336 Novelty Or Timelessness

What is it about a game that makes it either timeless or a novelty?

Something timeless transcends the tropes and features that define the time period it was created during. In modern digital media like film, music, TV, and games, it can be difficult to predict whether something is novel. Even pieces of media that receive outstanding 5-out-of-5 reviews and chart topping Metacritic scores are subject to novelty. Many things that have gotten this type of praise in the past quickly (or sometimes not as quickly) fall into obscurity, or eventually feel anachronistic when experienced in the present.

It’s an important thing to think about while designing games, though. There are merits to both types of games, and typically one can’t set out to create or not create something that’s novel or timeless, but keeping it in mind is definitely helpful.

[ Today I Was Playing: Magicka 2 and Disney Infinity 2.0 and N++ ]

#game-opinion