Is the game experience defined by anything else than the genre?

[Arrowstormen]

As the title says really.

[Deleted]

Well, an experience is what you take away from the game, playing it. So that's basically up to you to decided. Your experience of a game might be very different from mine, due to quite a few circumstances.*

No?

Also, genre is one of those kinda empty words we use to lump things together for easier definition when they kinda sorta revolve around the same thing.*
Bioshock and Counterstrike are both in the same genre, but they're two very different games and thus offer two very different experiences, provided you pay attention to the content, rather than the 'looking down the sights of a pistol'.*

Edit - sorry about the asterisks. I have no idea why they keep showing up...

[Arrowstormen]

Well, an experience is what you take away from the game, playing it. So that's basically up to you to decided. Your experience of a game might be very different from mine, due to quite a few circumstances.*

No?

Take away from the game? What? An experience is, well, what you experience when you play the game. Or rather, why the game is compelling. What elements that form the form of experience we have. Horror games is trying to bring fear into you, and RPGs want to create a fancy world you live in and impact.

[Deleted]

Take away from the game? What? An experience is, well, what you experience when you play the game.

Yes, that's exactly what I said. The experience you take away from the game.

Anyway, that question doesn't make a lot of sense in it's current form. An experience is subjective and will differ from one person to the next and is achieved by many different means - genre doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it.*

[Arrowstormen]

Yes, that's exactly what I said. The experience you take away from the game.

Anyway, that question doesn't make a lot of sense in it's current form. An experience is subjective and will differ from one person to the next and is achieved by many different means - genre doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it.*

The form of experience they want to give seems to variate on the genre. A RPG and a FPS normally don't try to hook you up on the same ideas and principles.*

[Deleted]

The form of experience they want to give seems to variate on the genre. A RPG and a FPS normally don't try to hook you up on the same ideas and principles.*

Well, there are funny FPS games and serious FPS games. There are scary ones and realistic ones. They all provide a different experience, not necessarily bound to the fact that it's an FPS, same as there are swords-n-magic types of RPGs as well as spacier RPGs, etc. You get the point.

The only thing they have in common is the way of telling the story and letting the player interact - not the story itself, which should be what gives you the experience. *Your experience of, say, Amnesia is based on the story, not the fact that it's a first person game.*

Anyway, I'm off work - no more replies till tomorrow

[Arrowstormen]

Well, there are funny FPS games and serious FPS games. There are scary ones and realistic ones. They all provide a different experience, not necessarily bound to the fact that it's an FPS, same as there are swords-n-magic types of RPGs as well as spacier RPGs, etc. You get the point.

The only thing they have in common is the way of telling the story and letting the player interact - not the story itself, which should be what gives you the experience. *Your experience of, say, Amnesia is based on the story, not the fact that it's a first person game.*

Anyway, I'm off work - no more replies till tomorrow

Sure, the story and gameplay can be different, but no matter if it's Mass Effect or Skyrim, It's still a RPG. They have a "feeling", a*rhythm, an overall experience which it works under.*

[wariofan1]

Ofcourse, just because Super Metroid and Super Mario World are both listed as platformers does that make them the same? No. They'r both two completely different games, one of them you shoot at shit with way more advanced bosses while you pick up permanent powerups throughout the game, in Super Mario World you just jump and grab whatever powerup that happen to be there. Both amazing games, but hard to compare, they're both platformers though, Super Metroid has this dark feel and it totally immerses you into the game, Super Mario World there's such an happy atmosphere and you really just play it to, well, play it.

Pokémon is also listed as RPG, Mass Effect is too, the same? Hell no. Both COMPLETELY different experiences.

[Fencers]

As the title says really.

Sure. But you have to specify if you mean the experience of play or the experience of thought.

[Caiada]

Well, it's partly defined by that, but so many other things go into it that genres are sort of becoming obsolete or at least not nearly as cut-and-dry as before...

[Arrowstormen]

Ofcourse, just because Super Metroid and Super Mario World are both listed as platformers does that make them the same? No. They'r both two completely different games, one of them you shoot at shit with way more advanced bosses while you pick up permanent powerups throughout the game, in Super Mario World you just jump and grab whatever powerup that happen to be there. Both amazing games, but hard to compare, they're both platformers though, Super Metroid has this dark feel and it totally immerses you into the game, Super Mario World there's such an happy atmosphere and you really just play it to, well, play it.

Pokémon is also listed as RPG, Mass Effect is too, the same? Hell no. Both COMPLETELY different experiences.

I think wording it experience may be wrong or confusing, but by the definition I use here, then yes, they are the same "experience".

[Profyrion]

Yeah, you may want to pick a different word or explain your concept better.

[Dhrizzle]

No, you can have very different experiences from the same genre. I'm sure I'm not using the exact proper terms here, but hopefully you can see what I'm getting at.

Some games will be "scenic" - a big draw in playing the game is seeing the whole world the developers have given you to play in.
Some will be "narrative" - you want to play the game in order to enjoy the story.
Most will fall on a scale between "thinky" and "actiony" (i.e. do you carefully consider your actions before beginning a section, or just dive in and hope your reactions / skills will get you through).

Then there's the matter of how immersive is the game, do you feel like you're part of the world or are you conscious of playing a game? (This can be achieved by scenery and narrative but it is more than possible for a game to be very good looking or have a great story without you necessarilly being "immersed").