You Don’t Know What You Really Want

1. You Don’t Know What You Really Want What Gamers Don’t Know About What They Like About Video Games [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

2. Who am I? • Andrew Mayer • I’ve been designing all kinds of Games • for 16 Years • Original Producer/Designer on Petz • Creative Director at Cartoon Network Online • Original designer for HeroCard game • Casual Games [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

3. Who am I? • I’m a HUGE GAME GEEK • I Learned a lot about designing games by playing them. • Starting with my Atari 800 • I learned more by making them. • Playing games won’t teach you everything you need • And it won’t teach you why people like them. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

4. It’s all good. • There are developers who don’t know this stuff • Companies spend millions of dollars trying to make you happy • And it works! • The industry is getting bigger every year. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

5. What is a Player? • Someone who plays games (of course). • When they turn the game off, it’s over. • They don’t think about games outside of the game.

6. What is a Gamer? • Someone who loves to play games. • People who talk about the games they play. • People who think about games when they’re not playing them.

7. Players and Gamers are a lot alike • - Both have the same instincts when they’re playing. • They’re passionate about the game • And they’re trying to figure out how to win. • When they love it, they play it a lot.

8. Players and Gamers are different • Players like games, just not Gamer games. • They care more about THE SIMS, then SPORE. - The #1 PC GAME RIGHT NOW isNancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice. • The industry always wants to make $$$ by selling people as much stuff as they can. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

9. What Gamers Say • You can learn a lot from a Gamer • Most Gamers describe the things they like in pretty similar ways. • Except for you of course. • You are special and different. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

10. What Gamers Say • “This is cool.” • Cool is how you feel when things are going smoothly. • You know what you’re doing and get how it works. • The game isn’t getting in the way of you playing it. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

11. What Gamers Say • “This Sucks" • Your expectations aren’t meeting reality. • Pure WTF moments. • Malfunction! Malfunction! [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

12. What Gamers Say • “This is Awesome” • All of your game skills are working together. • Loving the big, flashy stuff. • Digging the great Story. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

13. Gamers and Players all want the same good stuff. • Exciting Gameplay • Dynamic Characters • Compelling Stories • Gorgeous Environments • Rock Solid Controls • Doing this stuff well isn’t expensive, just hard work. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

14. Gamers and Players all want the same good stuff. = [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

15. And then they want it all over again • We likes what we likes • Sequels • Remakes • Me-too games. • “Genre Busters” that don’t really bust anything. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

16. What about the cool NEW stuff? • Big new ideas mean big risks • Most games around big new ideas die before they’re ever released - It’s hard to explain something new to the audience • It’s hard to explain something new to the guys with the money • New doesn’t always equal good [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

17. Innovation isn’t dead • It is, however, more about evolution, not revolution. - Imagine re-inventing the camera every time you made a movie. • There are still more GTAs in our future, just not as many as fast. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

18. “Whatever, just make me great games!” Okay… sure, but there are a few issues we have to talk about first. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

19. Gamers get to like what they like “just because” they like it. • They only really have to think about what’s in front of them. • A Gamer is only worrying about game mechanic that’s getting in their way. • You only need to “fix” something that’s busted. • Seeing the gears breaks the magic • For most people… [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

20. Someone hates your favorite game • In fact, the more you love it, the more they hate it. • It’s way easier to make a game for 20 people then 2 million. • But your risk of failure is much higher. • Too many hardcore fans can kill a game. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

21. Developers are their own hardcore fans • We lose perspective on our own games early and often. • We can only make things that we can break down into bite-sized chunks. • The bites are getting bigger… • We have to do the work and take the big risks • But we lose perspective. • Cry for us. We are teh sad. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

22. Figuring it out • How do Developers and Publishers learn what you want? • Focus Testing: Watch people play the game. • User Metrics: They’re tracking your every move! • Experience: Make a lot of games and you’ll learn something. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

23. The Big Secrets What do developers, publishers, and marketers know about Gamers that Gamers don’t know about themselves?

24. Listen to your audience. • You have to filter what people say into useful information. • Smart developers always listen to users. • Even if you’re ignore someone you should listen first. • Data often gets more interesting in large clumps. [You don’t know what you really want.] www.andrewpmayer.com

25. Frustration is Good • Game Design is the art of enjoyable frustration. • If you always got what you wanted when you wanted it, it wouldn’t be a game. • Frustration equals fun, when it’s balanced right • Read Raph Koster’s A Theory of Fun. • It’s a great book on this subject.

26. You didn’t think of that, they did • Good games trick you into doing what you should be doing. • The make you think it was your idea. • Having an “a-ha” moment is always a win. • Everything (graphics, gameplay, story) should be working toward that moment of user “discovery”. • You can break the game in new ways after you already get it.

27. The Reverse Yoda: Hate turns to love • No matter how much the journey sucks, it always feels good at the top of the mountain. • You must triumph (eventually). • If you never beat a challenge you won’t love it. • If it’s too easy you won’t care. • Once you’ve mastered something, it feels good to go back and kick ass.

28. Translatingfrom Gamer into Developer Gamers don’t always say what they mean. Developers have to figure it out.

29. Translating from Gamer into Developer • “Can I please have some more?” • Less is more. Games are made out of rules and limitations. • Too much stuff is actually confusing. • There’s already a no-limit sandbox called Life. • There’s another one called Second Life.

30. Translating from Gamer into Developer • “This is too hard!” • Is it too difficult or just really challenging? • Remember the Reverse Yoda you must. • Is it so hard that you won’t buy it? • It’s only a lose when you actually stop playing.

31. Translating from Gamer into Developer • “You should make it like this!” • Actions have consequences. • It just may not be possible in the time & budget. • It may not be the game that they’re trying to make. • Changing little things often have BIG consequences. • If a developer isn’t doing something “obvious” there’s almost always a reason. • The question is, is it a good reason?

32. Developers want to make Gamers happy If we aren’t making games for the people who love them, then why make games at all?

33. Developers want to make Gamers happy • Get the basics right • Controls • Interface • AI • No nasty bugs

34. Developers want to make Gamers happy • They’re watching you. • Beta testing. • Reading opinions online. • Gather their every move with every tool they have available. • More metrics tools are being used every day.

35. Developers want to make Gamers happy • Gamers are the most valuable • to developers as Players • Becoming a meta-critic actually makes you less useful. • Hardcore players open the door to new ideas. • They can also hurt the games they love. • Hardcore fans often don’t always want to face the truth.

36. So what do I do with all this secret knowledge? Become a Smarter Gamer • Find more of what you enjoy. • Move the industry towards the kind of innovative games that everybody says they really want.

37. Learn to smell the BS • Where there’s smoke there’s fear • Bad marketing tries to sell you the sizzle instead of the steak. • Is anybody talking about the gameplay? • Beware strange details, long lists, or number counts.

38. Play Wider • It’s okay to only love part of a game. • It’s worthwhile to try out something for one good idea, especially if you can rent it. • You don’t need to like something in order to understand why it’s value to others. • Sometimes you’ll discover something awesome inside of a spectacular failure.

39. Find Good Stuff Faster-er • Little details tell you when it’s going to be good. • It’s hard to explain what the game is, but they keep trying. • You start seeing cool little features they’ve been hyping, and they look good. • You’re hearing a lot about what the player does in the game.

40. THANK YOU for being Gamers! Nobody would get to play games if it wasn’t for the people who loved them the most.