Grind Quest: Objectives

For this quest, we have been tasked to list ten of our favourite games, and name the objective for each, describe the similarities between them, and then define the types of games that appeal to us.

So my current 10 favourite games are, in no particular order

1. Batman Arkham City: Forbidden Act, Outwit, Solution, Exploration
2. WipEout: Race
3. Assassin's Creed 2: Forbidden act, Chase, Escape, Exploration, Solution
4. Grand Theft Auto Series: Forbidden act, Escape, Exploration, Chase
5. Journey: Exploration
6. Flower: Exploration
7. Kerbal Space Program: Exploration, Construction, Solution
8. Little Big Planet: Solution
9. Dishonored: Forbidden act, Chase, Solution, Outwit, Escape,  Exploration
10. Civilization 5: Capture, Construction, Exploration, Outwit, Solution

Based on the above games, and my own personal preference for games I can safely say that my favourite games start by being open world. I love being given the freedom to explore a world and most of all a world where I feel I can make meaningful choices. I love venturing into new lands and discovering what is there, and I often enjoy just looking around at the environments and the characters that inhabit it.

Secondly I enjoy a good challenge in the form of a puzzle. I've always enjoyed problem solving, and I've found that games that incorporate this really attract my attention. I don't necessarily enjoy solving a Rubik's cube though. I prefer optimizing a small system to make it work the way I want it to or need it to. Kerbal Space Program, a game in development and available on Steam Greenlight is a game that I lost myself in for hours on end just trying to build a jet-plane. Discovering the right set of fuel tank, engine, wings, nose and tail kept me going for hours and hours through all my sessions. The game put me in the deepest state of flow I have ever been in.

Thirdly, I enjoy a good Forbidden Act. The thrill of doing something completely wrong, outrageous, or illegal brings a thrill like none other. The ultimate game series that does this is of course the GTA series. The ability to do so many wrong things whenever I want and get away with it is adrenaline pumping. Even if I don't get away with it in game, I obviously won't get arrested in real life. Seriously, when was the last time you got to steal a helicopter, get chased by the army, jump out of the plane and parachute to the top of a building where you proceeded to engage in a shootout with every cop in the city. The forbidden act also tends to give me a sense of empowerment over the world I play in. As Batman, I can disappear into the shadows and take down my enemies one at a time, or I could swoop in and fight a horde of them all at the same time.

I think what I enjoy most in games is being given the ability to do what I want in general. I like being given a lot of choice. Puzzle games that allow for multiple solutions give me a lot of choice in that here isn't just one way to solve a problem, and so I can explore different solutions to the same problem until I find one that works best. Exploration means getting to go where I want, when I want, and I like having that freedom. I want to be able to get to the peak of a mountain and look out on the world and just see what's happening. I want to be able to discover ancient ruins and caves and such. The ability to commit a forbidden act, for me, is more-so about having the option to commit the act as opposed to just committing the act itself. Just like in real life, we always have the choice to do the wrong thing, but we choose not to. In the same way, games that have the option to commit a forbidden act aren't necessarily forcing you to do it (although most do).

Now some may debate my view on the objectives of these games so I have included an explanation below describing the objectives in each of my favourite games.

1. Batman Arkham City
• I have classified the objective primarily as Forbidden Act because in reality I wouldn't be a masked vigilante beating up thugs, psychopaths, and mutated villains because of a promise I made to my dead parents. In fact, even in the context of the game Batman is breaking the law by taking the law into his own hands.
• The outwit portion and solution objectives of the game are in the detective aspect of the game, which in my opinion takes a backseat to the combat. You gain new information about the environment as you travel within it and can use the environment against your enemies. By gaining new knowledge of the environment, you can also figure out how to take out your enemies faster. The outwit and solution objectives are secondary, and tertiary, respectively. 
• Exploration is the quaternary objective; players can explore Arkham City at any time. Exploration is encouraged through easter eggs and collectibles.
2. WipEout HD
• It's a futuristic racing game.
3. Assassin's Creed
• The AC series puts you in the shoes of an assassin and allows you to kill almost anyone at anytime and is the primary goal in most in-game missions, as such I see the primary objective as being a Forbidden Act. 
• The chase and escape objectives are secondary and tertiary, respectively. Most of the time you have to go after your target, then escape the chaos that ensues. 
• Exploration is the quaternary objective, as you are able roam wherever you please within the cities' limits and discover easter eggs and collectibles.
4. GTA Series
• The GTA series is built on the objective of the Forbidden Act, giving you the ability to kill everyone, all the time at any time. Not only that but the most recent releases in the series allow you to pay for prostitutes, go to strip clubs, drink and drive, do drugs and drive and so on. T
• The secondary objective is Escape as a byproduct of the Forbidden Act, since police or even enemy gangs may chase you or flat out attempt to kill you. 
• Exploration is the tertiary objective; the most recent GTA, GTA V has a city so large you can literally fly a plane to get across it quickly. There are also tons of random and dynamic events that occur as you travel through the city to encourage exploration. The scenery in it's own right is enough reason to explore.
• The chase objectives is a quaternary objective. Frequently missions involve chasing targets to eliminate them.
5. Journey
• Exploration is the primary objective in Journey. I have determined this based on the fact that scarves are hidden in several areas of levels and although they are not necessary to finish the game, a player that explores will find these scarves and be able to jump higher.
6. Flower
• Exploration is the primary objective in Flower. The player begins by controlling a single petal. Through their exploration of the environment they can add more petals to their control and bring life back to the areas they discover, although as far as I know this is not necessary to complete the game.
7. Kerbal Space Program
• Exploration is the primary objective in Kerbal Space Program. The game is centered around traveling to other planets and moons in the solar system. 
• Solution is the secondary objective. As an example of a problem one most solve: you have to assemble a spaceship that has the ability to exit you home planet's gravitational pull, land on another planet, and return home safely. Finding the best configuration of ship parts is the most time consuming activity in the game.
• Construction is the tertiary objective as you have to build and manage ships and satellites that are in orbit. Ships that are in orbit require manual staging and must be kept track of.
8. Little Big Planet
• Little Big Planet is a platformer and traditional levels focus on puzzle elements. The primary objective for the pre-packaged levels is finding the optimal way to complete them, hence the game's objective is Solution. 
9. Dishonored: Forbidden act, Chase, Solution, Outwit, Escape,  Exploration
• Similar to the Assassin's Creed series, the main objective of Dishonored is the Forbidden Act. 
• The chase is the secondary objective as you have to find your target to complete a mission. 
• Unlike the AC series, Dishonored allows for several different paths to eliminating a target. In my opinion there is an optimal way to eliminate targets and as such, Solution is the tertiary objective. 
• Outwitting your enemies seems to be coupled with the Solution objective, as some missions involve you possessing others to listen in on conversations to gain new information which in turn aids you in your solution. 
• Escape is the quaternary objective as you usually have to escape the scene of the crime once you are complete. 
• Exploration is the quinary objective; as you explore a level, you gain new information into how it is constructed, and as such it aids you in your solution.
10. Civilization 5
• Capture is the primary objective of Civilization 5. Players are competing for territory, food, military power, science, culture, and money
• Construction is the secondary objective as you build and manage your cities and units.
• Exploration is the tertiary objective. Exploring reveals more of the map, new land and potential resources, revealing unmet players and city-states, ancient ruins.
• Outwitting is the quaternary objective. When you explore and reveal more of the map, you gain more tactical knowledge of the world, that your enemy may not be aware of; this gives you an advantage.
• Solution is the quinary objective. Due to the cost of having large cities, and several units, often you must enforce abstinence in your cities to reduce overpopulation and you must cut down on your number of units to reduce maintenance costs.