Interactive Environments

Overview

Interactive environments are just that-- environments that respond to a player's actions within them. Unlike, for example, the scrolling backgrounds in early 8-bit games, the player can shape the environment to solve puzzles or 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 arcade game (like in FREE open-world series such as Shenmue 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 or Minecraft 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 things
• Lockpicking
• Opening breaches
• Destroying the decorations
• Using PC and keypads by typing codes