For me, there are a few different kinds of games that I enjoy for different reasons:
There’s the pick-up-and-play games that don’t try to be anything other than a fun activity. Usually they’re somewhat abstract and have simple gameplay with a lot of replayability. The Tetrises of the world. This sounds largely like what you’re referring to.
Then there’s the games that try to challenge you to hone your skills. This could be multiplayer games that could be seen as digital sports in some ways or it could be single player games that are all about challenging you to master the game (eg Dark Souls if you ignore the pvp like I mostly do). Racing games could also fall into this category.
Then there’s the sandbox style games. They give you a few gameplay systems to play with and let you loose in a large play pen. This are the typical open world games or otherwise open ended games.
Finally, there’s interactive storytelling. Some are more virtaul reality simulation than others and some have deep gameplay while others have very shallow gameplay. These games are more about the storytelling though, so it doesn’t always matter. In recent years, I personally think that (some) games have actually surpassed movies in storytelling ability.
Of course, many games are some combination of these and some pull it off better than others.
You can have deep or shallow versions of all of these too.
I guess what I’m wondering is: do you have any interest in the other three types of games I mentioned and if not, how come? (I know, again, its not an easy question to answer)
In general I like games that are a good/interesting/fun abstraction of reality. This normally implies interesting mechanics and sugestive graphics. I normally prefer simulations, rpg, strategy and rogues. But never too realistic, unrelevant details should be wiped away, as an extreme example, what's the point of playing an ultra realistic simulator of a restaurant? It would be better to get a job doing that and earn some money.
Note also that I don't consider myself a gamer, I only play occasionally.
Yes, modern indie games are the only modern games I play.
For me, there are a few different kinds of games that I enjoy for different reasons:
There’s the pick-up-and-play games that don’t try to be anything other than a fun activity. Usually they’re somewhat abstract and have simple gameplay with a lot of replayability. The Tetrises of the world. This sounds largely like what you’re referring to.
Then there’s the games that try to challenge you to hone your skills. This could be multiplayer games that could be seen as digital sports in some ways or it could be single player games that are all about challenging you to master the game (eg Dark Souls if you ignore the pvp like I mostly do). Racing games could also fall into this category.
Then there’s the sandbox style games. They give you a few gameplay systems to play with and let you loose in a large play pen. This are the typical open world games or otherwise open ended games.
Finally, there’s interactive storytelling. Some are more virtaul reality simulation than others and some have deep gameplay while others have very shallow gameplay. These games are more about the storytelling though, so it doesn’t always matter. In recent years, I personally think that (some) games have actually surpassed movies in storytelling ability.
Of course, many games are some combination of these and some pull it off better than others.
You can have deep or shallow versions of all of these too.
I guess what I’m wondering is: do you have any interest in the other three types of games I mentioned and if not, how come? (I know, again, its not an easy question to answer)
Also, do modern indie games tick your boxes?