Finding the Fun in a Game That’s Not My Style

A few years ago I read about a useful framework for discussing video games called the eight kinds of fun. It is a lens for considering games through the desires they are the most likely to satisfy. I try to utilize the eight kinds of fun when discussing what is appealing about a game; even when I don’t deploy that exact language, the philosophy behind it drives how I recommend those games to other people. Understanding my own preferences when it comes to fun helps me to select games that will ultimately appeal to me. I am primarily drawn to games where the fun comes from mastering the game’s systems (challenge) and experiencing a compelling story (narrative). This isn’t to say that I can’t appreciate other types of fun – fantasy and submission regularly feature in a lot of what I play as well – but I’m ultimately less…