10 Points of Design
Fun - A game needs to be fun in order for it to be playable; and I mean it in terms of how long the game will stay fun. Because you could get into a game, have fun for a bit, and then never touch it again. For me, the fun is about how long it will stay fun.
Story - Games have to have a good story and good indicators on where to go for that said story. For example, Skyrim, Borderlands 2, Star Wars The Old Republic, and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order all have fantastic stories.
Space - I typically enjoy games with large maps and multiple things to do which is why I love Skyrim and Borderlands 2. However, the map can't be too big or I feel overwhelmed and like I'm never going to finish the game.
Interactivity - I really love games that have decision-based stories. I think these games are the best because you can go back and play them and have a completely different outcome towards the end than the last time you played.
Win/loss state - I don't typically play many competitive games except for League of Legends and I can tell you right now; nothing feels better than a comeback victory in a 35 min+ game of League. Losing sucks, but winning is great.
Aesthetics - A game has to look good in order to play it. I understand when playing older games the graphics won't be the best, but for newer games, EVERYTHING has to look good, because that's what consumers want. :)
Rules - Rules are important in games because they define what the players can and cannot do. Rules also give all players an even playing field so other players do not have an advantage.
Mechanics - A game needs to have good mechanics that are easy for players to learn and use. On top of that, they need to be swift and fluid motions that look good for the player.
Time - The amount of time it takes to complete a game is important because people have lives and can't spend their days playing one game until it is complete. With that being said, games with a lot of gameplay are not always bad, it just depends on how you make the player feel with that much gameplay. This ties back into my thing about space; if there is too much I could feel overwhelmed to even finish it.
Characters - When playing a game you want the player to feel connected with his/her character. This is important for the player because if the player doe not feel connected with their character than what is even the point of playing the game?
Everyday Experience Turned Into a Game
For this game, I was thinking of a driving simulator type game where you earn points the more you drive, but are rewarded more for safe driving.
The way I envision it is like just an everyday standard drive with traffic and everything, but you earn rewards and milestones for driving certain distances, abiding by the rules of the road, using turn signals, and all that good stuff. Obviously breaking the rules of the road will result in negative points and too many negative points could reflect on your driving skills IRL and could potentially affect your license i.e. points added to your license or even a suspension.
