On replayability: emotion, mechanics, and necessity

Replayability is more than just branching narratives and randomised levels; it's the emotional hooks that keep players come back for more.

We usually talk about replayability in a mechanical sense - whether a game’s systems allow for repeat playthroughs to be mechanically different. In this essay, Matthew Codd argues that emotional replayability is much more important. Some works are worth revisiting even for identical experiences because of the way we connect to them emotionally, and without that emotional connection varied playthroughs can’t hope to lure players back in.