Exercise 1.2: Dead on Arrival

Have you ever been excited to play a new video game? There are many emotions that come with the first time that a game is played. Most people feel anticipation and excitement, and everyone is thrilled at the opportunity for a new gaming experience. The first time that a game is played should be the most fun that the player should have with that game, and it is important for a game to make a good first impression on the player. Once in a while, the first time that a game is played is incredibly disappointing. These games are catergorized as D. O. A., or dead on arrival.

One time that I experienced this feeling of regret and disappointment was when I finally played the popular computer game Don't Shoot the Puppy a few years ago. All of my friends were talking about how much fun the game was, so even though I very rarely play computer games, I decided to try that one. When I first played the game, I was very excited to experience the exhilerating experienced that had been described to me by my peers and do my best to achieve a good high score. I was devestated to find out that Don't Shoot the Puppy was D. O. A.

Although many people did thouroughly enjoy this gaming experience, I saw no point to not shooting the puppy. This does not mean that I believe in shooting puppies in any way. I just think that I can go through life constantly not shooting puppies without wasting my time playing this video game. The game consists of a cute dog on the screen. The only goal is not to shoot the puppy. Touching the screen or moving the mouse in any way results in the puppy being shot. That is the only objective in the game. The player does absolutley nothing, and loses if they so much as touch the screen of the device that they are playing on. As if that is not bad enough, the game is encredibly glitchy, and once in a while the puppy just gets shot without the gamer doing anything, and it is unable to be stopped. If someone enjoyed this game and was playing for a high score, this could be devestating.

In order to make this game fun, the game developers need to add some sort of challenge and a way for the player to interact with the game. For example, there could be specific times that the player needs to touch the screen in order to protect the puppy, and other times that touching the screen would result in the puppy being shot. The game could be fast paced and make for a challenging and intense experience. In addition, challenges could be added so that the player feels that they have something to work toward other than just a high score that was achieved by doing nothing.

In conclusion, while some games are dead on arrival, all games have the potential to be a fun and exciting experience for gamers to play. Through careful consideration by game designers and play testers, parts of the game can be added or removed in order to bring the game back to life and make it much more entertaining for all who play.