Have you ever noticed that you just have those friends who are impossible to get to enjoy playing board games? Or want to be able to create something with the potential of expanding the total number of gamers? The gateway game is your tool.
What goes into a gateway game exactly? This is a difficult question to answer, but I will make an attempt.
The gateway game has a number of attributes that appeal to the people who are used to scrabble, monopoly, clue, and various party games; and in the end will hopefully get these people into their seat long enough to finish a game.
First and arguably most importantly: Rules
A game with a large set of rules is a drag for anybody to try and get their minds around, especially people that are to be introduced to gaming. If the rules are very short, intuitive, and easy to learn after only one or two explanations, then the road to a gateway game has been travelled a long distance.
While the rules should be simple to learn and easy to remember, providing players with player-aids is also a good idea. This is best implemented in Settler's of Catan, where after learning the rules, an aid showing what it costs to buy each type of thing is provided. This allows for an easy way to remember the exact costs of each thing.
Intriguing Gameplay
Despite having a simple and short set of rules, the gameplay should still be intruiging. If the new players want to just get up and leave because they are bored, or find the game too simple, then the game has not only failed as a 'gateway' game, but as a game in general.
Depth of Gameplay
Depth of gameplay is reffering to how much 'meat' is there in a game. This can be defined in more ways than I can possibly imagine, and the depth of each game is certainly a personal experience for the players, and if a large amount of depth is a good thing. I think depth is a good thing here, otherwise gamer's are not as likely to introduce somebody to gaming through the particular game if there is not enough depth and challenge to keep a more experienced gamer interested in the game.
Replayability
I would say this is the second most important thing in creating a 'gateway' game. If the game instills a strong desire to play again this is a good thing. This will lead to more plays for the game in general and will also lead to a wider variety of people playing the game. It is surprising that Settlers of Catan has such a high replay value associated with it, despite what seems to me like a narrow theme if any, and a somewhat shallow gameplay (again in my opinion). But the replayability of Settlers is huge. I remember the first time I played the game, over the course of around 36 hours or more, the game was being played constantly between myself and my group of friends. People left and came back, but the game was being played throughout that period of time.
Theme
A strong and interesting theme can make for a higher level of replayability and interest in the game. Simple to see this, and seemingly intuitive, so I will not expound on this
Components/Visual Appeal
While this does not directly influence gameplay, it does help to keep people interested, or get them interested at all. Lets take some extreme examples... Kill Doctor Lucky, I have heard that it is a very good and fun game, but I myself have never come to the decision to play it, because it just looks boring. Ticket to Ride or Lord of the Rings (co-op by Reiner Knizia), both of these games have very stunning visual elements and components to them. The games just look 'cool'. Getting somebody to play either of these games based on the appearance would be quite easy.
This is all that I want to say about this right now, so peace out
as a result of thinking about gateway games, and my recent purchase of an American Movie, Sky Captain and The World of Tommorow, I want to make a gateway type of game based on this movie.
Basedon the off chance somebody doesn't know naything about this movie... I will talk some about it.
Thematically, Sky Captain is like a comic book movie, where you are transported into a peculiar world (one which takes place seemingly around the 1950's based in the United States, while at the same time having futuristic notions like the Hindenburgh III which docks with the Empire State Building in the beginning, Huge Robots bent on stealing the world's resources, and propeller planes with cool special abilities.)
Visually, the movie is a stunning example of what CGI can be used to do. The entire movie was shot on a blue stage, and then everything except the main actors were added through CGI basically. Because of this, the feel of the movie is very 'film noir'. There is amazing lighting effects, and the movie provides for an opportunity to love it.
I would love to make a 'gateway' sort of game based on this film, and have the mechanics and game play also be tied into the theme. unfortunately, this is a tall order and I have only one idea of where to start.