I am a total pain in the ass in online games.

Awkward, Frozen, and I have started playing Little Big Planet online and I’ve gotta say, it’s really fucking fun. We’ve only been playing fan-made levels so far but we’re going to go through the campaign (for the second time, but first time online together) soon.

What’s really cool is that while you’re in a fan-made level, other random players can join you until there are four people in the room, and A, F, and I all have mics, and the random players who join mostly likely don’t, and what ensues is just total and complete pain-in-the-ass-ery. Most of the other random players join in by typing through their gamepad or keyoard, so no real hard feelings. But god, this game is just awesome . Why are there not more multiplayer games out like this?

I think what makes it pretty unique is the ability to make the sackboys (the characters you control) move their arms, heads, bodies, and facial expressions at will, (and even their mouths when you talk through the mic). The level of expression possible while playing is just amazing and it really does a good job at involving you in the gameplay. There’s a lot more immersion into the game when you not only get to decide what your little guy looks like, but how he expresses himself and behaves with more detail. It’s a good example of what customization should be reaching for with online multiplayer games. While it’s fun to design characters in MMOs like Guild Wars, WoW, and FPSs, what people really have a fun time doing are silly things that allow them to really have control and personality while “in character.” Dancing, singing, taking pictures, etc.

I think game developers really underestimate that many players want Role Playing in these kinds of games, and not just the role of being a soldier or warrior or mage or whatever, but actually playing the role of the character, and that means being able to make the character do what you feel like doing in the world. Even in games that don’t allow customization or multiple players, such as the Final Fantasy series, the same desire applies. Players want to play AS that character. It’s not just a matter of moving them through one part of the game to the next, even with an engaging story.

This is why so many old fans of the Final Fantasy games are getting disappointed with the new releases. Look at games like Final Fantasy 7 and many of the fans will say some of the best parts are the side quests and mini-games. Chocobo racing to get out of prison anyone? Most of the mini-games and side quests pertain to the storyline (though some great ones don’t have anything to do with the plot at all), but they’re a nice break from the same proceed-to-the-next-stage kind of gameplay, plus it allows the player to see some of the game character’s personality. Nowadays, the biggest complaint most gamers have about new Final Fantasy games is the linear gameplay – the lack of side quests and mini games. They don’t want to just basically watch the game with their only involvement being battles or walking from here to there or in some games just hitting square at the right moment in a quick time event. They want to live in that world. They want free-roam and free-expression.

It’s what makes gamers gamers and not movie fanatics (not that a person can’t be both). Gamers don’t want JUST an amazing story and good characters and music. They want interaction.

If gamers aren’t enjoying the interaction, which can be made up from a combination of elements, then they’ll start to wonder why they’re investing 30+ hours into a game when they could just watch a really good movie.

It’s kind of a fuzzy concept because interaction could mean anything. You interact with the story by moving the character through it and possibly altering the ending. Character interaction could come from simple dialogue or even deciding who the main character ends up with romantically. Gameplay is where you get the most interaction, through boss fights, exploration, character movement, and collecting items, etc. And music is where the least interaction is usually needed/expected, although there are many games that play with sounds and the affect you can have on them as a player.

And, yes, any one of these categories done well alone could make a stellar game even when it’s lacking in other categories. But what game developers need to be doing with new games is use all their resources to allow the player to be in that game world. Different genres would go about this differently, of course, but the goal should be the same. Immersion.

Interaction.

Little Big Planet does it right. Even though the campaign story is kind of lame and some of the fan made levels are cooler than the real ones, the ability to even try to make cooler levels is a huge part of the game. This is a game about expression, and the developers integrated that into as many elements as possible. The campaign serves more as a learning tool, source of inspiration, and a place to collect objects and costumes to use when designing your own level, your home pod, or your character.

Game developers need to focus on what their game is about and then just put absolutely everything possible into making it the best experience they can provide with that focus in mind.

Little Big Planet isn’t as epic in story as Final Fantasy #Whatever, but it is a damn good game with excellent player interaction. The (mostly old) Final Fantasy games achieve that same status for different reasons. Many games have done things right, and have given great experiences and interactions. But many more have been complete flops, and in an industry that is still young and growing and, at this particular moment in time, primarily focused on exposure and profit, I can’t help but notice the lack of effort to really give the player a chance to fully experience their games and interact with them in ways they want to. With this new generation of consoles, there has been a huge drop in damn good games being produced, and it’s just disappointing.