The line between work and passion is incredibly thin.

Sometimes the line between work and passion is incredibly thin. Especially in an industry like ours, where the "product" we create and sell is all about enjoyment and fun. The distinction often lies in timing and perspective.For instance, if I take out a box of Lego pieces and start building a castle dungeon, at age 8, it’s simply seen as playtime. Fast forward to age 28, and this same activity can be clearly recognized as level designing and pure dedication to one's work and professional growth. And if you’re a bit older, the circle closes and you may find yourself blending both worlds and using your work tools to bring a premium touch to today's session of Gloomhaven.In either case, the photo would be quite similar.To be honest, I'm a bit unreasonably proud of the upgraded experience I created in […]

Jesus Machina June 17

Journal

The Power of Constant Learning

In the past 2-3 years, I have experienced tremendous growth both personally and professionally. This journey has reinforced a vital lesson: the importance of constant learning and evolving. In our fast-paced world, the ability to adapt and grow is more critical than ever. Embracing new challenges, seeking out fresh knowledge, and being open to change have been key drivers in my development. From upskilling in emerging technologies to adopting new methodologies, every step has contributed to my growth.One of the most impactful aspects of my evolution has been the willingness to step out of my comfort zone. Whether it’s taking on new projects, engaging in professional development courses, or simply seeking feedback from peers, each action has provided valuable insights and fostered resilience. To everyone out there striving to evolve, I encourage you to embrace continuous learning. The journey may […]

Elizaveta Savenkova June 17

Journal

Trending Game: Supermarket Simulator – Round 2

NEW GAME TRENDING SUPERMARKET SIMULATOR (ROUND 2) In April, I published a post about the new trend of supermarket simulators 🛒 in the games industry.There I mentioned that this trend emerged on Steam (by Valve corporation) under the title "Supermarket Simulator", developed by Nokta Games.The trend quickly spread to the mobile market and spawned some hits, such as "Supermarket Manager Simulator" by Polish studio Digital Melody Games. 🇵🇱At that time, the games that took advantage of this trend reached around 35MM downloads and US$512k in IAP revenue.What has happened since then? 🤔Well… some gaming studios have read my post 🤣 and launched their versions of supermarket simulators.And studios that had already developed supermarket simulators, either in a different version to Nokta's game, also took advantage of the trend. 📈(This is the case with "Hypermarket 3D", a Hypercasual simlutator published by […]

Carlos Pereira June 17

Journal

Parking Lot And Cool Game Design Meetings

What Does Connect Parking Lot And Cool Game Design Meetings? 🚗 During the last Game Design Workshop, I got familiar with a project management technique Parking Lot where you ‘park’ not relevant to the meeting topics. This really helps to focus on the current goal, save time, and not to flood.It can be a hypothetical parking lot or a real one (for example, a whiteboard with stickers). We had it on the wall in the corner of the room.When you see that the current question is not directly connected to the meeting’s topic, you just stop the discussion, write down the issue, and go back to the main part.📝 After meeting you can go back to these ‘parked’ questions. Thanks, Charles Lees-Czerkawski, for explaining and making a nice replica of a real parking lot sign for the workshop!Have you ever […]

Eva Piatrushina June 17

Journal

Coming up with a game idea

Hello and welcome to our exclusive series on mastering game development and launch! Today, we delve into one of our most challenging yet enlightening topics: conceptualizing your next groundbreaking game idea. This journey is uniquely creative and iterative, where no single step overshadows another. This post tries to outline comprehensive steps and essential concepts to inspire and guide you towards creating your next big hit. Happy developing and stay inspired! Identify Your Core Expertise Genre: Understanding your strengths and preferences in game genres is vital in the highly competitive gaming market. This understanding forms the core foundation for developing a successful game. The significance of genre expertise is often reflected in the funding stages a game achieves, especially during the ideation or Beta launch phases. A prime example of the impact of genre expertise is Dream Games. Their funding journey […]

Saikat Mondal June 17

Journal

All of my Startup Templates

Here they are, under Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TVydG6SeDNXnwnbii4jpp1cBQ-npgCfL

Joakim Achren June 17

Journal

Monetization Series: Economy, IAP, Personas, and LiveOps

Part 1: The Basics In-game monetisation is a vital part of the mobile games ecosystem. Today, I’m going to start off with the general basics and things you should all know before going into more complex topics over the next 5 days. Monetisation for mobile games can be easily broken down into two main categories: Free to Play and Premium. Very simply, Free to Play allows you to download games for free to your device but has “micro-transactions” or advertisements which allow developers to make money after the fact, whereas, Premium you pay an upfront fee to play the game. Traditionally this was a one-time fee which allowed you to play the game without subsequent transactions. However that has changed over the last few years. Free to Play is 99% of the industry, so I’ll stick to that for now. […]

John Wright June 17

Journal

ENTERTAIN YOUR PLAYERS WITH EVENTS!

What to keep your live service game fresh? ENTERTAIN YOUR PLAYERS WITH EVENTS!An event is a time-limited experience that boosts engagement and monetization.Here are 4 components of an event: ☝️1. Theme.Drawn from in-game elements, cultural events, media trends, or business collaborations.2. Progression.Refer to the mechanics through which players gain value from the event.3. PromotionUtilizes communication channels, influencers, or partners to extend the reach. 4. Monetization.Involves special content either with the event theme, its progression, or both.Anything else, Sergei? ✋Define the purpose of the event.Engage top players with social features.Build anticipation with timed mechanics.Hope this helps!Please repost! ♻️ Appreciate it.I really want to help many thrive in gaming for a fulfilling, positive, and real life.And with that → positive, real results.

Sergei Vasiuk June 17

Journal

What Is The Process Of Creating a Narrative In Games?

Here is the pipeline I created and used when I was a Narrative Producer: 0) Logline— High-concept premise— Two or three sentences— Includes the protagonist, goal, and main conflict1) Synopsis— Brief story overview (1-2 pages)— Follows a three-act structure— Outlines main plot points, key characters, and the overall story arc2) Story Outline— Breakdown narrative into acts and major chapters— Highlight key events, character development, and plot twists— Roadmap for the entire story2A) Worldbuilding— Create the game's setting— Focus on aspects that influence the story and characters2B) Characters Passports— Backstory and motivation— Key character traits— Role in the plot— Description of appearance— References2C) Speech Characteristics— Unique speech patterns for each character— Examples: old-fashioned or slang speech, stuttering, etc.— Sample of dialogue3) Chapter Flowchart— Visual representation of story progression— Detail branching paths, scenes, player decisions, and possible outcomes— Indicates game mechanics used […]

Anton Slashcev June 17

Journal

Game Retention Cheatsheet

To improve retention, it's necessary to deconstruct the factors influencing it. Here’s a cheatsheet on how to keep players engaged from the start: I. Short-Term Retention (Day 1-3) 1) Onboarding:🎯 Clear objectives🧠 Minimal cognitive load⚡ Immediate action2) First Impressions:🎨 Strong graphics and good readability🖱️ Intuitive UI/UX📜 Compelling story hook3) Core Gameplay Loop:🎮 Fun & engaging gameplay📏 Easy-to-understand rules🎁 Rewarding sessions II. Mid-Term Retention (Day 3-30) 1) Game Depth:♟️ Diverse strategies🆕 New mechanics🗺️ Side quests2) Live-Ops:🔄 Regular updates🎉 Events⏳ Limited-time content3) Progression & Difficulty:🏆 Balanced challenges📈 Satisfying progression4) Engagement Mechanics:🎁 Daily bonuses🗓️ Quests🔔 Push notifications III. Long-Term Retention (Day 30-360) 1) Meta and Long-Term Goals📑 Narrative🏡 Decor👤 Character customization🎨 Cosmetic items2) Endgame content and loop 🏁3) Social engagement👪 Community Features:🛡️ Guilds and Clans🏅 Leaderboards🤝 Co-op, PvE & PvP events4) Balanced economy ⚖️5) Technical Stability🛠️ Continuous optimization🐛 Bug fixes IV. Monetization 💸 […]

Anton Slashcev June 17

Journal

Self-Publishing Journey: Hypercell Story

SELF-PUBLISHING JOURNEYHYPERCELL The mobile games market is tough, but there are still plenty of opportunities. 💎Just take a look at the game development ecosystem in emerging countries.They are booming! ❤️‍🔥Turkey 🇹🇷, Vietnam 🇻🇳 , South Korea 🇰🇷 , Singapore 🇸🇬, India 🇮🇳, Brazil 🇧🇷, Indonesia 🇮🇩, and Pakistan 🇵🇰 , among others.The governments of these countries have understood that the games industry can be strategic for economic growth. 📈The Turkish government has cut taxes for gaming companies. Brazil has created a new legal framework.Self-publishing is a reality for some game studios in these countries.For this reason, today I'm launching a new section with research on self-publishing studios. 🚀Success cases that can be an inspiration to other studios. 🤩And for my debut, I bring you the case of Hypercell Games. 🏅Based in Latvia 🇱🇻, these guys co-developed SayGames' biggest hit, "Sand […]

Carlos Pereira June 14

Journal

Idle Lumber Empire Game Template

Idle Lumber Empire - Trash Tycoon Template Breakdown 🌲💰 The Idle Lumber Empire from NoPowerup Games led by Hưng Đặng Quang , Hieu Le , Ngo Duc Hiep , Anh Nguyễn, Thành Lê Tiến , Dinh Nguyễn Tiến , Ngoc Tu Pham , Quynh Vuong and many others , published under Game Veterans template has become a widely used framework for developing successful idle games, with simple innovations in theme and gameplay enabling the creation of new hit games. One notable example inspired by Idle Lumber Empire is Trash Tycoon from Funcell Games led by Abhishek Malpani,Aayush Agarwal , Shaurya Veer Kajaria , Tushar Prajapati , Dhawal Tamakuwala , Amit Malpani , Umang Patel and many more published by Supersonic from Unity which has been executed masterfully and is now scaling impressively. Trash Tycoon boasts remarkable playtimes and generates between […]

Vamsi Penmetsa June 13

Journal

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