Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
game in a niche you enjoy and you believe you know everything there is to know
about that niche.
Learn everything you can about your demographic, such as the following:
What are the most popular games for your demographic?
What are the least popular games for your demographic?
What do players have to say about games geared toward your
demographic?
What colors, styles, and interface designs are popular in existing
games for your demographic?
To get this information, you can consult several sources:
Market surveys
Reviews of existing games
The games themselves
People in your demographic
Review services from games portals
Conduct, purchase, or locate online market surveys for the demographic
you're focusing on. According to Nielsen, gaming has grown 10% over the
past year (2011) and now accounts for 10% of all U.S. time spent online; and
consumers, in 2010, spent $25.1 billion on game content, hardware, and acces-
sories (ESA).
Because of the massive sales that gaming now enjoys, many third-party
researchers, like ESA, conduct demographic surveys and offer their informa-
tion to help designers further target the groups for which they're creating their
games. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) also conducts
surveys to gather demographic information. Some third-party groups, like NPD,
do market research and offer highly detailed sales and demographic informa-
tion for a fee. If you're about to seek millions of dollars to launch a new game or
gaming company, having detailed information about sales is an important facet
of your business plan.
In addition to survey data, look for and read reviews posted about games geared
toward your demographic. For example, Big Fish Games allows players to freely
post their thoughts about games for sale on the company's site. Comments
Websites like
Gamasutra.com
offer post-mortems
on how games were
made. review best
sellers to see what
works. Study the
flops to identify mis-
takes to avoid.
