Did you know that the global video game industry is more than twice the size of the movie industry, and growing all the time? No, the mainstream media doesn’t like to talk about it, but video games are a massive economic opportunity – and lots of fun to create as well. You can be super inventive and come up with new gameplay designs that nobody experienced before. Developers can engineer immersive worlds that capture players’ imagination and keep them hooked for hours.
But before you sell or develop video games, you’ll need to build a strong foundation. No business ever got off the ground without a lot of hard work and dedication. In this post, we take a look at what game developers have to do if they want their games to be a success.
Make It Addictive
As a developer, you’re not trying to create a nation of addicts. But your game does need to have addictive qualities to keep people coming back for more. There needs to be the right balance of challenge and reward to encourage gamers to continue striving forward.
Making a game addictive is actually more challenging than you might think. Even big budget studios sometimes struggle to have the impact they want.
Get Covered
Before you start any business, including one that develops video games, you’ll need to take a look at what types of insurance you need. Different countries have different rules here, so you’ll need to check. Prices are usually low for developers, since their products are digital and they create them remotely. But it’s still a good idea to get covered in any event, just in case.
Create Longevity
Gamers are quite value-conscious buyers, meaning that they like to know if they’re going to get replay value from any game they purchase from you. Some games, like Minecraft, have excellent replay value because you get something different every time. Others, however, can be short and disappointing.
Try to figure out whether you can include any replayable features in your game that will keep players interested long-term. Some games, like Counter Strike, have been going for more than fifteen years because players love the diversity of experiences they offer.
Recreate A Classic
Here’s another idea to get your franchise off the ground: recreate a classic video game.
For instance, do you remember the 1990s video game Raptor where you flew a jet fighter and destroyed wave after wave of oncoming enemies? Well, very few developers are attempting to bring back that style of video game – and that’s a shame. Paired with modern graphics and mechanics, a new version of Raptor would be a lot of fun.
Make It Social
Lastly, it’s a good idea to make your game as social as you can. Social gaming is a hot trend right now because it gives people a reason to join together and have fun. Social gaming also creates a community which then feeds back to you, telling you which features you’d like the game to have. If you give them what they want, you’ll automatically earn subscriptions and loot box payments.
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