What is depth of gameplay and what is just repetition?

[Snatch1414]

This has bugged me for awhile now, and maybe it's just a matter of taste but here goes:

A buddy of mine was talking about Diablo and Destiny and how why I should play them. I said I never played those type of games because it's just grinding. It's the same thing over and over to me. He argued not at all. There is a story and you're always acquiring new things.

He also pointed out that I like fighting games, which is the same thing over and over to him. I think he had a point, but to me it's really not the same over and over. The opponents are different and each match plays out uniquely to the last. I guess you could say the same thing about a game like Diablo or Destiny though, but I just don't make that connection. It just feels like busy work to me.

Do we just like different games? Is there a distinction between these two examples? Take a game like Far Cry 3, which I think has a lot of depth. You can still just boil it down to walking and shooting though, so you could argue THAT is repetition. I think there's a difference but apparently I don't have the language to express it haha

[Ack]

Don't ask me, I like Dynasty Warriors.

[Exhuminator]

You can likely take any game and boil it down to its most base element and call it repetitive.

[isiolia]

He also pointed out that I like fighting games, which is the same thing over and over to him. I think he had a point, but to me it's really not the same over and over. The opponents are different and each match plays out uniquely to the last. I guess you could say the same thing about a game like Diablo or Destiny though, but I just don't make that connection. It just feels like busy work to me.

With either one, a good part of it is probably the level at which you play. With MMO-esque skill/gear setups, you typically do have a fair amount of variety. Which optional traits/skills to set, which stats to stack to support the build you're using...and in turn, what to grind in hopes of getting better gear/runes/whatever to increase your capability.
What might throw it off is that you can often get by with random drops or quest rewards, as long as you aren't pushing the edge for content. Kinda like people can button mash their way to victory against the default AI level in a fighting game.

Either way, I think it's a lot more that you can dissect any game if you want to. It's more, like you said, a matter of taste.

[dogman91]

With games like Diablo, the dungeons are regenerated each time and you can try different builds and classes with each playthrough, which differs the gameplay. There's also the higher difficulty modes. Compare that to a platformer that's the same each time.

[BoneSnapDeez]

You can likely take any game and boil it down to its most base element and call it repetitive.

Pretty much.

And those genres you don't like seem all the more repetitive.

Someone who hates RPGs may see them as pointless level grinding.
Someone who dislikes shmups may think that all you do is fly to right and shoot shit.

[Exhuminator]

I just hate video games because all you do is push the same buttons over and over.

[Ack]

I just hate video games because all you do is push the same buttons over and over.

I hate electronics for the same reason!

[ZeroAX]

I just hate video games because all you do is push the same buttons over and over.

That's because you are playing with babies' toys

[Gunstar Green]

I agree that it comes down to the player and their understanding of a genre. Someone who invests a lot of time at being really good at a particular game or genre is obviously going to find more depth in it than someone who doesn't enjoy it to begin with.

But that's not to exclude cases where "repetitive" is a legitimate criticism. But it's certainly amplified when the gameplay itself isn't appealing to begin with.