In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007 Wii), design choices contribute to fun through both Challenge as well as Fellowship. The game includes base mechanisms like rapid button-mashing to generate speed in running-based tasks or execute skills in fighting or artistic “sports”, precise timing-based controls for “sports” like vaulting or jumping, and a character selection system that forces players to weight different advantages of physical attributes like power, speed, etc., as well as using characters from IP that players are familiar with.
By forcing the players to use and choose rapid inputs simultaneously, the game creates a dynamic of time pressure and high-intensity, head-to-head competition. Opponent play is also key–The comparison of opposing players’ timing (and their differing character choices) makes the competition feel heightened, and players must constantly monitor their opponents’ progress while worrying about their own performance at the same time.
The frantic but competitive dynamics deliver two types of fun: First, it creates “Challenge”–the gameplay feels just like the Olympics, where there are records to beat and medals to be won, with those tricky timing/speed mechanics to master in order to do so. But the competition also delivers “Fellowship,” since just like how the actual Olympics serve as a way to bring people together, playing against another player in the Wii game and experiencing that head-to-head competition and time pressure together builds a sense of shared experience.
