1mage wrote:The game should entertain us.. we shouldnt be entertaining the game
This is why games like WoW and EQ have such appeal to the masses. The thinking is done for you.
I personally find that its each to their own. No single game has yet been written that will appeal to all. I love the freedom of Atys, it what keeps me here.
All games were created to entertain, all do it in different ways. Whether a game is good or bad is down to the players needs and wants.
FPS type games are great for a rush and a bit of excitement, very few have long term appeal (Counter Strike is probably the daddy of these for life span, becuase it was written, by the player, for the players)
Planetside & Eve - held players intrest for a long time, becuase of what the players put in, not becuase of the 'content'.
Stagic games are the similar, find the weakness in the AI and you tire quickly of them.
If I was to compare game types I would say the mass market games are like the role playing books with predefind results. Make all the right choices and you are winner. Ryzom is different in my opinion because the freedom means two people can see the game completely differently.
I guess what I am saying is its similar to comparing reading a book and watching a film. The book allows you to us your imagination and create you own view on whats written, it does however require the effort of reading. A film however provides all the detail for you, you don't need to think its all laid out ready present, little effort is required by the viewer. Both are entertaining. Both have equal merit and exist for different people.
I like to get a return on the effort I put. Neither 'type' of game is right or wrong (good or bad). They are simply different.
As for the game should entertain us....... It does, how it entertains us I have to say is down to the player.