Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1.4 Heavy Rain screenshot. ( Heavy Rain screenshot ©2009 Sony Computer Entertainment
Europe. Heavy Rain is a registered trademark of Quantic Dream. Developed by Quantic Dream.)
controller out the window, which people will often do when they are
frustrated or bored, which we will talk about in Chapter 4.
So, how do game designers try to get people to stick with their
game? Oftentimes, it is very difficult to get an existing audience to
migrate from the game they enjoy and to which they feel loyal to an
entirely new franchise. If I were to make a new Minecraft , for exam-
ple, I would likely not pull much of the franchise's fans away, no mat-
ter how good my version might be. Game designers are like any other
people producing a product. We do a few things to make sure we are
making quality products that will keep people entertained. First, we
check on our competitors. Oftentimes, what other people are doing
helps us to guide our own entry. Second, we check out what's popular.
It is safer to ride a bubble, particularly for our first entry into the indus-
try, than to forge an entirely new field (there are obviously notable and
very successful exceptions to this: I'm looking at you, Notch ). Finally,
we start looking at studies done in other fields. Someone making a
new movie theatre probably studied some food science at some point.
Ever wonder why the popcorn is always fresh? Is it because the quality
is better, or is it because the smell of cooking popcorn entices you to
buy? Is the popcorn salty to enhance the taste, or to gently encourage
you to buy that $9 soda? This brilliant realization prompted business-
people to open psychology texts, engineers to learn carpentry, and
salespeople to learn body language and interpersonal communication
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