Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
DESIGN RULE
Keep Exclusionary Material Out of Your Game
To reach a large audience while still creating a harmonious, coherent game, don't try to
attract everyone by adding unrelated features. Instead, work to avoid repelling people
who might otherwise be attracted.
Core Versus Casual
The most significant distinction among player types is not between console-game
players and computer-game players, nor between men and women, nor even
between children and adults. The most significant distinction is between hardcore
(usually just shortened to “core”) gamers and casual gamers.
Core gamers play a lot of games. Games are more than light entertainment to
them; games are a hobby that demands time and money. Core gamers subscribe to
game magazines, chat on game bulletin boards, and build fan websites about their
favorite games. Above all, core gamers play for the exhilaration of defeating the
game. They tolerate frustration well because of the charge they get out of finally
winning. The greater the obstacle, the greater the sense of achievement. Core gam-
ers thrive on competition. They don't like games that are easy; they like games that
are challenging.
By comparison, casual gamers play for the sheer enjoyment of the experience. If the
game stops being enjoyable or becomes frustrating, the casual gamer stops playing.
For the casual gamer, playing a game must be entertaining, whether it's competitive or
not. A casual gamer is simply not willing to spend hours learning complex controls or
getting killed again and again until he finds the one weak point in an otherwise invin-
cible enemy; he feels that he has better things to do with his time. To design a game
for casual gamers, you have to give them a sense of rapid progress and achievement.
In reality, of course, there are as many types of gamer as there are games; everyone
has a reason for playing computer games. But the casual/core distinction is a very
powerful one. If you design a game specifically for one group, you almost certainly
won't have a lot of sales to the other group. A few very well-designed games man-
age to appeal to both:
Goldeneye
, for example, can be played happily by both core
and casual gamers. Core gamers can set the game at the highest difficulty level and
drive themselves crazy trying to cut 15 seconds off the last time it took to play a
mission. Casual gamers can set the game at the easiest level and blast away, enjoy-
ing the game's smooth controls and visual detail.
Other Distinctions
Several other groups exhibit particular trends in their game-playing preferences,
and a brief list follows. Note that this section is about choosing a target audience,
