Why Replay?

As kids, many of us played one video game more than once, five or more times over. It was because we were just kids who could not afford to buy new games. We just stuck to one game and replayed it so much we remembered almost every line and moment in the game.

Those gamers, now older and with jobs, have options to buy new games or replay the ones they already own. They also have an option on what to do with those old games. The deciding factor of whether we give the game away or sell it is whether that game has replay value. There are many different ways to enjoy a game after completing the story or mode.

Play the game on harder difficulties. Difficulties were made to challenge seasoned players. There are usually three difficulties: easy, medium, and hard. Sometimes, there is a really hard, which is for the top players who want to not only beat the challenges developers make, but to challenge themselves as gamers. The Halo series is a great example of a game that ups the difficulties enough that players can become masters of the game.

Halo also shows us another great way to add replay value to a game: multiplayer. It can be online with random people or on a couch with your significant other. Gamers have a need to play with other people because it is a great feeling to share moments with others. Just to emphasize, not all multiplayer modes are good, but games like Halo and Left 4 Dead let gamers play and work together as a team to accomplish great things that would seem mundane if played alone.

One way to unlock difficulties is by completing the game. Completing a game does not always mean finishing a story, but obtaining every item, collectible, weapon, power, or jewel in the game’s world. There may be multiple story lines to complete; one is always not enough to see a whole story from every point of view.

To get those multiple point of views, gamers can play through the game again as another character. If a game has multiple characters, that usually means there are multiple stories to play through and new experiences to gain from playing those stories. This applies to RPGs and Fighting games. Street Fighter IV has numerous characters like Ryu and Ken that each has their own fighting styles and stories to learn and master. Dragon Age: Origins also has several stories to go through with numerous characters to choose from.  

Customization is another aspect that will save a game from getting sold or forgotten. Allowing gamers to create their own levels and challenges for themselves add a ton of replay value to a game. Little Big Planet lets gamers develop levels for themselves and create a world of their own that they can share with their friends and experience the fun of creation with people all around the world or in their own home.

Pac Man and Donkey Kong gave gamers the gift of competition by obtaining high scores and beating out other people from the top list of players. It is now known as leader boards in online games, but it’s the same thing. Geometry Wars: Evolved and its sequel also added fun and excitement because it allowed gamers to see their friend’s scores in each game mode. Competition does not only add replay value, but desire for more challenges for developers to look upon when creating a sequel.

The next time you’re looking at that shiny new game, remember your games at home and wonder about all the things it did right that would make you want to play it again before chucking it out the window.     .