14 DAY TRIAL // There’s a line, which some gamers call The Chick Parabola, which tracks how the enjoyment of a particular video game, especially in the strategy genre, can be correlated with the understanding that a player has of its mechanics.
As a gamer knows more about the experience and its core features, as he understands why events happen and how he can control them, he draws less pleasure from them.
I am happy to report that there are at least two modern game releases, Football Manager 2014 and Crusader Kings II, where the surprise level remains high even after hundreds of hours of play little hope that a gamer can fully understand all the mechanics.
Football Manager 2014 is created by Sports Interactive and aims to allow a gamer to experience the entire professional life of a team leader.
Those who get it can choose how involved they want to be in the experience, but those who are handling all aspects of the management life will become involved in a world that produces different results based on the smallest of changes.
Crusader Kings II might offer even more depth as the gamer takes control of a noble family and aims to expand its hold on power and prestige during the medieval era.
The experiences exist in different genres and probably attract audiences that rarely intersect but they have a high level of complexity and systems that interact in surprising ways, hidden away from the player’s view.
There’s a certain magic born out of the depth that CK II and FM 2014 have and I know friends who say they are frustrating because they are unable to see and understand what’s happening.
But in the gaming world surprises are welcomed and I believe that more players choose complexity and try to see where it leads them.