1. You Target Audience Is Not Always Visible
While studying reviews is a basic step, it’s crucial to consider the majority of players who don’t express their opinions online. To learn about their preferences, tastes, and habits, delve into reports from public companies.
You might be surprised to discover that a game, seemingly a failure, can actually be a successful project in terms of copies sold. For mobile games, gather as many metrics as possible from the targeted market, such as gender split, playtime, and spending habits.
These metrics can reveal more about your players than reviews ever could. The minorities are loud, but the majority often speak through their actions.
2. Actually Play Games
Play. Play a lot. This hands-on experience will not only give you valuable insights into the genre you’re targeting but also speed up all your other research activities.
Whether you’re reading books, exploring articles, listening to podcasts, or chatting with colleagues about the genre, actually playing the games helps you grasp ideas and concepts much faster and deepens your understanding of the content you’ve consumed.
Yes, you might feel less productive today because of the hours spent playing, but tomorrow you’ll be twice as efficient.
3. What Doesn’t Work is Equally Important
Understanding trends is not only about looking for the right direction but also recognizing where it’s too late to go. This means avoiding outdated genres, mechanics, styles, and settings.
By identifying what has passed its prime, you can eliminate many ideas and gain inspiration to build something new and innovative!
