What makes a game... fun?

So firstly, this is a very... very subjective topic. What makes a game fun for me, might not be fun for you. And honestly, I think that is what makes playing games so awesome. Luckily for us, there are so many options out there that the possibility of finding something you enjoy and love playing is definitely 100%.

While the idea of fun may be subjective, I think that the things that makes a game fun is absolute.

What makes a game fun for the player, is whether they experience a sense of achievement or not. With the sense of achievement, the player feels engaged, and thus will be having fun. This is something that is very tricky to tackle for game designers. Like many things in life, different people experience the sense of achievement in different ways. Some people enjoy a very brutal challenge... Just take a look at games such as the Dark Souls series, the gameplay is considered very challenging for most players, even the players who play a lot of it, but that is what makes it fun for them. Some people enjoy easy, cozy games, such as Animal Crossing, where you just take a vacation in a video game, and that is fun for some people as well. Some people like to solve puzzles, or do mathematical calculations, or even social tabletop games... you get the idea.

So is it a good idea to try to put everything in a game and make everyone happy?

I think this is kinda like food. While different flavors are amazing, putting all the amazing flavors together might not work..

A game that is fun to it's player has to have the level of challenge relevant to it's genre, it has to challenge the player to think and come up with their own way of playing, depending on the type of game, of course. The player has to have an interesting way to interact with the game they are playing and receive feedback based on their actions. They have to experience some level of progression with the game as well. If a player gets all these experiences playing a game, they will be having fun.

For people who think they don't like games, I'm sure that if you look, you will find.