Sergei Vasiuk

Game development isn't just about coding. It's about beating the ultimate bosses in life and business.Here’s the breakdown of difficulty tiers:🔴 S+ Tier: Final bosses: Peak challenges• Securing funding.• Balancing team burnout.• Delivering on tight deadlines.The pressure here is immense.🟠 S Tier: Legendary: Honing the essentials• Art, animation, bizdev, game design, legal, • Game/level/sound design, localization, QA • Marketing, production, tech art, narrative This is where games become unforgettable.🟡 A Tier: Advanced: Nailing the details• Ensuring ladders are climbable.• Making doors open smoothly.• Polishing online multiplayer.Here, details shape the experience.🟢 B Tier: High Difficulty: Building core• Configurable gamepads.• Performance optimization.• Creating effective tutorials. This is where ideas begin to take form.🔵 C Tier: Hard: Good Ideas🟣 D Tier: Easy: IdeasGame dev mirrors life and business.Success hides in the small things.It’s easy to dream. Hard to execute.

If your game doesn’t have fun core gameplay, stop reading this. (No system can rescue boring gameplay)Let me guess:You’ve got decent gameplay.Cool graphics.A few rewards here and there.But players are leaving. Why?Because you’re NOT thinking about systems.Retention doesn’t happen by accident.It’s BUILT.Your players don’t stay for shiny features.They stay because they feel something:• A sense of growth.• A bond with friends.• The thrill of a challenge.Build systems around what keeps players.Here’s how:1. Progression↳ Make players feel like every session moves them forward.2. Competition↳ Design moments where they WANT to beat the person next to them.3. Emotion↳ Give them a reason to care beyond stats and wins.Stop blaming retention on external factors.Retention is YOUR responsibility.

9 Traps That Kill Your Game (And How to Avoid Every Single One)Most live service games fail.Not because the devs aren’t smart.But because they fall into unseen traps.Here’s the truth: ☝️If you can avoid these 9 traps,you’ll stay ahead of 95% of games out there.1. Metrics:↳ Focusing on revenue instead of fun.↳ Fix: Track engagement. Fun = profits.2. Events:↳ Too many events = burnout.↳ Fix: Space them out. Keep it fresh.3. Ads:↳ Fake gameplay ads destroy trust.↳ Fix: Show the REAL game. Trust scales.4. Progression:↳ Too easy? Boring. Too hard? Frustrating.↳ Fix: Balance it for fair rewards.5. Monetization:↳ Pay-to-win drive players away.↳ Fix: Offer value. Keep it fair. Win long-term6. Community:↳ No community = no loyalty.↳ Fix: Engage through events & social media7. Onboarding:↳ Confused players don’t stick around.↳ Fix: Teach the basics in a fun way.8. Feedback:↳ Ignoring complaints […]

How to design your player journey map? (5-step checklist)A player journey map visualizes experiences↳ aligns gameplay, monetization & retention.Here’s how to design one for your game:1️⃣ Define your map’s purpose• Focus on 1 goal: onboarding, retention, etc.• Set detail level, e.g., purchase journey.• Identify segment: casual, whales, etc.2️⃣ Identify player personas• Casual: focus on easy access & discovery.• Influencers: reward w/ social recognition.• Spenders: highlight exclusive offers.3️⃣ Analyze behaviors and touchpoints• Observe key systems: core, meta, etc.• Track streamers and community activity.• Check top items for awareness/purchases.4️⃣ Map the player journey stages• Awareness: Buzz from gameplay & socials.• Consideration: Reviews & personal offers.• Purchase: Easy checkout & seamless flow.• Usage: Impact on gameplay & recognition.5️⃣ Validate and refine your map• Test it with player actions and feedback.• Align it with KPIs like retention rates.• Keep evolving as the game grows.❗Things […]