and Z working when there’s a chance players will never see them? Unfortunately,
accountants are often not in touch with the finer points of game design, and when you
say, “But non-linearity is what makes this game great!” they are likely to dismiss you as
“unreasonable” or “difficult.”
Non-linearity is also often hard to pull off from a design perspective, certainly
harder than simple linearity. This may be another reason why so many designers shy
away from it at the first opportunity. Designing numerous obstacles that are different
enough to provide variety for players and apply roughly the same challenge is not an
easy task. In the X, Y, and Z challenges example, if Z is significantly easier than X or Y, it
is quite likely no one will ever bother with X or Y. In a way, a game with poorly designed
choices for players is nearly as linear as a game without any choices at all. The
non-linearity your game provides must be meaningful and useful to players or it is a
waste. Designers who think too highly of their own design skills may also avoid
non-linearity in their designs because they want players to experience every single
element of the game they decide to include. “Why spend a lot of time on portions of the
game that not everyone will see?” say these somewhat egotistical designers, missing
the point entirely. If enough people play your game, some people will surely see what
you have created, and each one of the players will have a somewhat different experi-
ence because of it. Just as a great novel will have multiple layers to its story and
different meanings that different readers will take away, even more so a game should
allow players to find their own way through the game-world and empower them to craft
their own unique experience.
The Purpose of Non-Linearity......................
It is important to always remember that non-linearity is included in the game to provide
players some meaningful authorship in the way they play the game. If they are forced to
stay on a specific line to get from the beginning of the game to the end, the game will
feel constrained. The challenges along that line may be brilliantly conceived, but if
Chapter 7: The Elements of Gameplay 123
Working meaningful
non-linearity intoThe
Sufferingproved quite
challenging.