Do gamers actually like repetition?

[Incarnate]

I notice reviewers are always bashing a game for being "repetitive," and I'm guilty too. But when you really look at certain genres like racing or fighting games, isn't that what most games are?

Isn't repetition good if the core gameplay loop is satisfying? That is how a slot machine works after all.

Tell me if I've got this wrong, just curious what you guys think.

[MoonC A T]

Anyone who buys a loot shooter knowing it's a loot shooter and then complains it's "grindy" needs move on to a different genre

[Q-T_3.14.exe]

Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition constantly upon hours upon hours upon hours...

[Incarnate]

Originally posted by Q-T_3.14.exe:

Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition constantly upon hours upon hours upon hours...

You played The Division too?

[𝔸𝕣𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝟙]

I would say yes- for the most part. Subsequently the quality of the repetition matters and the player needs to feel like they are achieving something and/or actively improving.

The best example is probably Monster Hunter. You fight the same monsters many many times, but the loot and desire to keep performing better keeps people playing. This is good grind to many, but some still despise it because for them it is just fighting the same monster. They don’t care about doing better. Once they have the loot from the monster they need, they don’t want to fight it again. MHW has some grind that even I don’t like, however, in the form of Kjarr weapons. These weapons drop seldomly from one opponent and require teamwork. Teamwork+rng for me is bad grind. If I could do it solo, I probably wouldn’t care.

Another example might be souls-like games. Some people give up fighting the same boss after losing for an hour and even refund the title. For them it’s bad repetition because they don’t believe they are getting better. Others will learn and overcome the boss and keep on playing. They set a goal to win, see progress, and eventually prevail.

TLDR: Yes, but it also depends on the person. There are different kinds of repetition, and what is “good” vs “bad” grind is debatable.

[Crazy Tiger]

Games are build on repetition, though usually we don't notice it that much because we're enjoying what we're doing. It's when the enjoyment lessens that the repetition becomes more visible and sometimes annoying.

[Under there]

i am a gamer who likes repetition

[MoonC A T]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Games are build on repetition, though usually we don't notice it that much because we're enjoying what we're doing. It's when the enjoyment lessens that the repetition becomes more visible and sometimes annoying.

Agreed.

A sign of a good game is one that has other elements which can offset the boredom and keep you engaged. A good example being the Borderlands series which emphasizes loot, but has so many other well implemented features.

[Here is my card]

Chess. It looks repetitive but it is actually learning about your opponent and you.

EDIT: Oh and since Tiny E isn't here yet, this:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1302800/Chair_Fcking_Simulator/

[docter helth]

I think it depend on the person, what they play, how many hours they have in a game, and have a default game to go to.

[MoonC A T]

Originally posted by Here is my card:

Chess. It looks repetitive but it is actually learning about your opponent and you.

Interesting example

[Devsman]

Oh they love it.

It's the only explanation for why playtimes are rocketing up to and past 200 hours and still the demand is longer longer longer.

[MoonC A T]

Originally posted by Devsman's Comet:

Oh they love it.

It's the only explanation for why playtimes are rocketing up to and past 200 hours and still the demand is longer longer longer.

I think the lack of quality new games might have something to do with it too...

Personally I find myself gravitating towards older games because nothing new grabs my attention long enough.

[Chiyoko]

Depends on what repetition is it.
If it is repetitive scenario but with dynamic actions like Counter-Strike, Dota, RimWorld, Killing Floor and so on, then it is fine, though sometimes getting boring.
If it is like some dumb grind like in MMORPGs quests or Stardew Valley or something else, then it is boring as hell and I hate things like that.

[Neurotic Panda]

of course.

because.

humans generally like and enjoy repetition. what causes panic and anxiety in a lot of if not most people? change. uh oh.. this is different !!!.. uh oh.. never seen this before !!! /panic.

[Goldias]

To some degree I guess.
Looking at rpg games, majority of quest are fetch quest or kill quest. Real challenge is how to make it fun.

Or open world games you just get a set of skills to use against.... Thousands of enemies.

The bad kind of repititive is when the game ask you to complete similar task nonstop with almost nothing in between. That's bad.