Corvus Consulting

Games are a special breed of software for a lot of reasons, and one of the more interesting to me is the way obstacles are used. Most software uses some kind of obstacle or challenge for security or accidents: passwords, confirmation boxes, and even dependencies between required data and the ability to use a feature are usually in place to facilitate, not frustrate.

On the other hand, when done right, obstacles in games become the journey that makes the task worthwhile. You want it to be a bit hard, but not too hard. Pulling that off requires a complex and subtle balancing act that makes the obstacle both challenging and surmountable for a wide range of player profiles.

Game designers are in a tough spot when it comes to creating the right kind of challenge, because they need to make things just hard enough for players to be engaged but so frustrated that they give up the game. What makes this goal so difficult is that game audiences can range from very casual, like myself, to hardcore players who easily log tens of hours a week on their console.