Progression is becoming one of the necessary ingredients for modern games. Sure, games of the past had a sense of progression as well, but much of the emphasis was on personal challenges and speed of completion in games such as Mario Bros., Contra, Castlevania and Megaman.
However, a large number of recent games are keeping players coming back with levels, rankings, unlocks, achievements and more. Even Castlevania games have adopted levels and unlocks.
So why are there more progression mechanics in games now, if games of the past were just as fun for their time?
People love the feeling of having something to show for their time. People love goals. People love having a sense of accomplishment. It's one thing to play a game for a hundred hours and have nearly every achievement unlocked with a fairly decked out character, but to have nothing to show at all feels a little less satisfying. After all, why do people run through the same content tens if not hundreds of times, even when they don't find the content that fun anymore? It's for the equipment. It's for the prestige. It's for the satisfaction of finally getting that drop you have been farming for over seventy hours. It generates a rush when you finally get it, and you can show it off after.
Progression comes in many different forms, and each form appeals to different types of players. Regardless, progression is addicting. Players experience this, and developers know it, so it's no wonder it's in nearly every major title.
I'll be going into more depth for some of the specific mechanics and features in some of the upcoming posts.
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