Be It Forza Games or Super Smash Bros., Kirby Creator Reveals the Undeniable Importance of In-Game Morale Boosts Techniques for Players

The mind behind Kirby is back with a new YouTube video. Masahiro Sakurai, known famously for being Kirby’s Creator, has been imparting his knowledge via his YouTube channel. He helps budding game developers with his YouTube videos on unknown topics of game development. Available in both English and Japanese, the channel is called Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games.

In his latest video, Sakurai talks about the reason why anyone plays a game, to win. Sakurai had earlier made a video emphasizing the importance of an overlooked item in gaming.

Kirby Creator speaks on how to ‘praise the player’

The Super Mario Bros. director has shared his tips on making the player feel the win. Giving players positive feedback on winning makes them engage with the game even more. Talking about how he did that in his games, he used the example of Smash Bros. Whenever a player knocked their opponent out, Sakurai added the sound effects of people cheering the player on. When the player barely managed to grab onto the ledge, he added the sound of people’s ‘ohs’.

“Games are meant to be fun,” said Sakurai, “so it’s important to praise players for doing something good.” He pointed out a common mistake made by developers. Awarding items and progress are one of the many ways to praise the players, but many developers only focus on them.

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He called items and progress ‘expected’ rewards. Kirby’s creator also urged developers to focus on other ways of praise.

Other ways to deliver the praise according to Kirby’s Creator

He went into further detail about additional methods to compliment the gamer by using Dynasty Warriors and Forza. When discussing Dynasty Warrior, he stated that the number of foes slain by the player earned them acclaim from their commanders. He added developers have the power to turn anything into compliments. Such as in Forza, where destroying the environment can give players a boost.

Furthermore, the Kirby creator shared an intriguing aspect of Smash Bros. Ultimate in which he demonstrated how one item might be associated with several others. They added confetti to the explosion of the player leaving the game when he was knocked out. This may appear unusual, but they did it so that the player who performed the KO received a confetti shower.

In conclusion, Sakurai hoped developers make compliments given to players subtly. Looking at what players are feeling and heightening that emotion is the key to delivering successful praise.

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