X-Statements
X-statements are the one line that describes the product. It should be simple, viral, relatable. See also: elevator pitch. It should relate to the pillars that make your product.
Fundamentals:
Know WHAT you're making.
Know WHO you're making it for.
Make it MARKETABLE.
What makes it DIFFERENT?
WHY will people want to play?
Make an X-statement familiar but different?
[blank] meets [blank].
Make an X-statement original?
Playable documentary?
Riot sim?
Interesting and unique ideas.
Use an X-statement to describe a moment?
Something phenomenal and exhilarating.
X-statements are essentially a condensation of your passion that is viral, relatable, and easy to understand.
Viral - spread through word-of-mouth.
Positional charts can help.
Casual to core gameplay.
Realistic to fantasy.
Example: Build a thriving city in a world where buildings are alive, need constant management and a sense of purpose, if they are to be saved from demolition.
Buildings are alive.
People are fuel.
Keep the city alive.
Narrative is history.
Condensed example: A city builder with living, breathing buildings.
Audiences
Segmentation refers to the audience. See also: demographic groups.
Audiences are based on MOTIVATIONS which manipulate the FEATURES they look for. Motivations from universal to personal:
Personal achievement
In-game achievement
Cognitive
Emotional Immersion
Creation/Exploration
Independence
Affiliation
Status/Rank
Leadership/Power
Reward
Motivations + Devices + Demographics and Attitudes = NINE PLAYER TYPES
(7%) Category Enthusiasts - Most engaged, lots of motivations, strong willed and informed, near impossible to market to. Always present.
(17%) "Not a Gamer" Gamers - Don't consider themselves gamers but play games to provide a feeling of accomplishment. Immediate and simple gameplay. Loyal, staying on the same game or two for months. Unlikely to invest. Hates complexity and immersion. Loves quick advances and accomplishments. Driven by advancing, accomplishment, challenge, rank. Recommended features: single-player campaign, practice, great tutorials, customisation, cartoon style. Recommended genres: puzzle, arcade. Primarily mobile.
(14%) Improvers or Solvers - Seek mental improvement, friendly competition. See games as educational tools. Hates creating/exploring, leading, emotional attachment. Loves mental challenge, learning, feeling smart. Driven by cognitive challenge, learning, accomplishment, mastery. Recommended features: progression loop, multiplayer with friends, performance tracker. Recommended genres: puzzle, arcade, brain training, word, trivia. Primarily mobile, but can enter other systems.
(9%) Prize Finders - Motivated only by prizes. Rewards outweigh progression/challenge. Hates thinking, creating, affiliation with others. Loves winning coins, rewards, internal challenge. Driven by earning currencies, earning rewards, challenge. Recommended features: daily rewards, big payouts, solo play, gacha "mechanics". Recommended genres: casino, puzzle, word.
(??%) Imaginators - Create their own world. Need to express values, personalities, style. Interested in game culture and freedom of choice. Hates bragging, dominating others, leading. Loves creating, nurturing, exploration, imagining. Driven by creation, exploration, doing things that are impossible in real life. Recommended features: NPC interaction, narrative, strong theme, side missions and quests, customisation of characters/worlds/events. Recommended genres: builder, simulation. Goes hand-in-hand with Storytellers.
(??%) Storytellers - Value narrative. Control character's fate and become absorbed in the world. Respect games as an art form. Hates being the best, dominating, earning currencies. Loves feeling connected with the world and story, being someone else. Driven by emotional connection, engrossed, living a story, exploration. Recommended features: interaction with NPCs, open world, side quests, consequences, deep narrative, solo campaign. Recommended genres: adventure, action, RPG, builder. Goes hand-in-hand with Imaginators.
(7%) Party People - Tool to bond and interact with others. Embrace unpredictability. Hates bragging, showing off, dominating. Loves fitting in, peer approval, making friends, teamwork. Driven by fitting in, making friends, feeling supported, teamwork. Recommended features: team play, multiplayer, versus, track progress, help in-game, split-screen, in-game chat, user-generated content. Recommended genres: shooter, MOBA, action, RPG.
(13%) Score Chasers - Competitive players. Want to win through skill. Bragging rights are important. Hates emotional connection, narrative, strategy. Loves bragging, dominating, winning. Recommended features: photorealism, career mode, teamplay, customisation, multiplayer, track performance. Recommended genres: shooter, action, RPG, sports.
(??%) Strategy Kings - Take pride in being smart and leading to victory. Wide knowledge of market. Will play with anyone. Often obsessed with gaming. Hates experiences that don't measure success, caring. Loves gaining prestige, dominating, leading, bragging. Driven by status, support, leading, dominating. Recommended features: voice chat, performance tracking, ask team for help, teamplay, versus, online matchmaking, shared user-generated content, multiplayer. Recommended genres: MOBA, action, shooter, strategy.
NOTE: Some gamers hybridise multiple player types as their own identifier. This list is not definitive as a result.
Assets
Assets are what is used to sell the game. GIFs and screenshots, trailers, key art, etc. Key art is your pack front (box art) - seen the most. Descriptions also count as assets.
Descriptions
The description should be clear and self-promoting. Example: "An unrelenting onslaught of eye-popping visuals, ear-bursting soundscapes..."
Key Art
The first thing people will see is banner art and/or box art. Make sure it works in all environments you're entering. Has to be flexible to work in different sizes and formats. Communicate the story, mechanics, charm, etcetera. Try using a mood board.