bar and hints for the next checkpoint, allowing players to always know their current progress.
Secondly, people are able to concentrate fully on the task.
This is why it's important to prepare background music that won't distract you.
Players must be fully focused on the task at hand; losing focus will result in death and failure.
In "Super Mario," this is naturally manifested in mechanisms such as Goomba that die upon contact and moving platforms.
As for Hill Climb Racing, it goes without saying that players need to pay attention to the terrain ahead at all times.
Use the brakes and accelerator to control the car's balance and keep it moving as smoothly as possible to avoid hitting your head on something.
Thirdly, a clear objective.
At this point, Will and the others understood what this meant.
Lin Lixin has already made it very clear to them.
It's an upgrade to the car.
Progress through levels, collect coins to buy better cars, and upgrade vehicle performance.
These are all very clear goals.
"That's right, the fourth item is immediate feedback."
Lin Lixin nodded and continued.
There's really not much to say about that.
Feedback is an integral part of video games.
Every action a player takes must be meaningful; only in this way can players maintain a sense of control and remain immersed in the game.
Super Mario can achieve this level of responsiveness, but in this respect, GAMENOVA is the expert.
After all, GAMENOVA is a company that started by making fighting games.
Even if all the game developers in the world combined were to combine their experience in terms of control, they might not be as strong as the game developers.
"The fifth point is to engage deeply and without being forced."
"This is actually the core of casual games, and the real reason why I say 'simplify'."
"We want the game to be pure and minimalist!"
It doesn't need a plot, a backstory, character settings, or a fancy UI design.
All you need are a [accelerator], [brake], [fuel gauge], [speedometer], and [map].
It allows players' minds to be occupied by these purest things, unconsciously ignoring the trivialities and troubles of daily life.
The sixth, enjoyable experience makes one feel in control of their own activities.
This is a well-worn topic in video games, so there's no need to elaborate.
As for point seven, entering a state of complete absorption, the feeling of self-awareness is even stronger after it ends.
In a sense, Lin Lixin was the pioneer of this approach.
"That's it!"
Sam, who had been listening in silence, suddenly screamed, his voice trembling.
Suddenly turning around, I found him where the lights were dim.
After years of twists and turns, having witnessed such a vibrant game world, I've come this far with Lin Lixin.
But one name is always firmly engraved in a certain place in Sam's heart, a certain pure land.
Tetris
The first and most loyal love.
"That's it! It makes the action instinctive, makes you forget yourself, lose self-awareness, leaving only the constantly falling blocks and clicking on them instinctively."
After successfully breaking his own record, the sense of accomplishment from surpassing himself and fulfilling his mission was the most fundamental emotion that the game brought him.
No matter how rapidly video game technology advances, those novel games left an indelible impression on Sam.
After everything had faded away, the first thing he could recall was that afternoon.
That rare, leisurely afternoon without classes.
He brought the videotape and some soda into Lin Lixin's room, intending to watch the newly rented "Star Wars" with Lin Lixin.
That was his first encounter with Tetris.
That afternoon when he played until he was dizzy and disoriented, that afternoon when he could even see the endless falling blocks with his eyes closed, was the happiest time of Sam's life.
Lin Lixin had already shown them what selflessness truly meant.
If Sam, who has already seen the vastness of the world, were suddenly asked to return to that day, he would still make the same choice standing in front of Lin Lixin's room.
Sit down in front of that C64 and have a blast!
Even if we had to do it a thousand times over, this passion would never change!