Whether you call them mini games, subgames or micro games, any self-respecting gamer has surely played these short and sweet games at one point in their gaming career. Mini games have their own unique game mechanics and are often contained within another game entirely. Although many minigames are present only within another standalone game, they do not need to strictly follow this archetype: some games are made up completely of mini games as the main gameplay. Some mini games — such as Geometry Wars, which was originally a mini game in Project Gotham Racing 2 — are so successful that they have spun off into their own standalone series. So, what is it about mini games that makes them so enjoyable? In this article, we aim to find out.
Most readers are probably familiar with titles like Mario Party, where after each round of gameplay players are pitted against one another in a randomly-selected mini game to compete for coins. While technically classified as a “party” game, the mini games present in Mario Party are in many ways the glue that holds the game together. If it were not for the varied gameplay and the ability to influence the outcome of the game through skill, rather than simply luck of the dice roll, Mario Party would likely never have risen to such popularity as a game where players simply move around the map collecting coins and purchasing stars. Indeed — it’s the feeling of “YES! I’m so good at this one, the other players are toast!” or “oh no, I don’t think I’ve won this one in years!” that keeps gameplay competitive and brings players back for more, with the series now boasting 12 titles for consoles since the original release in 1998.
Mario Party is far from the only title to reach mainstream popularity that contains mini games. Fallout 4, which literally contains hundreds of hours of gameplay, has the mini games Red Menace, Atomic Command, Zeta Invaders, Pipfall and Grognak the Barbarian and the Ruby Ruins, all accessible from the iconic PipBoy device. Grand Theft Auto has a number of mini games including Pool, Darts, Tennis, Bowling, Golf and QUB3D to name a few. In these games, and countless others with hidden mini games, players could complete the entire storyline without ever interacting with a mini game. So what is the point in including them, then? For one, mini games add an additional level of depth to gameplay — a sense that the developers really thought of everything that you could want to do in the game and more. Mini games are also ostensibly fun and can help to break up dense stretches of plot where a player may feel like they’re “grinding” to complete objectives. Additionally, mini games give fanatical players another other set of controls and dynamics to master, thus furthering the enjoyment and gameplay per dollar spent.
If you have been staying up to date with all of the happenings at GamiFi, you may have noticed that our website got a facelift with the addition of some mini games!! Utilising a unique gated access system that requires a minimum token balance and encourages community participation, GamiFi has released a number of mini games, including: Hexagon Fall, Neon Pong, Pac-Rat and Indiara and the Gaming Skull. Go test your skills and give them a try today!
Last but not least, this article actually has its own mini game: make sure you follow us on Twitter for more content about the future of cryptocurrency and gaming, as we continue to GamiFi Everything!
