Back in 1998, 3D video games were still a very new and unexplored form of entertainment. Developers were largely experimenting with various types of games which gave birth to all the different genres that we know of today: Action, RPG, Adventure, Strategy, Simulation and Fighting. Some may claim there are others as well, but I think the above list is exhaustive, in that I cannot think at the moment a 3D video game that cannot be classified under one of the aforementioned categories.
Of the above genres, there is one that is by far the largest, and dominates the modern video-gaming industry: Action games.
The popularity of this genre, owes a lot to a first-person action game released in 1998, called “Half-life.” Although it wasn’t the first of such games to hit the market and it certainly wasn’t the last, it was the first to have such a wide impact that allowed it to attract to its fan base people that typically enjoyed different types of games.
What was so special about Half-life, was a very brave (in other words, risky) decision that its developers made early on in the development cycle: The players would have full control of their hero at all times, via a first-person view. There wouldn’t be any cutscenes to progress the storyline. Rather, whenever the players were needed to pay attention to a particular point where scripted events were transpiring, their attention was subtly grabbed through various tricks. (e.g. a can rolling towards a room that upon entering, the players could see a scientist burning his food in the microwave.)
This decision of never taking control away from the players, exponentially increased the immersion in the game. It made players feel as if they themselves were the heroes of the game. It created for them the illusion that they, and the protagonist of the game, were one and the same.
I just returned from a business trip to Bucharest, were I stayed in a 4* hotel, part of an international chain. The level of service and quality of the hotel were up to the standards that I expected. However, every night that I was returning to my room, I had to pass next to a glass door, leading to a room that was probably used as a storage. It was full of old furniture and other dusty pieces of equipment. The first time I saw this mess, was enough to break for me the illusion of a luxurious 4* star hotel. I couldn’t see the hotel in the same way anymore. It kind of lost value in my eyes.
The representatives of my insurance company always reply promptly to all my requests. After all these years, they still make me feel as if I am their most important client. I’ve been contacted countless times from insurance agents from other companies, offering me their services at a lower cost, but I have not once felt inclined to change, simply because of the treatment that I am receiving from my current insurance company. It is very difficult to part with the illusion that I am someone’s most important client.
What are the kinds of illusions that you are trying to weave for your clients and why are they important to them? Is there any chance that, through you own actions and/or omissions, you are dispersing the very same illusions that you are trying to create?