Porter's World

Physics Games

I’m sure nearly everyone reading this is aware of the success that physics based games have been bringing in. Games such as Splitter, Super Stacker, Fantastic Contraption, Totem Destroyer and Civiballs have done amazingly well on the net thus far. There’s clearly something majestic about these games in the eye of the player, but what is it? Do they feel that the game is better because it offers realistic physics which are rarely seen in games? Does the general public (dare I say it) enjoy using their brains to solve puzzles using real life knowledge? There’s something about these games that really draws players in, and because of that, sponsors too.

Many developers have heard of the Box2D physics engine, the power behind nearly all of these highly successful physics games. Many developers enjoy using this amazing tool, while others put it down for one reason or another. Regardless of developers opinions, it’s clear that the games produced with Box2D that were given a decent amount of effort pay off very well. Civiballs is the highest paid sponsored game by King.com, and many other physics games are up there among other sponsors. Many developers like to use Gemcraft as the ideal example of a successful game, which it certainly is, but what many of them don’t know, is that some of these physics based games have sold for more, a lot more. Without a doubt, games such as Gemcraft have a ton of more work put into them, but somehow these physics games with a significantly lower effort put into them (not low, just lower) are doing amazingly well along side them. With this newly found info to many of you, you may want to think twice about ignoring Box2D any longer, unless you prefer making less money for more work. That’s not to say developers should all flock to physics games and abandon others, but I’d love to see some more creative takes on the genre, and I’m sure sponsors would be willing to dish out the cash, judging by recent sales of similar games.

Let’s take a closer look at a physics game and dissect it, let’s try and figure out what makes these games so successful. Dynamic Systems is a brand new game (at the time of writing this) that was sponsored for a price that definitely sits up among the top paid for games. The goal is to guide a small metal ball to the bucket in each stage using various tools such as dominoes, bouncing platforms, metal rails and more. My first impression of this game’s success, as with most physics based games, is that it’s incredibly user friendly. I’m against hand-holding in most cases, but it actually works in these kind of games and I know from experience in game design that players love to have things spelled out for them, at least at first. There really isn’t any confusion to be found within the first few levels, new elements are introduced one by one and in very easy scenarios. The trick here is that the difficulty would be boring if it was the same over and over, however since a new mechanic is introduced every level for some time, the difficulty is completely disregarded, a smart move in level design. Once you’ve learned every mechanic the game has to offer, it’s up to you to think on your own and solve the puzzles combining your newly found knowledge. From a player perspective, I believe I can see why these games do so well. Most flash game players are complete novices at games, they don’t like a huge challenge, especially at first. These games teach you everything you need to know step by step in a way that isn’t boring, nor does it actually appear to be a tutorial you would normally click through, despite the fact that the first few levels indeed are just a tutorial in disguise. Aside from that, I believe the realistic approach of using physics, something we encounter every day in the real world, really appeals to gamers. I believe they feel like the developer has done a good job mimicking the real world and that impresses them. Not only that, the real physics makes them feel comfortable because they’re already aware of many of the reactions they will get in the game, because it’s based on what they live with every day in the real world.

Regardless of my opinion on why these games are successful, they certainly do well. Players love them time after time and the games seem to recieve a higher number of views than their surrounding games on nearly all portals. Weather you’re a fan of Box2D or not, I would recommend giving it a look. If you’ve got a creative mind and the ability to use this library, you’re certain to come out with some very nice cash in the next few months. On a complete side note, I recently said that achievements were going to be the next big thing in flash games, now it seems that real physics is the new trend, sponsors better check their bank accounts when developers start using both.