Making Games That Stand Out and Survive

In this 2019 GDC talk, Monomi Park founder Nick Popovich explains how you can make your game stand out and survive amongst the thousands of games released every year.

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[ivarangquist]

Game design is much more psychology than I anticipated

[Akardhell]

gif is basically an elevator pitch image

[AXLplosion]

I'm surprised I've never heard of friction in games before, seems like such a no-brainer to think about while designing your game.

[goddydog]

That was a great talk! The concept of "home" is something I`ve never thought about.

[Lunareon]

Solid talk, great tips. "Home" really describes the feeling, which pulls you to play the same game again and again, perfectly. It's that sense of familiarity and predictability our brains take great comfort in, in a life that otherwise feels chaotic and random.

[rendiggietydog]

I love the concept of home, especially when quite a few games I play are either quite mentally tiring, or ive forgotten the controls because i don't play it very often. I think transistor did a great job at the home concept with their (I forget what their called) rest bases which have challenges and just a little area to play with your dog and a beach ball or jukebox. it was a really nice low stress environment to try and remember my playstyle and provided a great place to just put down the game for the night without worrying about being in the middle of a level, or just have a break after an intense boss battle.

[DarkMatterVisible]

This talk actually helped me decide on a couple changes to my game. I think I'll check out Slime Rancher now.

[diadsalies]

What a wonderful talk. I love the insights into 'home', that's definitely something that's been on my mind but not specifically defined. Nice to think of it as a formal concept.

[Sokolva]

In Dark Souls, the world itself becomes your home as you gain the skill and knowledge to navigate it with ease.

[doccatface]

Good showing Nick!
It's amazing how many things are obvious the instant you hear them, but go unsaid.
Pretty dead on and comprehensive.

[RossOzarka]

This guy's gif idea reminds me of the fake mobile game ads that don't show you actual gameplay, but just animation of a fake game that looks appealing. They are successful because the fake gameplay gets you thinking "oh, if I was playing I would do it a different way" and then you click because it got you thinking.

[VarticTube]

Amazing talk, so simple yet so true. At minute 33:00 when he pulled out a list of reasons not to play a game in my library I instantly thought of 1-3 examples from my collection for each reason.

[TheVertical]

That Dark Souls Part is on Point.
Many Players fear the Loss of their Progress. And i thought i would also.
But when you realize that the Value of the Souls isnt even that big, because of your own Skill Progress...then you think "i could even beat this Game without leveling"

[thefinalday]

HIM : a place to call home
ME: fishing mini game

[andrewstewart]

Dunno if someone mentioned this already but, for me, "home" in Dark Souls is the little runs you do to grind some souls on routes you're now comfortable with. Can jump into it for 10 mins or stick around for a few hours.

[JS-krfs]

The Destiny bounties and patrols section really spoke to me on a spiritual level. It's the one part of Destiny 2 I always engage every day I log in, and the part where I tend to log off is realizing I don't want to do Strikes, Crucible or other matchmade activities. Matchmade activities are work. Wandering around the open world, engaging in patrols, bounties and events at my own pace is relaxing.

[plegianscum]

100% agree with having a home. I feel like far too many games don't let you relax and I find that frustrating. Sometimes I want to be in a certain atmosphere, but I experience friction stopping me from enjoying that aspect of the game.

[alec]

Just wanna add that you need to be careful to not overdo the aspect of home in your game, if ur game is centered around gameplay then u want the more challenging activities (the ones that often cause friction but also tend to be the most rewarding upon accomplishment) to have the greatest rewards.

If u make the more mundane less challenging activities too rewarding to the point where they become almost mandatory to do whether you want to or not then those activities which are supposed to be "the place u call home" become more like chores and create the friction u were trying to avoid by adding them in.

[ThousandAnt]

Absolutely killer talk! Really appreciate you sharing all this novel. Very useful and actionable, and I love the "home" concept as someone making a cute/cozy game myself.

[helpumuch]

This presentation is spot on, as someone who loves good games and has been excited to play many over the years, sometimes it takes months/years to find time to deep dive into a game the way you want. Dishonored 2 released right before I went away to school and I was always too broke or busy to get it and play it. Which is super sad because it’s amazing like the first one