What are some strategies to make a game more challenging and engaging?

At the core of all gameplay is counterpoint. Every action should have a reason to do it or not do it that changes with the context. Sid Meier famously summed this up by saying "a game is a sequence of interesting choices". So in a racing game faster is better, until you get to the corner. Weak counterpoint in any loop limits player mastery which destroys engagement and weakens the challenge. Improve it by eliminating no-brainer choices, strengthening the reasons to do or not do in different contexts, making the context more readable, and by increasing the richness of contexts. Only if the counterpoint foundation of every loop is sound can improvements to other vital aspects like immersion, pacing and rewards have any significant impact.

Having a rich environment that tells the story without words makes games so engaging, there's nothing more inspiring and fun to be moving from one room to another and seeing the last moments of contact with the world, for example, you see a diner, cars in the car park, some windows smashed and teddy's and other items on the floor, you see the diner door ajar so you walk in and there's blood streaks all over the place, on some tables , a horrible smell makes the character cover their nose, broken tables and chairs, you can really immerse yourself into the details of what happened when the outbreak came ?? story telling is a vital key for all elements of game design.

There is a direct relationship between challenge and engagement; it's easy to imagine the satisfaction that comes from mastering the sequence of bouncing a ball against the wall consistently. It's just as easy to predict the boredom that follows, and the necessity of subsequent difficulty modulation to keep the experience sticky (how hard can I throw it at the wall, and can I catch it with my eyes closed?) While this might have been enough when the NES and Super Mario Bros launched, video games have evolved dramatically since. Self determination theory highlights two additional dimensions beyond challenge - relatedness and autonomy - that are equally important if you're seeking engagement from a broad and diverse audience.

"Difficulty" as a catch-all term is unhelpful. Game design can help us better articulate the problem so we can rigorously address the problem. * RATE OF FAILURE: does your game expect players to fail more often? -> Increase risk. Narrow windows. Push uncertainty. * TIME TO COMPLETE: does your game want play to slow down? -> Add more challenges. Require more thought. Increase penalites. * HIGHER SKILL FLOOR: do you want players to leverage higher-level skills? -> Identify your skill vocabulary: Timing; input complexity; input precision, resource management, heuristic conflicts, probability/outcome planning/mapping. There are many tools that have been invented and shared - the real challenge is defining the problem.

There is a sweet spot between gameplay that is too easy (boring) and too hard (frustrating). The trick is that as players learn how to play that sweet spot shifts. So, building systems that adapt to the player's ability over time is (big picture) how you keep them challenged enough to stay engaged. What you should not do is expect the player to manually modify difficulty to deal with this problem as a primary defense. For more, look up Flow State.

One of the core ways you can make your game more fun and engaging is to think about the longevity of your mechanics, when you first design them. While designing an endless runner for example, designers might want to think of the myriad ways the player character might be able to run - on grass, concrete, snow, ice, water, air, dragons? These open up a host of possible interactions that the player character might have with the world that they inhabit, and how the world, in turn might respond to them being there. Mechanics are an expensive developmental affair, and it is always easier to plan for possibilities at the very beginning than duck-taping new mechanics later in the game’s life.

From a developer's perspective, infusing varied gameplay elements is a potent strategy to heighten a game's challenge and engagement. Diversifying level design, altering environments, lighting, and themes, or introducing novel mechanics like weapons, abilities, enemies, and puzzles keeps players on their toes. Incorporating different gameplay modes, from stealth and combat to exploration and platforming, demands diverse skills and strategies, preventing monotony. The goal is to craft an experience that feels dynamic, progressive, and fosters a sense of discovery for the player. By avoiding repetition and embracing variety, developers can ensure a captivating and enduring gaming experience.

Uncharted 4 is the best example of a variation of gameplays. As soon as you start feeling bored of tireless combat and waves of enemies rushing down at you, the game steps up and changes the scene to provide you with a calm and senseful story and exploration play. When you get bored of going around, climbing platforms, and roping around, the game rewards you with a beautiful cutscene that transitions into a meaningful gameplay with a bit of an adrenaline rush, or giving you a brain teasing puzzle to deal with. That way, a player remains engaged and wants to see what's next in store for them.

If the goal is engagement having the computer opponents respond to and build up the efficacy and agency of the player is a powerful tool. Never underestimate the power of encouragement. One game that did this really well was Arkham Asylum where you could hear the police in the helicopter are talking about how Batman (you) were destroying the gangs. Warren Specter was excellent at this in his games. System Shock was brilliant written to give player feedback and encouragement from non player characters in the world.

En cuanto a escenarios es interesante que se incluyan algunos de ellos “escondidos” que puedan ser descubiertos por el jugador. Recuerdo a ni?os invitar a amigos a “la cueva” que descubrió en un juego de Roblox

Algo que n?o aparece explicitamente é a promo??o de um bom sistema de risco e recompensa (quanto maior o risco que o jogador está disposto a correr em uma decis?o, maior a recompensa, caso consiga, ou maior a puni??o, em caso de n?o conseguir. Isso, juntamente com a valoriza??o do domínio da gameplay (incentivar a habilidade em vez de sorte, por exemplo), contribuem com uma sensa??o de conquistas. Aliás, premiar certas conquistas, como no caso da steam, podem engajar jogadores que gostam de explorar e platinas os jogos.

In a game like "Assassin's Creed," imagine seamlessly blending into the shadows, triggering a cinematic animation and an exhilarating sound cue as you execute a flawless assassination. Your reward? Not just points, but a sleek new hidden blade skin or an exclusive "Silent Specter" title. It's these immersive feedback moments and enticing rewards that elevate the gaming experience, making each stealthy takedown a memorable achievement.

Provide clear and constructive feedback to players when they succeed or fail. This helps them understand the consequences of their actions and encourages improvement. Remember to playtest and gather feedback from players to fine-tune the balance of difficulty, ensuring that the game remains challenging without becoming frustrating.

Feedback & rewards are engagement's allies. Clear cues keep players informed, guiding them through the gauntlet. Achievements, from pixels to trophies, fuel the joy of conquest. Progression unfolds like a treasure map, each checkpoint a glittering prize. Let the game sing its triumphs, and players will dance to its tune.

Your game has one main objective: save the princess, save the world from alien invasion, recover something lost. Rewards, items that make your journey easier or more exciting are a great add.

Adding randomness to the really fun thing from a gamer perspective as you get unique experience playing same feature make the game more engaging and re playable

Good uncertainty = manageable complexity. If you know what's going to happen and how it'll happen, the magic circle is broken. Example: Is Street Fighter harder to win if a random explosion could take half your HP? - Yes. Is it more "challenging" in the player's mind? - No, because if they can't know, and they can't do anything about it, then they aren't working their brain around that problem. The human brain will not entertain things that are too simple (is 3 > 4?), things that are too complex (where every leaf will fall from a tree), and things that can't be known (random explosion). Building uncertainty requires building manageable, meaningful complexity.

Adding randomness and uncertainty in certain genres guarantees each play through will be unique. Random placement of enemies, behaviors, pickups or tasks ensures that the player has to naturally explore or prepare for encounters each time. Changing weather and time is a great example in a game where the introduction of weather types can inhibit or progress player movement in a game. Some enemies/loot/ locations may only be be available at every specific times under specific conditions. To me this adds a level of replay ability and variety to game play.

I'm a big fan of adding randomness to my games. I grew up with speed running games, so to me, adding RNG that could greatly affect the outcome of a scenario on each run is crucial for a refreshing experience.

more and more games these days get very repetitive once you go to a certain point. Or specially You can just finish a game with using the same techniques and movements, and that in my opinion very boring. Adding some randomness and uncertain moments that triggers players to use different gameplay mechanism will definitely make it enough challenging and fun for many players.

a game that's not just about rules but a playground for your imagination. Imagine choosing different paths, strategies, or styles that shape your unique gaming experience. Games like "Minecraft" take it a step further, handing you tools to create and share content, building a community. Whether tweaking characters or crafting levels, it's all about giving players a sense of ownership and a canvas for limitless possibilities. This is the secret sauce that keeps gamers engaged and coming back for more.

Creativity in gameplay systems is an incredible boon to add some longevity and engagement to your games! the best way to do this is to develop emergent systems! Breath of the Wild and Tears of the kingdom are excellent examples of Emergent systems melding perfectly. Each power, be it Magnesis and Stasis from BOTW, or Ultrahand and Rewind from TOTK, can be explained in one sentence, but contain absolutely limitless potential. Another way for more RPG style games is to allow build variance to affect more than just raw gameplay. Baldur's Gate 3 comes to mind, having your character choices affect dialogue, or give you an edge on certain rolls. Additionally, Fallout: New Vegas, has hundreds of applications for it's relatively limited skill pool!

La tendencia actual, en algunos casos, de permitir que el usuario cree objetos dentro del juego (Roblox, Zelda ToTK, Lego Fortnite) es una buena forma de fomentar la exploración y la participación de los jugadores. Aunque esto es más común en juegos de mundo abierto, creo que es una herramienta que se puede usar en muchos tipos de juego. Pero recuerda que es una herramienta, no la razón de ser del juego.

Some of the best games I’ve ever played have all shared at least one common thread, and that is that the game presents the player with multiple solutions to a single problem. A recent and frankly stellar example of this is principle is demonstrated in Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios. Should the player sneak into the goblin fortress? Talk their way in? Fight their way in? Poison the punch bowl at the goblin party and swagger past an addled mass of dying goblins drunkenly collapsing all over the place? Creativity begets fun. Solving problems with your own special brand of moxie creates lasting satisfaction. Don’t give your players a hammer - give them a toolbox! Or at least a fancy screwdriver with a few adjustable heads.

Try something different, take a look at candy crush saga, it's a well known concept (tetris-like) but on a different perspective. To Metal Slug is what Konami's Contra could have been.

Games should be easy to learn but hard to master. This means that you should design your game mechanics in a way that they are easy to understand from the start, especially since the player will be encountering your game for the first time. However, as the game progresses, these mechanics should evolve to challenge the player. For instance, I recently played ‘Jump King’, a platformer game where the objective is to reach the top by jumping. The movements are simple: you can move left or right and jump. These mechanics are easy to learn, but the way the controls are designed makes it more challenging. For example, you can’t move during a jump, which forces you to make precise jumps or risk falling down.

The element of surprise can be usefull, But remember that a player most feel familiar and confortable with the game mechanics, so changing them only works for specific levels or boss fights. I would Think of long term strategies, like surprising plot twists, and difficulty. Easy lo learn But hard to máster Is good advice!

Every player enjoys a good Easter egg, especially as a reward for doing something unconventional and against the rules of the game as they have been playing it. But games that break the rules themselves tend to be really impactful. Look at Undertale as an example, some boss fights will have mechanics to them that you never expect because they go outside of the limitations of the combat system as the player has been taught, and that is really engaging

If a player is starting to feel comfortable with how the game works, you need to think of a way to add challenge to keep players minds stimulated and engaged. Gamers will always be looking to see what's new to learn, since that is what we humans crave.

For folks just getting started: try looking at "challenge" as the DISH, not an INGREDIENT. Challenge, in game design, is about the resistance players experience in their attempt to achieve their goal. In that light, the challenge you need can be found by defining the play you intend. In "Play Matters", Sicart says, "...we are the fools looking at the finger when someone points at the moon. Games are the finger; play is the moon." The trick to "good" challenge is knowing what kind of play you're framing for your players. Don't just add a sprinkle of challenge because you think you need it - work backwards from how you want your players to play and figure out what obstacles, restrictions, hazards, and risks get them there.

Enrich Gameplay: Introduce new mechanics: Gradually introduce new gameplay mechanics as the player progresses to keep them learning and engaged. Branching storylines: Offer the player choices that impact the game's narrative and gameplay, giving them a sense of agency and ownership. Side quests and mini-games: Provide optional content like side quests and mini-games to give players variety and breaks from the main storyline. Unlockable content: Reward players with new gear, abilities, or cosmetics for completing challenges or reaching milestones, offering them something to strive for.

Complexity is not a Difficulty multiplier. Strive to perfect simple mechanics. You could always add more layers to it, but if none carry weight, it's not going to help you. Instead, try to focus on the simplest of your mechanics first. The most challenging games I have ever played didn't use many tools. They used a small number of tools in different ways. Think, anticipation. Let's say you learn to anticipate and time an attack. One could say - ok, that's done, NEXT! But think - how many different things can you do with just anticipation... Maybe variate the exact attack time. Maybe create an unpredictable event. Maybe make enemies bluff here and there. Maybe increase the number of enemies attacking from different angles, etc.

Successful games like 'Howard's Legacy', 'Tears of the Kingdom', and 'Baldur's Gate 3' show the power of blending a compelling story with solid gameplay. In a market filled with esports and community games, these titles stand out by offering immersive single-player experiences. The narrative in games, especially RPGs, is more than a backdrop; it deeply influences player decisions, making gameplay about more than just completing tasks. A strong story creates an emotional bond, adding depth to challenges and making victories more satisfying. This balance of narrative and gameplay is key to creating memorable and emotionally engaging gaming experiences.

Be sure that you know your player's motivation, it's a very important thing in game design. You need to understand who will play, understand what players expect, and what they want to do. For example, there is some pretty famous differentiation of player types called "Bartle taxonomy", like Killers, Achievers, Explorers, and Socializers. It's important for someone, to gain achievements, for someone's challenges, for someone's ability to create and explore the world, someone want it all :) So, first, you have to ask, for what kind of players do you make the game? And only after that, do you have to think about difficulty level, challenges, randomness, world exploration, etc.