Any of these will result in the player stating that she is bored. In reality, some of these are boredom+frustration, and some are boredom+triumph, and so on. If your goal is to keep things fun (read as “keep the player learning”), boredom is always the signal to let you know you have failed. The definition of a good game is therefore “one that teaches everything it has to offer before the player stops playing.” That’s what games are, in the end. Teachers. Fun is just another word for learning.*
