Fun is a hard concept to pin down, especially in video games. We have some ideas about what’s fun and what isn’t (sewer levels), but as always the details are important. A major detail comes in the shape of player expectations, that is, what they think about your game and what your game is really about. Managing expectations in the game can be a source of fun, combining surprise, safety, and just a little bit of frustration to overcome. Check out this article on the subject of player expectations. Gamasutra has the story.
Expectations matter. When I first played Fallout, the original non-3D game, I found it clunky and slow and unintuitive. That’s okay, though, because everyone had told me it was a great game. So I stuck with it, and lo, Fallout was a great game.
Same deal inside the game. Build up to something big, deliver something big, good times. Or stay low-key, turn the corner, and it’s Godzilla. That works, too. Surprise is nice, if you can pull it off.