Of course, it's not that simple when you try to define "fun" in the video game industry. Everybody is different, there are casual gamers, hardcore gamers, wannabe hardcore gamers, or most commonly just plain noobs. I'm sure all our mothers have told us at one point or another in our lives that we are all special in a certain way. Well she's right. Fun is different for everybody, a game that is considered fun to most people may be the most boring crap in the world to another person. To each their own.
I play a lot of games ranging from genre to genre, and for each genre there are specific elements that I find enjoyable. A simple example would be the competitiveness of an MMORPG game. I used to be "that guy" on Ragnarok Online who would analyze each and every aspect of the PvP metagame to become the ultimate PvPer. I was famous, and I loved it. To others it would be nowhere close to "fun", I would even go as far as using calculus to figure out the best builds and damage combinations. At one point I even developed a small piece of software to simulate and tune builds for optimality. This sense of extreme competitiveness was enough for me, it was exhilarating to be respected and feared at the same time. Would this be fun for everyone? I strongly doubt it. Hell, you'd probably think I'm a total nerd by now. But this sort of perspective perfectly illustrates the grand differences and how difficult it is to quantify "fun" in its general sense.
The real question is, how do we quantify a certain level of "fun" for the people who do enjoy a certain game. All video games are different, even if their sequels seem exactly the same (I'm calling you out Call of Duty) but what makes things fun? Are the elements of a video game that make it fun transferrable? I like Portal. I think it's fun. I don't like Angry Birds, I think it's boring. What if Angry Birds had portals in it? Would that make it fun? To some maybe, but personally I think that would be absolutely stupid.
So how do we make things fun? Honestly, I don't believe there is an actual formula for fun. It's entirely subjective, and that's the beauty of video games. There is seriously something for everyone. You like driving? There's Gran Turismo 5. You like trains? There's Train Simulator 2012, I kid you not. You want a game that you can rage over the NPC blocking the doorway? Welcome to Skyrim. Of course, not everybody will enjoy a game for the same reason. Or perhaps, a person can enjoy a game because of a certain element, yet dislike another for the very same element.
The next time you ask a friend "Is ____ fun?" you'll realize your question can never have an accurate answer. Just play it and find out for yourself.
From Google:
fun/fən/
Noun:
Enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure: "anyone who turns up can join in the fun". Adjective:
Amusing, entertaining, or enjoyable: "it was a fun evening". Verb:
Joke or tease: "no need to get sore—I was only funning"; "they are just funning you". Synonyms:
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