What Makes Monopoly, World of Warcraft, and Mario Kart So Much Fun? | Hacker News Reader

What Makes Monopoly, World of Warcraft, and Mario Kart So Much Fun?

systemsandus.com

54 pointshuisjames27 comments

Calling Monopoly fun is a very bold claim, I don't think I've ever seen a game where players are still having fun by the end.

I did a bunch of BoardGameGeek rating analyses recently, one of which was collating a list of "least hated games" [1]. It might be interesting having a look at those sorts of games instead of widely derided games like Monopoly.

World of Warcraft seems like an odd one to analyse in terms of fun too, it's so divisive in the gaming community, you'll find a huge amount of people who find it boring and repetitive.

[1] http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/183180/rating-analysis-50-...

While I agree that Monopoly is a rightfully derided board game among the pantheon, I think the author pulled meaningful analysis from why it did initially appeal to the public.

Also, in case anyone unfamiliar with modern board games is reading, if you buy one board game this year, buy Pandemic. It's a challenging co-op game you can play with just your spouse or with up to 4 friends and it guarantees a fun night. That, or Cards Against Humanity :)

Due to it's co-op nature (which is fairly unusual to non modern boardgamers), some people might have a poor time playing Pandemic if there is an overbearing person quarterbacking the entire game. Some people love working together to discuss and find the absolute optimal solution collaboratively, but other people feel the need to play their own "character" and work towards the goal as best they can.

With that in mind, I find Ticket To Ride a far less hit-or-miss modern boardgame for new players.

that was a light analysis of player motivation. These links are more in depth on a similar subject:-

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1419/designing_for_mot...

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3085/behavioral_game_d...

I think this is more a short discussion on positive / negative feedback systems in games, rather than player motivation. The links you shared are interesting regardless though, so thanks for sharing!

Some other motivation-related links: http://chrishecker.com/Achievements_considered_harmful%3F https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF7aJMXU_W0 http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130155/rethinking_carr...

Minecraft is another such game that would be a great subject to discuss.

Some like the creativity part (LEGO style), some the adventure aspect (random procedural generated worlds), some the zombie survival part, some the fantasy (dragons and other monsters), some the electronic/logic stuff (red stone), some the role playing aspects (villages, buying resources), some have lot's of Youtube/Twitch subscribers (Let's Play), etc.

Just wanted to voice my opinion that the best Mario Kart is still the SNES version. I bet I've played that game more than any other. Still holds up like crazy, though I wish we could smooth out the Mode 7 graphics a bit.

Your opinion is wrong. Mario Kart Double Dash is the best Mario Kart.

/thread :P

I agree, it's the best mix of graphics, characters, courses and gameplay in my opinion. MK8 comes pretty close for fun (especially with the excellent value DLC), but I will always be fondest of Double Dash.

Mario Kart 64 has the best mix. The Mario Kart 8 looks promising with innovative tracks (under water, glider, etc.).

Double Dash with its speedometer, slower speed and double seats was not "Mario Kart" that we know.

Monopoly isn't fun. WoW is arguably just physiologically addictive, while many enjoy the grind/payoff cycle or social aspects I can't agree game is actually fun.

Monopoly used to be fun, that can't be denied or we'd be at a loss explaining how much it sold. That game mechanics (taking the other players out) is not regarded to be so fun any more, as the success of German/Eurogames demonstrates. The best games nowadays are the ones in which all players compete (or think so) until the end. There is a fairly authoritative ranking at http://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame

I never played WoW but it also sold a lot. I also never played Mario Kart, but I played tons of other car games. When playing against the AIs many of those games usually help the player to catch up by noticeably slowing down the leaders. Some games also make the AI cars faster when the player is leading. Obviously that's less appreciated :-) However when one gets good enough the AIs can't compete, and that another obvious design decision to make players happy.

There are more elements to WoW and similar games though. I am not a massive fan of the grind aspect but enjoy the team based coordination aspect.

The grind aspect is a trap. WoW is incredibly fun when they bring out new content and you are in a close-knit group that can - with dozens of attempts, strategy re-adjustment, and luck - just barely take down a new boss. Add skype and a drinking game and few things compare.

But to get to that point you have to basically kill 50 mobs to collect 10 Items hundreds of times for 70 hours (hyperbolically spoken).

What are the balancing loops in Monopoly? Jail and Go?

There really aren't any. Which is sort of the point of the game.

I was under the impression that Monopoly has mostly reinforcing loops. The more money you have the more you can develop your property and make more money.

You're confused... people don't think Monopoly is fun. 100% of people I know hate Monopoly and refuse to ever play.

The only reason these three games are fun is the people you play them with.

World of Warcraft wasn't mentioned once outside of the title.

I lost all interest in playing games when I was 20 or so. So many more interesting things to do.

Like making comments in discussions on hobbies you don't like?

False premise anyone?

monopoly sucks.

Years ago, I got ahold of an NES emulator and decided to try out a Monopoly ROM. I ended up playing that game for hours a day. My Monopoly marathon lasted about a week or two, but damn was that game fun.

I tried the SNES version some time later, and it just wasn't the same...

The PC version they used to give out in cereal boxes was a lot of fun. I can't tell if it was "Monopoly 3" or "Monopoly New Edition", but I still remember the intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DuXg9kP0do

My brother and I played it together for hours. The computer opponents put up a challenge and were quite smart—you could do trades with them, which they would accept or reject depending on the situation; sometimes they would even offer you a trade on their own. Each piece had its own personality, animations, and voice clips. I think it might have had online play, too.

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