How to Grow as a Game Designer
By: Josh Bycer
Tags: Startups, Game Design, Videogames, Product Management, Gaming

How to Grow as a Game Designer

Learning from criticism is key

Being a game designer today isn’t what it was twenty years ago. Over the last couple of decades, the industry has grown up — in fact, it’s surpassed most other forms of entertainment in terms of global revenue. In the early years of the industry, game designers (often themselves programmers as well) were relatively anonymous. But as the industry has expanded into the behemoth we see before us now, designers and directors have — understandably — become powerful, prominent figures in their own right.

It’s not just that video games themselves have become a more complex and sophisticated medium. Coverage of games — video game journalism — has become more professional. Games themselves are understood and critiqued at a much deeper level now than ever before, and there increasing attention is paid to game creators (including their behavior, the working conditions of their employees, and so much more).

The rapid expansion of the industry, and the rapid growth of professional games journalism, has exposed a unique dilemma: prominent game designers are increasingly butting heads with prominent game journalists over the reception their game receives.

Let’s take a closer look.

Living the dream

There is no question that the game industry attracts highly passionate and creative people; this isn’t a side-gig for most people. In fact, many designers and developers — especially in the indie space — take enormous financial risks to see their project through to completion. This deep well of passion and talent has certainly lead to some incredible games being made.

For developers, there’s obviously a strong sense of satisfaction that comes with their game not only succeeding commercially, but becoming a major name in the industry. Some games absolutely set new standards in their respective genres, and developers should rightly be proud of those accomplishments. When games like this are produced, the studio (and the developers) responsible can become stars almost overnight.

As a developer, you might be used to extraordinarily positive coverage from journalists across the board — this is generally warranted, especially if you’ve produced a stand-out hit. What can tend to happen, though, is that highly prominent creators can get caught in a kind of vacuum. It might start with positive reviews, but it doesn’t end there: a legion of fans millions strong, fan sites and blogs, and powerful influencers can combine to create an impenetrable wall of self-satisfaction and positive reinforcement. It can lead, ultimately, to cases where creators may believe they are always right and should never be questioned.

This mindset isn’t just the province of major studios, either. It can absolutely occur at the indie level. There have been many cases over the years of developers who are unable to take criticism and will tend to lash out at consumers or journalists, as if these are the groups to blame for developer’s woes.

I’m working my way towards an uncomfortable but vital point. A truly successful game designer understands when to listen to others, and when to accept one undeniable fact: your game sucks.

Image by Jason Rosewell.

Understanding why your game sucks

This point might seem to obvious to bear stating: there is no such thing as a perfect video game. It is a mistake to think this is remotely possible, and you should rightly be dubious about any claims made to the contrary. No matter how great your game is, there will always be someone who doesn’t like it. Simple review scores — even if they are represented on a scale — have apparently trained many people to think about games in the binary terms of “good” or “bad”. Even the greatest games may contain structural problems in their core design loops. This doesn’t make them bad games, it just means they aren’t perfect. Even the most successful developers will pay attention to nuanced critique that highlights these issues as an opportunity to learn.

There is admittedly a tension between “the artist’s intent” and the idea of a commercial product subject to review. It can be easy to view honest critique through a lens that says “this person just didn’t understand my art”. Sure, that might be an accurate statement on some occasions, but the moment you put a price tag on that work of art, you’ve created a product that is absolutely subject to critique.

This is why I keep harping on the importance of play testing and accepting feedback throughout the development cycle — and after release — from anyone who plays your game. A person who says “this game sucks” is giving you feedback that is just as valid as someone who says “this is the best game ever”. Understanding why people like or don’t like your game can lead to new ideas that might enable you to improve the experience even further, which may draw in additional players.

Remember, too, that if the thought of someone telling you your game sucks seems too much to bear then you’ll really have a problem when consumers are saying things a thousand times worse en masse. It’s always better to get that criticism while you’re still in development, too, than after you’ve shipped (although of course, this just speaks to the need to consider how you’ll support your game after release).

None of the above is to suggest that you should enact all feedback given to you. That would be unrealistic. But how do you decide what feedback to incorporate and what to disregard?

Knowing when to hold

A big part of being an effective game designer is accepting feedback and criticism — but it’s also important to know when to hold onto your ideas. This isn’t just a question of artistic integrity (although that can be a factor), it’s also a question of considering the practical implications of any changes you might be considering in response to feedback.

When developing a game, it’s important to consider both the scope of work and what you’re realistically able to achieve. Just as you can fail by not listening to anyone, you can just as easily sink by trying to please everyone. At the end of the day, consumers aren’t designing your game — you are. The core gameplay loop sits right at the heart of your game, and once you’ve established that design, it becomes a yardstick for determining what other items might be in or out of scope.

Every single decision about your game’s design should be considered against the core gameplay. If someone doesn’t like your core gameplay and they want to change it, then perhaps they simply aren’t part of your intended consumer base. It’s important, when receiving criticism, to consider the content of said criticism but also to consider where it is coming from — if you don’t have a clear target audience for your project, then it will be more difficult to discern the signal from the noise.

Final thoughts

The game industry is full of amazingly talented people, and incredibly unique games at all levels. Remember, though, that no matter how much success you’ve achieved — no matter how much you are in the pursuit of perfection — there will always be something valuable to learn. There will always be improvements to be made. You’ll often find that the greatest designers are the ones who are curious about the player experience, and who welcome feedback and dissenting opinion. That’s because these designers understand that the pursuit of perfection requires continual learning and growth.

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