It’s one thing to design a game (or a feature of a game) and another to sell it. This is perhaps the hardest lesson to learn during the career of a game designer.
It’s not just about thinking about systems, mechanics, development context. It’s also about convincing someone to go ahead.
- If you have the funds, this someone can be a potential player. You have to convince them to play.
- If you don’t have the funds, but you have a great idea, this someone can be a publisher or an investor.
- If you work for someone, you have to convince them!
The key point is always in the expectations that one has about something.
- “I will buy this game for 30 euros because I think I will have a fun time”
- “I have to invest in this project because I see great possibilities of return”
- “I approve this design because I think it is the right one for our game”
The biggest challenge is that creatives think on a different level than others.
I’ll give a concrete example with my game Pawtners Case. Lately I’ve been proposing it to try to finance it. It is perceived as a game that is too cheap, and so with little potential. It doesn’t matter that I propose something workable and scalable. Publishers prefer to focus more on something unachievable rather than go step-by-step.
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