Interactive Environments (Concept)

Interactive Environments

CONCEPT

The ability of a player to interact with items or geometry in the game world, whether for story or gameplay reasons or simply for immersion.

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Overview

Interactive environments are just that-- environments that respond to a player's actions within them. Unlike, for example, the scrollingbackgrounds in early 8-bit games, the player can shape the environment to solve puzzlesor defeat enemies. Interaction may take the form of a minigame; for example, the player can find a pinball table and play pinball, or find an arcade cabinet and play an arcadegame (like in FREE open-world series such as Shenmue (Franchise) or Yakuza). Some others may act as simple switches (like in various action RPG titles). Interactive environments can play a large part in fostering emergent gameplay. For example, by making the gameplay in sandbox games like RPG Maker (Franchise) or Minecraft (Game) based entirely around manipulating the environment, players are encouraged to set their own goals and "find their own fun".

Examples and concepts

Functional toilets
Functional Faucets
Usable water fountains, with sometimes the possibility to drink the water
Interactive lights, lights that can be put on or off and even sometimes the possibility to unscrew a light bulb or simply destroy it
Usable vending machines for useful or useless things
Playing with slot machines that works
Windows that can be opened
Real time destructible environments
Usable vehicles
Hacking (Concept) things
Lockpicking
Opening breaches
Destroying the decorations
Using PCand keypads by typing codes

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