Post date: Aug 31, 2014 11:43:12 PM
I have certainly re-discovered that I enjoy playing the right video games and I'd rather spend time doing that than some other things in my life. Back in my youth, I only played certain games and refused to play others. I have discovered that the big video games of today are not relaxing to me. They push on my patience and pull on my interest. Portal and Monaco have been so challenging that I feel tense while playing and very frustrated when I am not successful. I gave up on Monaco and I continue to play Portal. Hay Day is less intense than Portal and Monaco but really is not interesting any more. Unfortunately, for Hay Day it takes too long to move up and I am a player not interested in paying to play during their game. Monaco, plain and simply, kicked my butt. And I was so excited at the beginning to play it. I think the problem with Monaco is that I really need others to play with me and I didn't coordinate well enough with others to do so. It was challenging, but not in the style that I prefer.
I continue to play Portal because it challenges me and is easy to launch the game and play. I am so close to the end of the game but it is taking a very long time to figure out the final challenging bits at the end of every new level. I will go back to play Portal because I really want to finish it and I want to go through the game again to investigate any other back story that may appear. I found these rooms along the way that were "hidden". I'm sure they were meant to be found. The only question is what do they mean? Is there really a back story to the game? Is it just there to divert me? I want to finish the levels and go through the game again to find out. I also downloaded the software for creating my own map of the game. It could be fun.
What have I discovered about games? Just like a car, you need to shop around until you find the right one. What will this say about my future? It reminds me that we are all different and what interests one may not interest others. When creating products or lessons in the future I will remember that not everyone will think the way I do about products. I will keep this in mind when I am designing products in the future. Providing choices please more people. Requiring a certain entry point in a product experience may be a limiting factor in its design. Providing more than one way to access beneficial content could solve many problems with lack of interest or frustration on the part of the users. Expecting a user to spend their hard earned money better come with some rewards not more frustration. The customer's time is valuable. I knew this, but it is always important to remember. Make each experience meaningful and purposeful.