From time to time we witness games that try to be unique, offering something different from the norm. However, there are four major elements that every successful game has to possess. They include the gameplay, story, graphic and art design, and the challenge.

For any designer that wants to understand what makes a game good, they should focus on these four elements. When you get them right, you will only need to build on them. From Asteroids to Grand Theft Auto, we’ve been enjoying video games for decades. These days, many game worlds are massive and the storylines are sophisticated enough to make it feel like you’re playing a big-budget movie.

Not all games are story-driven though, nor do they need to have all the effects of a blockbuster movie. Games like Valve’s Counter-Strike, which began as a community-driven mod and gained huge popularity in the early 2000s. In 2012 they released CS:GO which is still the most current and arguably the best version to this day. CS:GO tournaments are held almost each and every month and numerous sites provide coverage, along with games you can play whilst you watch. Games like CS:GO coinflip are incredibly popular as players can bet in-game skins on the flip of a coin.

Since the arrival of video games in the 70s, they’ve advanced a lot, and are currently among the most popular forms of entertainment. So, what brings success to a video game? When Asteroids was created, it was hugely popular. However, the truth is that it might not be able to hold a game lover’s attention for more than 5 minutes these days! That’s because of the myriad advancements in gaming technology. So, we are going to look at games that were a huge success in the past, and pick out the key ingredients that help in creating an appealing and memorable experience that can still hold its own in the gaming market of today.

Gameplay

Many people will tell you that the most important thing is the story and that when the story is not great, the game cannot be great. Now, there may be some truth in this for some games, but the most important thing to come up with great games is the gameplay. One can build a hit game entirely on amazing gameplay, even without a relatable story. One of the examples is the mobile popular title, Angry Birds, which does not have any captivating story, but comes with captivating gameplay. Story may be essential, but it may not automatically deliver a challenging and fun-filled experience for the player.

One of the major attributes of good games is interaction. This helps the players to get immersed in the setting of the game or the game world. Unlike a movie where you go with the flow, games allow you to have control. So, if you don’t find fun in the controls, the gaming won’t be great. There should be very clear controls in the gameplay, and the player should get good feedback from that.

A good look at the Call of Duty series, especially from the era of Modern Warfare upwards, you will understand that the selling point of the game has never been the story. Many players don’t even enjoy the campaign, because the multiplayer gets them. Battle Royale titles like PUBG and Fortnite, and Call of Duty games are amazing examples of how the success of the game is determined by the gameplay. If it’s amazing to play, it will attract players.

Story

Though we have said that great gameplay comes before a good story, story is also very essential in making a game great. Through a great story, the player can be immersed into the game world. For a great game, gameplay and story are very important. A good story gets the players attached to the characters, and this makes them crave to see how the story unfolds.

Gameplay is important as we have said before, but it never saves the game, especially when we talk about single-player only titles like the ‘Batman Arkham’ series. This is the type of game where the story may become more important than the gameplay.

One of the first things to be aware of when creating a game is the type of game you are making and the experience that the player will derive from it. You may use a game to tell a story interactively. You may want to remember the most immersive games you’ve enjoyed. If you do, you may discover that what captivated you and held you down all through was the story. Because of the lack of the multiplayer element, single-player games may have limitations in the scope of their gameplay appeal, but with a well-told story, thousands of players are still attracted to them. So, the best thing is to ensure great gameplay and a great story, for an amazing game.

Great Art Style

In all video games, the importance of graphics cannot be overemphasized.  This is what the player sees, and where he focuses. From the lighting, to the characters and environments – these are all essential in giving the game a great look and feel. The graphics of games advances with hardware and more games are moving towards the hyper-realistic experience in the bid to be more immersive.

The graphics of games should be realistic and match with the game world and style that the designer is portraying. However, it is not always that great graphics deliver a realistic experience that is out of this world. For the graphics of a game to be great, it must not conform to a particular style.

Also, your game is not assured of success if the graphics are good. One example is the Ryse: Son of Rome, which had amazingly beautiful and realistic graphics when it arrived, but the feedback to the game was not entirely positive because the gameplay was repetitive and the combat was designed around quick-time events.

However, we need to state that some of the games that are visually appealing and iconic may not be realistic. The thing that sets them apart is their uniqueness. The ‘Ratchet and Clank’ series is one example where a very popular game chose the cartoony aesthethic which was fitting to its type of story and gameplay.

Minecraft, which is an all-time bestselling and landmark game, selling over 180 million copies across the globe, has comically low quality and in fact horrible graphics. This game art choice brought in a new graphic style in the industry – something that went against the tide of hyper-realistic visuals that held sway in the industry before its arrival.

So, the gaming industry has come to the realization that good video games must not only deliver a story, they must also deliver art. We can see an example of this in LIMBO’s white and black silhouettes, the M.C. Escher’s art in Manifold Garden, the art style of Ni No Kuni in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, and the cartoon-inspired cel-shading that is found in the ‘Borderlands’ series. In these games, we do not see perfect rendering in all aspects, instead, a unique artistic representation of their ambience is given through very peculiar styles.

One essential thing to bear in mind is that the game style and the story you want to tell with it should be fitting to each other. To make a visually great game, it does not entail that it must come with intricate realism, but it should help to advance the overall experience. So, you can go for more realistic or cartoony graphics. Choose what fits your story.

Challenge

Every game should be challenging to the player. Players like to solve challenges. There is a feeling of hard work and fulfilment when gamers complete a mission, so you must give that to them. It could be a challenging level, a map which they can’t figure out easily, making them explore and think, so as to find new ways of moving on in the game or even a boss that must be defeated with a clever strategy. This can turn a good game into an amazing and classic one.

You can find an example of this in the Halo series. Playing a powerful soldier clad in sophisticated armour, with shields and even over shields, but shouldn’t expect to keep standing for so long when you come in contact with a mélange of enemies with munitions. With the group of enemies, the challenge increases. The number of powerful enemies also increases, meaning that you can’t confront them without a watertight game plan.

Some games also work with this idea, and therefore focus on complexity and difficulty. Titles like ‘The Souls’ series from FromSoftware come with a difficulty level that leaves you to die a lot of times, just so that you can complete little tasks. Some gamers may find this frustrating, while others enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving that goal at long last without being defeated or crushed by a moving skeleton.

Conclusion

Different games are enjoyed by different players. The first person shooters like ‘Call of Duty,’ and the story-driven titles like ‘The Last of Us’ are not everybody’s favourite, but they all offer combinations of the 4 key elements players, striking a balance that suits the title and helps to make that game successful. So, looking for what makes games successful, work on these key elements, and you will come out with a good video game. Bear in mind that the two most important are gameplay and story. The story, when ready, will help you come up with a great art style that will match the world of the game.