I Love Bees Response

    There are many components to a game that make it fun to a player. Despite the diversity of game genres, whether it is a first-person-shooter, a puzzle platformer, or a roleplaying game, a fun game must be immersive. At the root of their success, popular games suck their players in because they either have rich storylines, a strong multiplayer community, or challenging obstacles. Whichever the game focuses on, players have to be become invested as long as the game doesn't have too many problematic mechanics such as glitches, overpowered weapons, or issues that make the game unplayable. Limbo, a macabre, indie, puzzle-platformer could not be any more different than, let's say, TF2.
    I find these two different games fun for different reasons.Limbo is single player, it is minimalistic in color and is 2D with a linear storyline.   Limbo is dark and artistic. It challenges the player to master their timing in accordance with the game's events. Jump at this exact moment or you die. Pull this switch and maneuver your way back in order to advance to the next stage in time. There is no rewards system in this game or scoreboard to best. You play the game and advance because you've immersed yourself in the monochromatic world with minimal text. You're left to ponder and interpret the game's story as continue to play. It is visual storytelling at its best and you're left wanting more. Tf2, on the other hand, is known for it's vibrant, cartoony art style, strong multiplayer base, and balanced gameplay. There is a rewards system for the amount of time you spend playing the game.  It is a multiplayer experience and a game that treats its community well. Valve, the developers, encourage players to mod, script, create items and sometimes reward the creators with special weapons or even let their items in to be sold. The Tf2 "hat" industry is estimated to be worth $50 million. All for virtual hats! The ability to trade and sell items is another component to the game's success. Players are invested, quite literally, in the game because of the potential payoff of their items. There is no single player storyline that unveils the lore of Tf2 as you play. However, that does not mean this game is just another dimensionless first-person-shooter. The lore of the game is revealed mostly through comics on the Tf2 website. Instances of Tf2's backstory emerges in the visuals of the game. Valve also makes ARGs, in anticipation of major updates in the game and/or in the game's lore. Though the backstory of Tf2 is more concrete than compared to Limbo's, players still experience the same wonder and sense of accomplishment when they figure out the next clue in the ARG.
    Onto Halo 2's ARG, I <3 Bees, the success of 42 Entertainment's project was because of how immersed players became. It was a mystery that needed solving. People are drawn to the unknown. The seed of curiosity is planted and their imagination does the rest. Stranger from all over the world who successfully found the website, collaborated together, for a common cause. This sense of community that formed from playing this game made the experience all the more personal. I <3 Bees laid the groundwork for Halo's backstory (though considered not truly canon) but rather than just a page long description of the situation or a slideshow of pictures that described what happened, players got to be involved. Because the setting and goal of the project wasn't presented to players on a silver platter, they became all the more determined to obtain it. No single person could figure the answer out. Clues were spread and pointed to locations for meetings and the next clue. Players were expected to contribute information and bounce ideas off one another and piece together the information. The scale of this operation was also what made the game fun. People felt they were part of something grand.

-Zixing Guo