When crafting a standout gaming experience, one crucial aspect to consider is player engagement. Does your game captivate its audience, leaving them eager for more? Or does it leave players feeling disconnected and disinterested? The answer lies in the little details that can make or break the overall impact of your game.

In 2009, it became clear that this game had the potential to become one of the world’s most popular and enduring video games.

The developers’ original team members would often regale colleagues with a tale of the exact moment when it dawned on them that their game was truly exceptional.

It was likely sometime in 2008 or early 2009 – predating the game’s open beta phase. In its early days, Esports has traditionally struggled with fostering a sense of community and welcome atmosphere, prompting developers to coerce their own team members into participating in daily playtesting sessions. At first, whispers of discontent began to circulate.

Eventually, something always changes. People started participating in the sport because they were enjoying themselves.

As the playtesting session drew to a close, participants began flocking back in, eager to continue their involvement despite the initial scheduled wrap-up time having expired. They’ve been enthusiastically shouting, laughing with abandon, and staying late to extend their playtime.

Such rare moments of progress in sports development often arise from a convergence of factors. Given the highly specialized nature of each developer’s role, it often takes years before a developer gains insight into how individual components will ultimately harmonize within a game’s ecosystem.

As you navigate the path ahead, subtle milestones emerge when you dare to imagine that the fruit of your labor might actually bear fruit.

As I pondered, what must these fleeting instants appear like to various craftsmen?

This week, I connected with a group of developers who played a pivotal role in the creation of iconic video games such as FIFA, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto. I requested them:

By the time Chad Grenier and his colleagues at Respawn Entertainment began working on their new project, he had already dedicated over a decade to creating some of the most critically acclaimed first-person shooters in gaming history, including titles from both Respawn and Infinity Ward.

The staff, possessing extensive knowledge, shared expert insights on crafting an engaging first-person shooter experience. Eric Grenier, a veteran of the first-person shooter genre with an illustrious history that predates the dawn of modern gaming, underscores the challenge he faced in crafting an experience that remains enjoyable regardless of the playing conditions:

“The camaraderie on the sports field was palpable, as colleagues bonded over friendly competition while socializing and learning about their opponents.” Despite this, it didn’t replicate a genuine online environment.

To foster innovation among staff members, Respawn employees worked within constraints. “We required our staff to participate in playtesting with our event-based systems, voice chat capabilities, and randomized gamertag options,” Grenier states. The development of their acclaimed ping system was partly driven by a desire to improve communication between un-mic’ed gamers, impressing staff in the process.

Grenier notes that the team intensely focused on amplifying the “sports feeling”, a notion he defines as “the bond between the player and the game, facilitated by whatever control input mechanism is employed”.

“We invest considerable time merely circling, strafing, seamlessly transitioning between ADS and revving up our skills by repeatedly capturing dummy targets in a training map,” Grenier remarks, before providing a plethora of instances that demonstrate his scrutiny for authentic game feel.

“We aim to eliminate frustration for participants,” Grenier explains, “by preventing them from getting upset due to being outmaneuvered by their opponents or regretting choices they’ve made.” When players experience frustration due to subpar movement mechanics, collisions, weapon handling, or other related issues, it’s clear that we’ve fallen short of creating an enjoyable gaming experience.

What if the connection between sports and analytics truly resonates intuitively, but how does one account for more rugged, scientifically-grounded forms of examination? To reconcile their instinctual grasp of sporting sentimentality with data-driven insights.

“Metrics shouldn’t dictate where you are, but rather what you’re striving for.”

Grenier posits that a judicious approach to metrics is essential, utilizing them only when circumstances demand such precision.

“Never build a sports program solely around metrics; instead, craft one centered on a compelling vision that your team is passionate about pursuing.” Utilize data-driven insights to inform destination selection, rather than allowing a specific location to dictate the journey. Embracing the successes and failures of predecessors in the video game industry, yet refraining from being unduly influenced by their choices, is a crucial lesson to internalize.

Designing an enjoyable sport proves daunting even for experienced developers who have honed their skills over time, so what makes us think it would be any easier to create a game that intentionally eliminates traditional gameplay elements?

When designing Journey Quest, the team at Airplane Toast, led by Émi Lefèvre, had to tackle a crucial challenge: creating a successful multiplayer game without combat.

“We’ve come to realize belatedly that our sport has immense potential for success,” said Lefèvre, the innovative director behind the venture, in a recent conversation with me. “For much of the development process, the game’s early iterations lacked polish, leaving players feeling underwhelmed. However, during the final six months leading up to the demo’s release, our team’s hard work and dedication finally paid off, as the game started to gel.”

Presents itself as a quintessential “cozy” sport, distinct from others bearing the moniker in that it’s crafted more like a traditional narrative-driven journey sport than the typical cozy experiences found in farming or neighborhood simulations. The game offers a mix of collecting items, driving vehicles, and exploring a vast open world, but lacks the consequences of death or injury.

LeFèvre confessed to grappling with articulating the sport’s essence, finding it challenging to convey what it truly represented. “I never thought we’d be able to market it successfully.”

The issue stems partly from the team’s enthusiasm to venture into uncharted waters of sports design innovation. Initially committed to a combat-free design, the team wrestled with self-doubt as to whether a platforming/exploration game could thrive without it.

“When considering the situation, I realized we had to shift our focus away from conflict.” “We initially required substantial time to ensure our solution worked as intended. The success of our exploration-based gameplay heavily relied on an engaging and immersive open-world environment; however, we faced the challenge of iterating multiple times on our map design to find a suitable approach.”

The sheer joy of exploring a game’s meticulously crafted landscapes stems largely from uncovering its intricately designed secrets and surprises.

The same challenges that arise from the game’s diverse “slice of life” interactions with characters throughout the cities. According to Lefèvre, refining the sport’s narrative and gameplay necessitated multiple rounds of iteration before playtesters felt comfortable engaging with the game’s characters.

Despite these setbacks, the Airplane Toast team persisted in refining their game. Lefèvre credits video games like and with inspiring the staff, who drew encouragement from their combat-free nature. This was significant because these games served as proof points that a sport like this could thrive, despite the prevalence of third-person journey games featuring intense action.

It wasn’t until the demo’s release at the Steam Next Fest earlier this year that the team began to feel increasingly confident about having something truly special in their grasp? The overwhelmingly positive reactions from critics and gamers in response to the demo have significantly boosted the morale of the Airplane Toast team, providing them with further inspiration to bring their creative vision to life.

With a staggering 1,000+ Steam reviews and an astonishing 91% positive ratings consensus, the Airplane Toast team’s hard work and dedication have been resoundingly validated. Léfevre asserts a renewed sense of optimism regarding the sport’s development trajectory, yet acknowledges lingering reservations about their approach.

“With hindsight, conducting thorough market analysis upfront could have been invaluable. By doing so, we may have created a product that would have marketed itself,” she notes, “Yet, I also believe that taking shortcuts diminishes the authenticity we can infuse into our design.” “I’m thrilled that we drew inspiration from our environment and personal experiences, and I’m confident that individuals will resonate with the depth of ourselves that’s been poured into this project.”

For nearly three decades, Greg Road has spearheaded multiple landmark video game projects, including his role as Lead Methods Designer at (company name),² while also serving as a producer and VP at Riot Games, before venturing to his new studio to develop a cutting-edge massively multiplayer online experience.

Initially, Road’s foray into the video game industry took place at Ensemble Studios, where he spent a decade serving as a designer on every single game produced by the studio.

It’s often exhausting for Road to acknowledge that a sport may have immense untapped potential – something many developers would rather not admit, but is a reality nonetheless?

According to Road’s direct message on X, he firmly believed that many builders and nearly all concerned parties posed a risk when gazing casually. They all claim to excel in navigating preceding grey packaging, dodging bugs, handling crashes, and expertly executing ear flicks. Yet, testers are often relieved when a buggy playtest concludes or even better, when the entire testing process is scrapped, acknowledging that this arduous experience was indeed a painful learning curve.

Roth notes that as time passes, he’s become increasingly convinced that even seasoned executives often miss the mark in identifying a sports property’s potential at its inception – a reality exposed by the inquiries they pose.

Will the actual artwork model resemble a collection of grey cardboard boxes, despite knowing that’s not the original concept? Will the knight unit always be represented by a pony with the phrase “KNIGHT” hovering above it?

While it’s common for executives to lack technical insight, there are often subtle cues that indicate progress towards a desired outcome for developers themselves.

“According to Road, Ensemble Studios’ team members played-tested their video games every day.” “I am confident that the playtest likely took place at around 4:00 pm. We all gathered in a designated playtest area to work together rather than remaining at our individual desks.”

For Road, memories flood his mind each time he thinks about the moment when a new game became more desirable than its predecessor, with specific recollections of , , and .

As the team preferred playing the new game, they realized, “That’s when we knew we had something special.”

After engaging with Chad Grenier and Émi Lefèvre, I discovered a striking similarity in their approach to sports design: Both emphasized the importance of trusting their unique creative vision over relying on market research to guide their decision-making process.

Upon receiving the news, I immediately reached out to Greg Road to gather more insight on this matter, and he responded with a detailed and thought-provoking answer that has left me thoroughly convinced.

I’m genuinely vexed about this notion, which posits that the vision should come first, and it must be an intensely personal commitment to the vision. It appears that a shift is emerging in gamers’ preferences regarding battle passes; perhaps it’s time to reassess our strategy? However, this isn’t the moment to delve into market trends. When receiving a design and having a functional prototype, typically after conducting market analysis, you’re actually validating your initial ideas rather than searching for them from scratch.

As someone who previously worked in science, my analytical mindset is still deeply ingrained; naturally, I tend to approach things with a rigorous scientific perspective. You make a speculation. While collecting data to test your hypothesis, you strive to gather comprehensive information that either confirms or discredits your initial supposition. As a seasoned expert, your instincts are unparalleled, and others should rely on your discerning judgment and deep understanding in all matters. Market testing and person expertise testing aim to identify potential pitfalls or overlooked factors that could impact results.

Riot’s exceptional work in this instance is undeniable; in my attempt to mirror their success, our newly established studio has achieved impressive results. After the hyperspace jump that brought us to this distant planet, our primary viewers are intergalactic explorers and space travelers seeking guidance on navigating the uncharted territories of the cosmos. You might be taken aback by the fact that you’ve managed to captivate an audience larger than your core demographic? If you’re targeting no specific audience and strive to be everything to every gamer, you’ve likely sacrificed your game’s identity.

What sets our innovative game apart is its unique blend of massively multiplayer online gameplay and focus on individual player experiences. It’s likely that players who prefer playing massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) on their own won’t appreciate our game. And we’re fantastic with that.

When I inquired about the article’s title with developers, I expected a broad range of responses. What appears to separate a comfortable sports game inventor from a renowned designer and a legendary creator of real-time strategy/massively multiplayer online games?

While there were differences in tone and approach, their answers shared surprisingly consistent threads.

The reply is: . Uncertain, no more than.

By scrutinizing subtle cues, you can anticipate and accelerate game development: engage in playtesting, soliciting gamer feedback, and refining pivotal interactions through iterative testing, thereby validating or refuting initial hypotheses on what resonates and what doesn’t with your target audience.

If you remain committed to your vision and dedicate yourself to the task, there’s always a chance that you might create something truly exceptional.

That’s it for this week. I’m heading to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with caution, aiming to avoid any confrontation.