I usually open these blog spotlights with my own take of the articles subject, but this article captures my feelings so well, I want to use a long quote.

The older I get: the more money I have, the more games I want to play, and the less time I have to play games. When I was younger – in high school and most of college, I spent most of my free time gaming. I played single player and multiplayer. …

Of course, I graduated, got a job, got responsibilities, blah, blah, blah – you know the story. …Of course, I still buy games, even though I don’t play them as much. I’m not sure why. Maybe I think that sometime I’m going to have a bunch of free time and get all caught up on all the games I wanted to play months ago. Maybe I’m hoping a new game will capture my attention the way games did when I was younger. But it probably isn’t going to happen. All those games I own will probably just continue to sit on the shelf after I open them and play them for an hour or so before moving on to something else.

After reading Luke’s article on his blog Mispeled, I felt a stir of like-feeling within myself. He articulated my feelings on gaming better than I ever thought necessary. I’m glad he did, because this article is the mirror I needed to take a look into. Check out his article Enhancing the Idea of the Game as an Event. He has a lot more to say.

RPGs have a long history of farmboys-turned-legends and orphans-turned-heroes, and there’s a very good reason for that. The growth of a modest character from humble beginnings to famous warrior saving the world is mirrored well by such growth in-game and out. The player and the character have a lot to learn before they go slaying dragons. Recent Cryptic titles throw that out the window and thrust new players into immediate peril. Players want to be heroes from the start, but people don’t always know what’s best to them.

Dusty Monk over at Of Course I’ll Play It has been playing Star Trek Online beta and has come to the realization that Cryptic Hates the New Player Experience. Check it out, it’s a good read.

MMORPGs have this way of turning everyone into the stereotypical women trying on clothes at the mall. Suddenly, you care about clothes matching more than ever before. Some of my favorite memories of Phantasy Star Universe is getting just the right combination of clothes. Similalry, I’m currently beta testing a game whose “armor” and “helms” are pure appearance, and stat bonuses come from elsewhere. I still drop thousands of “dollars” on the armor I want, because it’s rewarding to see my avatar look cool.

This appearance satisfaction is a type of player reward. Titles, badges, fireworks, achievements, and non-combat pets are all player rewards too. In contrast to character rewards, which almost always affect gameplay and game balance.

Today’s Blog Post Spotlight comes from Spinksville. The article is titled Rewarding the Character vs Rewarding the Player and it’s a great insight into what really motivates people.

Edmund McMillen over at Gamasutra put together a respectable opinion post of “do-s and don’t-s”. His thoughts are inspiring, grounded, and logical. Anyone thinking about or actively working on both indie and commercial games would be wise to take heed of his suggestions. I’m a fan of his #8.

8. Stand out.
Don’t make something that looks or feels exactly like an existing work. When people experience something new they’re more forgiving of its design, and in the end your creation will get more attention. This should be obvious, but somehow goes over the heads of most designers. If you notice a trend in aesthetics or play mechanics: DON’T DO THAT. Avoid trends; innovate and break new ground. Stop making goddamn ninja and zombie games and if you’re making a shooter don’t put it in space. Seriously.