Repetitive Gameplay

[Tanya]

What makes a game not repetitive?

Playing a game should not be a chore. In developing grifflies, we're working on making some daily tasks to do, but they should be fun tasks and not things that you feel bored and obligated to do. When you play a game consistently, why do you play it? What makes it fun and makes you want to keep coming back? Are you constantly doing the same thing, or is there something different you are doing/working towards each day? 

 

[Celosia]

In my experience, no game can escape becoming boring eventually. Having said that if the community is active enough, I tend to hang around a site's forums long after I've stop playing the game. While I am actively participating in gameplay, it motivates me to see active owners who frequently release new content and events. Often updates spark renewed interest in playing if I still visit the site. Updates of course are an important factor in making a game overall not feel repetitive.

In terms of daily tasks I'm not bothered by repetition if it means all I need to do is click a button to obtain a reward or something similarly easy, with the exception being if the reward is consistently worthless to me (like money rewarded from old quests not scaled with inflation). This is the problem I have with some games - features existing that are not worth the reward. Perhaps daily tasks could be tasks your users would normally do while playing your game anyway, give a few extra steps for a reward that feels worth the effort.

The bottom line is I have fun when gameplay just feels rewarding, even if it's a bit repetitive. In fact, repetition can be a source of enjoyment if it feels rewarding.

 

[Tanya]

I think you're absolutely right, you've brought up some very useful points. Thank you very much for sharing, I should certainly take some time to really think about how I can properly reward players to give them the incentive to continue to play the game in a way that does not feel dull or repetitive. Or, as you said, a good kind of repetition. 

 

[Syntax]

Pulling from MMORPG games, many of them use time as a way to sort of break up potentially repetitive things. Time to re spawn targets, time to restock stores, time before you can do xyz again, or you have to do xyz before this time for this reward. 

In addition to physical rewards for completing daily tasks, you can layer rewards. Meaning if they complete 1 task they get 1 reward, but if they complete all three daily tasks, bonus reward. 

Providing minor variation can always be helpful as well. Shop keepers having a dozen potential different lines to say, different amounts/items to collect for a quest, etc. Even if the variation is mostly cosmetic/shallow that variation can keep things interesting for much longer.