Welcome to Digital Play Zone!

I’m Winn Liu. Have you ever wondered why crafting in some games is so fun, while others can feel like a drag to even interact with?

Well, I have. Today We will be looking into why crafting is so difficult to make enjoyable and some of the methods game developers use to make crafting fun.

So let’s get started, shall we?

Crafting as a function can often be unenjoyable because of a few things.

A lot of times, crafting in games serves no purpose except to force you to craft a specific item before you are able to progress. It can feel as though you are playing an entirely different game.

Another reason crafting could be unenjoyable is because the crafting system is way too complex and the player has to craft multiple different things before they can craft the actual item they want. This can cause the player to feel that they are doing the same thing over and over causing crafting to be unenjoyable.

On top of that, the thing that you are required to craft needs items that you do not have causing you to have to spend your time collecting items on something you feel is completely unnecessary.

Now that we have discussed on why crafting can be so enjoyable and infuriating at times, let’s take a look at how games can make crafting so fun.

Crafting can be utilized in a way where you as the player are not forced to use it to progress, but if you take the time to learn how to craft, you will be able to try out a new way to play the game.

Take The Witcher 3, While you are able to play the game without interacting with the crafting system at all, this can be a frustrating ordeal as a lot of difficult monsters in that game have weaknesses which you can obtain by crafting.

This can allow the casual players who struggle with combat to be rewarded for taking the time to learn and craft the countermeasures to a monster.

This can also allow for the more dedicated player who enjoys a challenge to master the basic controls to beat the monster the hard way. You can give further feedback and satisfaction to these players by giving them an achievement if they manage to defeat said monster without having to craft a countermeasure.

Another reason crafting can be fun is the progression you get. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction you feel when you are finally able to craft a cool machine gun or a new gadget when all you had, in the beginning, was a pistol is incomparable.

Crafting can also be used to engage with the creativity of a player.

Take the game Minecraft. In this game, you are able to craft new ways to play the game. Stuff like Redstone allows you to create machines that can automate things for you. Or you can craft blocks and items that you can use to create houses and bases from your imagination.

This kind of crafting allows you to stretch the player's creativity and let them create their own art and automation.

Our final way crafting can be used to further enhance the enjoyment of your players is through rewarding the player. This could be by giving the player a new weapon with a new method of combat, or an item with a quirky gimmick, something like a jetpack or grappling hook.

Another way to implement reward and feedback is by allowing the player to craft for quality-of-life changes. These changes could be anything from a portable cooking station to stat-boosting potions.

Crafting in games can be made to be enjoyable to the player, but it has to be something that the player can use to gain a new way of playing your game. Simply increasing stats and damage can cause your players to feel bored and annoyed that they have to farm over and over for what is essentially the same gameplay as they were playing beforehand.

I hope this blog has helped you in exploring a new view on crafting in games. Game development is very much an experiment, you should definitely try new methods and ideas as you never know when you will find a new jackpot!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions to do with game design or writing stories in game.