Tower Defense
Tower Defense is a very simple concept. Waves of enemies attempt to storm your tower and you’ve got to try and stop them. Hardly the most compelling gameplay dynamic you might think, but tower defense is one of the most addictive games online. But why? What makes something that is so simple, so addictive and so much fun?
First, the way the tower defense tends to be structured means that difficulty and variety increase every level. At first you’ll be seeing off a small number of enemies with a very weak and slow to reload weapon. It will be easy and also the most boring part of the game. However, as soon as you defeat that band of enemies, tower defense will reward you with money or points which can be exchanged for more weapons, modifications to weapons or increased health. This helps keep the game fresh by giving the player new ways to get rid of the horde that attack your base/fortress. Added to that is the increase in difficulty. This might not just mean more enemies, but different types of foes that require innovative methods of removal or are harder to kill. By constantly changing the challenge offered to the player, tower defense games again keep him entertained and addicted.
Another feature that keeps gamers playing tower defense games is the fact that you are playing as the one man who can save/defend his fortress. Only you stand against a mass of enemies, you are the only hope. This plays into gamers wishing to be a hero. This notion is made stronger in tower defense by the sheer number of enemies that you have to deal with. Instead of just taking down 10 or 20 enemies, you’ll soon be taking out hundreds per level giving you the sense of accomplishment and ultimate satisfaction for being the tower defense god.
Tower defense is also addictive because it appeals to the point and click side of gamers’ psychology. It’s simple and as a result it’s something that can be done whilst watching a movie or a DVD or, more likely, whilst you’re meant to be working – or pretending to for that matter. This simplicity also makes the player base extremely wide with anyone from a child up to the most mature internet user being able to pick up and play instantly. And because tower defense is so simple, everyone thinks they can win, and as a result keep coming back every time they lose and play through the game again and again.
So, tower defense uses four strands to keep gamers addicted. The first is by offering a constantly changing challenge. Second by adding new content at every stage to vary the gameplay. Third, tower defense plays up to the gamers’ wish to be a hero by making it appear that only they can save the day. Finally, through a simple core gameplay, the game appeals to all, regardless of what you’re doing and makes everyone think that they can win.