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A sandbox game (or a video game with an optional sandbox mode) is a video game with an open-ended and non-linear style of gameplay, or a reduced emphasis on structure. The sandbox analogy is used to describe this style of gaming because, as with a physical sandbox, the user is entertained by their ability to play creatively, boundless of artificial structural constraints. While these games may or may not have a story or over-arching mission structure, they are considered sandbox games for their ability to allow players to think outside of these goals.

Role-playing games, including MMORPGs, and various other types of games can be sandbox games as well. The best selling PC game of all time, The Sims, is a sandbox-style creation (though its predecessor, SimCity, has been described as merely open-ended). Space trading and combat simulators, such as Elite and Freelancer, are examples of sandbox games.

More "traditional" goal-oriented video games sometimes offer a sandbox mode, usually an option that allows the player more freedom by lifting some of the normal rules of gameplay. For example, the player may no longer have to worry about restricting resource requirements (such as having enough money to complete an action), nor be required to complete storyline goals. The "god mode" and level editors offered by many combat games effectively convert them into sandboxes, allowing the player to explore every nook and cranny of the game map without having to fend off enemies.

Common features of sandbox-style video gaming

• Never-ending gameplay: The user is allowed to play forever, and the game (or mode) is generally designed with this in mind rather than the completion of particular goals or levels in order to reach a grand finale.
• Freedom to experiment: The player can choose his or her own path in the game, either with no consequences or with consequences that can later be undone (often resulting in a flexible and organic development of the player's character or even of the entire game).
• Non-linear or nonexistent plot. If there is a plot at all, the player can simply ignore it, or there is a branching plot that evolves based on user choices (resulting in a game that is never the same twice unless played in exactly the same manner).

Open-ended gameplay

Sandbox gameplay was initially popularized in Europe in the mid-80's, but was much less common in North America and Japan until the late 1990s. This may be partly because of the greater popularity of personal computers as a gaming platform in Europe which, by virtue of their technology and input devices, often leaned towards more complex designs.

These games do not have a great deal of common features. Rather it is a lack of structure that defines them. Many, including most naval or interstellar trading simulations, or economic simulation games do not have an explicit end or goal, but simply encourage the player to set their own goals.

Computer role-playing games and action adventure games also began to incorporate aspects of sandbox design in the mid-to-late 1980s. While these games did have specific goals that needed to be met, they were distinguished from traditional design in the way they afforded the player multiple solutions to problems and unconstrained exploration. A reduced concept of a "right" and "wrong" way to play is a hallmark of sandbox game design.

After the success of the Grand Theft Auto series in both North America and Japan, developers around the world showed an increased interest in applying sandbox design principles to the action-adventure genre. Up to this point, sandbox design was very uncommon in console games, but since that time has risen sharply.

Sandbox games have become known for emergent gameplay, a term that describes unintended gameplay situations that come as a result of a highly complex world and flexible player interaction.

See also

• Linearity (computer and video games)
• Sandbox (software development)

References

1. EA Press Release (2005-02-07). ""The Sims Franchise Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary and Continues to Break Records"". Retrieved 2006-07-21.
2. Adams, Ernest (November 1, 2007). "50 GREATEST GAME DESIGN INNOVATIONS" (HTML). Next Generation Magazine. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
3. ^ "Freelancer (PC)" (HTML). CNET (GameSpot). March 4, 2003. Retrieved 2007-12-30. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
4. Loguidice, Bill (October 24, 2007). "A History of Gaming Platforms: The Commodore 64" (HTML). Gamasutra. Retrieved 2007-12-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
5. Bishop, Stuart (March 5, 2003). "Interview: Freelancer" (HTML). ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved 2007-12-30.

External links

• Senzee 5 - Explorers and the Game of Tag — An analysis of sandbox-style game mechanics.

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