“Fishing for Success: The Importance of Minigames in Games for Transporting Players Into Another Life.”

Description

The article discusses how minigames (e.g. fishing, collecting, side-challenges within larger games) play a significant role in the success of video games by providing players with immersive side-experiences that can carry them “into another life”. It argues that these smaller game mechanics are more than trivial distractions: when well designed, they help the player shift contexts, stay engaged, explore alternate identities, and lengthen time-on-task. The piece explores examples of fishing, crafting and similar loops in mainstream games, and reflects on how they contribute to player retention and emotional immersion. In this context, my research on games within games as been cited.