作者：Dave LeClair

很多元素能够让一款电子游戏脱颖而出。但显然，造就一款优秀作品绝非仅仅依靠若干关键要素，出色完成这些关键要素也无法确保游戏就会成为杰作。但不注重这些关键要素，游戏就一定无法变成杰作。和任何艺术形式一样，这里没有完美公式。尽管如此，如果游戏着眼于这些原则，它就更有望吸引广泛的用户，成为轰动巨作。

下面是我总结的若干成功游戏应具备的设计要素。

沉浸性

能够给玩家留下深刻、持久印象的元素是他们在游戏世界中的沉浸性。优秀电子游戏设计会让你忘记自己在体验游戏，让你觉得自己置身逼真的世界当中（游戏邦注：当然有特定“游戏”元素会破坏此沉浸性，有时这些无法避免）。对于开发者而言，关键是要快速找到恢复沉浸性的方式，不要过多利用这些机制。

skyrim world from makeuseof.com

沉浸性游戏的典型代表是《天际》。当玩家进入“天际”世界时，他们就变成其中的角色。你进入美妙的庞大世界，感觉和真实世界一样富有生气。你可以选择游戏的体验方式，这让你的角色和你融为一体。有些机制富含电子游戏的味道，但在很大程度上，《天际》让你忘记你是在体验电子游戏，这是游戏的特别之处。

音乐

音乐是最常被低估的游戏元素。优质原声音乐会改变游戏的感觉。和电影一样，音乐让玩家在面临各种挑战时展现出正确的心态。在配有适当音乐的情况下，大规模的boss战斗会变得更特别。音乐通常是我们的一个修饰元素，但失去音乐，游戏就会显得很赤裸和单薄。

super mario from makeuseof.com

谈到电子游戏配乐，我们很难不回头去思考《马里奥》。《马里奥》的配乐非常具有标志性，就连非游戏玩家也能够轻松辨别出来。即便是在8位时代，《马里奥》的配乐也给游戏奠定了基调。游戏节奏随boss战斗而加速，随着玩家进入城堡和鬼屋而变得越来越令人毛骨悚然。我很好奇，如果没有配乐，《马里奥》还会不会如此具有代表性。

成瘾性

要促使玩家持续返回游戏，就需要融入些许具有成瘾性的元素。我所说的不是吸毒类型的成瘾性，但这些元素必不可少，否则玩家很快就会转投下款热门作品。我们很难准确界定什么原因促使游戏富有成瘾性，但似乎主要归结于角色的进展。

Call of Duty Modern Warfare from makeuseof.com

《使命召唤》、《魔兽世界》和《暗黑破坏神》之类的游戏就是成瘾性的典型代表，因为它们促使你关心自己的角色。你想要持续返回、升级或获得新装置。当然如果这这么简单，所有人就都能够做到。成瘾性是最难量化的特质之一，但你一看就会知道。

图像

图像元素有点被高估，但它们依然是游戏设计中的重要元素。没有高品质图像，游戏能否变得出类拔萃？显然可以，但没有生动图像和突出艺术风格，游戏将很难吸引广泛用户。

crysis from makeuseof.com

每篇电子游戏评论都谈及游戏图像和艺术风格的重要性，这其中自有其道理。虽然这不是最重要的元素，但依然是电子游戏设计的重要组成部分。

总结

显然，还有更多游戏设计基础元素对游戏来说必不可少。游戏需要富有趣味性，控制装置需要具有可行性，机制要能够发挥作用。上述要素都是基本元素，而其他这些元素也非常重要，没有这些元素，游戏就无法上升至另一个新高度。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

4 Most Important Aspect Of Video Game Design That Take A Game To The Next Level [MUO Gaming]

By Dave LeClair

Many aspects make a video game stand above the rest. When I write a review of a game, there are certain factors that stand out immediately, and based off these, I can have a pretty good idea of the quality level of a game rather quickly.  Of course, over the many hours spent with a game, my opinion may change slightly, but there are a few key design elements that give me a general idea of what to expect.

Obviously, there is more to making a standout game than just some key points, and even hitting these key things does not guarantee that a game will be good. However, without hitting on these important factors, you can almost guarantee that a game will not be nearly as great as it could have been. As with any art form, there is no perfect formula. Still, if a game is designed with some of these principles in mind, it has a much higher chance of appealing to a broad range of players and being successful.

These are the most important elements of game design that I look for.

Immersion

One of the things that leaves a deep, lasting impression on a gamer is how immersed they are in the world. A good video game design makes you forget that you are playing a game and makes you feel like you are in a living, breathing world. Of course, there are certain “gamey” elements that can break the immersion, and sometimes these are unavoidable. The key is for the developer to find a way to restore the immersion quickly and not use these mechanics too much.

A great example of an immersive game is Skyrim. When a player enters the world of Skyrim, they become their character. You are thrust into a beautiful, massive world that feels almost as alive as the real world. You can play the game how you choose, and this makes your character feel like it is you. Some mechanics feel like a video game, but for the most part, Skyrim makes you forget that you are playing a video game, and that is a special feat.

Music

Music is one of the most underrated parts of a game. A good soundtrack can literally change the feeling of a game. Just like a movie, music helps put the player in the right frame of mind for whatever challenge is ahead. An epic boss battle can be made even more special when accompanied by appropriate music. Music is usually something we gloss over, but take it away from a game, and it would feel naked.

When you talk about video game music, it is hard not to go back and think about Mario. The music from Mario is so iconic that even people who do not play video games can easily identify it. Even all the way back in the 8-bit era, the music in Mario helped set the tone for the game. The pace sped up with boss battles and became creepier as you entered castles and ghost houses. I wonder if Mario would be nearly as iconic as he is without his music backing him up.

Addictiveness

In order to keep a player coming back to a game, there has to be something about it that gets them a little addicted. I am not talking about drug abuse level of addiction, but there needs to be something, otherwise players will move on to the next big thing quickly. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes a game addictive, but it seems to come down to character progression.

Games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Diablo are some of the most addictive games because they make you care about your character. You want to keep going back and leveling up or getting that new piece of gear. Of course, if it were that simple, everyone would do it. Addictiveness is one of those qualities that is hard to quantify, but you know it when you see it.

Visuals

Visuals are a little overrated, but they are still an incredibly important part of game design. Can a game be good without high-end visuals? Certainly, but it is going to be hard to appeal the masses without sharp graphics and a good art style.

There is a reason that every video game review touches on the games graphics and art style. While it is not the most important thing, it is still an important part of video game design.

Conclusion

Of course, some more basic aspects of game design need to be touched on for a game to work. It needs to be fun, the controls need to work and the mechanics need to be functional. Those are fundamentals. These other aspects are important after the basics are addressed, and without these, a game will never reach a higher level.

What do you think are the most important aspects of designing a good video game? Let us know in the comments!（Source：makeuseof）