Are we suckers for puzzle games?

[Icey!]

So I was looking at Patrick's Parabox on steam and I see how it's rated "Overwhelmingly positive". The same things goes for Portal & Portal 2. But, what makes these puzzle games tick? Are they relaxing? Do our brains like thinking complexly? Is complexly even a word?

[Karius]

This is a very interesting question, actually.

Recently I've been playing a lot of Baba Is You, and it also got me thinking as to why I enjoy puzzle games. I think it's not only because I enjoy thinking (which I do), but also because I like to imagine the process of game design while I'm playing a game. Puzzle games are extremely hard to get right, because they can't be obvious... but they still have to be fair and the solution must be logical.

I think that while all people drawn to puzzle games have their own reasons, it all boils down to that "ah-ha!" moment. Most people enjoy a challenge, and puzzle games are just made for those who enjoy thinking in interesting ways.

[Icey!]

I think that while all people drawn to puzzle games have their own reasons, it all boils down to that "ah-ha!" moment. Most people enjoy a challenge, and puzzle games are just made for those who enjoy thinking in interesting ways.

Ah-ha! That explains it.

[Kutan]

I mentioned I've been playing Mr. Driller in another topic, and it's not a brain teaser puzzle game that deals with logic puzzles like Baba Is You, it's a more Tetris-like actiony puzzle game. The reason it's so addicting is because you can tangibly feel yourself getting better the more you play it, in a way that you kinda don't with other games. In other games, you make a lot of progress through scenario memorization and trial and error, but with these kind of quick-thinking action puzzle games, you get better by training your brain to think differently. You're able to read the board faster and recognize patterns quicker, and think more and more steps ahead. You're starting from scratch with a randomzied play field each time, but you're playing for longer and getting higher scores because your brain's getting more adept at the task.

One thing that's super satsifying about these Tetris kind of games, is when you have a long play session, and feel like you're hitting a wall and you're not getting any better. Then you go to sleep, and the next day you pick it up again... and crush your old score! There's something about just "sleeping on it" that really helps your brain lock the practice you've done, and you can see it in a super tangible way when you see your scores go up. It's all very addicting seeing your progress day by day!

As for "are we suckers"... well, yes, pretty much With this particular type of game, we're not really learning anything meaningful or becoming better at a task that has any actual application... but it does feel good anyway!

[Karius]

As for "are we suckers"... well, yes, pretty much With this particular type of game, we're not really learning anything meaningful or becoming better at a task that has any actual application... but it does feel good anyway!

Ah... the dreaded reality is setting in...

You can't even really make traditional let's plays out of puzzle games unless you have a really engaging personality or something, since people tend to get frustrated when they figure out the answer before the let's player.

But, feeling good is also important. So maybe they aren't that useless!

[Memory]

I think the reason why puzzle games have such a wide appeal is because they can be enjoyed by a wide array of people without prerequisites. My mom doesn't like playing violent games, she does not have a fast reaction time, and she does not feel like getting good in a game over time. But puzzle games can be universally enjoyed and understood without these hurdles. They tease the brain as a challenge, but do not usually require video game specific skillsets or lingo to enjoy them.

Plus, they give you not a lot of reason to criticize them, unless the puzzles or presentation are fundamentally flawed.
A shooter can have plenty of mini mechanics that have to be balanced perfectly, and also can be super frustrating if done wrong. A puzzle game on the other hand is a one-and-done situation where people don't usually micro-analyze the mechanics or get obsessed with it once they've beat the game - if the solution is intuitive but requires thinking, then it's a good puzzle, period.