Why do you play KSP?

[neamerjell]

There are games that let you build stuff.

There are games that let you do interesting things.

There are very few games that let you do interesting things with the stuff that you build.

Amen, brother!

I play because its fun, interesting, and for that immense satisfaction you get when you spend hours, days or even weeks designing something and finally completing the mission without making anything important explode or killing any Kerbals.

[Janos1986]

Because creating stuff that works relaxes me and gives me a sense of accomplishment.

Also, Jebediah.

[Hannu]

I am very interested in celestial mechanics and space technology. I like also to build things and plan complex missions or processes. Suitable modded KSP combines these passions nearly perfectly. It is best computer game I have ever played. Hopefully there will be on some day even better, more realistic and technically demanding game, which is not even intended to be a game for great public (some kind of combination of Orbiter and KSP with realism overhaul).

[KerBlam]

Because most other games don't offer anywhere near as much, especially with mods.

This and Minecraft... If KSP and Minecraft had a baby, my god. The awesome.

[ShadowZone]

My biggest dream is going to space one day. Do to education and career choices that probably will never happen.

I love space engineering, astrophysics and astronomy, however I have no clue about how to do any of those.

KSP enables me to sort of live my dream. Although I have a lot of issues with it (performance, etc) I regret not one second of playing it.

Edited January 27, 2015 by ShadowZone

[Freshmeat]

I teach physics at high school level, and like to test out different aspects of the game in a spreadsheet first. It is not overly complicated, so it lets me relax while building fun contraptions and making them work. The fascination of space has been a constant in my life, and the thrill of setting down on another orbital body is still the same, be it by book, movie or own hand.

[DocMoriarty]

I've spent more time with KSP than with any other game simply because the simple building block approach gives you more freedom and depth of gameplay than any other game. And being a merciless physics simulation and the economic simulation offers a challenge and make your gaming experience a lot more rewarding when your projects work. It's not "playing on rails for fools" like a lot of other games. Of course I basically like the space and physics simulation theme.

[eddiew]

Because I love sandbox games

Minecraft is my other big love. Between the two, I don't really need anything else...

[nohelmet]

Part of the reason is that it's very refreshing to play a game where we're being constructive for a change, instead of blowing each other to bits.

But also, space is very cool and it's a great feeling when my missions succeed! :-)

[Red Iron Crown]

My default post when this sort of topic comes up:

There's a lot of things going on that make it my favorite game:

- The only limit is your imagination. There's not a single best way to play KSP, you are totally free to experiment with unusual play styles without much in the way of penalty. Want an all SRB space program? Go ahead. Want to make planes and just fly around Kerbin? Fill your boots. Start a colony on Laythe? Have fun with it. Build replicas of real life rockets? You can do that, too.

- There's always more to learn. I've played for about three years now, and I still learn things all the time that make me better at KSP, as often as not from some new poster here who's been playing for a month. I don't know that any other than a very elite few can say they are fully expert at all aspects of KSP with nothing left to learn.

- It's different. As the investment to create games gets higher and higher, companies are less and less likely to take chances on game genres that aren't already established. So we get Shoot People in a Slightly Different Way 5, Drive Really Fast in Photorealistic Cars 4, and Endorsement-filled Professional Sports Game 2014. KSP is fresh, and engages parts of the gamer mind that the repetitive other genres do not.

- It's SPACE. I've loved space exploration since I was in grade school, a game that lets me be the rocket scientist, mission controller and the astronaut is incredibly appealing.

- It's cerebral. KSP appeals to the intellect in a way most games do not. There is a delay of gratification that makes your accomplishments more satisfying. It takes smarts to do well in KSP, not just the quick reflexes and relentless practice that most other games reward. It doesn't dumb down difficult concepts to make them easier, it challenges you to figure out those difficult things.

- It's customizable. Don't like some aspect of KSP's gameplay or wish there was a certain part in the game? I'd give long odds that some modder has felt the same way and made a mod for it, likely thinking of things you didn't. Want more data for design and flight? Mods. Want hyper-realism and greater difficulty? Mods. More eye candy? Mods. Beautifully crafted replicas of real rockets? Mods. ISRU or theoretical propulsion systems? Mods. Your mix of mods can make the game just about perfect for you.

- It keeps getting better. Each new release adds more features and bugfixes, and mods keep getting more refined and capable. I took a break from KSP for a few months in late 2012, when I came back to it the game had changed considerably for the better.

- It has a great community. For all that KSP is mostly a single player game, the level of interaction I've experienced in KSP's community is well above any other game's community of which I've been a part. People are incredibly helpful when a player is trying to get over the initial hump of difficulty or otherwise struggling, they congratulate each other on their accomplishments, and there are tons of high quality tutorials, videos and other community-generated content out there.

[Renegrade]

There are games that let you build stuff.

There are games that let you do interesting things.

There are very few games that let you do interesting things with the stuff that you build.

^ This...

- There's always more to learn. I've played for about three years now, and I still learn things all the time that make me better at KSP, as often as not from some new poster here who's been playing for a month. I don't know that any other than a very elite few can say they are fully expert at all aspects of KSP with nothing left to learn.

- It's cerebral. KSP appeals to the intellect in a way most games do not. There is a delay of gratification that makes your accomplishments more satisfying. It takes smarts to do well in KSP, not just the quick reflexes and relentless practice that most other games reward. It doesn't dumb down difficult concepts to make them easier, it challenges you to figure out those difficult things.

..and these two items are a big part of it for me.

Plus there's something serene about being in orbit, floating around in a most peculiar way... and transferring to other orbits, or gently gliding down to a perfect landing on a low-grav world.. watching Kerbals soar after taking a jump on said low grav world... returning to the CSM/station and docking with gentle puffs of RCS. Very relaxing, almost hypnotic.

- It's different. As the investment to create games gets higher and higher, companies are less and less likely to take chances on game genres that aren't already established. So we get Shoot People in a Slightly Different Way 5, Drive Really Fast in Photorealistic Cars 4, and Endorsement-filled Professional Sports Game 2014. KSP is fresh, and engages parts of the gamer mind that the repetitive other genres do not.

Endorsement-filled Professional Sports Game 2015 is out now and greatly improved. We've added six extra lines of code (to the DRM), and updated the player roster to reflect recent real world changes! Features! Sports! Shininess! Excitement! All yours for only $79.95*!

* prior owners of Endorsement-filled Professional Sports Game 2014 can fill out a 30-page discount voucher form and wait 4-6 months for delivery for a chance to win a $5 discount on Endorsement-filled Professional Sports Game 2015. Voucher will be sent cash on delivery. Delivery charges will be approximately $80. Void where prohibited. To play Endorsement-filled Professional Sports Game 2015, you must have an active Gold membership with us, available for only $16.95 a month. Minimum subscription purchase is 12 months. Ah heck, just send us your firstborn. But not cash on delivery.

[Delrey]

I play for the phallic symbols

[Jetenginestar]

I have always dream of a software that allows me to build aircraft and test out different wing shapes, designs etc.

-

And my dream came true with KSP

[EtherDragon]

I play KSP for several reasons.

Rocket science is fun! Figuring out how to build something capable of landing on the Mun or reaching a different planet is really challenging - even though I've done it several times, it's a new challenge each time I build from scratch.

The Career mode is really well done! It's one of the best tycoon style games out there, and it's only 0.90 right now. Sure there are some balances that need to happen, and tweaks when certain things become available. But overall the concept of Rocket Scientist Tycoon is right up there with Transport Tycoon, Railroad Tycoon, Rollercoaster Tycoon, etc...

I absolutely love Play Create and Share games. Think Little Big Planet, and Mod Nation Racers. KSP is really only a Create and Play game, but the sandbox nature is really well done with plenty of implied goals out there, even if you don't play career. I'll be filing a suggestion for later versions on how to add the Share element which would make KSP one of the quintessential Play Create and Share titles out there.

[Guest]

I played and modded the game almost exclusively for nearly two years, mainly because it was fun, but nowadays I do maybe one launch a week using an RSS sandbox save because I wanted to build something like what I saw in the news or because I read some interesting history. No time for stock anymore, it just completely lacks the majesty of a full-scale solar system, and when you're on a short play time, majesty counts.

[SofusRud]

... for fun.

[jman508]

i play kerbal space program because i find it a very fun an educational (this is coming from a 14 year old) game which can teach a person a lot about space and orbital mechanics.

i just love the game for its feel and how kid friendly it is. i mean my 12 year old brother loves the game and he doesn't even do much on it he just makes hilarious designs then we try to fly them without crashing.

and plus ill be going around the forums or google images and ill see something awesome and be like "I'm going to copy you and your going to be the best darn copy thats ever been copied"

[Commander Jebidiah]

i play kerbal space program because i find it a very fun an educational (this is coming from a 14 year old) game which can teach a person a lot about space and orbital mechanics.

i just love the game for its feel and how kid friendly it is. i mean my 12 year old brother loves the game and he doesn't even do much on it he just makes hilarious designs then we try to fly them without crashing.

and plus ill be going around the forums or google images and ill see something awesome and be like "I'm going to copy you and your going to be the best darn copy thats ever been copied"

I've finally found another 14 year old on the forums.

Also my friends arnt very happy that I know more about physics than them an that they think I'm wrong about it all but then realise that I'm right when my physics teacher confirms it.

[Tank Buddy]

Because... SPACE

[Thomas988]

Why do I play KSP? Simple: it's because of the people. I am emotionally invested in this community, really. I've never been part of such a wonderful group of gamers in my life, and these forums especially have proven to me that people who still care about spaceflight and celestial exploration still exist in this world. Having on a seat on the bus that is KSP's development is unbelievably fun and unforgettable.

[Valiant Corvus]

I play KSP because it makes me feel smarter than I actually am.

And I like setting goals for myself and actually having to spend time to sit down and think out a gameplan rather than charging in blind.

[SpenSpaceCorp]

i started playing KSP as I did not have a console to game on at the time, and I decided to try it out. What interest I had in space and the universe has thus been catalyzed by KSP. Another major reason why I play KSP is because it has that "forge your own path" style of gameplay; I prefer games where you decide how the game turns out, to make your own story line/missions. Lastly, I like the occasional explosions followed by Jeb's mad laughter.

[John FX]

Because deep down, I am benny.

[Tex]

When I first saw the game in the Steam store, I was hesitant because I saw these little green alien guys, and honestly my first impression was Nah... How could this game be all that interesting? I moved on.

When I found out one of my closest friends played the game, I was still curious, so I asked him about it. He explained enough about it that I eventually decided to buy it, way back in .20 or so, I believe.

It was the best game I had ever played!

I immediately dove headfirst into the game. Because I was a space nut even prior to playing the game, I already had a pretty good idea about how things work in space. I knew how rockets and orbits worked, and I knew from the tutorials how to build them. Sure, I had a couple things to learn about maneuvers and meeting up with the Mun (which I successfully landed on with my 1st ever attempt! ), and docking surely stumped me for a while, but I caught on quick. Joined the forums a while later, and here I am today!

Kind of long-winded, but I play KSP because it gives me the chance to live out my dreams early. I want to become an astronaut

[michaelsteele3]

Because I get to see this all the time: