1)In your opinion, what makes games fun?

 

What do I think makes a game fun? I enjoy being a character in a story; to be part of a reality not necessarily tied to our own, because my reality is a daily routine of school then work then home. That gets mundane and overbearing very quickly. However, I can hardly call myself a gamer. I enjoy being a part of the culture as an apt spectator. I've learned many things about gaming through my husband, with whom I have spent many years experiencing different story lines, different game mechanics, and different multi-player matches with different people. And I agree with what he says is most important in the game: immersion. Because when I watch him play, I can feel myself being pulled into the story and the environment: I was there from the beginning to the end of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, I watched him play Fallout: New Vegas while we were vacationing in Vegas (we were even pointing out towns that were in the game as we were driving), and he told me all the war stories from EVE Online. What I find even more fascinating is the ability to interact with other people who we may never meet in our daily lives but may prove to be invaluable connections, or even friends. I also feel that if gamers ruled the world then we would settle disputes with a round of Battlefield 2 in match mode. Watching that action was some of the best entertainment I've ever experienced.

2)Which of these things (if any) were present in the I <3 Bees ARG? If not present, what made I <3 Bees fun?

The immersion with the story of I <3 Bees that the players found themselves in was incredible and inspiring. Here was a large group of people from all around the world who probably had other things to deal with who could have simply brushed it off and moved on to the next game release. But they were presented with a challenge and accepted that challenge. I feel that it was this challenge that urged them on and the mystery that enticed them to want to learn more. Even more, the tangibility of the challenge as it was brought into the world of reality enhanced the immersion.

Then there is the reward of a job well done; the reward of self-reassurance when an operation is successful. This combination of immersion, challenge, and reward, as well as an end goal, is what made I <3 Bees fun for the thousands of people who participated.