Only for some games...

[RPGnet Columns]

Post originally by Syntax at 2003-07-09 06:51:02
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You column is a very solid argument for certain types of games. I think that if you want to produce a game that is popular, it's a good modl to follow.

It is worth considering, however, that not all games are designed to be popular. Um, top of head, Age of Hero's. It's design purpose did not include either "sell lots", or "be popular", thus to pay attention to what people are going to want would have diluted it from it's intended purpose - which it satisfy's mightily. Much of Hogshead's New style games would also fit into this catagory.

I think that if every game was desigend for the middle of the market, the hobby would be the poorer for it. Without the occasional disregard for popular, we'd have never see those wierd games that influence the next generation.

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Post originally by Sandy Antunes at 2003-07-09 07:55:45
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Hi,

While not every game should be designed to be "mass market", I think every game should be "popular", in the circular sense of 'will appeal to the sorts of people this game type appeals to'.

Which means, if you're making a goth genre game, it should be popular with at least some goths. If you're making a tactical game, it should be popular with (at least) tactical players.

Otherwise, making a game which is popular with no one is, well, pointless. Games aren't abstract art, they are (if art at all) art that is intended to be used, to be played.

So yes, completely, all games should not be designed to be mass market. But, I do think all games should a) have an intended audience and b) be created so that the intended audience likes it, i.e. be popular with the intended audience*.

Cheers,
Sandy
freelance

caveat: some games miss the mark with their 'intended audience' but gain popularity with a different crowd, due to ironic appeal, comedic value, kitsch, etc. But they still achieve 'popularity', which is key.

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Post originally by bochi at 2003-07-09 12:41:10
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If you want to be a commercial success then you need to know something about the history of the market you're entering. But the truth about why one game dominated over another historically is as much about marketing and distribution as the strength of the game design.

Sandy's article is reasonable as far as it goes but would be a poor place to start from, I feel. The very best games - the ones I have loved most - have been driven by the enthusiasm of the designers for their genre. In today's market I would therefore start with genre.

I think that means locking away the gamebooks and going back to the films, books, music and artwork that inspire you, and decide which experiences you want to relive in gaming terms. Which skills your favorite characters exhibit, what sort of things they can do with them. What is the nature and mood of the stories? Are plots intricate and hidden, with many twists and ambiguities, or linear and straightforward with clear goals and an easily identified hero and villain? How do people talk? What do they want out of life?

Designing a system then becomes about how to make those experiences possible for players, and how to create stories that contain such experiences.

That game might be a board game, or a CCG, or an RPG, or a d20 sourcebook, or a computer strategy game, or a 'massively multiplayer' something or other.

But as long as the background is strong, the game mechanics can be improved or changed because designer and play-testers will know when the mechanics are not delivering the experiences they've identified as crucial.

Bochi

[RPGnet Columns]

Post originally by DTM at 2003-12-12 17:40:51
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I have to disagree. I think that all games are ment to be popular (at least the ones for a video game console like an x-box). If these games were just made for the fun of it, we would have a lot of broken down video game warehouses on our hands. These games cost a lot of money, which can seem to be scarce when you print video games "just for the fun of it"