I started playing World of Goo last weekend. I’ve been playing it obsessivley since and beat it just a few days after purchasing it. I’ve spent a large chunk of my free time moving the slimy building “blocks” around the screen.
Sitting here now I’m trying to isolate just what about this game made it so engaging. I suspect that like many things that people find entertaining over sustained periods of time it is that the rules are easy to learn but difficult to master. World of Goo is easy to pick up and play, even if you’re unfamiliar with video games, in minutes you’ll be manipulating the goos into simple structures like bridges and towers and unconsciously dealing with such complex issues as weight load and structural balance. The game slowly demands that you construct better and better structures in order to solves the puzzles while providing a sand box mode where you’re free just to build with the the goos.
This is something that all games (video or otherwise) do well. They introduce simple concepts that are easy to understand and then slowly require the player to master these rules to progress. Using our brains natural tendancy to reward itself when it solves a problem to keep us playing their game!
If you haven’t tried the game yet I hope you’ll at least pick up the demo, and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
