This article is a response to a recent video by "Snowman Gaming" titled "Bad Game Design," which critiques clicker games (also known as idle or incremental games). While I don't intend to create drama, as a content creator who enjoys and has praised this genre, I felt obligated to address some misconceptions presented in the video and offer counterarguments. I recommend watching Snowman Gaming's video for full context.
The Evolution of Incremental Games
I love incremental games and have consistently played them for years. It's important to understand that this genre is relatively new and constantly evolving. Snowman's video focuses on older, more "vanilla" titles like Clicker Heroes, Cookie Clicker, Adventure Capitalist, Swarm Simulator, and Time Clickers. He questions why people play these seemingly shallow games.
Beyond Vanilla: Depth and Paradigm Shifts
These older games are a fine introduction to the genre, but the incremental game landscape has evolved considerably. While they may have been fun initially, players often move on due to the repetitive nature of simply clicking to increase numbers. The genre has become much deeper, offering different mechanics, progression systems, balances between active and passive play, and even character classes.
One of the most significant advancements is the introduction of "paradigm shifts." These are major new mechanics that are added to the existing gameplay, often changing the core objectives. While prestige mechanics can be seen as paradigm shifts, more advanced paradigm shifts introduce fundamentally different layers to the gameplay.
Example: Mine Defense
Mine Defense is a great example, although visually simple. The game starts with standard clicking-to-earn mechanics. However, it quickly introduces goblins that steal your gold, requiring you to build walls and hire wizards for defense. Wizards can also meditate to generate mana or boost mining production. Mine Defense constantly adds new mechanics, providing continuous engagement and excitement.
The appeal isn't just watching numbers go up. I enjoy the mechanical discovery and paradigm shifts, anticipating the next new element and how it will impact existing strategies. Exploring systems with different implementations is fascinating, and seeing how designers incorporate their ideas into a basic framework is one of the most compelling factors in this game genre.
Addressing Psychological Concerns: Skinner Boxes and Addiction
Snowman's video touches on the psychological reasons behind the appeal of incremental games, bringing up Skinner boxes and addiction. It's true that these games provide a sense of accomplishment through increasing numbers, triggering dopamine release and engaging pleasure centers in the brain.
While incremental games are inherently addictive due to their simplicity and constant rewards, they aren't the only games with this quality. Other games provide a similar sense of reward. The key difference is, some incremental games allow you to pursue them while also engaging in other activities. Attributing the popularity solely to addiction is disingenuous.
Management and Exploration: Beyond Simple Number Go Up
The core of these games revolves around making numbers rise. But what if we embraced that aspect? Consider adding more numbers, more bars to raise, and more creatures to train, requiring challenge and exploration to effectively raise them?
Kittens Game is an excellent example of resource management within the genre. The game presents tough choices from the start, such as allocating catnip for immediate survival or investing in long-term food production. Players must balance resources, kitten assignments, and research to ensure the survival and prosperity of their kitten civilization.
Variety within the Genre
The genre offers a wide variety of gameplay styles:
-
Classes and Abilities: Idle Wizard offers different classes with unique spells and production styles.
-
Complex, Interconnected Systems: NGU Idle and Wizard and Minion Idle (though visually unappealing) have intricate systems that feed off each other.
-
Story-Driven Incrementals: Spaceplan, A Dark Room, and Universal Paperclips demonstrate that incremental games can have defined endings and narratives.
Addressing Criticisms: No End and Real-Time Mechanics
The second half of Snowman's video questions whether clicker games are truly "bad" from a game design perspective. He argues that the lack of an end manipulates players and that using real-time as a mechanic is a predatory practice masking a lack of gameplay.
The Zeigarnik Effect and Unfinished Games
Snowman cites the Zeigarnik effect, claiming that incomplete tasks stick out in his mind. However, I find it hard to believe that he dwells on every unfinished game. It's more likely that he simply enjoyed those games enough to want to return to them.
Real-Time Mechanics and Predatory Practices
Snowman argues that removing real-time limitations ruins the game, citing an anecdote about a glitch in Mafia Wars granting him unlimited resources. He compares Stardew Valley to Farmville, suggesting that real-time mechanics inherently lead to predatory practices like microtransactions.
The issue with this argument is the assumption that removing the need to play the game constitutes good game design. If Stardew Valley began with all upgrades and resources unlocked, the game would be significantly less fun. Furthermore, all games leverage time as a factor to some degree.
Any type of game is vulnerable to exploitation through microtransactions if the developers choose to implement them. Some of the best incrementals have no such monetization, but if an independent developer chooses to offer a small time-saving purchase in a free-to-play game, that is the game developer's choice.
Conclusion: Supporting Quality Experiences
Snowman concludes by encouraging viewers to support creators making "actual quality experiences" without predatory practices. I agree. This is why I recommend some of the best titles in the incremental game genre:
-
Mine Defense
-
Realm Grinder
-
Kittens Game
-
A Dark Room
-
Spaceplan
-
Wizard and Minion Idle
-
Pixels Filling Squares 3.0
-
Idle Wizard
-
NGU Idle
-
Trimps
-
Universal Paperclips
-
Antimatter Dimensions
I hope I've successfully defended the incremental game genre against misconceptions. These games are more than just watching numbers grow; they offer complex mechanics, strategic choices, and a rewarding sense of progression. Explore these games and the incremental games subreddit for more!