Making "Work" Games Fun [Game Essence]

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  • Опубліковано 10 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 187

  • @Syndralix
    @Syndralix 9 місяців тому +192

    "It's possible that I enjoy working," says notorious workaholic.

  • @theotherky
    @theotherky 9 місяців тому +512

    >Sakurai likes to work
    No one would EVER make that assumption...>.>

    • @_SereneMango
      @_SereneMango 9 місяців тому +57

      After a day of hard work, let's play a game about working!

    • @GigaMan91
      @GigaMan91 9 місяців тому +14

      We know you do, Sakurai. XD

    • @seekertosecrets
      @seekertosecrets 9 місяців тому +2

      I know, right?

    • @Aleph02
      @Aleph02 9 місяців тому +12

      This coming from the guy who was sent to the hospital while working on super smash bros. Melee is hilariously unsurprising.

    • @Deoxys911
      @Deoxys911 9 місяців тому +4

      That will surely be the top headline on all the gaming news sites all week!

  • @pcachu
    @pcachu 9 місяців тому +122

    "Maybe it's possible that I like to work?"
    Admitting that you have a problem is the first step.

    • @ArtofWEZ
      @ArtofWEZ 9 місяців тому +6

      Sometimes productivity/work is self care

  • @BlackVulcanX
    @BlackVulcanX 9 місяців тому +348

    Making work game fun by summoning an eldrich being through Grandma's body as its vessel and demand sacrifices with your time and cookies.

  • @CwapPlatinum
    @CwapPlatinum 9 місяців тому +264

    Sakurai officially used Cookie Clicker. I wonder how many thousands of hours he has

    • @laggianput
      @laggianput 9 місяців тому +4

      He was far far past the grandma apocalypse. Probably hundreds

    • @Holammer
      @Holammer 9 місяців тому +3

      I have 22064 hours in it. Game is on 24/7.
      For reference, there's 8760h in one year.

  • @Unimportant
    @Unimportant 9 місяців тому +160

    I think something these games have in common is that you get a very clear difference between when you start the "work" and when you finish. There is a very clear feeling of progress, even if there is no end goal to the game itself.

  • @Robust_Laser
    @Robust_Laser 9 місяців тому +80

    Powerwash Simulator I think of these games is one of the most clear examples of how good game design can help elevate a game about a seemingly monotonous task. It really thinks about what makes cleaning satisfying, by having the things you're cleaning so often be super brightly colored and providing a big contrast between the dark grime and the surface underneath. Even partway through a job, you can take a look at what you've done so far and be impressed by just looking at it compared to what HASN'T been done. The other thing it does is the ever so simple 'ding' of finishing an individual part. Really helps emphasize that you're getting things *done*. Especially satisfying when you clean a bunch of little things at once and get a bunch of dings in a row. Most of the other games utilize these in some way (prestiging in cookie clicker and just blowing through all early upgrades, before and afters in house flipper) but Powerwash makes the tricks the most obvious.

    • @michaelstevenson5044
      @michaelstevenson5044 9 місяців тому +2

      @Robust_Laaer I love this analysis. This kind of thinking can help find the fun

  • @deeps6979
    @deeps6979 9 місяців тому +81

    A lot of these kinds of games are brain-off activity, but in a good way. They're low "effort" but engaging. Number go up or making order from chaos can be satisfying on their own.

  • @PrincessFelicie
    @PrincessFelicie 9 місяців тому +162

    Never would I have ever expected Sakurai to know about Cookie Clicker, but in retrospect I really should've. Can't wait to see Orteil post about this

    • @Kawa-oneechan
      @Kawa-oneechan 9 місяців тому +26

      He did. "Cookie Clicker mentioned" and a screenshot.

    • @austin-ee4tp
      @austin-ee4tp 9 місяців тому +19

      grandma in smash when

    • @ultimaxkom8728
      @ultimaxkom8728 9 місяців тому +2

      @@austin-ee4tp Too OP

    • @derpyface3602
      @derpyface3602 9 місяців тому +1

      This is the same person that plays Minecraft

  • @Nicius-
    @Nicius- 9 місяців тому +20

    Sakurai needs to make the Kirby Clicker.

  • @handsumgerman
    @handsumgerman 9 місяців тому +74

    That last line was gold!

  • @batofdestiny
    @batofdestiny 9 місяців тому +107

    Never thought I'd hear Sakurai talk about Cookie Clicker..

  • @allegedlyfalse6779
    @allegedlyfalse6779 9 місяців тому +16

    I think the appeal of Simulator Games is thar it's work the player CHOOSES to do, rather than them HAVING to.

  • @vipermoon_
    @vipermoon_ 9 місяців тому +24

    This man plays every game in existence. I don't know where he finds the time but he literally plays all the game

    • @derpyface3602
      @derpyface3602 9 місяців тому +13

      What games do you play?
      Sakurai: *yes.*

    • @EvilCrash3000
      @EvilCrash3000 8 місяців тому +6

      this is something that i think about when it comes to adding characters in smash. you really need to thoroughly play through a game to faithfully represent a character, and i wonder how they do it so well, and if they consult other people who are knowledgeable about certain games. sakurai did mention that he got to play breath of the wild before its release just so he can put the new version of link into ultimate in time

  • @_Just_Another_Guy
    @_Just_Another_Guy 9 місяців тому +14

    I think part of the appeal of these "work" games is the actual tasks that are soothing and cozy to certain people.
    It's why farming sims and truck simulators continue to sell: there's a certain niche of video game players that love the routine gameplay mechanics.

  • @TaliesinMyrddin
    @TaliesinMyrddin 9 місяців тому +35

    I still can't believe the Simpsons predicted Yard Work Simulator games

  • @Hirooshii1
    @Hirooshii1 9 місяців тому +31

    The footage used for Euro truck simluator 2, im quite sure its a mod for a japanese area, if sakurai did all the video capturing himself im pretty impresed with his interest in the game up to the point of finding a japan map mod.

    • @顔boom
      @顔boom 9 місяців тому +11

      That footbridge tinted in aged copper, the chain-link fence, and the power lines do remind me of the Osaka region.

  • @QvsTheWorld
    @QvsTheWorld 9 місяців тому +8

    One thing I would add is that those examples all represent the player's action having a concrete and meaningful impact on the game state. The meaning itself can come from the game like getting points for breaking a box, or picking up a simple game object like the gnome in half-life 2 and bringing it to the rescue vehicle.
    Minecraft is a perfect example for this source of fun.

  • @ShayTheValiant
    @ShayTheValiant 9 місяців тому +10

    Sakurai? Liking work? I never would have guessed...

  • @smu4242
    @smu4242 9 місяців тому +4

    haha, great ending! :D
    I think they do feel rewarding because we get the feeling of "getting things done".
    Also sound effects! Power Wash Sim's "DING" whenever you finish a part hooks me everytime!

  • @lasercraft32
    @lasercraft32 9 місяців тому +3

    Imagine being Orteil and just suddenly finding out that Sakurai himself acknowledges and plays Cookie Clicker. XD

  • @ilovethelegend
    @ilovethelegend 9 місяців тому +6

    So, in my mind, the joy of these games is the same as the joy of maintaining a zen garden. They're simple, repetitive tasks that you can just kind of... space out and fall into.

  • @ShinChara
    @ShinChara 9 місяців тому +20

    It's not that I like to work, but I do like the feeling of a number going up.

  • @SkaiaMechanic
    @SkaiaMechanic 9 місяців тому +10

    I find Factory Building games to be this. For many games in the genre, there's little "risk," simply efficiency. The puzzle of figuring out the logistics of increasingly complex items.

  • @Nekotaku_TV
    @Nekotaku_TV 8 місяців тому +2

    Sakurai is workaholic, gotta take good care of himself.

  • @doubletheblack
    @doubletheblack 9 місяців тому +20

    I find that work in video games are all the best parts of the job with none of the drama.

  • @saphcal
    @saphcal 9 місяців тому +7

    I never in a million years would have imagined Sakurai-san talking about Cookie Clicker...

  • @Slush06
    @Slush06 9 місяців тому +8

    Sakurai mentioning Cookie Clicker caught me off guard, this man truly surprises me every time

  • @meyerpictures
    @meyerpictures 9 місяців тому +2

    Perfect video as always. I do think that there is a fifth element here as well, and that would be the creative aspect. Trying to create or recreate something to be a specific way is definitely a big factor that motivates people to put so much time into these games, as well.
    I personally think these games tap into a very innate human desire to see things get progressed, organized, sorted, cleaned, etc. Though "gamification" was already a popular term in STEM circles a few years ago, I think if one can harness those same desires these games tap into with things like To-Do Lists, they can feel that same joy from all of their tasks.

  • @TheHylianBatman
    @TheHylianBatman 9 місяців тому +3

    Sakurai must love work to some degree for him to keep doing it!

  • @Invariel
    @Invariel 9 місяців тому +2

    Loving that Sakurai touched on idle games here as having no real game essence besides "Number Go Up".

  • @itryen7632
    @itryen7632 9 місяців тому +3

    The prophet hath spoken.

  • @ggnicklu
    @ggnicklu 9 місяців тому +2

    This is surreal. Cookie Clicker and Power wash simulator have been 2 of my most played and favourite games of all time. To see Sakurai mentioning them in the same video is nuts to me. I guess I never realized how much I enjoyed this type of game

  • @QvsTheWorld
    @QvsTheWorld 9 місяців тому +4

    This reminds me of a famous quote
    “Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. If he had been a great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. And this would help him to understand why constructing artificial flowers or performing on a tread-mill is work, while rolling ten-pins or climbing Mont Blanc is only amusement. There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive four-horse passenger-coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line, in the summer, because the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages for the service, that would turn it into work and then they would resign.”
    ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

  • @ojhat
    @ojhat 9 місяців тому +3

    One could argue that there is plenty of "push and pull" "risk vs reward" at play in Cookie Clicker. Do you use the cookies amassed now to upgrade that grandma/building up 1 level to produce 0.002% more cookies, or do you save up to get that upgrade that costs 10x more, but increases the cookie production by 110%? Do you immediately ascend and restart your run to use that 1-3 prestige levels, if you even can use them at all, or save up 100x that amount and THEN ascend and be able to unlock all sorts of new things that significantly boost cookie production? The risk is there in having to wait much longer, but that does give the reward of a much more massive boost in seeing numbers go up, rather than it progressively rise slowly, slowly over time.

  • @NetBattler
    @NetBattler 9 місяців тому +11

    I appreciate your video Mr. Sakurai!

  • @shawnheatherly
    @shawnheatherly 9 місяців тому +2

    These sort of games have their own unique feel and appeal.

  • @Benobot99
    @Benobot99 9 місяців тому +7

    I feel happy knowing Sakurai played Cookie Clicker and potentially other "idle" games.

  • @dabadaba5847
    @dabadaba5847 9 місяців тому +4

    i think one of the things these games reveal is that work often is fun in many ways, but we just don't really experience it that way due to the exploitation involved and the fact that it's forced upon us

    • @Shannon4710
      @Shannon4710 7 місяців тому

      That doesn't really explain it since many of these games involve tasks we can do for our own benefit in our own home without being forced, like cleaning for example, and we still don't do them. You have just given two examples of things that can make work less than fun sometimes but people can still enjoy themselves doing work even when those examples apply to them.

  • @Camphreneas
    @Camphreneas 9 місяців тому +4

    Never have I ever thought that I’d be in the same timeline, and timeframe, that Sakurai mentions Cookie Clicker, but here I am.
    It truly seems like the most of us _has_ been there, huh?😅

  • @WolfPhoenix0
    @WolfPhoenix0 9 місяців тому +3

    Now I just have this image in my head of Sakurai power-washing all kinds of vehicles.
    Maybe when he finally retires, he will become a freelance power-washer. 😂

  • @ExploDjinn
    @ExploDjinn 9 місяців тому +3

    I think it can just be really appealing to see your progress. While I don't like cleaning, there is something really satisfying about watching a floor go from covered in junk and dust to visible again, so I understand games like Power Wash and House Flipper, even if I don't play them myself.

  • @LightsJusticeZ
    @LightsJusticeZ 9 місяців тому +2

    I wonder if Sakurai has ever played Eco. That's probably the only work game where it's so engaging to me that there's always the "one more thing" to do before you wanna stop.

  • @Arcadenblog
    @Arcadenblog 9 місяців тому +6

    So, who had "Sakurai talks about Cookie Clicker" on their 2024 bingo card?

  • @Seba20901
    @Seba20901 9 місяців тому +7

    1:06 wait! he actually build his own house as is seen in his Super smash Bros. video presentations!

  • @herocuke
    @herocuke 9 місяців тому +1

    I think a part of what makes me play "work" games is the desire for something new, whether it's new game mechanics, tools, stories, results, etc.
    _Potionomics_ and _Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator_ are similar games that I enjoy and feel unimpressed by, respectively.
    I believe the story in _Potionomics_ is the reason why, as it had a definitive conclusion and I had felt as though I had explored all the game had to offer.
    I had not explored all there was in _Potion Craft_ and I did not want to work any longer because there was no story driving me further, the work was becoming tedious and difficult, and the results of the work didn't promise a sufficient reward that made me want to keep playing.
    So I finished playing one feeling concluded, and the other feeling burnt out.

  • @sec9_
    @sec9_ 9 місяців тому +3

    sakurai has played power wash simulator I can't believe it

  • @hikarunkun
    @hikarunkun 9 місяців тому +1

    speaking for myself, one thing that "work games" do for me is that I get more motivated to work in real life. Games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons makes me find some joy and fun in work and real life stuff

  • @razputin9267
    @razputin9267 9 місяців тому +13

    My favourite has got to be Papers, Please.
    It's so relaxing passing nice people through the borders and getting that sweet sweet dopamine of the pink tickets every time you let a fellow Arstotzkan in.
    Helps me feed my family too!

  • @iam16bits
    @iam16bits 9 місяців тому +3

    >Plays Cookie Clicker
    I see Sakurai is a man of culture as well.

  • @BurgerSoup
    @BurgerSoup 9 місяців тому +1

    Haha that SMUG FACE he does at the end

  • @Poyostar
    @Poyostar 9 місяців тому +1

    Gee, who would've guessed that Sakurai would be a fan of these kinds of games?
    All jokes aside, it's interesting to see how these types of games can pull people in, even if I'm not interested in 'em myself.

  • @nhodgie
    @nhodgie 9 місяців тому +1

    The fact I pulled this open as I checked on my cookie clicker progress was all to relevant... And Sakurai might like to work? I never would have guessed 😂

  • @Blanco8x8
    @Blanco8x8 9 місяців тому +1

    For me, games like Pikmin and Death Stranding feels like work that is oddly satisfying.
    Gathering resources and making new paths can be quite enjoyable, even if it's something I'm too lazy to do in real life.

  • @MrRukrio1
    @MrRukrio1 9 місяців тому

    "and if you can get players in the mood to roleplay the job, that's all the better."
    Deep Rock Galactic and Helldivers 2 are, despite not being work games, pretty damn good at sucking you into the atmosphere and getting you to role-play the job your characters are doing.

  • @wariodude128
    @wariodude128 9 місяців тому +2

    Orteil has seen this video and is going a little crazy over it.

  • @lastnamefirstname8655
    @lastnamefirstname8655 9 місяців тому

    great advice. thanks sakurai! glad to hear your perspective on these kinds of games!

  • @hemangchauhan2864
    @hemangchauhan2864 9 місяців тому +1

    Brilliant!
    Similar "fun" can be seen in hardcore games like Strategy Wargames (more complex version of Civilization or Crusader Kings) or Sandbox games like Eve Online

  • @BigKlingy
    @BigKlingy 9 місяців тому +3

    I recently found the Business Management game in Yakuza Like A Dragon addictive for most of these reasons. While there's a little more involved (assigning employees with the right skills to properties, buying/selling properties), it's still mostly got a real-world basis and an automated "profit > hire more/upgrade properties > more profit loop. Also making something as mundane as a shareholder meeting into an epic battle of words was genius.

  • @DurandalOfAegis
    @DurandalOfAegis 9 місяців тому +2

    I tend to engage more with progression and mechanics than Risk and Rewards systems.
    While I do play games like Elden Rings and Monster Hunter, Im much more invested in acquiring new gear, spells and making cool character/team setups.

  • @ArcRay20
    @ArcRay20 9 місяців тому

    "is it possible i *like* to work?"
    dont let your feelings trick you Sakurai, the work games are just fun!
    the idea of all the hard work being much easier is what makes it fun.
    also ive played many a push & pull game where i did look at what i was
    doing and thought "this is a waste of my time..." and went back to paying.🤣

  • @darkridearts
    @darkridearts 9 місяців тому +37

    I always imagine people sitting in filthy rooms playing things like a house cleaning simulator, or playing lawn mower simulator, but their lawn outside is growing wildly 😅

  • @Cats-TM
    @Cats-TM 9 місяців тому +1

    I remember when I realised I was achieveing nothing in Cookie Clicker and questioned why I enjoyed it. After a bit of thinking I realised it was because the number got higher faster the longer I went on…that was years ago and I am still playing.

  • @hps362
    @hps362 9 місяців тому +1

    I think cookie clicker does have some game essence. I wasted a sugar lump the other day because I wanted more mature bakeberries to harvest during my luxuriant harvest (a fairly uncommon golden cookie effect), but I was too nervous and the golden cookie effect ended before I could harvest. I took a risk that did not pay off. Trying to be as efficient as possible with these "work" games is a source of decision-making and risk-reward.

  • @Dr_Mel
    @Dr_Mel 9 місяців тому

    Even before clicking on this I could hear Sakurai saying "KOO-KEE KLIKA"

  • @JaeSM97
    @JaeSM97 9 місяців тому

    I like how Yatzhee Crowshaw dubbed these types of games "Dad-like games" with some games going further to become "Post-Dad Games".

  • @the_nick_knack
    @the_nick_knack 9 місяців тому

    This is my favorite type of game, funny enough. Good to hear him talk about them.

  • @karnovrpg
    @karnovrpg 9 місяців тому +1

    House Flipper and Powerwash Simulator are great "work" games that are shockingly addicting. I'll add Arcade Paradise as well.
    Kind of ironic how video games can make work seem like fun.

  • @mrchinosofexodar
    @mrchinosofexodar 9 місяців тому +1

    Powerwash Simulator has a plot which adds to the experience

  • @rokka7188
    @rokka7188 9 місяців тому

    That was SO close for Sakurai to play My Summer Car, which I would've loved. Shame it's not out of Steam for other platforms just yet.

  • @gregvs.theworld451
    @gregvs.theworld451 9 місяців тому

    I would have never thought I'd see Cookie Clicker in the thumbnail of a Sakurai video.

  • @EnchantedSmellyWolf
    @EnchantedSmellyWolf 9 місяців тому +1

    I do enjoy sprucing up my yard, cutting, and making it more beautiful. I doubt a game simulator about doing yard work entice me. Unless if it were raining and I have little option during my free time.

  • @HeeCawRoo
    @HeeCawRoo 9 місяців тому

    confirmation that masahiro sakurai has played cookie clicker. thats so important.

  • @connordarvall8482
    @connordarvall8482 9 місяців тому

    The last thing I was expecting to see in a Sakurai video was a game I am currently playing, let alone the Grandmapocalypse. I have to admit, it's difficult to explain the allure of Cookie Clicker. Its game loop is incredibly simple (press button, get stuff) yet I've been playing for 2 years and only have 19 achievements and 19 upgrades to go until I've seen pretty much everything. Maybe game essence is as simple as a number going up and the anticipation of the number going up.

  • @koyrion
    @koyrion 9 місяців тому

    Sakurai still going with this incredible

  • @Wheat_Thinn
    @Wheat_Thinn 9 місяців тому +1

    Games with push and pull take advantage mainly of endorphins and stress-relief.
    Games like the ones in this video take advantage mainly of dopamine and satisfaction.

  • @TheOrian34
    @TheOrian34 9 місяців тому +1

    I have problems with a lot of simulator games.
    The simulation aspect of a game is actively fighting the game aspect, and a balance is needed to have the game be fun, and not just being a simulation(If you have fun with pure simulation, that's good for you).
    Too many of those I've seen weigh more on the simulation aspect, leaving the game aspect to suffer. They may be good simulators, but they failed on the game aspect.
    Some managed to merge both aspects pretty well and they were interesting.

  • @Mene0
    @Mene0 3 місяці тому

    Hahah, nice ending. Nice video overall too, clarified some stuff

  • @Big-Mic7878
    @Big-Mic7878 9 місяців тому

    The fact that he mentions the power wash simulator gives me All the context I really for the video to make since as a whole for me No Iie I was literally thinking about this upon watching.😮

  • @SobmicSSBB
    @SobmicSSBB 9 місяців тому +1

    There's something to be said that real-world inspiration is very important to all entertainment, not just "work" games.
    There are many games that are mechanically very impressive, innovative and polished but the setting and everything else around them is so weird and unfamiliar they never grew beyond becoming niche cult classics.

  • @DenniselAzul
    @DenniselAzul 9 місяців тому

    I see Sakurai enjoying "Euro Truck Simulator 2".

  • @owencmyk
    @owencmyk 9 місяців тому

    Sakurai likes to work? Who ever could have known?

  • @FixTheWi-Fi
    @FixTheWi-Fi 9 місяців тому +1

    Sakurai? a workaholic? never....

  • @SapphireDuke92
    @SapphireDuke92 9 місяців тому

    Simulator games are always the comfiest kinds by how grounded, short on risk and small in pressure they are.

  • @doubletheblack
    @doubletheblack 9 місяців тому +7

    Thank you Sakurai 🙏

  • @RangoTheMercenary
    @RangoTheMercenary 9 місяців тому

    Mario Paint. Probably the first game I played that fits this bill.

  • @0x88
    @0x88 9 місяців тому +3

    Cookie Clicker, huh...
    funny timeline, not expected

  • @rich520
    @rich520 9 місяців тому

    I like the Kairosoft business games. Cafeteria Nipponica is my favourite.

  • @FloridusMan
    @FloridusMan 9 місяців тому

    Sakurai knows about Pepe the Frog due to his cameo in Cookie Clicker

  • @mmking9999
    @mmking9999 9 місяців тому +1

    Part of the reason people play games is because they get to do things they couldn't do in real life. I wonder if that's a reason why some people play simulation games, even when they're based on real-life activities/professions that are achievable?

  • @blackattack1840
    @blackattack1840 9 місяців тому +1

    Bless this maniac

  • @Shadowofawolf
    @Shadowofawolf 9 місяців тому

    Powerwash and House Flipper. They're stupid fun games. I love em

  • @Haymdahl
    @Haymdahl 9 місяців тому +1

    The ending :D

  • @zanok7796
    @zanok7796 9 місяців тому

    I must thank Mario Kart about my ability to stop in time when I drive my vehicles (I mean the reflexes to react about the possible incoming incidents)

  • @milo4885
    @milo4885 9 місяців тому

    I think Sakurai-san does like work

  • @DarkBloodbane
    @DarkBloodbane 9 місяців тому

    I have to say that these games do have push and pull, except they are so small that we don't feel it.
    The addiction reminds me to Vampire Survivors who have the same profit loop.

  • @BluishGreenPro
    @BluishGreenPro 7 місяців тому

    A simple but highly effective game-loop and a tendency for “players to get sucked in” are also at the fore-front of many addictive mobile games, though mobile games will intentionally try to make playing the game a habit through the use of daily login-ins or other time-based mechanics. Thankfully, these mechanics are a lot less “evil” when the user buys a premium game than in the case of mobile games.

  • @biggreen1456
    @biggreen1456 9 місяців тому

    Sakurai playing cookie clicker is really funny to me

  • @LuigiTheMetal64
    @LuigiTheMetal64 9 місяців тому +2

    I have fun using any Pokémon's overworld Ability effects to get specific wild Pokémon. It is like the party Pokémon can actually help you as their training.

  • @knuclear200x
    @knuclear200x 9 місяців тому

    When I ascended the Grandma, I noped hard and never played again