Octagon is a relatively simple game that is supported on the OSX platform and so played on MacBooks. It is a 1-player game and so it presents a situation where the player competes with the game. In Octagon, the player is required to use the arrow keys to move the octagon in the left, right and up directions only in order to balance it on steps (or platforms). The player is required to have speed and accuracy in order to time the movement of the octagon so as to prevent it from falling and thereby losing the game.

The game can be played in two different modes: Endless Mode and Classic Mode. Endless mode simply measures how long the player can last without losing while Classic Mode presents a more progressive angle to the game. In Classic Mode the player advances from level to level with increasing difficulty.

The fabrication of Octagon presents a very limited space of play. This means, it restricts the player’s movement and limits him/her to the main objective of the game. The only movements that can be made are the leftward, rightward, and upward movements of the octagon onto the next platform. The concept of octagon may be almost fully transformable into a real-life game due to its minimalist and somewhat basic rules. All one may need to do this is a ball and some selected items that will be used as the platforms in the context of the game. However, the digital nature of the game presents a more aesthetic, even though minimalist, view to the game and more restrictive nature as well. In real life, the player may be able to roll the ball way off the next platform or even make some movements that are in no way related to the game, but the digital version creates boundaries which limit “wrong” movements of all sort.

In comparison to other games where the player might have free roaming ability, octagon may seem restrictive and boring at first, however, the game poses a good challenge to the player which in the end makes it as interesting to play like other games. The increasingly difficult nature of the levels in Classic Mode create a situation where the player not only competes with the game but rather competes with himself/herself in the sense that he/she tries very hard to progress to the next level, which signifies some level of improvement in his/her ability to play the game.

Also, unlike other games, the concept of “lives” is not incorporated in Octagon. Once the player fails to move the octagon to the next platform, he/she loses and has to restart the level. For the player this could be frustrating, however, this could be what makes the game pretty addictive which makes it more of a game than just play.

Octagon, in conclusion, is a very basic but addictive game. The limited space of play coupled with the simple but restrictive rules and clear objective speak to the basic nature of the game. However, the game design poses difficulty and challenge that keeps the player playing the game in order to advance.