What are some ways to keep the player engaged in an endless game?

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An endless game consists of the same gameplay mechanics repeated over and over. You have to keep doing mostly the same things as long as you can.

So it is quite easy to make players bored of your game. What are some concepts that one could implement into the game design to keep the player engaged?

To be more specific, my game is an endless tapping game where you have to tap rockets to make them explode into fireworks, and sometimes on falling meteors too.

game-design mobile clicker

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asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

favorite

1

An endless game consists of the same gameplay mechanics repeated over and over. You have to keep doing mostly the same things as long as you can.

So it is quite easy to make players bored of your game. What are some concepts that one could implement into the game design to keep the player engaged?

To be more specific, my game is an endless tapping game where you have to tap rockets to make them explode into fireworks, and sometimes on falling meteors too.

game-design mobile clicker

share|improve this question

asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

favorite

1

up vote
2
down vote

favorite

1

1

An endless game consists of the same gameplay mechanics repeated over and over. You have to keep doing mostly the same things as long as you can.

So it is quite easy to make players bored of your game. What are some concepts that one could implement into the game design to keep the player engaged?

To be more specific, my game is an endless tapping game where you have to tap rockets to make them explode into fireworks, and sometimes on falling meteors too.

game-design mobile clicker

share|improve this question

asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

An endless game consists of the same gameplay mechanics repeated over and over. You have to keep doing mostly the same things as long as you can.

So it is quite easy to make players bored of your game. What are some concepts that one could implement into the game design to keep the player engaged?

To be more specific, my game is an endless tapping game where you have to tap rockets to make them explode into fireworks, and sometimes on falling meteors too.

game-design mobile clicker

game-design mobile clicker

share|improve this question

asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

share|improve this question

asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

share|improve this question

share|improve this question

asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

asked 55 mins ago

Gurpreet Singh Matharoo

213

213

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

up vote
3
down vote

Provide visible goals for the player to achieve. For example:

• 
  Levels: If you click enough rockets, the game becomes more difficult. When you are lazy on a tight budget, then you can just tune some variables. Like Tetris, for example, where the only difference between levels is speed and score multiplier. This is easy to do, but requires a lose-condition so the game ends when the player reached the limit of their skills.


• 
  Content unlocks: When the player taps enough rockets, new game features become available.


• 
  Story progression: Have your game tell a story. When the player keeps playing, new parts of the story get revealed.


• 
  Achievements: Acknowledge when the player did something good for the first time, like tapping 10000 rockets or tapping 100 rockets in just one minute.


• 
  Becoming better than other players: Create an online leaderboard where users can compete with each other.

One important aspect is to make the player aware of what goals there are and what they need to do to achieve them.

share|improve this answer

edited 35 mins ago

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Great answer, thanks!
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  12 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

Expanding Philipp's content unlocks category, add powerups/items that change up the gameplay. For example: You may tap to explode a rocket, but what if there was an item that made it so when you tapped, a "tower" would spawn that would help you. That kind of stuff is why Enter the Gungeon and The Binding of Isaac are so popular today

share|improve this answer

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Thanks, but I'm not sure whether that could work. This is less of a slow-paced RTS game and more like a fast-paced "do it quickly with your hands" type of mobile game.
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  10 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

up vote
3
down vote

Provide visible goals for the player to achieve. For example:

• 
  Levels: If you click enough rockets, the game becomes more difficult. When you are lazy on a tight budget, then you can just tune some variables. Like Tetris, for example, where the only difference between levels is speed and score multiplier. This is easy to do, but requires a lose-condition so the game ends when the player reached the limit of their skills.


• 
  Content unlocks: When the player taps enough rockets, new game features become available.


• 
  Story progression: Have your game tell a story. When the player keeps playing, new parts of the story get revealed.


• 
  Achievements: Acknowledge when the player did something good for the first time, like tapping 10000 rockets or tapping 100 rockets in just one minute.


• 
  Becoming better than other players: Create an online leaderboard where users can compete with each other.

One important aspect is to make the player aware of what goals there are and what they need to do to achieve them.

share|improve this answer

edited 35 mins ago

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Great answer, thanks!
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  12 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
3
down vote

Provide visible goals for the player to achieve. For example:

• 
  Levels: If you click enough rockets, the game becomes more difficult. When you are lazy on a tight budget, then you can just tune some variables. Like Tetris, for example, where the only difference between levels is speed and score multiplier. This is easy to do, but requires a lose-condition so the game ends when the player reached the limit of their skills.


• 
  Content unlocks: When the player taps enough rockets, new game features become available.


• 
  Story progression: Have your game tell a story. When the player keeps playing, new parts of the story get revealed.


• 
  Achievements: Acknowledge when the player did something good for the first time, like tapping 10000 rockets or tapping 100 rockets in just one minute.


• 
  Becoming better than other players: Create an online leaderboard where users can compete with each other.

One important aspect is to make the player aware of what goals there are and what they need to do to achieve them.

share|improve this answer

edited 35 mins ago

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Great answer, thanks!
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  12 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
3
down vote

up vote
3
down vote

Provide visible goals for the player to achieve. For example:

• 
  Levels: If you click enough rockets, the game becomes more difficult. When you are lazy on a tight budget, then you can just tune some variables. Like Tetris, for example, where the only difference between levels is speed and score multiplier. This is easy to do, but requires a lose-condition so the game ends when the player reached the limit of their skills.


• 
  Content unlocks: When the player taps enough rockets, new game features become available.


• 
  Story progression: Have your game tell a story. When the player keeps playing, new parts of the story get revealed.


• 
  Achievements: Acknowledge when the player did something good for the first time, like tapping 10000 rockets or tapping 100 rockets in just one minute.


• 
  Becoming better than other players: Create an online leaderboard where users can compete with each other.

One important aspect is to make the player aware of what goals there are and what they need to do to achieve them.

share|improve this answer

edited 35 mins ago

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

Provide visible goals for the player to achieve. For example:

• 
  Levels: If you click enough rockets, the game becomes more difficult. When you are lazy on a tight budget, then you can just tune some variables. Like Tetris, for example, where the only difference between levels is speed and score multiplier. This is easy to do, but requires a lose-condition so the game ends when the player reached the limit of their skills.


• 
  Content unlocks: When the player taps enough rockets, new game features become available.


• 
  Story progression: Have your game tell a story. When the player keeps playing, new parts of the story get revealed.


• 
  Achievements: Acknowledge when the player did something good for the first time, like tapping 10000 rockets or tapping 100 rockets in just one minute.


• 
  Becoming better than other players: Create an online leaderboard where users can compete with each other.

One important aspect is to make the player aware of what goals there are and what they need to do to achieve them.

share|improve this answer

edited 35 mins ago

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 35 mins ago

edited 35 mins ago

edited 35 mins ago

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

answered 45 mins ago

Philipp

72.8k19168219

72.8k19168219

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Great answer, thanks!
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  12 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Great answer, thanks!
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  12 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

Great answer, thanks!
– Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
12 mins ago

Great answer, thanks!
– Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
12 mins ago

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

Expanding Philipp's content unlocks category, add powerups/items that change up the gameplay. For example: You may tap to explode a rocket, but what if there was an item that made it so when you tapped, a "tower" would spawn that would help you. That kind of stuff is why Enter the Gungeon and The Binding of Isaac are so popular today

share|improve this answer

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Thanks, but I'm not sure whether that could work. This is less of a slow-paced RTS game and more like a fast-paced "do it quickly with your hands" type of mobile game.
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  10 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

Expanding Philipp's content unlocks category, add powerups/items that change up the gameplay. For example: You may tap to explode a rocket, but what if there was an item that made it so when you tapped, a "tower" would spawn that would help you. That kind of stuff is why Enter the Gungeon and The Binding of Isaac are so popular today

share|improve this answer

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Thanks, but I'm not sure whether that could work. This is less of a slow-paced RTS game and more like a fast-paced "do it quickly with your hands" type of mobile game.
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  10 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

up vote
0
down vote

Expanding Philipp's content unlocks category, add powerups/items that change up the gameplay. For example: You may tap to explode a rocket, but what if there was an item that made it so when you tapped, a "tower" would spawn that would help you. That kind of stuff is why Enter the Gungeon and The Binding of Isaac are so popular today

share|improve this answer

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

Expanding Philipp's content unlocks category, add powerups/items that change up the gameplay. For example: You may tap to explode a rocket, but what if there was an item that made it so when you tapped, a "tower" would spawn that would help you. That kind of stuff is why Enter the Gungeon and The Binding of Isaac are so popular today

share|improve this answer

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

answered 20 mins ago

Priswall

367

367

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Thanks, but I'm not sure whether that could work. This is less of a slow-paced RTS game and more like a fast-paced "do it quickly with your hands" type of mobile game.
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  10 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Thanks, but I'm not sure whether that could work. This is less of a slow-paced RTS game and more like a fast-paced "do it quickly with your hands" type of mobile game.
  – Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
  10 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

Thanks, but I'm not sure whether that could work. This is less of a slow-paced RTS game and more like a fast-paced "do it quickly with your hands" type of mobile game.
– Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
10 mins ago

Thanks, but I'm not sure whether that could work. This is less of a slow-paced RTS game and more like a fast-paced "do it quickly with your hands" type of mobile game.
– Gurpreet Singh Matharoo
10 mins ago

add a comment | 

 

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