Customization

     The freedom to make anything any way you want. That is customization. The most common things in games that are customizable are outfits. Look at League of Legends. They have alternate skins for their Champions. When you apply a new skin, they adopt an entirely new look. That's always fun to me. Changing the appearance of my characters. However, customization isn't limited to just outfits. It can branch to anything!

     Weapons are a pretty common customizable object in shooters. They allow you to attach scopes, add different barrels, use alternate grips, and in some cases fire different ammunition. They sometimes allow alternate skins for the weapons, or at least a decal. 

 

     What about houses? Some games, more specifically MMOs or any game in the Adventure genre, allow players to build their own houses. It's really amazing seeing someone else's house in Minecraft as you can see how much hard work they put into building it. The best customization options give a wide variety of choices. Let's say I build a house in an MMO. I would want to design it in such a way that I stand out from other players. Sure, not many people will actually see it unless they are invited over, but that sense of feeling when you walk in and you think to yourself “This is MY house” is marvelous.

      I do feel, however, that games may not be so open to customization as they used to. Or at least they try, but it feels static and everyone looks the same. Let's say I play a shooter and I have obtained a new assault rifle. I can attach whatever I want to it. But I find out some attachments actually hinder you and other attachments make you better. Then it becomes a min/maxing contest. What's worse is I cannot paint my gun any color. There are skins, but they are pre-made skins and easy to obtain. Chances are, the most attractive skin will be chosen and I won't be the only one running around with a red camouflage AR-15.

      Alright, I try out a game with housing. I can purchase a Small Home for now as everything else is ridiculously out of my spending range. But then I notice everyone has the same model for the Small Home. Sure, the inside may look different with all of the furniture being arranged, but how can I know that unless I am invited inside? On the outside, it looks like everyone has the same suburban home. Painting the outside may not be available at this point in the game, either. I have to earn it through an achievement. 

 

      What I want to say is a wide variety of in-depth customization is great, but at least give players a lot to start with, and then a whole lot more to unlock through playing the game. I also notice that in offline games, you feel free to make it how you like, but in online games, you tend to try and get the most difficult to achieve items to show off. Any of you have thoughts on customization? Let me know in the comments.