Puzzles in Games

by Scott Lewis

Today, we're going to talk about the role of puzzles in PC games and how that role has changed in the last few years. In the early days of PC gaming, the puzzle game was a relatively common sight on game shelves. Today's games are unlikely to even have proper puzzle content, much less to be based solely around the puzzle concept. This trend is due to a number of macro level trends in gaming and entertainment and has advanced to the point of creating a niche market for pure puzzle games, creating the possibility for a sort of full circle evolution of the marketplace.

To talk about puzzles in games we need to first define what we mean by puzzle. A puzzle gaming experience can take a variety of forms. In fact, creative design is one of the most important parts of a good puzzle game. It is perhaps easier to define in-game puzzles by what they are not. First, they are not the manipulation of inventory. Adventure games, a related genre, commonly consist mostly of the pairing of items that serve as keys with locks of various shapes. Carry the vase of flowers to the sad old woman so that she will stop crying and allow you to pass, etc. This sort of game is often billed as puzzle content, which can lead to some purchase confusion. (Which is not to say that they aren't good games. Syberia is a fine example of an excellent adventure game misrepresented in both promotion and the gaming press as a puzzle game.) Also, games are not puzzles. Tetris, for example, or the games featured in Puzzle Pirates are not true puzzles because they have random starting conditions and no specific ending. Certainly, nothing that involves combat or other RPG staples could reasonably be called a puzzle, though environmental boss fights in some RPGs blur the line. In-game puzzles are discrete, consisting of the manipulation of some number of inputs to achieve a known or unknown outcome. This discrete character is a very important component. Good puzzle gameplay experiences can't require that the player bring in elements from other components of the game. Puzzles may, however, span several parts of a games environment. The Myst games are a good example of how puzzles, while self contained, can be worked so tightly into an environment as to seem inseparable therefrom.

The puzzle is a powerful tool for a game designer. A well crafted puzzle provides a focused challenge to the player. Puzzle content asks more out of a player than most gaming experiences. Particularly when game design is linear, a particular puzzle can fill a disproportionately large amount of playtime well providing a strong feeling of accomplishment when it is finally conquered. Some of my fondest gaming memories come from early puzzle games such as The 7th Guest and Shivers. These games were quasi-multiplayer experiences, with the player's friends often drawn in as consultants on particular pieces. (I would never have passed a tonal puzzle from Shivers were it not for a far more musically inclined girlfriend.) Survival horror games are one of the few places real puzzle content still thrives, and there only in limited doses. The true puzzle experience is almost entirely gone, with only Myst as its' off and on representative.

The demise of the puzzle gaming experience is largely a market driven phenomenon. Puzzle games have gone away because they have traditionally underperformed relative to other genre. This underperformance is in part due to the experiential difference in puzzle games. As mentioned before, the puzzle game is demanding, a phenomenon which sits poorly with modern gamers who expect constant movement, action, and generally easier play. (Which is probably a solid seed for another article, one in which I would inevitably sound old and cranky.) Also, puzzle games tend to be behind the technology curve, as they don't really benefit as much as, say, first person shooters from faster processors and better graphics cards. This leads to a hard sell for the traditionally key younger male segment.

I don't mean to say the puzzle game is dead. In fact, I come here with a message of hope. The gaming audience is getting older and becoming more evenly distributed across demographics. Combine this with a significantly larger overall player base and we see the possibility for niche games that can easily recoup production costs. These potential niche markets can allow developers to pursue genre that would be mass market disasters, including the pure puzzle game. Do your part. Pursue the puzzle game where you find it. Pay for a copy instead of playing someone else's. While arguments of voting with dollars are often hollow with regard to mass market games, those of use who live on the fringes of the gaming public are far more obligated to put out money where our mouth is. Seek out the puzzle game where you can find it and you will be rewarded with intellectually stimulating and engrossing challenges that can be hard to find with more standard fare. Over the next few weeks we might find the column space to go looking for a few.