The Secret to Engaging Games: It's All About Emotions

In the world of #gamedesign, one thing that can make or break a game is how it connects with players on an emotional level. Designing games isn't just about flashy graphics or cool mechanics; it's about taking players on a journey that keeps them hooked.

Today, I want to share a case from my personal experience in the hybrid casual #FPSshooter genre that really highlights how crucial this focus on player emotions is.

The Low CPI Surprise

One of my games from the recent past got an incredibly low CPI — way lower than typical big-hit games in the target industry of the genre. Once we changed the emotional side of the game, the CPI tripled. This journey showed me how vital it is to focus on the emotional journey of the player.

Guide to Captivating Game Design

1. Do Thorough Market Research and Spy on Competitor

• I teamed up with our product manager to dig deep into the market. If market analysis isn't your strong suit, definitely lean on your product manager for support.
• We looked at what our competitors were doing and analyzed how their games were performing.

2. Identify the Emotional Feel You Want

• We pinpointed the emotional tone and feel we wanted our game to have. We literally described the scope of feelings we needed to create.
• After that, we tried to find successful games that evoke similar feelings. Since we couldn't find just one, we made a short list as if we were making a storyboard but focusing on emotions at different game layers: “the atmosphere should be like this game, the feedback like that game, the hero movement like this, the message like that, the journey like in this heroic movie,” and so on.

3. Develop with a Clear Purpose

• We addressed common game design issues head-on: ensuring realism, balancing difficulty, avoiding repetitiveness, and providing clear gameplay feedback (which we enhanced several times later).
• Our main focus was on making the core gameplay super engaging and sticky.

4. Build Immersion Using Movie Techniques

• To build immersion, we borrowed techniques and patterns from popular movies. This helped us create a sense of immersion that met player expectations for our game’s genre.

5. Test Prototypes and Learn from Results

• We tested our first prototype in the market and found the CPI was impressively low. With the test results, we gained valuable insights by analyzing the performance of our creatives.
• In our case we got 3 different categories of the players with the category 45+, male significantly dominating over the other ones.
• We carefully created the avatars of the players based on the demographic data we got from the creatives’ audience. We put there the info on the pop-vulture they grew up, the movies which could influence them and made a number of hypothesis on what kind of perception they could have.
• Then we deconstructed the creatives’ elements that resonated emotionally with players.

6. Enhance Emotional Engagement Based on Audience Profiles

• Using our test results, we created a detailed profile of our target audience.
• We brainstormed to understand the cultural and pop-culture influences that shaped our players. By considering their favorite movies, TV shows, and other media, we guessed their emotional expectations.

7. Integrate Perfect Sound and Music

• We used the best music and sounds from successful creatives to enhance our game’s narrative and emotional impact.

8. Continuously Brainstorm and Refine

• Regularly brainstorming with the team helped us find and implement hyped themes from reality, movies, and media that create the needs or triggers of the target audience.

Then a part of the team changed and the #playerexperience lost its focus on the concrete target audience with concrete patterns and habits. The epic, extremely brutal hero became a simple solder. Instead of saving this World from being destroyed he got to a role of one of a kind. Who wants to associate himself with an average someone with no big purpose and no

The Big Takeaway: Emotions Matter Most

This adventure taught me a big lesson: focusing on the player's emotional journey is crucial. If you want to create something truly unique and successful, don’t limit yourself to traditional #gamedesignrules.

More Than Just Game Designers

To nail this, game design teams need to wear many hats:

• Be a Game Designer: Master the ins and outs of game creation.
• Understand Marketing: Know what players want and stay on top of market trends.
• Work with Product Managers: Balance project scope and resources efficiently.
• Act as Product Producers: Keep the vision consistent and oversee the project.
• Think Systematically: Break down the emotional elements of pop-culture hits like movies, TV shows, and YouTube vlogs.

Wrapping It Up

In the end, the success of a game comes down to creating a compelling emotional journey. By blending various skills and focusing on player emotions, game designers can create experiences that not only draw players in but keep them coming back for more.

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