Game Design Mechanics I'd like to see in VR.

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It's interesting to see how some video game designers are switching roles and helping to develop board games. Ever since the very first video game RPG's it was clearly understood that these developers played and referenced D&D. So it seems the more people are coming back to board games, and more of these people want to play games based on videogames. Life really does imitate Art.

Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, particularly virtual ones using gamification.

Game design creates goals, rules and challenges to define a board game, card game, dice game, casino game, role-playing game, sport, video game, war game or simulation that produces desirable interactions among its participants and, possibly, spectators.

Academically, game design is part of game studies, while game theory studies strategic decision making primarily in non-game situations. Games have historically inspired seminal research in the fields of probability, artificial intelligence, economics, and optimization theory. Applying game design to itself is a current research topic in metadesign.

In short, games are really useful for multiple reasons and us humans really enjoy them. (Just look at most apps, everything from reading to running has a leveling up system, badges, awards and even reward unlocks.)


I honestly believe that VR is hitting a slow patch not because of the hardware, but because the software just isn't as immersive or developed enough. The amount of average specificity games on the market is just disheartening. So many developers are just taking existing gameplay types and porting them in VR, rather than exploring the possibilities.

Producing more Zombie FPS is what is going to kill public interest in VR. But I also understand that it's a business and you need to follow the trends, making new innovations is costly and risky.


Ok, a lot of pre-ramble there but these are some VR Game Play Mechanics I'd like to see in the future:


1. Games and experiences need to be within the 10 minute mark. Wearing all the gear is uncomfortable and the designers need to embrace this rather than fight it.

2. More party based multiplayer games. One person has the HDM whilst everyone else can do something to interact with the game either via keyboard or mobile phone. Waiting for your turn can get pretty boring.

3. Mini games! I'd love to go to a VR arcade booth with some friends and play 50 games in 20 minutes. The crazier the better. 'Bishi Bashi' would be a blast!

4. Constant live games. Players put on the hdm and 'drop' into the world. It's constantly running so the game progresses even without them. No loading times with people waiting around whilst the game is reset and you can even receive updates on who is winning outside of the game. The game 'Helldivers' really makes a impact everytime you start as you can see where past battles took place.

5. Give users an unique experience. VR should be immersive, fun to explore and look at whilst creating something that is impossible in the real world. 'Superhot' delivers this with a slow motion bullet time effect and I'm sure this is gonna be seen again in bigger titles.

6. Body swapping and Time travel would be fantastic fun and could lead to some seriously great unforeseen consequences and events.

7. More music based games, but aren't based about hitting the perfect block. Stop thinking in two dimensions and reality based physics.

8. Changing players scale in game. A few games already do this quickly lose any reference that you're either tiny or huge. An Ant-Man Alice in wonderland action puzzle game would be pretty special.


I'm sure as VR continues to develop and we get new hardware, more developers will produce exciting games which we can't even imagine yet.

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