For me, a well-designed game contains multiple elements that interact in interesting and subtle ways – giving you choices to make that influence the outcome. Nerdgames like Catan or Dominion or Ticket to Ride give you lots of different approaches that are viable. The same is true with classic card games from Poker to Pinochle. You make choices and strategize, rather than relying on plain luck, and you interact as you play to increase your chances of winning.
Interactivity and reliance on strategy are two of the elements to look for in a sophisticated game that will reward continued playing. (Contrast those ideas with a classic kids game like Candy Land, which has zero strategy or interactivity.)
This is what makes conducting – or singing in – a choir so fun. It’s interactive, for sure: the concerted effort you put in directly affects the outcome, and the choices you make are important. And it responds to strategy: the approaches you take can lead to greater or lesser degrees of polished performance.
Like a good nerdgame, the process that leads to a concert is never rote, predictable, or straight-line. It requires the same strategic thinking and interaction, with minute-to-minute changes needed to achieve success.